Great Valley Farm Brewery and Winery

June 20, 2026.  If you are looking for a relaxed wine stop that can satisfy the beer drinkers in your crowd, then Great Valley Farm Brewery and Winery could be your home away from home.  Close to the town of Natural Bridge and its namesake that spawned a swarm of tourist traps, Great Valley is easy to access off of Interstate 81 in Rockbridge County.  And it’s only six minutes from Dinosaur Kingdom!

The tasting room which opened in 2016 looks like a converted warehouse with surprisingly little air conditioned indoor seating; no comfy chairs or fireplaces here.  

With such limited space inside, Great Valley can only host small private events and most of those will be outside.  

Most of the seating at Great Valley is on their shaded patio or across the driveway under a few tents on a wide sloping lawn from which the vines seem to fall off the side of the hill.  My impression is that even out-of-doors, special events will be limited in size.  A college reunion event was happening when we visited Great Valley and it occupied most of the outdoor tent space the winery had.

 

But outside offers a marvelous view - in the distance is a vista of the western slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountain chain whose flanks, with ridges and trails, seemed to ripple in the humidity.  Dogs and kids are welcome.  Outside food is allowed as the on-site menu is very sparce. 

We were happy to chat with owner and winemaker, Nathan Bailey, a native of Illinois who was first a home brewer before getting into the commercial wine market.  Nice guy, laid-back, like his winery.  He sported a bandage on his nose from 14 years of wear and tear on the body that comes from tending the vines.  His vineyard is now 5 and a half acres, and in an average year makes around 500 cases of wine.  Most of Great Valley wine comes from the Cabernet Franc, Grüner Veltliner, Vidal Blanc, and Lemberger that Nathan grows on site.  Other grapes come from Rockingham County.  Only grapes for his Petit Verdot come from farther away, but even those are from within the Shenandoah Valley.  Nathan makes all of his wine at a production facility below the hill.

Nathan was the first winemaker we spoke with to report significant damage from the April 2026 killer frost.  He lost 75% of his vines in that event, but believes he has inventory to cover his operations.  Still, the 2026 vintage of Virginia wines from the perspective of many growers, like Nathan, sounds like it will be meager at best.  This crop loss may have justified Nathan’s personal decision to put Great Valley on the market.  The future direction of the winery is uncertain.  (The current asking price is $2.6 million for the winery, land, and Nathan’s personal residence.  See, https://www.coldwellbanker.com/va/natural-bridge/60-great-valley-ln/lid-P00800000HAATKYTiVG5kqIDqaw35cYszyGmpTMn).

All of these wines were reasonably priced at under $30 a bottle.  Here’ s what we tried:

2022 Panoramic.  A Vidal Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, and Moscato blend with a little sweetness.  Kim said it was not enough of anything and rated it a C+.

2023 White Blend.  A Vidal Blanc-Cabernet Franc blend of all stainless fermentation.  Cab Franc adds some texture.  Nice acid.  Light and lemony.  B+.

2022 Grüner Veltliner.  Pear and floral nose but could be stronger.  B-.

2021 Red Blend.  This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, and Noiret.  Noiret is a new hybrid grape (2006) developed at Cornell University for cold climates and disease resistance.  You have read about the French-American hybrid Chambourcin before.  I suspect the raspberry and currant come from the Chambourcin while the smokiness may come from the Noiret.  I give it a B.

2021 Petit Verdot.  This wine won a Gold Medal at the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup competition.  Good round mouthfeel, full-bodied, some mocha notes.  B+.

Shenandoah Red NV.  This blend of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) has a nice finish after tasting dark fruit like blackberry.  Creamy mouthfeel and full-bodied.  No tannin to speak of.  I give it a B+.

Great Valley winery is a pleasant unassuming place to spend a quiet afternoon in the company of a memorable view of the Valley.