Wine in VA

Does anyone know where I could get really good wine at wineries around Central Virginia, specifically near Charlottesville? I'm really in the market for something that will age well for quite a long time. Thanks for the help.

Hi Andy and welcome. Get your hands on Barboursville Cabernet Franc. Good stuff. It scored very highly in blind tasting against 21 other Cab Francs from around the world, surpassed only by a few well aged Chinons.

[David M. Bueker]

There's plenty of good (not great) wine in Virginia. There is not much (any?) wine that will reward long aging. It's just not that kind of wine region yet.

If you just want to enjoy something good from around Charlottesville there's Whitehall, Blenheim, Veritas, King Family, Barboursville and others.

[James Roscoe]

Don't forget Horton. Go here for more information on Virginia wines and wineries.

Not sure what your definition of quite a long time is but I have held Barboursville reds for 5 years plus without any issue. While expensive the Octagon holds quite well. The last bottle I opened at I think about 7 years of age still seemed young. I still have one in the cellar and I am in no rush to finish it as I assume it has a few years left.

Not central VA but if you check the wine shops in the area you will likley find Linden. Those will also hold up for many years.

[David M. Bueker]

In my opinion (and it's only my opinion) "age well for quite a long time" and "hold up" are not the same thing.

In my opinion (and it's only my opinion) "age well for quite a long time" and "hold up" are not the same thing.

Agree but not sure what the original poster is looking for. Now that you mention it there is one wine I can think of from VA that requires some aging. The Petit Verdot that I picked up from Ingelside Plantation actually requires some aging to lose the grapiness and become more complex and interesting. I don't recall the vintage but I still have a number sleeping in the cellar.

Thank you all for the replies. I guess I should have been more specific on the time that I'm looking on keeping the wines. I'm thinking upwards of ten years. However I am still in the market for something that I can drink soon after purchase.

Agree with Brian on the Octagon. It definitely needs 4-6 years before it is ready to drink.

[David M. Bueker]

Agree with Brian on the Octagon. It definitely needs 4-6 years before it is ready to drink.

Maybe, but what do you know about wine?

Had the opportunity to taste some of the older vintages. Great stuff!! I'm not sure its your thing. More mine.

Wife and I were in that area two weeks ago and liked the Barboursville wines. Ended up bringing home an Octagon.

Although generally (compared to better developed regions) the wines we tasted were what we'd consider lightweights, we thought a few were pretty good for an area so new to producing wine. As to finding something ageable, I'd defer to those more knowledgeable.