Winding Road Cellars

Winding Roads is difficult for me to rate. I loved the friendliness of the staff, thought the rustic tasting room & patio overlooking the pond were charming, and deeply appreciate how they age their wines. That said, none of their reds had the boldness I usually prefer (but that’s more of a difference in preferences than something wrong with the wine). If you enjoy well aged and somewhat lighter bodied reds, or are a white drinker who’s only starting to go down the road to the dark red side, I totally recommend them.
My pourer was Linda, half of the husband/​wife team who owns the place. I hate to say this is a ‘retirement’ gig for them, because that word is usually associated with sitting back drinking wine vice making barrels of it. And seriously; who tends to 6 acres of grapes for fun? But they wanted to stay active and so Winding Roads was born.
What sets them aside from pretty much every winery in Virginia is how OLD the wines on the tasting menu are. The youngest two — the Chardonnay and a red blend — were 2012 vintages. Anywhere else these would be classified as library wines for special occasions. But here, the Chardonnay was literally ‘brand new’ to their menu.
Not only that, but many of their reds enjoy especially long barrel fermentations; the Chambourcin spent 24 months in oak, the Cab Franc 36 months, and the Cab Sav a whopping 42 MONTHS in barrel. In a time when most Virginia wineries are serving whites picked from grapes the previous year, and reds barely 2 years old, this is a big, big deal.
Whites: Actually my only white was the Chardonnay, a product of both barrel and steel fermentation that had a creamy nose and taste. They also have a white blend and a Viognier, but I missed out on those.
Reds: My favorite was the 2007 Cab Franc, which was exceptionally mellow. The 2008 Cab Sav was pretty good, but I think is more of a food-​centric than a ‘drink me by myself’ wine. The 2008 Chambourcin had a berry nose and a tart flavor. The ‘youngest’ red was the 2012 Tribute, a red blend of Cab Franc, Cab Sav, and dashes of a few others which apparently is a well guarded secret. The color and palate were too light for me, but it would be a good red for transitioning white wine drinkers.
Fortunately they are literally next-​door to Philip Carter winery, so visiting here is almost a 2-​for-​1. But if you’re looking for someplace totally serene to enjoy a glass, this is certainly the quieter of the two.

Linda and her husband are a gem! We spent the afternoon with wine and a puzzle in the beautiful building that has the most beautiful live edge tasting counter. We will be back to converse with Linda and her husband and enjoy an afternoon relaxing and working on a puzzle. There are also some other table games available. One of my new favorite places!

I’m not much of a wine drinker, but I had the best time at this winery. The owner’s wife and our tasting manager were so friendly and helpful. And I actually liked the red (I don’t know the last time I said that). It’s a little confusing about where to park– go past the farmhouse and turn right immediately after to park for the tasting room. I can’t wait to try the whites that should be coming out soon. Fantastic visit all around.

Pretty strong overall selection for a new winery. If you like American oak, this is your place. Lots of pepper and sore in reds and whites. No malolactic fermentation, so no buttery taste.

Hidden past Philip Carter is this little gem of a winery. Tasting room has been open for almost two years now, but still seems brand new. Very casual and customer-​friendly employees poured our tasting and were happy to answer all our questions. Like many start-​ups, a few of their grapes used in the older vintages have come from beyond the estate (Warrenton– believe some are from the Papadopoulos Family), but they are bottling more of their own and looking forward to tasting more of their own in the coming years.

We ended up wandering into Winding Road Cellars this weekend and happy to see that it was open until 6pm (on Sunday) while it’s neighboring winery closes at 5pm. We were one of the last groups of the day to go through, but you would think we were one of the first based on the warm welcome we received! It was wonderful to learn how WRC came to be and to hear the owner’s story. You can tell she is very proud of her husband’s wine making ability and who doesn’t just adore a good love story?!
As it turns out, they are a relatively new winery, they opened in 2013, and as such have plenty of room to grow. They grow several varietals of grapes on property, with their Tribute being their first signature blend.
I really liked both their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Cabernet Franc, I was also intrigued by their 2010 Chardonnay. In fact, I liked them so much that we bought a bottle of each to take home.
The tasting room is beautiful, rustic-​but homey, made mostly of reclaimed wood from various places. The back patio overlooks a pond, the vineyard and a fire pit with a couple of Adirondack chairs.
The winery has Pennsylvania dutch cheese, crackers, soda and water available for purchase and also allows you to bring your own picnic.
WRC is a great place to unwind with a bottle of wine and get away from the hustle and bustle of the area.

I visited Winding Road Cellars last weekend. It was a warm, sunny afternoon out — perfect for a drive through Virginia Wine Country and some wine tastings!
The wine tasting room here is very cool. When one walks in — one is immediately greeted with a very enjoyable «wood» smell. You’ll know what I mean when you walk in. The place is gorgeous — has a comfy, almost rustic feel to it.
The two ladies working the tasting counter were very nice. I tasted all of the wines they had available. The tasting sheet they provided was not entirely accurate — they deviated from it a bit as they were out of a couple of the wines listed on the sheet.
Winding Road is a very young winery — I believe they stated they are currently sourcing most of their grapes from other vineyards until their vines reach maturity.
They provide a large cracker and several small squares of a delicious cheese to use a palate cleanser. And with their dessert wine — they give you some chocolate to try with the wine.
A couple of their reds were enjoyable, but nothing that wowed me. Still an enjoyable experience. I’ll be interested to see how their wines evolve over time.

We’ve been visiting since just after they opened and they started off great and have been getting better with each visit. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. The wines are nicely done and they recently started bottling their first wine done completely on their own.
The tasting room is beautiful and one of our favorites. It’s an Amish-​built room with beautiful walls, ceilings and an incredible wooden bar with a tree top. The deck is a great place to sit, sip and enjoy some snacks while overlooking their pretty pond in one direction or vineyard in the other.

Very nice, new winery. The price for tasting was very reasonable. The wines themselves were actually very good and worth purchasing a glass or bottle to share for an afternoon out.

Down to earth, good prices, great music, and free chocolate! They where wonderful hosts and made us feel more «at home» than the other wineries nearby.

This is a nice relatively new spot close to Philip Carter Vineyards and the now defunct Hume Vineyards. The tasting building is beautiful, decked out in wood. The deck behind the tasting room overlooking the pond (complete with a boat house that has seen better days) is peaceful. No live music! Hooray!
Three stars mainly due to the wine — I think they haven’t found their way with the wine yet. The wines were decent but not as good as others in the area, and very high in alcohol. The lady who performed our tastings seemed a bit nervous during our visit. Still, a gorgeous enough location to merit repeat visits.

One word… wow! Don’t let the newness scare you… this is a mature winery with complex and solid wines. This winery has skipped over all the «growing years» and went straight to great wine.
They have a limited list of wines, but each one is a solid representation of what the wine should be rather than being a marginal wine to have a lot on the list.
The setting is beautiful and the owners are really nice and kind. Highly recommend visiting this winery as they will certainly be a future standout in the virginia winery scene.

Lovely, relaxing winery! Delicious wines and very knowledgable staff. Will definitely be back!

Great value and friendly atmosphere — we look forward to going back!
We stopped in Friday afternoon after seeing the sign in the road. It’s a newer vineyard. The owner did our tasting, and was very friendly and happy to answer our questions.
For only about $ 5 or $ 6 we got to try a good variety of wines, paired with crackers, cheese, and chocolates. The wines were good Virginia wines, and the Chardonnay was a surprisingly crisp stand out.

Wonderful new addition to this wine region. Very obscure and not pretentious, the wines are phenomenal. Out of the six wine flight, we bought four! We will be back!

Small, uncrowded, new facilities. Enjoyable wines, beautiful view of pond.

This new spot is worth the stop. The owners are very friendly. The wines are good. And the tasting room is beautiful. I can’t wait to go back once this horrible winter had cleared and the plants are back.
A little hidden gem.