By Blair Dowler
Gone are the days when wine lovers had to travel to California for a unique winery experience. From the far corner of the Eastern Panhandle to the southern coal fields, West Virginians have perfected the art of wine and mead making, adding a unique and timeless element to the state’s tourism experience. With a variety of flavors to choose from, the Mountain State’s wineries offer something for everyone.
Batton Hollow Winery
Jim Kelley learned the art of making wine from his neighbors while living in Italy during his time in the U.S. Air Force. In 2014, he and his wife, Toni, opened the doors of Batton Hollow Winery in Lost Creek, WV. In addition to its table and sweet wines, it has found a niche in creating seasonal wines: Primavera in the spring, Summer Breeze in the summer, Autumn Glory in the fall and Winter White in the winter. Guests will enjoy the view of the rolling hills while sipping a chardonnay or pinot noir on the outdoor patio. Visit Batton Hollow Friday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m. or by appointment, where tours of the winery and a free sampling in the tasting room are available.
Chestnut Ridge Winery
Chestnut Ridge Winery sits at the highest point in Spencer, WV, overlooking the town below. Owned by Teresa Holcomb, it is the only woman-owned winery in the state, and her husband, Phillip, serves as the head winemaker. This unique winery is located at the trailhead of Ben’s Run Trail, and it is described as having something for everyone. Chestnut Ridge Winery produces traditional European dry and semi-dry wines, as well as semi-sweet wines with hints of fruit flavors like peach, blackberry and pomegranate. Chestnut Ridge has its own tasting and events room and is the perfect spot for private and public events. The winery, which is open Wednesday-Sunday, also frequently holds painting and cooking classes.
Daniel Vineyards
Daniel Vineyards is a scenic property boasting a variety of panoramic views. Both its warm and welcoming indoor tasting room and picturesque outdoor gazebo offer an ideal atmosphere for individual and group tastings, and right outside is a large, open deck constructed around large trees that truly gives this winery a West Virginia feel. Daniel Vineyards strives to be an
important part of the West Virginia wine movement by growing world-class grapes, partnering with other local farms and businesses and honoring traditional winemaking practices. Try the red wines, like the Frontenac, which is rich and full-bodied, or the white wines, such as the light and crisp Vidal Blanc. The winery is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
DeFeo Family Vineyard and Winery
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Stepping into the DeFeo Family Vineyard and Winery is like stepping into Tuscany. Wine and traditional Italian food lovers can make an appointment to visit and enjoy a traditional Italian meal paired with the perfect wines. Visitors can also enjoy wine tastings at the family’s business, Toscano in Appalachia, located in Point Park Marketplace in Parkersburg, which is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sample flavorful wines, including dry, oak-aged, Italian reds; dry and sweet white wines; sweeter blush wines; or a blackberry merlot or peach fruit wine. Parkersburg locals love the winery’s homemade sangria, made with both red and white wines and fresh fruit. In addition to the spirits, purchase delicious vinegars from Italy and olive oils from Spain, Greece and Italy at the Toscano in Appalachia shop.
Forks of Cheat Winery
Nestled in the rolling hills of North Central West Virginia, Forks of Cheat Winery has been in business for 30 years. The winery specializes in what the owners describe as obscure varietals. With deep West Virginia roots and a long-lasting heritage, many of the techniques and trends used to make wines in the Mountain State were innovated at Forks of Cheat. The wine selection includes dry and sweet reds; tart and crisp whites; authentic, locally sourced fruit wines; and specialty wines with cinnamon, clove and other unique flavors. Visitors can sample the array of wines in the winery’s tasting room. After a tasting, purchase a bottle of wine, some fine cheese or one of the many West Virginia-made products available in the gift shop. Forks of Cheat Winery is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.
Hawk Knob Hard Cider and Mead
The owners of Hawk Knob Hard Cider and Mead do not follow the norm—nor do their products. The first cidery in West Virginia, Hawk Knob also proudly offers dry, aged meads in
three different flavors: cyser, an apple honey mead; reserve cyser, which is aged in bourbon barrels; and elderberry melomel, which combines elderberry juices with wildflower honey.
Located just miles outside Lewisburg, Hawk Knob Hard Cider and Mead also holds tastings and tours at their quaint facility and tasting room Thursday-Friday, 2-7 p.m., and Saturday, 12-7 p.m. Enjoy the quietness of the area over a picnic of fine cheeses and charcuterie on the cidery’s pond-side porch.
Healthberry Farm and Honey River Meadery
At Healthberry Farm and Honey River Meadery, it’s all about producing the finest and most natural products and services. Located in the heart of the highlands of the Mountain State and encompassed by the Monongahela National Forest, Healthberry is perfect for visitors interested in eco-tourism. With a straw bale cabin on-site available for rent near Canaan Valley, Seneca Rocks and Elkins, the area is plentiful with adventure. Owners Ben and Erika McKean provide honey house tours by appointment, which include a wine tasting. The couple produces and sells varietal meads and melomels, a combination of honey and fruit wine. Made with the waters running down from the mountain springs, the mead is a traditional, sweet and flavorful beverage, and the McKeans do not add any chemicals, preservatives, colors or additives.
Heston Farm
Heston Farm was born out of a dream to turn a family farm into a place for visitors to enjoy everything West Virginia has to offer. Heston Farm offers high-quality, sweet white and fruit wines, floral semi-sweet white wines, slightly sweet red wines and dry white and red wines aged in French oak barrels. With names like Mary Sue Blue Extra Sweet Blueberry and Spring Peeper Merlot, the products reflect the people, animals and tales of the Mountain State. Owners Mick Heston and Julie Smith want guests to enjoy the charismatic atmosphere and décor of their tasting room, which is open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. With picturesque views of the North Central West Virginia terrain, the rustic atmosphere is perfect for parties, weddings and events of all kinds.
Kirkwood Winery
Kirkwood Winery was the first in the Summerville area when its vineyards were planted in the 1980s. Today, the small farm winery is a staple in the community. Just a mile off US-19, travelers from all over stop by the scenic property to take the tour, taste the 34 flavors of wine and scour for unique gifts at the on-site country store. The winery is known for its fruit and sweet wines like its best seller, Black Satin Blackberry, and is also home to a small distillery that produces bourbon, rye whiskey and moonshine. Whether you prefer wine or bourbon, the Dix family encourages guests to spend the afternoon at Kirkwood Winery, which is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-5 p.m., or come out for the annual Kirkwood Winery Grape Stompin’ Festival held every September.
Lambert’s Vintage Wine
Lambert’s Vintage Wine opened its doors in 1992. Built by the Lambert family from the ground up, travelers will take delight in the nontraditional atmosphere of the facility, which is
made from hand-cut stone. Depending on the season, guests can enjoy the winery’s waterfall or stay indoors next to a roaring fire. Lambert’s makes more
than 20 varietal wines, but it is best known for its Niagara, a sweeter table wine with the flavor of a fresh-picked grape. The winery offers daily wine tastings and tours at no charge Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and, from April-December, Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Visitors can also purchase pottery made by owner Debbie Lambert in her
on-site studio, enjoy wood-fired pizza on Wednesday nights or stay for the weekend in a cabin that overlooks the back of the winery.
Monticola Meadery
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In the old railroad town of Ronceverte, situated along the Greenbrier River, there is a small refurbished building that is home to the Monticola Meadery. Owner Jefferson Casto wanted to keep tradition central throughout the brand, so he named the business Monticola, which is Latin for mountaineer. Using its own honey, Monticola Meadery ferments and produces two dry meads in stainless-steel tanks. The dry traditional mead is called 600 and is made from 100 percent honey and best served chilled. The meadery’s melomel, called 101, is fermented from 90 percent honey and 10 percent oranges. Mead lovers can visit the Monticola Meadery for a tasting and tour but should call ahead to schedule an appointment. Their products can
also be purchased at Tamarack, Studio B in Fayetteville and several shops in downtown Lewisburg.
Mountain Dragon Mazery
If off-the-beaten-path is your style when it comes to wine and mead, try Mountain Dragon Mazery in Fairmont. Mountain Dragon Mazery brews its eight types of mead in traditional glassware, known as carboys, to preserve the flavor of the honey. Owners Tom Maltby and Ruthann Smith welcome guests for tastings and tours on Thursday-Friday, 3-8 p.m., or by appointment. Guests can taste three of the meads for free or all eight meads for $8, which includes a Mountain Dragon Mazery glass to commemorate the visit. Maltby and Smith describe the flavors of the meads as unusual, authentic and delicious. Their offerings include Café Montevedre Methyglyn, a dry style drinker’s mead with a coffee taste, and Ruthie’s Rhodomel Methyglyn, which is fermented with rose petals, as well as heated meads during the winter. All of the honey used in their products is produced in the Mountain State, either at the mazery’s apiary or from other West Virginia beekeepers.
Potomac Highland Winery
Positioned on a low ridge with perfect sun exposure, Potomac Highland Winery is located in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. In the region’s gently sloping terrain, the Whitehill family grows two types of grapes—French American hybrids as well as traditional grapes from Europe known as vinifera grapes. Potomac Highland Winery specializes in fine table wines, ranging from drier wines like chardonnay to semi-sweet and fruit wines. Located near several orchards, they source apple juice to produce delicious apple wine and manufacture a unique sweet spiced wine. While they do not offer events, the Whitehill family encourages those interested in learning more about wine and its different flavors to schedule an appointment to visit the vineyard and enjoy a wine tasting.
Stone Road Vineyard
David and Lynne Stone, owners of Stone Road Vineyard, say their craft is all about quality. The winemakers take their time and use the best tools and resources and apply it all to their
winemaking strategy. The family-owned and operated winery selects its hand-crafted wines for consumption and sale based on taste. This farm winery offers more than 15 different wines, including a unique maple wine made from locally sourced maple syrup. The Stone family is proud of its Appalachian heritage, which is evident throughout the winery. Just five miles off the Rockport exit of I-77, Stone Road Vineyard sits along a hillside overlooking the state’s beautiful mountains and has been classified as a green energy business. Visitors should call to schedule an appointment for tours and tastings.
West-Whitehill Winery
In 1980, Steve West opened the second winery in the state, West-Whitehill Winery. Located between the two mountain valley towns of Moorefield and Petersburg in the Potomac Highlands, the farm winery now produces around 12,000 gallons of wine per year. Selling at approximately 145 retailers, West-Whitehill Winery distributes products all around the state. It is best known for its sweet wines, like Mountain Spice, a rich dessert wine that can be served warm, and the award-winning Raspberry Royale, a sweet red wine made with a blend of Aurore grapes and red raspberries. West-Whitehill Winery welcomes visitors for tastings and tours Tuesday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m., and their products can be seen at the Mountain State’s best festivals, including the West Virginia Wine and Jazz Festival in Morgantown.
WineTree Vineyards
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WineTree Vineyards is currently expanding its facility so v`isitors will have the opportunity to truly enjoy the beautiful grounds. A family farm winery, WineTree Vineyards grows grapes and focuses on producing high-quality, traditional wines. Even with the new facility, visitors might see a tractor, fences, farm animals and lush green grass, which adds to the quaint, personable atmosphere. Owners Craig and Candice Bandy say wines are like people—each year they are a little bit different. While they specialize in traditional dry whites and reds, they also produce sweet wines. All of the winery’s products are wholesome and clean with no additives.
