A Day at Afton Mountain Vineyards

Over Easter weekend, my sister and I decided to finally visit two wineries we've been driving by for the past ten years- Afton Mountain Vineyards and Veritas Vineyard. Since my father bought a mountain house in Wintergreen Resort, a thirty minute drive from these wineries, I've been hearing only positive feedback of these wineries, located two miles away from each other off of Critzer Shop Road in Afton, Virginia. Since the weather was absolutely perfect we decided to finally give these vineyards a try.

Welcome to Afton Mountain Vineyards!

The first winery we visited that day was Afton Mountain Vineyards. This was by far one of the most beautiful wineries I have been to in Virginia. Nestled away from the main roads in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Afton Mountain Vineyards landscaping is breathtaking. We drove right up to the main building, parked, and started our wine tasting within five minutes of arriving. The staff was very warm and welcoming and helped us figure out exactly what wines we were in the mood to taste.

There were two options for wine tasting: a $5 house tasting and a $8 premium tasting. We decided to go for the $5 tasting of five house wines.

The grapes!

The first wine I tasted was their Gewurztraminer. This wine was light but spicy. It was also more on the sweeter side. The lady assisting us with the tasting and my sister absolutely loved this wine. I liked it because it was dry, yet crisp. A nice wine to enjoy with spicy food on a hot summer night.

The next wine was their Steel Chardonnay. This wine got me very excited, especially with our many in-class discussions on the "oak monster" vs steel. This wine was my favorite because it was very light and refreshing. Perfect for the warm Spring day we were enjoying so much.

We then tried the Mountain Rose. In my opinion, this wine didn't really bring anything to the table. It didn't have as pronounced flavor as the others I tasted. However, if you enjoy fruity wines, this may be the wine for you.

Riesling was next up on the list. Again, this was a very sweet wine and not really my favorite when it comes to white wines. The bouquet smelled absolutely delicious with orange flavor coming right off the nose. It also smelled very floral and was light and refreshing. This was my sister's favorite choice of wine.

The last wine I tasted was the Mountain Red. This wine is a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc. This wine was very pleasing on my palate which I enjoyed because that does not happen with many red wines. This is what I would call a nice table red wine. I could imagine this going well with almost everything because it also had a hint of sweetness.

After the tasting, we decided to buy a bottle of the Steel Chardonnay and enjoy the day on the patio.

My sister, Catherine, enjoying a glass of the Steel Chardonnay on the patio after wine tasting

Luckily, we beat the crowd and got a nice table in the sunshine on the small lake located on the grounds. We enjoyed our wine there for nearly an hour. Next to the patio were lawn chairs on the grass and the winery had corn-hole set up. This was a great place to come hang out with your friends and enjoy a day of wine and light foods.

Overall, I would rate Afton Mountain Vineyards a 9 out of 10 based on Virginia Wineries. This winery had great wines and a friendly, open vibe. The staff was very knowledgeable on the wines in the area and were intrigued by the fact that I was in a class all about wine and getting credit for visiting the winery. I would highly recommend this winery to anyone in the Charlottesville area.

Charlie and I in front of the vineyard