A cold snap this week tested vineyards across the state.
From Blue Ridge to the Northern Neck, vineyard crews worked overnight to minimize frost damage by lighting frost candles to keep their vines warm. Several vineyards are reporting some damage — especially to early budding varietals like Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc — but it appears to be minimal.
Winemakers remain optimistic, but the next few weeks will tell the full story when new shoots appear and begin to flower (see ‘Wine News' below).
But life moves on, and the spring social calendar is stacked!
King Family is hosting a barrel tasting with winemaker Matthieu Finot; Endhardt just announced their first-ever Reserve wine; and a brand-new café has opened at Cana Vineyards. There's a lot going on.
In this week’s edition
🎉 Events: Breaux’s Nebbiolo vertical and King’s intimate barrel tasting
🍾 Bottle of the Week: Afton Mountain Vineyards’ 2024 Albariño
🏆 Awards: Jim Law of Linden wins a Lifetime Achievement Award
📰 News: VinePair’s ‘Best Red Blends’ features seven Virginia bottles
🍷 New Releases: Endhardt Vineyards’ first Reserve wine
👀 Behind the Scenes: Crimson Lane blends their reds and Arterra’s organic operations
Events
Saturday, April 18:
King Family barrel tasting: King Family Vineyards is hosting an intimate barrel tasting experience with winemaker Matthieu Finot, assistant winemaker Connor Jooste, and Wine Director Karine Malifarge.
Blind tasting at Boxwood: Test your taste buds at Boxwood Estate Winery with a Blind Tasting Event from 1 – 2:30pm.
Nebbiolo vertical at Breaux: Breaux Vineyards is hosting a Nebbiolo Vertical tasting. It’s an uncommon grape for Virginia — and a rare chance to taste it across vintages.
A charity run amongst the vines: Mountain & Vine Vineyards will be hosting a 3K/6K/9K races to benefit Nelson County Fire and Rescue.
Saturday, April 25:
LoCo Wine Fest: Old Farm Winery at Hartland will be pouring at LoCo Wine Fest on April 25–26 — a great way to explore Loudoun’s wine scene.
Sunday, April 26:
The Bluebell Music Festival: The Winery at Bull Run will host the Bluebell Music Festival from 11:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
May and onward:
Town Point Virginia Wine Festival: More than 200 wines from Virginia's premier wineries will be showcased in Norfolk on May 2 and 3.
'Toast the Weekend' at Bluestone: Bluestone Vineyard launches Toast the Weekend on May 8 featuring live music and food trucks. Runs on the 2nd and 4th Fridays through September.
Spring Fling at Shenandoah Valley: A Shenandoah Valley winery brings back Spring Fling for year 2 on May 9, with the release of their 2025 Cuvée Rosé.
Bull Run Wine Festival: On May 30th and 31st, The Winery at Bull Run will host a wine festival featuring some of Virginia’s premier wineries.
NoVA MusicFest: The 6th annual NoVA MusicFest on Sunday, May 24th will feature the best winemakers from Northern Virginia.
Bottle of the Week
Afton Mountain Vineyards — 2024 Albariño
Monticello AVA • Albariño • ~$36
Why it’s here
An exceptional expression of this distinctive Spanish varietal, Afton’s 2024 Albariño was a 2026 Gold Medal winner in the Virginia Governor’s Cup and a 2025 Monticello Cup winner.
Tasting notes
Bright, mineral-driven white with vibrant acidity and elegant structure.
🍋 Lemon zest • 🍑 White peach • 🌸 Orange blossom • 🧂 Sea salt minerality
Awards & Reviews
Celebrating Jim Law: The owner of Linden Vineyards and winegrower of Hardscrabble Vineyard was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Eastern Winery Exposition.
Saudé Creek wins Best Local Winery: Saudé Creek Vineyards won Best Local Winery in Coastal Virginia Magazine’s 2026 Reader’s Choice Awards.
Deacon wins Wine Madness: Septenary Winery's Deacon 2021 won the winery’s annual Wine Madness competition. The winery creates an "Oenophile 8" bracket where guests taste and vote on wines to determine the champion. The winery’s Sparkling Rosé had an early lead, but Deacon came out on top.
Wine News
Frost across Virginia: Linden Vineyards reported manageable frost damage to Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc buds, with founder Jim Law expecting a viable crop. Stinson Vineyards recorded a low of 28°F, with early Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc budbreak showing minimal damage. CrossKeys Vineyards and Pollak Vineyards both lit anti-frost candles overnight, with teams working through the night to protect early growth.
VinePair’s ‘Best Red Blends’: The digital publication VinePair released their “30 Best Red Blends for 2026.” Seven bottles were from Virginia, including Crimson Lane, Pollack, Lightwell Survey and others.
Eastern Winery Exposition: EWE, the largest B2B wine industry event east of the Pacific states, was held in Richmond in late March. Virginia’s reputation for experimenting with hybrid varietals shone.
Cana opens the Black Oak Café: Cana Vineyards and Winery has opened their new Black Oak Café, designed as a welcoming, charming gathering space on the property.
New talent at Keswick Hall: Preston Paine has been appointed as Food & Beverage Director and Executive Chef at Keswick Hall, a luxury resort outside of Charlottesville.
New Releases
Endhardt's first Reserve wine: Endhardt Vineyards just hit a milestone — bottling day for their first Reserve wine, their 2022 Petit Verdot. They also bottled their first-ever Grüner Veltliner.
Lost Creek’s first Sauvignon Blanc: Along with their 2025 Viognier and the 2022 Echelon, Lost Creek Winery bottled their first Sauvignon Blanc.
Boxwood's 2024 estate whites and rosé: Boxwood Estate Winery has released their 2024 estate-grown whites and rosé.
Behind the Scenes
Arterra’s journey to Organic operations: Arterra Wines describes their three-year journey to transition to 100% Organic Operations with Baystate Organic Certifiers. They want to become the first Mid-Atlantic vineyard growing European wine grapes organically certified.
Chatham planting new Chardonnay clones: Chatham Vineyards is planting Clone 4 along with Dijon 76, 95, and 548 — selections chosen to refine the style and quality of their Steel and Oak wine program.
Blending season at Crimson Lane: Crimson Lane Vineyards welcomed blending consultant Steve Blaise for their 2024 red blending trials.
Consider me fooled! On April Fools’ Day, Pearmund Cellars announced that it was made the official wine sponsor of the 2026 World Cup.