Glass House Winery

October 27, 2023.  We used to drop-in on wineries with no advance notice and no thought about writing articles about them.  This blog has changed some of our approach, but its nice to feel that we can shift our travel plans as the spirit moves us.  We found ourselves leaving Hark Vineyards in the early afternoon and found out that we were just minutes away from Glass House Winery in Free Union.  So, we added on a short stop to the itinerary.  We last visited Glass House several years ago when it was owned by Jeff and Michelle Sanders.  They sold the operation to their friend Jay Smith in 2020, and we were interested to see if things had changed.  [This post will lack some of the details we normally cover because the the lone staffer on the bar was busy serving several parties.]

The Sanders' founded Glass House in 2010 and have produced mostly estate-grown wines from their 15 acres under vine.  Their haul of awards from the Virginia Governor’s Cup competition has been modest over the years.  According to the website, new owner Jay Smith intends to carry on virtually unchanged both in the vineyard/winery and in the Bed and Breakfast on-site.  Also hand-made chocolates.

What a unique venue they have!  The “Glass House” refers to a large glass conservatory and greenhouse adjoining the tasting room. The tropical plants and the light give the winery a slight West Coast feel.

 

Seating options include comfortable chairs among tall tropical plants in the conservatory, outside on a deck overlooking the vines and a pond, or at picnic tables sloping down to the lake.  Take your pick.  Seating is first come-first served only.  Outside food and friendly dogs are allowed.   They can handle weddings and special events.

                                                                                          View from the Deck

Given the lateness of the day and the distance home we had yet to travel, we opted only to have a glass of wine each with our own snacks.  Here’s what we had and our comments;

2022 Pinot Gris.  This is 100% Estate-grown Pinot Gris.  Good aroma, light color.  Delicate apple taste.  Good with more flavorful seafood like salmon.  A little weak.  Kim rated it a C+.

2019 Barbera.  Also 100% Estate-grown Barbera.  Silver Medal winner at the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  Melon aroma.  Bright cherry fruit along the tongue.  Light pepper.  Medium body.  Light crimson color with a tinge of range.  Would pair with lighter meats like chicken and with pastas (it is from the Italian Piedmont originally…)  Drier than the Burnley Barbera.  I rated it a B.

Glass House was a serene location for a late afternoon.  When you are there you are somewhat off the beaten track.  You may find your navigation systems lacking a cell signal.  We had to resort to actual paper maps (goodness gracious!) to get ourselves to Route 33 and eventually to Route 29.  Once back on Route 29 going North, we stopped to reward our pioneer spirit at the Bavarian Chef in Madison.  The mussels in garlic sauce and the crab soup appetizers were both excellent, even if we had no wine to pair with them. 

 


Location: Free Union, VA 22940, USA

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