Nestled just a few miles outside of Culpeper, Old House Vineyards wraparound porch and rich hardwood tasting bar make patrons feel as though time has stopped and that it is okay to take a break, perhaps even recommended, taking a breath and smelling the blooming flora.  Sitting on the front porch taking in the gorgeous pond vista of the new wedding pergola standing resolutely on an island near their new event pavilion and the oversized game of lawn chess on the front yard, led me to ponder how much Old House has grown through the years.  

Old House Vineyards is located in an area that was once known as “Wicked Bottom”.  As Community Reporter, Zann Nelson, wrote recently in The Culpeper Star-Exponent:
“Despite the existence of at least three taverns …citizens were, for the most part, God fearing and heavily influenced by the presence of a vibrant community of Quakers, 1790-1830. Rowdy behavior was not welcomed and those who wished to partake in social endeavors of a lascivious nature were relegated to a field slightly east of the village.
These more unattractive travelers congregated in an area of flat land large enough to accommodate wagons, animals and camp sites and in close proximity to a spring and creek providing an ample supply of water for man and beast. One can rarely read an account of the local lore that does not contain a reference to the goings on in “Wicked Bottom,” so named for obvious reasons.”

Old House Vineyards was founded by Patrick and Allyson Kearney in 1998.  When they acquired the 75-acre property it was a bit of an overgrown alfalfa field with an 1800 era house in disrepair.  In time, and with a great deal of help from family and friends, the couple planted the vineyards and converted the “Old House” into a home with a tasting room.  With a young family, occasionally overtime at the tasting bar cut into family time in the home.  Eventually as the business grew, the Kearney family moved out of the “Old House” but still live on the property.

Regular readers of Grapevine know one true sign of a winery’s commitment to quality is reinvestment in their property.  It was with great pleasure that I noted the tell tale grow tubes of a new vineyard going in adjacent to one of the original vineyard plantings.  In addition, the afternoon I visited the carpenters were putting the final touches on Old House Vineyard’s new Special Events Pavilion. The Pavilion is destined to become one of the more popular vineyard sites for weddings, family reunions and private parties.  

Winemaking duties at Old House Vineyards belong to Damien Blanchon.  Originally from Perpignan, France (10 miles east of the Mediterranean coast), Damien comes from a family of Southern France grape growers and earned a degree in viticulture and enology from the College of Agriculture LEGTA Charlemagne in Carcassowne.  Blanchon’s subtle winemaking touches help shape Old House Vineyards wines into full wines with gentle round tannins and exquisite finishes.  

Making a sparkling wine is a labor intensive endeavor.  Old House Vineyards Pétillante is produced using the méthode champenoise, this traditional French technique generates the second fermentation in the bottle resulting in a soft sparkler with tiny bubbles and crisp fruit character.

The 2008 Chardonnay spent just two weeks in new French oak before being transferred into older, more neutral oak barrels.  The wine was allowed to ferment on the lees, the deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast after fermentation.  Keeping a wine “on the lees” and stirring from time to time can impart increased complexity and distinctive yeasty aromatics to the wine.  The 2008 Old House Vineyards Chardonnay features bread dough on the nose and an expansive mid-palate along with a finish that is exceedingly well balanced between butter and oak.

With seven acres of Vidal vines, Old House produces several wines with Vidal as a component.  The 2009 Vidal Blanc is a delightful summer sipping wine with 3% residual sugar.  Hints of pineapple, orange and grapefruit are prevalent on the nose leading to a sharp crisp attach and a well rounded mid-palate.  The finish on this stainless steel fermented wine is remarkably clean.  Pairings for this wine would include most cheese courses as well as slightly spicy whitefish or poultry.

Rosie’s Rosé is a very nice slightly sweet wine made from 100% Cabernet Franc.  Aged on the skins for just three days, the tannic structure is decidedly understated.  Finishing with a residual sugar of 1.5%, this wine is well built for the variety found on the Sunday Brunch table.

Finding a nice summertime red wine is a bit like finding a four-leaf clover, unless you are really looking for it you might miss the good fortune.  Such is the case with the Old House “an Samhradh”.  Taking its name from the Celtic word for summer, this wine is a blend of Chambourcin and Vidal resulting in a gentle fruit forward bomb that would pair exceedingly well with pizza, spaghetti and spicy Creole dishes.

Wicked Bottom is Old House Vineyards tribute to the rough and tumble history of the property.  This Chambourcin reserve is barrel aged to allow the often competing flavor components time to mellow and become more complementary.  The oak is well placed and does not dominate the jammy Chambourcin fruit in the wine’s flavor profile.  Opening with a tight, somewhat mysterious nose, the wine exudes berry undertones with a nice level of complexity and round tannins.

Bordeaux style blending is evident in Old House Vineyards’ Bacchanalia. Drawing its name from Bacchus, God of Wine, this barrel-aged blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Tannat and Petit Verdot is a wine of robust complexity.  The nose is filled with dark cherry and plum wile the mid-palate has hints of red licorice and smoke.  The finish is full with a decidedly strong tannic memory left long in the mouth after the wine has passed.  I would pair this wine with any braised beef but especially with a well-seasoned leg of lamb.

Located just east of  Culpeper, Old House Vineyards is an easy day trip from Alexandria.  The winery is open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 am – 5 pm and Sunday from Noon until 5 pm.  Plan your trip to allow at least an hour relaxing and enjoying the fine wines and great vistas of Old House Vineyards.

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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