In 2017, The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards won the prestigious Governor’s Cup for the best wine in Virginia, the first Loudoun winery to claim the award. Since then, Loudoun wine was no longer the plucky upstart on the Virginia wine scene, it had arrived. It’s not just a select handful of Loudoun wineries picking up a few wins, 868 Estate Vineyards, Cana Vineyards and Breaux Vineyards have all earned top honors. What’s more, in the eight years since that inaugural win, multiple wineries have been honorably rewarded, cementing Loudoun’s reputation for producing quality wine products.
What are some of the most award-winning wineries and what other accolades are Loudoun wineries picking up?
Governor’s Cup Case Winners
While The Barns won top honors in 2017, in 2020 868 Estate Vineyards became the second Loudoun winner of the Governor’s Cup Case, the Vidal Blanc Passito 2017 dessert wine beating out more than 530 entrants from 105 Virginia wineries. It was also the first time a Loudoun-based winemaker, Carl DiManno, won the prize.
Breaux Vineyards is no stranger to awards. The following year, the wineries 2016 Nebbiolo made the case and again in 2024 with the 2019 The Fog Nebbiolo Reserve.
In 2022 meanwhile, Melanie Natoli of Cana Vineyards and Winery of Middleburg became the second female winemaker in Virginia to win the Governor’s Cup. The winning wine? A perfectly balanced 2019 Unité Reserve red blend. Furthermore, the barrel-aged 2019 LeMariage was alongside it in the same case. To give you an idea of the variety of grapes and styles Loudoun is known for, a 2023 Albariño from Natoli, a white Spanish-origin grape, won a gold at the 2025 Governor’s Cup.
Speaking of Albariño, Good Spirit Farm’s 2023 edition made the 2025 case.
Taking Home the Gold
Other Loudoun wineries to win the gold at the 2025 ceremony were; 50 West Vineyards (2021 Aldie Heights Cuvée), 8 Chains North Winery ( 2023 Sauvignon Blanc), 868 Estate Vineyards (2022 Chardonnay, 2022 Meritage, 2023 Sauvignon Blanc), Breaux Vineyards (2020 Meritage, 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Petit Verdot), Cana Vineyards and Winery of Middleburg (2023 Albarino), Carriage House Wineworks (2022 Petit Manseng, 2022 Petit Verdot Reserve), Casanel Vineyards & Winery (2021 Petit Verdot), Chrysalis Vineyards at The Ag District (2022 Norton: Bull Run Mountain Cuvée), Domaine Fortier Vineyards (2023 Albarino), Doukénie Winery (Alethia, 2022 Chardonnay), Endhardt Vineyards (2020 Petit Verdot, 2021 Fervor Red, 2021 Golden Turkey), Good Spirit Farm (2023 Albariño), October One Vineyard (2022 Rescue), The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards (2022 Chardonnay, 2022 Meritage), The Wine Reserve at Waterford (2021 Gila Petit Verdot, 2021 Quat Cabernet Franc), Walsh Family Wine (2021 Late Harvest Petit Manseng), Williams Gap Vineyard (2022 Chardonnay, 2023 Black Label Chardonnay) and Willowcroft Farm Vineyards (2022 Petit Verdot).
Renowned Wine Critic
Boxwood Estate Winery in Middleburg scored an incredible 93-point rating from highly regarded wine critic, James Suckling, for its Reserve 2015, which is available in magnums. Four other Boxwood wines scored 92 points. In 2024, four wines from The Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek were rated as Outstanding by Suckling. Two of them – the Merlot dominant 2020 Allure Bordeaux Blend and the 2021 Petit Verdot scored 93. “Polished but powerful… super well balanced and mouthwatering” Suckling wrote of the latter.
Awards are not everything, but for a region that’s rightly becoming famous for variety, innovation and experimentation, it’s also being recognized for its high quality wines.
High praise indeed.
