Although the focus of an expansive 700-acre farm in Essex County is its winery, Wind Vineyards is more of a family-fun destination.

by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi

That’s right—family. Wine and family fun aren’t words that normally go together, but Dr. Tyler Wind, his wife Ashley and their children are making the two synonymous. In fact the banner on Wind Vineyards’ website boasts “serving wine and family fun since 2021.”

And indeed, the farm a few miles northwest of Tappahannock, just off Richmond Tappahannock Highway, has been doing just that with its monster truck shows, concerts, fall festivals and Christmas and Easter celebrations.

The winery and vineyard is one of seven businesses the couple operate but it’s evident in the way Wind talks about it, it’s his pride and joy. “Changing, growing, adding” are all catchwords used by Wind, who speaks enthusiastically about all of his plans for Wind Vineyards at Laurel Grove.

“When we started this, it was not just about going into the wine business to make money from selling a bottle of wine. The point of the farm is the process from planting a seed to putting the cork in the bottle.

“And, if I’m being honest, we couldn’t survive just being a winery. We couldn’t pay for the press or the 37 acres on just wine sales, ” he said. “We use wine as the backbone to things.”

A native of Tappahannock and 1997 graduate of Essex High School, Wind wanted to start a business that would draw people to his native county for fun and entertainment.

“I really wanted to do this here because this is home to me. This is where my heart is.”

Carnival ideas spun in his head and eventually the winery and all its activities are what evolved.

“We wanted there to be more to do here than any other place [in Virginia],” said Wind.

A lover of all things agriculture, Wind was fascinated by the agritourism business and dove in full force in 2018 when his family planted about 27 acres of grapes on the farm. They’re up to 37 acres now.

“I fell in love with agritourism and the aspect of exposing people to agriculture with fun events.”

With 24 different varieties of grapes, Wind Vineyards grows more varieties of grapes than any other winery in the state, according to Wind. They currently have 13 wines in the tasting room and are preparing to make 20 new wines this year. Although Wind and family do 95% of the “grunt” wine-making work, Tom Payette is the brains behind the operation. He brings 40 years of wine-making experience to the operation as a consultant.

And unlike some new wineries, which purchase grapes from other vineyards, all the wine at Wind Vineyards is made from grapes grown on-site and 100% of the processing is also done on property with a high-tech bottling process capable of producing 1,000 bottles an hour.

The winery includes two buildings, including the vineyard pole barn, a 3,400-square-foot building that opened in 2021 with the first fall festival. It’s barely visible from Route 360. A tasting room, a couple hundred yards off of the highway, is 18,000-square-foot under roof and opened in May 2022. It includes covered patios, tasting room, a second-floor event space and the production center.

Family fun

The tasting room is where the weekly fun takes place, from bingo to karaoke and line dancing to trivia. There’s something happening literally every night Wednesdays through Sundays. There’s music on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Fridays during the warmer months.

A few weeks ago, I stopped by for a taste of wine and some Saturday evening bingo. There were several families there dining and winning Wind Vineyards’ swag.

Food trucks are often on-site and the winery also now serves its own tasty fare including a pretzel charcuterie, tacos, wraps, barbecue sandwiches, flatbreads and sesame tuna.

“We want it to be a place not to just hang out and drink wine but to come and have a nice lunch or dinner,” said Wind.

Non-alcoholic slushes and ciders are also available.

The vineyard building/pole barn is where the major events take place. This Memorial Day weekend national recording artist Darryl Worley takes the stage. In August, Confederate Railroad returns.

A Bluegrass Festival kicks off the month of May and 80s tribute band, The Deloreans, will rock the winery in July.

But probably the biggest draw is the Wind Vineyards monster truck shows. One happened in late April and another is scheduled in September. Monster truck demos also happen during Harvest Festival weekends.

“All of these events draw thousands,” said Wind, who was excited to add the winery’s recent Easter celebrations, including an adult egg hunt with about $6,000 in prizes, and a Bunny run. It was listed by a travel sight as one of the top five Easter celebrations in Virginia. The winery received a similar ranking for its Christmas celebration, which included wreath making, Santa Claus and children’s activities.

Its Harvest Festival weekends include vendors, haunted hayrides, corn mazes and a field of fun area with over 20 activities including slides, corn pits, sluicing for rocks and monster truck rides.

There are lots of plans and additions in the works this year when Wind hopes to add an Antique Farm Day and host a mud run/obstacle course.

A 43-foot wooden deadrise, built in Urbanna, will be transformed into an outdoor tasting barn by the pond. Groundbreaking on a new miniature golf course is happening now.

Wind recently submitted an application for a brewery and cidery at the farm and has planted 100 apple trees. He wants there to be a “pick-your-own” component with visitors able to pick apples, peaches and strawberries on-site. He’d also like to partner with local growers for an occasional farmers’ market.

“It’s taken a while to pull the business out of Richmond and Fredericksburg, but we are expanding beyond our region. Eighty to eight-five percent of our business comes from Richmond. And that’s what we want to do, bring people to Essex County,” said Wind.

The post Wind Vineyards: Family fun on the farm first appeared on Wind Vineyards.

Wind Vineyards listed as one of the top ‘Hidden Gems of Virginia Wineries’

In a recent article published in the Old Town Crier by Matthew Fitzsimmons on the top hidden gems of Virginia Wineries, Wind Vineyards made the list with other wineries from around the state that many locals know about, but few from around the state do! I think it is the authors objective to get more recognition to these deserving wineries, and we are honored to be selected and included.

Read the full article below and be sure to visit OldTownCrier.com to view other wining and dining articles of interest. The blurb about Wind Vineyards is found at the bottom of the article.

This February, Governor Glen Youngkin awarded Delfosse Vineyards and Winery the Virginia Governor’s Cup for its 2021 Screaming Hawk Meritage. This petit verdot-heavy red blend took top honors in the Governor’s Case, which showcase the event’s best scoring wines.

What made this event unusual is that many of the industry’s most famous winemakers didn’t make it into the Case. It’s not because King Family, Michael Shaps, or Veritas aren’t making the stellar wine they’ve long been known for. Instead, wineries that are further off the beaten path such as Delfosse and Mountain Run Vineyards gave the most famous names in Virginia wine a run for their money.

If there’s a lesson in all this, it’s that you don’t need a famous name or central location to make it into the big leagues. You just have to make great wine.

There’s a term I like to use for wineries like these: “hidden gems”.

The extra time it takes to find such locations make them particularly rewarding. While large venues can wow you with amazing views and chateau-like tasting rooms (and don’t get me wrong, many hidden gems have those too), wineries at the furthest ends of the wine trail keep visitors coming back by focusing on the basics: great wine and service. And isn’t that what visiting a winery should be about?

Virginia is full of ‘hidden gems’; these are just a few of the Virginia wineries that make this list. Get out there and find the rest for yourself.

Jump Mountain Vineyard

When it comes to ‘hidden gems’, the Shenandoah Valley sits on a wealth of riches. With low levels of rainfall and high elevation, the valley has a strong argument as the best wine-growing region in the state.

The Shenandoah Valley is already a road trip for most Virginia residents, but Jump Mountain takes things to a whole new level. Located in the hills roughly between Staunton and Lexington, Jump Mountain is one of those places you need to map out in advance since your GPS signal may fail you on the way there.

But don’t let that dissuade you! In addition to growing cabernet sauvignon and tannat on the hottest slopes of their vineyard, owners Mary Hughes and David Vermillion grow vines not easily found elsewhere in Virginia, such as refosco, grüner veltliner, and lagrein.

Refosco is particularly fascinating as it’s one of the oldest grapes still used to make wine. Jump’s “Livia” refosco-heavy blend is named after the wife of the Roman emperor Octavian who once extolled on the benefits of drinking wine.

Rogers Ford Farm Winery

Rogers Ford is one of the best wineries most people don’t know about. Located between Fredericksburg and Culpeper, the winery is housed in a two hundred year old farmhouse converted into a tasting room. Visitors don’t come here for wine as much as they visit to relax.

Owner/winemaker Johnny Puckett makes a dizzying array of wines for such a small venue, including an orange wine, bourbon barrel port-style, and a late-harvest “First Frost” vidal blanc. Even traditional favorites like chardonnay have a southern hemisphere twist.

Rogers Ford has another claim to fame; they made Virginia’s first petit verdot. While now one of Virginia’s most popular single-varietal wines, decades ago petit verdot was considered strictly a blending grape.

Johnny’s father recognized this grape’s potential and bottled a full varietal petit verdot in 2000. Today, petit verdots are among Virginia’s most awarded wines, and Roger Ford’s PVs should be recognized as some of the best.

Rosemont Vineyards & Winery

Calling Rosemont a hidden gem is something of a misnomer. It’s a well-respected name in Virginia wine, despite the fact that most people familiar with the winery have never taken the trip to southern Virginia to visit in person.

Those ‘in the know’ have likely met Aubrey and Justin Rose pouring at the Mount Vernon wine festival, seen the scores of Justin’s signature Kilravock red blend in Wine Enthusiast, or sampled Rosemont wines as part of Early Mountain Vineyard’s “Best of Virginia” flight. The really lucky ones may have sampled Rosemont’s vermouth or its Gold Medal-winning Extra Brut sparkling.

True wine-lovers, however, take the trip to Bracy to sample these wines first-hand. The farm has been in the family since 1858 and was revitalized as a winery after the Roses sought advice from vineyard consultant Lucie Morton on what to plant. Today, they have a mix of hybrids and vinifera, including some tannat which Justin uses to power up his red blends.

Stanburn Winery & Daring Wine Company

While all vineyards are by definition farms, some wineries reflect their rural roots more than others. Located in scenic Patrick County (not far from the border of North Carolina), Stanburn is one such location.

Family patriarch Nelson Stanley planted his first vines in 1999, intending to source to local wineries but later making wine on his own. Today, Stanburn has a mixture of hybrid and vinifera grapes, including a small section of barbera.

Stanburn also has a secret weapon – winemaker Jocelyn Kuzelka. Jocelyn not only makes wine for Stanburn, she’s a cider maker and co-owner of Daring Wine Company, one of Virginia’s only 100% female-owned wine businesses. You can find Jocelyn and co-owner Megan Hereford selling wine at farmers markets in Charlottesville.

Wind Vineyards at Laurel Grove

Vineyards probably aren’t the first thing that come to mind when thinking of Essex County, but a visit to Wind Vineyards may change that. The area is part of the Chesapeake Wine Trail, which produces some of the best oyster and wine pairings in the state.

Wind earned a Gold medal for its chambourcin at the 2023 Governor’s Cup competition. Such recognition is rare for hybrid grapes, as many judges tend to turn their nose at anything that isn’t vinifera. But as climate change wreaks havoc on low-elevation vineyards, chambourcin and other hybrids may be the wave of the future.

Wind also boasts one thing that’s totally unique in Virginia wine – it hosts a monster truck show every year, with one of the trucks driven by the owner/winemaker. Take that wine snobs!

The post Top Hidden Gems of Virginia Wineries in 2023 first appeared on Wind Vineyards.