Terra Nebulo Vineyards

We watched the tasting room go up on a gorgeous piece of land literally just steps from the quaint village of Waterford and couldn’t wait for it to open. It was clear from the start the tasting room would be gorgeous (and it is – you can see the craftsmanship and even smell the fresh wood). Since we’d also watched the vines go in just a few months ago, we weren’t expecting great things from the wine but we were happy to be proved wrong — they’ve got some very strong offerings. Sparkling Traminette — a delightful surprise. Also bought the Riesling and the red blend and enjoyed them all. The owners are charming. The whole place has a friendly vibe. We live nearby and have been to most of the Loundoun County wineries — this already is among our favorites.

Great start for a new winery. 4 stars for wine, 5 for service & price point; 4.5 stars total? The only thing I didn’t like was the rule about no outside food, which is somewhat mitigated by them serving light fare of their own. But the wines were generally above par; $ 8 for 6 tastings, or $ 10 to add the two Reserve wines (do it — it’s worth it).
The tasting room is an Amish-​built barn; the town of Waterford required the building conform to the architecture of the surrounding area, and they made a great choice in the design. The tasting room downstairs is cozy, and presumably they’ll have events upstairs.
Reds: Really liked the Chambourcin. This grape is generally hit-​or-​miss with me, but the bold fruit palate was a hit. The port was also well done, and had an excellent nose. The Blended Red was OK, while the only red I didn’t care for was the very leathery Cab Franc.
Whites: They have Riesling! And it was only $ 22! And even though it’s a white, it was my favorite of the day!!! Miracles will never cease; my friends & I shared a bottle.
With few exceptions I’m not white drinker so the rest didn’t do much for me. But my friends seemed to enjoy everything. The most surprising wine was the slightly sparkling Traminette. I don’t recall having one of these in VA, so kudos for being experimental.
My friends & I gave them an unexpected surprise when we came in; we thought they knew we were coming with a large group, but they didn’t get our memo. Oh well, they were still kind enough to serve us all anyway. While they generally don’t allow outside food, they had either sold out or had problems with their fridge, so were kind enough to let my friends slide by this time.
Dog lovers might be disappointed — no dogs, even on the patio!