Q&A with winemaker Chelsea Blevins from Fifty Third Winery in Louisa, VA!

With wineries opening back up, I wanted to hop on here and write down a quick ongoing list of some of my favorite Virginia wines! Hopefully this will help y’all get a sense of my palate, so you can start seeing how it matches up with yours, and give you a quick/organized reference of some of the Virginia wines that really stole my heart.

Now that I now I officially passed my exam (yay for merit), I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on my experience with WSET 1 and 2 for anybody out there who may be interested in pursuing their wine education!

Grayhaven is burrowed in the coziest rural scenery, with the cutest bungalow tasting room that is surrounded by a beautiful curated garden and koi pond with the biggest koi fish I’ve seen in a while! As you sit in one of the tables right outside the tasting room, you can look out into the lush greens of this sizable property and spot a couple horses and dogs on their vast field.

After grabbing six pumpkins and some goodies from the farm store, we drove a short 10 minutes up the road to grab wine from Castle Glen Winery before heading back to Richmond. 

This past weekend I hosted a bridal shower for one of my best friends at Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA. Paradise Springs Winery is a family owned winery that has had the historic piece of land for generations (they have a cool story, check it out here) which is nestled in a beautiful neighborhood and neighbors Hemlock Regional Park.

During our short time in Savannah, we stopped at this quirky little store called “Matter of Factors” and purchased some really cool peach wines! Of course 6 years ago I was a college kid with zero knowledge of wine, but the wine was so good even a 22 year old could tell it was high quality.

Back in May we visited Elk Island Winery and had so much fun! The drive into the property is beautiful as you pass the vineyard which is on a hill, and go into a house that was converted into the tasting room. We stayed on their back patio and had a wonderful, socially distanced time. The grounds are so pretty and well maintained, our visit turned into a little photoshoot!

This past Sunday, my dad and I had the opportunity to visit an amazing gem of a vineyard near Barbourville, called Chestnut Oak. I have to take a moment and comment on the fact that the drive from Richmond to Chestnut Oak, was absolutely gorgeous. We went through Route 20, and honestly it was hard to focus on the road, with all the amazing scenery!

Ashton Creek Vineyards is probably one of my favorite Richmond area wineries right now. I absolutely loved their grounds, their food, and most importantly…their Vidal Blanc. Besides the great wines and atmosphere, one of the biggest things that I was impressed by during my visit, was their socially distancing procedures.