Upper Shirley Vineyards

May 30, 2025.  Upper Shirley Vineyards in Charles City County sits at the eastern edge of the Virginia Peninsula AVA along the James River.  Hill Carter of the famous King Carter family split off Upper Shirley from the main plantation in 1866 and built the manor house in 1868.  It is in the National Register of Historic Places.  The current owner of the vineyards is Susan (Suzy) Dameron who opened the remodeled house as a restaurant in 2015.   

The main building is classic low-county architecture – horizontal to the ground with wide verandas framing the outside.  When you come through the door, the tasting room and restaurant is to your left and the cavernous banquet room is to the right. 

  

      Tasting Room 

                                                                                                            Banquet Hall 

 

All of Upper Shirley’s 22 acres of vines are red grapes.  Suzy’s son, Tayloe, the wine director, has elected to focus on red wines even though, according to the manager we spoke with, Abigail, white wines are by far the most popular wines here.  All of the grapes for Upper Shirley’s white wines are purchased from third-party growers, mostly in Virginia.  However, be it red or white wine, Upper Shirley contracts-out all wine production to Michael Shaps Wineworks in Charlottesville.

From all of this, one might correctly conclude that Upper Shirley is primarily a restaurant and wedding venue, and thus a little disappointing for us.  Steer clear of Upper Shirley during high wedding season in the Fall.  The tasting room and restaurant is a large operation with lots of space inside and out.  There is one fireplace inside with one sofa in front of it.  The covered porches are so wide that they can easily serve as wedding spaces for fairly large wedding parties.  Step down off the porch to find patio seating areas and that wide lawn to the river, with views Presquile Wildlife Refuge across the James. 

  

 

Be aware that with the focus on the restaurant, no outside food is allowed at Upper Shirley.  Further, this is not a pet-friendly property. 

Upper Shirley is only thirty minutes or so from downtown Richmond along Route 5 and on the road to the historic James River plantations like Berkely, Westover and Shirly Plantation, itself.  We suspect that most restaurant business stops for refreshment after touring some of these historic homes.  If you are a biker, take a ride on a great paved bike trail that parallels Route 5 most of the way out of the city. 

While we enjoyed our wine, we had some good panini sandwiches on the porch facing the river.  There will probably be a welcome breeze once summer comes.  Here are the wines we sampled. 

2021 Viognier.  Kim had a Viognier which she found weak and overpriced at $31.00.  She gave it a C.  This was a Gold medal winner at the Virginia Governor’s Cup in 2024. 

I had the $25.00 Red Flight:

2021 Divertido.  This is one of the few Virginia wines out there made from Mourvèdre grapes, and it won a Silver medal at the 2024 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  I rated it a B.  I’d call it a full-bodied wine with good tannins, and only a hint of fruit. Smokiness is quite evident.  Tasting notes advise to serve chilled.

2019 Petit Verdot.  Cherry and raspberry notes with pleasing acidity and warmth.  It was the winner for me of the four reds I tasted.  Still, I rated it only a B.

2018 Tannat.  Tasting notes say this has notes of plum but I felt it was too light for that.  The tannins are managed in this medium-bodied wine.  This Tannat won a Silver medal at the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup.  I rate it a B.

2020 Red Blend #1.  This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chambourcin with 2% Residual Sugar.  I found this off-dry wine somewhat flat and unremarkable.  C.

We should mention that Upper Shirley also serves beer but is not a brewery.  All of the listed cocktails are either with vodka or limoncello.  (Manhattan lovers be forewarned.)  Take a break from history or trekking to get some grub at Upper Shirley.