Sabin Wine Journeys

July 12, 2025.   In the last ten years of Ted Jordan's life, after a career as a carpenter and construction contractor, he and his sons conceived a project to grow a vineyard on their family farm at Mount Airy in Fort Defiance (Augusta County).   They named the project “Midland” after Ted’s Midland Construction Company and began planting in 2007.   Two of Ted's sons, Ben and Tim Jordan, have since collaborated on a number of winemaking ventures that we'll discuss.    Ben Jordan was the winemaker at Early Mountain Vineyards and is the co-owner of Lightwell Survey Wines in Waynesboro, the name being another nod to their father’s construction business.   Tim Jordan has worked at Barren Ridge and consulted on winemaking before opening Star Party Winery a few minutes away from Lightwell.   Together they own the Midland-Mount Airy vineyard and the Common Wealth Crush Company.   The Mount   Airy vineyard now includes at least four vineyard bloc...

July 12, 2025.   The city of Staunton* is worth visiting for many reasons – the Blackfriars Playhouse, the Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace and museum, and Ox-Eye Vineyards. Taking the name of the daisy that grows in the vineyard, John and Susan Kiers purchased   land for their vineyard in 1996 and soon after began growing grapes for sale to other growers and wine producers.   Their 26-acre vineyard is 8.5 miles out of town in the Augusta County community of Swope.   The vineyard is at an elevation of 1,830 feet with slopes facing east and southeast.   They are blessed with cool temperatures, low rainfall and deep limestone soils that we find in Shenandoah Valley.   John and their daughter, Harriet Kiers Keogh, share vineyard manager and winemaker responsibilities with John primarily responsible for the still wines and Harriet responsible for the sparkling wines.   They produce about 2,700 or 2,800 cases of wine a year, all of which is estate-grown at...