Winery Spotlight: Lovingston Winery

For our October Meet-Up, we visited Lovingston Winery in Lovingston, VA. Lovingston is about 45 minutes from Charlottesville. This was the group’s first visit to this charming winery. Aside from an events barn/tasting room, there is plenty of outdoor seating available and there are also stay options on the property – the cabin and the farmhouse.

Lovingston Winery got new owners in 2021 and the event barn was completed in 2023. According to the winery’s website, when it first opened in 2003, the vineyard focused on Bordeaux varietals of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Now Petit Verdot, Chambourcin, Pinotage, Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc, and Petit Manseng can also be found in the vineyard.

Know before you go

Lovingston Winery is kid and pet-friendly and there are vineyard dogs onsite. In fact, corgis specifically are part of the winery’s personality and culture. During our visit, all of the children and furry friends we encountered were well behaved and seemed to enjoy the laid-back ambiance as much as we did. Outside food is allowed and the winery has some snacks and Slice Versa pizza for purchase. During our visit, Tessa and Wes Roberts, the property’s owners were the only staff we saw. They were great to work with in planning our visit, super friendly, and so accommodating.

The Wine

These wines are currently available:

• Seyval Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Love, Virginia Rose
• Rotunda Red (a mixture of all of the red varietals grown here)
• Cabernet Franc
• Pinotage
• Merlot
• Estate Reserve (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot)
• Love, Petit Manseng

Between all of us that attended, we tried all of the wines. There wasn’t one in the line-up that we didn’t find impressive, but favorites of the group were the Seyval Blanc, Rotunda Red, and Estate Reserve.

The Seyval Blanc was a crowd pleaser and had the red lovers in the group asking for it. Seyval Blanc is a hybrid grape with a citrusy flavor profile and crisp acidity. It was exceptional and we highly recommend making a visit just for this, especially if this is a new grape to you.

The Rotunda Red was a lighter bodied red that blends all of the red varietals Lovingston grows. Low in tannins, this is great for this time of year when we’re having summer one day and fall the next. If you have friends and family that are not fans of big, bold reds, this a quality red they can enjoy again and again.

The Estate Reserve is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. This is a bigger, dryer red and a perfect example of what Virgina wine growers and makers can achieve with the amazing fruit that is being produced.

We also got to try the new Love, Petit Manseng, a dessert style Petit Manseng.

All in all, if Lovingston Winery is not on your list, add it.