Sabin Wine Journeys - the Virginia Wine Journeys Blog

June 22, 2026.   Driving south on that four-lane divided highway called Route 29, you can easily miss the turn for Rebec Vineyards in Amherst County.   Route 29 is a 55 mile-per-hour road where most folks treat the speed limit as a mere suggestion.   Rebec is a sharp right turn from the right lane of Route 29 across the narrow shoulder directly into the dirt road driveway for the winery.   Start slowing down and working your turn signals early to avoid being run over. Rebec is one of the older Virginia wineries still operating.   Richard Hanson and his wife Ella first planted vines in 1980 and opened Rebec in 1987 on the tobacco farm that had been in Ella’s family for 150 years.   Mr. Hanson and his son-in-law designed and built the tasting room and production building using trees felled on the property and boards taken from some of the old tobacco barns they had.   The first big event in Rebec’s future came in 1992 when a Bulgarian named Svetlozar Kan...

April 12, 2025.   Years ago I had a revelation in the form of a glass of Pinot Noir at a Virginia winery, and I have been seeking to relive that experience ever since.   What I know now is that revelatory wine was probably not from Virginia grapes because Pinot is a hard grape to grow, especially where the tropic and temperate zones clash in Virginia. However, there is one Virginia winery known for growing and producing Pinot Noir – and that is Ankida Ridge Vineyards northwest from the town of Amherst in Amherst County.   Christine and Dennis Vrooman bought a wooded parcel as a retirement retreat in 1999.   When the builder cleared the wrong area for their cabin, they took advantage of the mistake by consulting with noted viticulturist Lucie Morton about growing grapes in that space.   The Vrooman's had been impressed with the Cabernet Franc at Veritas.   Instead of Cabernet Franc, however, Lucie advised them that their property at 1,800 feet on a south-f...