Northern Neck Vineyards

Northern Neck Vineyards

The Northern Neck has always been a center of agriculture, but increasingly a specailized form of agriculture has taken root in the region's rich soil. Beginning in the early 1980s, the region has developed into one of Virginia's most productive wine-producing.

Today there are eight vineyards on the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail, with five of the eight lying within the four counties of the Northern Neck. Visitors to the area can visit each one, sampling its products and observing its unique qualities.

Ingleside Winery & Vineyards, Oak Grove, Va. (Westmoreland County)

Ingleside is the Northern Neck's oldest and largest winery. It was established in the early 1980s on the grounds of the historic Ingleside Plantation in western Westmoreland County. Today, its wines are recognized internationally. In 2009 the Trip Advisor included Oak Grove in the Top 10 Wine Producing Regions of North America.

Visitors to Ingleside can tour the barrel room and learn something about the chemestry involved in winemaking. There's also a museum, with artifacts from the region's rich history.

Naturally you'll want to visit the tasting room and gift shop.

Vault Field, Kinsale, Va. (Westmoreland County)

Westmoreland County's other winery is also the Northern Neck's newest, Vault Field, near Kinsale in the eastern county. Located on a sprawling farm just off Route 3, Vault Field is a family operation that began selling wine in 2007. You can tour the immaculate grounds and talk to the winemaker himself. Bottles of wine may be purchased in the tasting room.

Belle Mount Vineyards, Warsaw, Va. (Richmond County)

Belle Mount Vineyards is outside Warsaw on the shores of beautiful Cat Point Creek. It's one of the few vineyards where you can actually camp out. Owners Ray and Catherine Petrie also operate a campground. Ray takes visitors on a tour of the vines, explaining the different varieties of grapes and how they are used in winemaking.

Athena Vineyards, Wicomico Church, Va. (Northumberland County)

Athena Vineyards opened in 2002 as the "retirement" project of three former nursing professors, who left academia to pursue agriculture. Athena is one of the few woman owned and operated wineries in the country, and one of the owners is usually in the tasting room to answer questions and take visitors on a tour. Their wine comes in some of the most creatively-designed bottles you'll ever see.

White Fences Vineyards, Irvington, Va. (Lancaster County)

White Fences is always the center of activity in quaint Irvington. In keeping with the quirky nature of the village, the entrance to the Vineyard is framed by two giant corkscrews. It sells its Meteor wine in the tasting room by the glass, the bottle or the case. White Fences is also known for the annual Irvington Stomp each Labor Day weekend. It's one giant party where visitors can actually kick off their shows and climb into a giant barrel to stomp some grapes.

All of these vineyards are active in supporting Northern Neck hospitality and invite you to drop in on your next visit!