Walsh Family Wine

February 28, 2025.  Nate Walsh is devoted to the production side of winemaking.  Nate is the owner of Walsh Family Wine near Hillsboro in western Loudoun County and more than many winery owners, has applied his experience, starting as a cellar rat up to being a full-fledged winemaker, to improve winemaking in the region.  With Nate approaching business from the production end and wife Sarah applying her background in wine wholesale, they founded their winery in 2014, a year after they married. 

 

According to Nate, back then, there were few places in Loudoun where new owners could get started without making huge investments in land and equipment.  The Walsh’s started with equipment loaned by a vineyard in Waterford.  Remembering this beginning, Walsh Family Wine has established a winemaker’s incubator program to encourage three or four new winemakers every year to use Walsh equipment and guidance to produce their own brands.  Nate loves to have new minds surrounding him in winemaking.  Every month, Walsh Family makes their tasting room available to new winemakers from their Incubator program.  Throughout the year, Walsh also opens the bar to rising stars in Virginia winemaking and operations beyond Loudoun, like Joy Ting, Jake Busching, and Domaine Finot (Turk Mountain), to name a few. 

Nate is focused on making wines that express the six distinct vineyards that they lease and manage in Loudoun and Clark counties.  Nate used to be vineyard manager, but he has passed that responsibility on to two vineyard managers so that he can concentrate on production.  From the 54 acres under their control, Walsh Family produces around 6,000 cases annually under their own label sold mostly at the tasting room. 

Remembering there was no help for them with upfront equipment costs when they started, Nate committed to building a custom crush/contract winemaking facility for Loudoun County.  Today, his operation produces around 20,000 cases of wine for other Loudoun wineries.  This volume, from a facility about 200 yards back from the North Gate tasting room, allows Nate to have a great production team doing all the work from processing, laboratory analysis, bottling and storage.  Further, it allows him to be even more deeply connected to his passion – production. 

Nate and Sarah bought the North Gate vineyard and tasting room from the Fedor family in 2018.  Windows frame the room with views onto the vineyard and a covered patio.  Inside there is plenty of posh leather seating and there are nooks where you can have quiet conversations.  When Kim and I visited, the fireplace was warming nicely.  The leather sofa and chairs in front of the hearth is a prime location on cold winter days.  Get there early to get the space.

 

 

Walsh Family Wine is kid-friendly, with picnic tables outside.  Dogs are allowed outside.  You can bring your own food if you have it outside.  You must buy their food (gourmet pizza cheese, and charcuterie) if eating inside the tasting room.  Walsh Family Wine does have a “Garden Room” that can be reserved for small private events of up to 80 people.  The whole place might be rented for up to 200 people.  But this winery’s business model is not as a wedding venue with wine a mere accessory.  Nate does host some educational events (like blending events and blind tastings) where the attention is, again, on production.   

We very much thank Nate for spending some time with us.

Kim and I split the standard tasting of two whites and two reds.  Each wine is identified to its source vineyard.

2021 Bethany Ridge Petit Manseng.  Bethany Ridge near Waterford was the first and is largest vineyard under Walsh management.  Nate grows twelve varietals on its 25 acres.  Kim gave the Petit Manseng a C rating at $34.00 a bottle. 

2022 Bethany Ridge Viognier.  Kim gave the Bethany Ridge Viognier a B rating.  It was more flowery than the Viognier we had just sampled at Kalero (also made by Nate), but it was more expensive than the Kalero Viognier.

2020 Russ Mountain Merlot.  Russ Mountain Vineyard is near Bluemont.  At this point, this site only grows Merlot on its 3.8 acres.  The Merlot is medium-bodied with bright fruit.  I totally agree with “brambly” in the tasting notes.  I gave it a B+, but consider $42.00 per bottle for the price.

2021 Bethany Ridge Cabernet Franc.  The Bethany Ridge Cabernet Fran is full-bodied with strong tannins and a ripe blueberry palate.  No pepper.  With a $45.00 per bottle price, I rate it a B.

There is much going on at Walsh Family Wines.  Check-out their coming events that bring the larger Virginia wine industry into this small space in western Loudoun.  It was worth the drive out from our home base.