Architecture & Wine
Savor Winemaking Traditions in Modern Tasting Rooms
Are you looking for a winery experience that’s pleasing to the eye as well as the palate? Check out these Loudoun wineries where the architecture is part of the experience.
Start your day with a visit to Boxwood Estate Winery. Built by renowned architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen, Boxwood has been described as an “architectural marvel” by Entra Architectural Magazine. The estate blends old world winemaking traditions with state-of-the-art techniques to create premium red wines in the Bordeaux style. The meticulously maintained vineyards and land on the 165-acre estate serve as an elegant backdrop to tastings in the intimate Cave Room, a perfectly round underground cellar connected to the production facility by a glass door, the walls lined with hundreds of French oak barrels.
Nudging into Bluemont, the tasting room at Bluemont Station Winery & Brewery is a handsome manor house with a spacious back porch looking out on tree-shaded lawns and the Blue Ridge foothills. You can enjoy tastings in the main room where the art-lined walls are sometimes graced with one of owner Dave Weinschel’s original Picasso paintings or order a bottle of the sublime Vidal Blanc and enjoy it at a table under the trees. Excellent food too - juicy half-price burgers on Friday afternoons are the best deal in town.
Enjoy a picturesque drive on the rural back roads between Round Hill and Hillsboro as you make your way to Notaviva Farm Brewery & Winery. In Italian, nota means “music note” and viva means “with life” accurately describing the experience of pairing wine and music in the estate’s tasting room. The 4,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art timber frame building was designed as a venue for live music in mind and has been featured on DIY Television’s Dream House where it can be seen being built from the ground up.
It’s time for some sustenance. Market in the Gap is a wildly popular gourmet pizza emporium in the heart of Hillsboro. The pies are made right in front of you in a classic wood-fired brick oven and you can order a bottle or glass of wine too. The pie to go for? The Artichoke is topped with fresh garlic, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
Time your trip to catch the late afternoon sunshine at Sunset Hills Vineyard in Purcellville. Housed in an 8,000 square-foot, 140-year-old Amish-restored barn, the tasting room is warm and elegant, featuring a stunning 35’ beamed ceiling and massive mahogany tasting bar. Two large decks provide panoramic views overlooking vineyards and sunset views.
For your final stop, make your way a few miles east to The Barns at Hamilton Station. This family-owned and operated winery is housed on a former dairy farm. Eleven breathtaking acres surround a beautifully restored 106-year-old stone and wood bank barn, which has been transformed into a unique tasting room. The acoustics are so good the barn is renowned for hosting live bands and other musical events.
