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October 6, 2023
It may come as a surprise, but Virginia is actually one of the top wine-producing states in the entire country. The Commonwealth boasts better than 300 wineries—that’s right, 300—spread across some 5,000 acres, and lays claim to no fewer than eight official American Viticultural Areas (AVAs).
Given October is Virginia Wine Month, there’s really no better time to come stay with us here at The Watermark Hotel in Tysons, VA, and use our luxury all-suite property as a springboard for exploring regional wineries and tasting rooms.
A surprising density and variety of vineyards can be found within shouting distance of the Washington, D.C. metro area. Some two dozen wineries, for example, compose the Middleburg AVA, only 50 miles west of the nation’s capital and easy to reach from your Watermark Hotel upscale residential suite.
There are, in fact, decidedly too many excellent wineries within our bigger backyard to really do justice to here, but we’ll pull out a few examples to get the ball rolling and gesture at the topnotch oenophilic experiences available to you on a Watermark Hotel vacation.
Consider, for example, the excellent reds, whites, rosés, and sparkling wines available at Paradise Springs Winery, which occupies a lovely and historic property along the Bull Run River that includes an 18th-century log cabin.
This closest winery to D.C. is open each and every day from 11 AM to 7 PM, staying open till 9 PM on Friday evenings.
Or steer your way to grapevine-quilted Loudoun County to sample Petit Mansengs, Tenants, Viogniers, red blends, and more at Bozzo Family Vineyards, where you can sip in leisure around outside heaters or firepits and also pair your vino with some ace wood-fired pizza. Bozzo Family Vineyards is open Thursday and Friday from 3 to 6 PM and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 PM.
Another good regional option is Boxwood Estate Winery, which was instrumental in getting the aforementioned Middleburg AVA established back in 2012.
Established by former owner of the Washington Commanders John Kent Cooke, Boxwood encompasses a 26.5-acre vineyard growing traditional Bordeaux grape varieties, and is open for tastings and tours from 11 AM to 6 PM Wednesday through Sunday.
Virginia estate-grown grapes produce the wines of Carriage House Wineworks, owned by Michael Fritze, also certified as a wine judge by the American Wine Society. Three of the Carriage House wines—the Petit Verdot 2021, Red Barouche 2020, and Gentry 2022—recently earned Gold and Silver honors at the 2023 Loudoun Wine Awards.
Visit Carriage House Wineworks Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5:30 PM.
The 32-acre Casanel Vineyards & Winery in the Middleburg AVA offers tastings of its Catoctin Ridge-grown wines in two marvelous tasting rooms: one, the Dawson Room, on the upper level of its winery building, and the other housed in a renovated two-floor stone cow barn built in the mid-19th century.
An intriguing panoply of grapes enjoy the spotlight at Chrysalis Vineyards at the Ag District, set in the Bull Run highlands outside of Middleburg. Offerings include various unique European wines not commonly found stateside, such as Albariño, as well as numerous wines produced from Norton winegrapes, first cultivated in Virginia.
Take in the Chrysalis Vineyards experience on Monday and Thursday from noon to 6 PM, Friday and Saturday from noon to 8 PM, and Sunday from noon to 7 PM.
We’re really only scratching the surface with the above selection of topnotch regional winemakers. You can browse other vineyards and wineries to visit during your stay with us over at VirginiaWine.org, which includes searchable maps, regional breakdowns, and loads of other info.
Besides the fact that, again, it’s officially Virginia Wine Month, this is a fabulous time of year to tour our regional wine country on account of the fall colors likely to be beautifying your driving route. Combining some leaf-peeping with wine tasting in Northern Virginia: What could be better?
(You can also interweave visits to winery tasting rooms with other classic fall activities and destinations, such as pumpkin patches and haunted-house attractions. Load up on some ideas via our recent Watermark Hotel blog post on local fall fun!)
When you’re not tooling around the Middleburg AVA and other nearby regional winemaking hubs, you can continue your wine appreciation right here at our luxury all-suite hotel in Tysons, VA.
After all, we host one of the area’s truly outstanding restaurants, Wren, situated in the lobby of our 11th floor. Wren takes its inspiration from the Japanese concept of izakaya, striving to provide an unpretentious, welcoming gathering place for good food, drink, and company.
And along with a rich selection of saké, spirits, cocktails, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, Wren offers an extensive wine list pulling from all around the world. Whether you’re in the mood for a red or white wine, perhaps a bit of bubbly, you’re sure to find something exactly suited to your palate and your mood.
Wren’s wines and other libations complement a creative menu fusing Japanese street food with modern American cuisine and drawing heavily upon locally sourced ingredients, the whole shebang overseen by Executive Chef Yo Matsuzaki.
Use October’s status as Virginia Wine Month as your excuse to enjoy a getaway to a luxury residential suite here at our hotel in Tysons Corner’s Capital One Center, with plenty of winery and tasting-room visiting on the itinerary! We’d love to host you for a vino-oriented vacation this fall: Reserve your suite with us today!
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