Sabin Wine Journeys - the Virginia Wine Journeys Blog

November 15, 2025.   We can easily forget how rough and ready our region has been in its history.   Out west in Loudoun County, for example, back in colonial times, the old Carolina Road was the main trade route that ran from Fredrick, Maryland through Leesburg and ended in the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina (today, a prime wine producing area for that state).   Unfortunately, cattle thieves and highwaymen so frequented the road that it was called “the Rogues Road.”#   Cheryl and Mike Morrison started Rogues Hill Vineyard in 2012 and changed it the next year to the more obscure “Terra Nebulo,” which they translate as “Land of the Rascal” to commemorate this area outside of the town of Waterford for its history of banditry.   The Morrison’s opened Terra Nebulo in 2015.   The winery is contained within a reproduction of an old hay barn, constructed with great care by Amish craftsmen.   The barn sits in a hollow framed by tall grass and a view of a large...

September 4, 2025.   Interstate 64 runs the spine of the newest of Virginia’s   American Viticultural Areas (AVA), Virginia Peninsula.   A short distance from the Interstate, you can find several wineries to relieve the monotonous drive between Richmond and Newport News.   We have profiled all of these wineries before, with the exception of Gauthier Vineyard in Barhamsville, New Kent County.   Time to rectify that gap in coverage! We approached the winery passing a large barrel head boldly announcing the place.   Opposite this sign, three acres of Norton grapes sloped coyly under white gauze netting, installed to keep the birds away.   It was a sign that the harvest was close at hand.   A gravel drive takes you past a quiet lake and fountain, up a grade to the front of the tasting room. The tasting room building, built in 2012-13, has a wide wrap-around porch that you can follow around to a view across the lake and the vineyard.     In...