Virginia’s capital isn’t famous as a wine region – but it should be. Richmond is deeply connected to Virginia wine, from the industry’s earliest days to the vineyards and cideries that surround the city today.

It was in Richmond that Norton, Virginia’s first rockstar grape, was “born”. According to the book The Wild Vine, Dr. Daniel Norton was an amateur horticulturalist who experimented with crossing different breeds of grapes. In 1821 he discovered a new variety in his nursery, eventually bequeathing it his name.

The Norton grape was a mainstay of the American wine industry during the later half of the 19^th century, only to largely disappear upon the advent of prohibition. It’s now making something of a comeback as winegrowers find new appreciation for Norton’s weather-hardiness, especially as climate change takes hold.

Today, Richmond is surrounded by wine trails on all sides. North of the city is the “Heart of Virginia” wine trail, encompassing a half-dozen locations. To the city’s east is the “Virginia Peninsula” wine trail, and westward lies the Richmond West Trail, which includes wine, cider, beer, and spirits. Further out is the Central Virginia Fermentation Farm Trail, which stretches from Richmond to almost Charlottesville.

Richmond is also home to a growing craft beverage scene. 30+ award-winning breweries and cideries dot its neighborhoods, as well as both an urban winery and meadery.

Understanding RVA Wineries

Unlike the Shenandoah Valley or the nearby Northern Neck peninsula, most Richmond-adjacent wineries aren’t part of a specific wine growing region.

The major exception to this is the Virginia Peninsula American Viticultural Area (AVA), which was established in 2021. AVAs are federally recognized for their distinct growing conditions, allowing wine grown inside their boundaries to be associated with a “sense of place”. The Virginia Peninsula AVA is located just east of the city, stretching 50-miles down to Hampton Roads.

This area is characterized by its subtropical climate, moderate weather, and soil types ranging from sandstone, gravel, and sandy-clay. Many grape varieties are grown here, but local winemakers report it’s particularly suitable for warm-weather varieties, such as Albariño.

While many of these growing conditions apply to other nearby vineyards, the area around Richmond is too diverse to be placed in a single geological or stylistic basket. If anything, for the dozen wineries within a roughly 30-minute drive of the city, diversity is their hallmark.

Some locations such as Skipper’s Creek are quaint venues where your server is likely to be the owner/winemaker, while others including Jolene Family offer lake-side picnicking. Saudé Creek’s tasting room may evoke images of an old colonial inn, while Resolution is an urban winery and one of a handful of Black-owned wineries in the state.

A Combined Food & Wine Experience

If there’s one aspect of Richmond’s wine scene that sets it apart from Virginia’s other regions, it’s their focus on providing an all-inclusive experience. A number of local wineries have full-service kitchens, providing fare that go beyond the normal charcuterie plates or food trucks usually found elsewhere.

With that in mind, here are several must-visit wineries to fully experience what Richmond-adjacent wineries have to offer:

7 Lady Vineyards at Dover Hall (1500 Manakin Rd, Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103)

Dover Hall is the home of 7 Lady Vineyards, one of Virginia’s newest wineries. Founders Chad Hornik & Jeff Ottaviano teamed up with winemakers Ben & Tim Jordan of Commonwealth Crush to provide an assortment of Virginia-grown wines as well as varietally-correct styles from around the world.

7 Lady is offering pop-up tastings and wine dinners at Dover Hall while the tasting room is being built. But the wine club is up & running and they are already booking weddings, rehearsal dinners, and corporate events.

Ashton Creek Vineyard (14501 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Chester, VA 23831)

According to winemaker Alan Thibault, opening a kitchen has as much to do with practicality as it does with providing complimentary food and wine pairings. “There’s not many local restaurants in our area, so we wanted to provide options so people have everything they want right here. We keep it as farm-to-table as we can.”

Ashton Creek’s food focuses on handheld dishes and shareables. Alan’s favorite food combination is his 2022 Gravity red blend (67% Noiret, 22% Merlot, and 11% Tannat) with lamb lollipops, using a wine reduction sauce using his Chambourcin.

New Kent Winery & Talleysville Brewing Company (8400 Old Church Rd, New Kent, VA 23124)

Located less than 30-minutes outside the city down I-64, New Kent is not only a farm winery with 38 acres under vine, but a brewery as well.

The tasting room uses pre-Civil War bricks and reclaimed old-heart pine to blend modern and historic aesthetics. Its trusses came from a 1901 railroad depot in Richmond, while the floors and timbers were reclaimed from a Connecticut warehouse that was built in 1852.

Try their BBQ pork sliders with an IPA, and have a taste of their flagship Reserve Chardonnay and Merlot, both of which earned Gold medals in the 2024 Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup.

Upper Shirley Vineyard (600 Shirley Plantation Rd, Charles City, VA 23030)

Upper Shirley is the brainchild of Suzy and Tayloe Dameron, who saw potential in an otherwise undeveloped stretch of land on the bank of the James River. They soon partnered with Michael Shaps, who’s won more wine awards than anyone in Virginia.

Their kitchen offers everything from brunch to pre-fix dinners, while in 2024 alone their wine won 3 Gold medals at the 2024 Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup. Check out the view from their porch while dining on a burger or crab cakes.