Sabin Wine Journeys

October 24, 2025.   Originally, our plans to visit eastern Albermarle County did not include Keswick Vineyards.   Instead, we were going to visit the Southern Living Idea House nearby.   But when Kim saw the abundance of chintz, floral curtains, throw pillows, and your grandmother’s formal furniture, passing as ideas, Kim opted out.   She is a Frank Lloyd Wright girl and digs that  aesthetic.   To fill the hole in our itinerary, we decided to return to Keswick Vineyards. When we last visited Keswick, we watched the rain come down beneath a covered porch on a slow mid-week afternoon in July 2022.   All of the seating had been moved out of doors because of COVID, leaving the old tasting room forlorn and hollow.    Since 2022, owners Cindy and Al Schornberg added an innovative new glass Pavilion tasting room that fully converts from open air Summer to cozy Winter with the flick of a switch.   It being October, the glass walls were closed ...

July 7, 2022.   A short drive south from Honah Lee on Route 231 is Keswick Vineyards near the town of Keswick.  Before Al and Cindy Schornberg purchased it in 2000, this property was an old horse farm, and you know that you are in horse country with the white fences and rolling estates.   You sense that old money surrounding the vineyard as you approach.   Keswick had to deal with these tony neighbors and the local zoning commission, eventually coming to an agreement on noise and event restrictions before they could open.    We arrived just before a torrential rain but were able to take seats in the lounge area reserved for the wine club.   (It was a lazy Thursday afternoon).   There are no inside tables, giving the tasting room an unfinished vacant look.   I think this was COVID-related.  Outside under a tent, the rain was turning the vision of the green hillsides grey with falling water.   We had to keep drinking – the umbrellas...