Northern Virginia Wineries with the Best Views

Now for an exciting post…drum roll please…which wineries in Northern VA are home to the best views?!

We are constantly getting asked by friends and fellow wine lovers which local wineries can offer the best views from their tasting room. Although most of the Northern VA wineries can’t compete with the views you’ll find in Charlottesville (they simply have more land and are deeper in the mountains), there are several that have gorgeous views to accompany their delicious wines. Naturally, the further away from the city you drive the more land most wineries will have. For the purposes of this post though and in the spirit of keeping things local, we will focus on our favorite views at wineries within one hour of Fairfax, VA. Most of these are located either further out west in Delaplane, or west of Leesburg. And the winners are….

1. Bluemont Vineyard: Although we’re not huge fans of their tasting room or their wine (they have a lot of sweeter wines and we prefer the dry, full-bodied babies), the view at Bluemont is pretty great. Rumor has it that on a clear day you can even see the Washington Monument (we’ve been there a few times and even once on a clear day, no luck seeing it– must be an urban legend). You can however see the beautiful view of the valley below and the countryside of VA. The tasting room is located in Bluemont, VA and at an elevation of 951 feet giving it it’s gorgeous view! The vineyard has been around for a while and we’d recommend going on a nice day so you can sit outside and enjoy the view– the inside is small and can get a bit cramped. They are dog-friendly and usually have live music on the weekends, PLUS, this is one of the wineries featured in the Tuskies Wine Trail Map which gives you a buy one, get one free tasting coupon (more money for glasses & bottles, duh). Make sure you pick one of these maps up– they are awesome. Lots of $$$ saving coupons at the local wineries. We grabbed ours from The Barns at Hamilton Station, but we’re 99% positive you can get them at the Tuscarora Mill Restaurant in Leesburg. YOU NEED ONE OF THESE.

2. Stone Tower Winery: Duh. As we’ve mentioned before, STW has quickly become our favorite winery for many reasons, and the view is absolutely one of them. They have a lot of land here and have planted several acres of grapes in the last year, expanding their vineyard to one of the largest in the area. In addition to the views of the vines, there is a cute little lake at the bottom of the hill where they have a grotto that will eventually store their wine. It’s super cute. They also offer the most comfortable winery furniture ever made and yoga classes outdoors (when the weather is nice) which is a nice little touch. This is the perfect place to grab a glass, put your feet up, and watch the sunset over the vines. Doesn’t get any better.

Stone Tower Winery, Leesburg VA

3. Winery 32: This newer winery in Leesburg is down the road from another favorite, Fabbioli, and boasts great views and an ALPACA farm… What?! Yes, alpaca’s, cute little things. They also have a little lake on the property and when we visited a few weeks ago we got a great view of the fall colors in the surrounding mountains. The view is much prettier from the outside deck, but their tasting room also has large windows and lots of natural light so it would be nice in the cooler weather as well. The other great thing about this place that sets it apart from the other wineries are their wine bottle labels. The owner’s daughter is a graphic designer and has designed all of the labels for their wines. They are colorful, vibrant, and reflect the story behind all of the wines. It’s a nice touch and something different from most of other local wineries.

Winery 32, Leesburg VA

4. Delaplane Cellars: This winery is home to a beautiful tasting room and even more beautiful views! Delaplane Cellars is located off of Route 17 in Delaplane (obvi.) and has a large tasting room with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the scenery below. The tasting room is bright, filled with natural light, and has a lovely bar. We enjoyed our tasting here on a quiet Friday afternoon, and opted for a bottle of Chardonnay to sip on. It was a cooler day so we grabbed a table inside the tasting room next to the windows with a great view below. This is definitely a quieter and more “adult” place– not so much the bring your kids, bring your dog, bring your picnic and your loud friends kind of atmosphere. In fact, they don’t allow groups larger than 6 so it keeps the place as it’s meant to be. It’s a great spot to have an educational tasting, grab a bottle, and spend a quiet afternoon having a heart-to-heart or reading a good book with a glass of Chardonnay.

5. Chateau O’Brien: Another beautiful view in Markham, Chateau O’Brien offers a choice in your tasting. You can opt for the classic wine tasting or the cellar collection tasting (offered on weekends only). We loved their Cellar Cab France and their Chardonnay, but our favorite thing about this place is the outdoor patio and the view. The patio is shaped in a semi-circle and anywhere you sit you get a great view of the mountains in the distance! We were quite entertained by the owner on one of our tastings, who seemed slightly cocky but had a knack for telling great stories. Overall, we liked our tasting and enjoyed the view.