Burnbrae Vineyards

June 21, 2026. 

In one of our travels last year, we were sampling some wine in Nelson County south of Charlottesville when we encountered a couple who gave us a business card for Burnbrae Vineyards.  It’s unusual, to say the least, that people would think enough of a winery to hand out business cards even while visiting a different winery.  But it made such an impression on me that we added Burnbrae to our travel plans for this trip. 

Heading north and east from Roanoke there is a little gap in the Blue Ridge where Route 460 squeezes between the mountains.  That is how we left the Shenandoah Valley and drove on to Bedford County and the town of Forest where we found Burnbrae Vineyards.  Forest is a close-in suburb to Lynchburg.  This old cattle farm had been in the Gerhardt family since the 1930’s before brothers Ed and Paul Gerhardt bought-out “the old people” and re-purposed it as a vineyard.   

The tasting room and public area for Burnbrae is in a clearing that fronts a heavily wooded forest.  The term “Burnbrae” is Scottish for a hillside sloping to a creek.  The vineyard, which cannot be seen from the public areas, does in fact border Ivy Creek, so there is truth behind the name.  The brothers relocated a 19^th Century cabin from the Blue Ridge to this site, renovated it, and added a second wing as the business office and a hyphen between them to complete the tasting room.  This opened in 2022. 

 

The original log cabin, now the “living room,” is small but the nice leather sofa facing a real fireplace gives it a welcoming coolness and calmness.  Not many folks can be in here.  

Most of Burnbrae’s seating is outside in the clearing.  Regulars know to snag one of the shady spots on the really hot days.  Sensibly, Burnbrae closes during the month of January.  Outside food is okay as they have a limited selection of food for sale.  Children and dogs are okay in this mostly outdoor venue.

We had a great time visiting with brother Paul Gerhardt and his wife Charotte.  Paul is still practicing law (Charlotte rolls her eyes at this) and living in the Williamsburg area.  It takes three hours for them to commute to the vineyard several times a month.  Paul’s brother Ed, a retired surgeon, lives on the property with wife Lori.  Paul is the very image of an avuncular gentleman farmer with white tussled hair framing his wide face

 

The Gerhardt’s first planted their vineyard in 1991 and now have 6.5 acres under vine.  With guidance from experts at Virginia Tech and with soil sampling from “Bubba” Beasley, Burnbrae grows a good variety of grapes including hybrids Chambourcin, Seyval, Vidal Blanc, and Chenin Blanc.  Paul reported that the April 2026 frost destroyed all of his Sauvignon Blanc and half of his Petit Manseng.  However, he thinks most of the rest of the crop seems to have come through healthy enough.  Burnbrae leaves the actual wine production to winemaker Robert Schenkel at Altillo Vineyards (formerly Alta Vista Vineyards and Winery) about 40 minutes away in Hurt, Virginia.  Their average production is under 1,000 cases. But you may expect much less production for vintage year 2026. 

Burnbrae is not really set-up as a venue for weddings and other special events.  They do offer “raw space” for groups of around 75 at the most and where all of the event infrastructure needs to be brought in. 

Let’s get sampling!  Burnbrae has self-guided flights where you choose from 16 different wines.  You might want to frame your flight around the seven past winners at the Virginia Governor's Cup that are on the list.  Or just go free-form like we did.  Most of the wines are reasonably priced.  Here’s what we tried:

2022 Chardonnay (Chêne).  Not too weak or strongly oaked.  A Silver medal winner at the Cup in 2025.  Good with seafood.  Kim gave it a B.

2021 Cabernet Franc.  Nice balance of dried fruit.  Mild, low tannin.  Good with grilled red meats.  I rated it a B+ and bought a bottle.

Route 621 Red.  This is an unassuming table wine made from Chambourcin.  Raspberry on the palate.  Good with pasta dishes.  Mild tannin.  It gets a B from me.

2021 Meritage.  Anytime a winery has a Meritage, you know that they have invested something in the wine because they are paying to use the name “Meritage” and conforming to the association’s standards.  Burnbrae’s Meritage is a Cabernet Sauvignon-Petit Verdot blend that gives a round mouthfeel with tannins prominently in front.  Dark cherry fruit.  Good with gamy meats and pastas.  Winner of a Silver medal at the 2025 Virginia Governor's Cup.  I gave it a B+.

2019 Syrah.  As might be expected, the Syrah is a full-bodied wine with strong tannins.  Robust.  Little vanilla hints.  Makes you sit up and take notice.  Burnbrae’s tasting notes say this is a good sipping wine.  I think you need some food and time with this one.  I rate it a B.

Paul said they participate with the Virginia Wine Distribution Company to sell their wines at some area restaurants and in the Richmond area.  Most sales, however, are through the tasting room.  I would say its best to buy your bottle at Burnbrae in the Spring and the Fall.  Autumn especially should be nice here.  Plan a trip to beautiful Poplar Forest, Jefferson's vacation home, and stop in afterwards for refreshment.