Sabin Wine Journeys

March 14, 2024.   Back in the winter of 2022, Kim and I with some of our companions spent a nice afternoon with the owner of 50 West Winery, Mike Canney.   We came away with a desire to visit someday the Mother winery – that is Sunset Hills Vineyard near Purcellville.   While 50 West aims at the younger clientele from its location right on Route 50 near Aldie, Sunset Hills is the more established, family-friendly farm locale.   Still, to discuss one is to discuss both as they are two sides of a single coin. Mike and Diane Canney first planted vines at Sunset Hills in 1999 on a 45-acre farm that included an 1870’s era working barn.   Sunset Hills was incorporated in 2006 and 50 West came along in 2017, both owned by the Canney’s.   Most of the grapes come from two farms in the Shenandoah, but more on them in a bit.   In July 2022, the Canney’s sold all of these properties to Chris and Katie Key.   We wanted to visit Sunset Hills under the new owners and chose a day when the sun promis

January 26, 2024.   Days like this day don’t normally come around until June: high clouds, blue sky and warm breezes.   We came to Endhardt Vineyards along the North Fork and Lincoln Roads, Loudoun County, still wet and puddled from the left-over from early morning rains.   Johannes (Hannes) and Sarah Endhardt have built their winery among the steep hills south of the town of Lincoln (address is Purcellville).   Hannes, a German dual citizen, learned to appreciate wine from his father a wine aficionado in Bavaria who favored Italian and Austrian wines.   The tasting room is by the shores of a pond with a great vine-covered hill rising behind it.     We spent a pleasant afternoon with General Manager, Jason Deaver, an accomplished chef in his own right.   We appreciate his hospitality. All 46 acres of the property are under a conservation easement.   In 2019 they planted 11 acres of vines growing Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.   They recentl

January 26, 2024.   What a difference a week makes.   Seven days ago, the temperature had been suppressed below 20 degrees for days and piles of snow blanketed the landscape with a sense of permanence.   But we emerged more each following day from the Polar Vortex so that by the Friday when we set out to the wineries it was in the upper seventies and the snow beaten back to tiny resistant enclaves of shade.   To celebrate leaving our cocoon, we drove out to Good Spirit Winery near Round Hill in Loudoun County.   Good Spirit is just one turn off of the scenic Snickersville Turnpike, less than a mile from the cross-roads that is the community of Airmount.   Disabled parking is a quick jog to the right on the winery driveway.   There is a fairly steep path from the main parking to the wrap-around porch that leads to the tasting room.   The porch is made of stones that resemble light Emperador marble. Good Spirit is the retirement project of Mike and Luanne Gutermuth who bought the 42

November 11, 2023.   Fall fell upon us last week with rain, dropping temperatures, and wind that seemed to herald the season.   But we took advantage of an Indian Summer day to make a visit to Quattro Goombas Winery near the town of Aldie.   More specifically, the winery is just north of Gilbert’s Corner on Route 15.   The short driveway into Quattro Goombas is heavily rutted so take it slowly and watch for craters. Quattro Goombas is the work of Jay DeCianno and his wife Judy.   They opened the winery in 2006 with another couple, the Camden’s, after they all moved here from Pittsburg.   The DeCianno’s have since bought out the Camden’s interest to become the sole owners of the winery.   Thus, what began as Quattro Goombas – four friends – might now be called “Due Goombas.”   Jay augmented the operations in 2014 by adding a brewery next door to the wine tasting room building.   You can freely move drinks between them.   Whiskey is also served in the wine tasting room.   Quattro Goombas

August 12, 2023.   Situated in downtown Leesburg, October One Vineyard is a departure from the normal Virginia farm winery.   The actual vineyard is located around 20 miles away from the tasting room.   There is no public access at the vineyard.   This reminded us of the tasting rooms separated from their vineyards that we saw in Woodinville, Washington State.   Out there this is commonplace; not so in Virginia. Bob and Loree Rupy formed October One in 2015 and for several years sold their wine at local farmer’s markets.   October One is the couple’s wedding anniversary.   Bob was the former co-owner of Bluemont Vineyard which still exists.   October One Vineyard is nearby in Bluemont .                                                                                          Loree and Bob Rupy In 2022, they opened the tasting room and shop on busy Loudoun Street.   There is a public garage across the street where parking is free on weekends and holidays.   The shop/tasting room is

August 12, 2023.   Nestled in the pine trees on Spinks Ferry Road, Leesburg, you will find the small rustic Hidden Brook Winery.   Hidden Brook is directly adjacent to the Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek that we posted on a couple of days ago.   Lost Creek’s founder, Bob Hauck is the father of Hidden Brook’s founder, Eric Hauck.   I believe Lost Creek was the eighth small winery in Loudoun, while Hidden Brook is the ninth or tenth.   Even though these were originally father-son competing enterprises and their driveways are literally a couple of yards apart, the difference between them today is startling. (See, Washington Post article below).   We encountered a young man named Allan who sported a long Billy Gibbons-style grey beard and told us that he used to be a wine club member at Lost Creek before Todd and Aimee Henkle bought it.   Feeling some snobbery at Lost Creek, he switched his membership to Hidden Brook where he feels more welcome. Eric and Deborah Hauck, the owners, f

August 12, 2023.   Going north on Route 15 from Leesburg and nearly to the town of Lucketts, take a right turn at the Roots 657 Café and you will come to the long driveway for the grandly-named Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek.   The approach will have you thinking of a southwest hacienda: a beautiful garden patio overhung with green trellised vines and a courtyard fountain.   There is a scent of mushrooms in the air and quiet of surrounding pines.   When we arrived for our reservation, the sun was still largely behind the winery, and the garden was in the cool of the morning.   Todd and Aimee Henke purchased the fifty acres of Lost Creek from the Hauck family in 2013.   At the time of the sale, reports said there were 21 acres of grapes.   Now the Lost Creek website states that there are 16 acres at this site, with additional fruit coming from a vineyard in Bluemont.   All wines are from their vineyard or the Bluemont property – all Loudoun county. We were able to talk a bit w