Stunning.

The vistas from Bluemont Vineyards tasting room cannot be described in any other way.  Located in western Loudoun County, this relatively new winery – with deep Virginia farming roots – has created a must see facility on the Northern Virginia wine trail.  Located between Leesburg and Berryville, visitors feel a world away from the hustle and bustle of Tysons Corner – which, by the way, can be seen in the distance from the upper tasting room.

Regular readers of Grapevine know that Virginia wine is agriculture and the touring around the wineries (and other farms for that matter) make the rural areas financially viable.  Perhaps there is no greater exhibit of this than Bluemont Vineyards.  The Bluemont “estate” for lack of a better term includes several agricultural operations.  Each entity is unique and has separate family(ies) member ownership but together they form a community of businesses that support an agrarian enterprise.

Across Foggy Bottom Road, is Great Country Farms, LLC a u-pick fruit and vegetable farm that includes a community supported agriculture operation [full disclosure: 15+ years ago my wife and I were members of this CSA and loved it!].  At the base of the vineyard hill the Stable and Cellar at Bluemont Vineyard provides an excellent venue for medium sized events or weddings with the entire Loudoun Valley as the backdrop.

At the top of the hill is the tasting room facility that includes “Loree Antiques”, a quaint shop featuring an eclectic combination of antique furnishings and accessories.  Entering the lower level past the fieldstone arches, a group of wine tour bus patrons are snapping pictures while a small Jazz combo is creating an upbeat soundtrack to all the action.  The rustic, not old, feel of the tasting room, cellar and shop at Bluemont can be credited to the talented interior design skills of Loree Rupy.

Moving upstairs to the tasting bar, visitors’ senses are piqued by the smell of fresh bread coming out of the oven and the large wall of windows.  So much about any wine tasting is the experience around it. I find wines are best enjoyed in a warm comfortable setting along with food and good company.  While some vineyard guests come just for a wine tasting, the vast majority choose to have the full Bluemont wine experience including treats from the kitchen.

With a natural affinity for local food, the provisions include seven different Amish farmers cheese, two types of imported salami, infused oils, spread tapenades, chips, crackers, chocolate and the aforementioned baguettes (brought in fresh from a local bakery and heated).  Many winter weekends, the kitchen will also prepare hot soup, stew or chowder.  

The wines of Bluemont firmly embrace their agricultural roots; each is named for a different farm animal.  While this is difficult to get used to at first, it provides a direct visual link back to the farm part of being a Virginia Farm winery.

As a newly established vineyard, Bluemont has sourced much of its recent vintages from local growers to augment their own vineyard production.  As they were scheduled to bottle in Mid-December, many of their white wines were sold out on the day I visited; but they were pouring neighboring wineries whites to ensure guests received a full tasting.

Of the reds tasted, I was particularly intrigued by “The Pig” a non-vintage Norton based wine.  The Norton grape is the oldest cultivated American grape, first produced in 1820 by Dr. D.N. Norton of Richmond, Virginia.  This wine was open fermented and then aged in French and American oak barrels.  

The color of “The Pig” is deep rich garnet that fills to the edge of the surface area of the glass.  The inky appearance foreshadows the deep rich taste to follow.  The nose is filled with plum, licorice and raisin.  The attack has an undertone of smoke leading to a jam filled mid palate.  The finish is a touch acidic (typical for Norton) but leaves a memory of strawberry and raspberry on the back of the palate.  Drinking nicely now, I recommend this bottle sit for six months to a year to allow the acidity on the finish to drop and to further integrate the tannins and the powerful flavor layers of this outstanding wine.

As I went through the tasting, I was struck by the warm, generous personalities behind the tasting bar.  Such hospitality does not just happen it must, like a fine wine, be nurtured and promoted.  While such hospitality is not rare in Virginia tasting rooms, the uniformity of the genteel manner throughout the building was worth noting.

The ownership team clearly deserves the credit for assembling such a competent tasting room staff.  One of the owners, Bob Rupy, serves as both the winemaker and General Manager of the operations.  After a very fruitful career in corporate America, Bob looked up a good friend from college, Mark Zurschmeide, owner of Great Country Farms.  After discussing the idea at length and expanding the ownership team, they decided to form Bluemont Vineyards.  Bruce Zurschmiede, Keeper of the Vines and Kevin Rupy, Counselor, round out this family centered ownership team.

Located about an hour’s drive west of Old Town Alexandria, Bluemont Vineyard provides solid wines and an excellent rural respite to recharge one’s batteries.  

Visiting Virginia’s wineries in the winter can be a challenge with great reward.  Plan your trip, allow for at least an hour to visit each winery.  In addition, call ahead if there is any threatening weather in the forecast.  At 951 feet, Bluemont often gets storms that may not reach into Old Town.  The rewards for winter touring are smaller crowds and more personal attention.

Neil Williamson is the President of The Trellis Group, a marketing consultancy focused on Virginia wineries.  He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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