Sabin Wine Journeys

May 30, 2025.   Upper Shirley Vineyards in Charles City County sits at the eastern edge of the Virginia Peninsula AVA along the James River.   Hill Carter of the famous King Carter family split off Upper Shirley from the main plantation in 1866 and built the manor house in 1868.   It is in the National Register of Historic Places.   The current owner of the vineyards is Susan (Suzy) Dameron who opened the remodeled house as a restaurant in 2015.      The main building is classic low-county architecture – horizontal to the ground with wide verandas framing the outside.   When you come through the door, the tasting room and restaurant is to your left and the cavernous banquet room is to the right.             Tasting Room                                                        ...

May 16, 2023.   Our last winery visit on this trip was to Michael Shaps Wineworks, around thirty minutes south of Charlottesville.   Wineworks is one of the most decorated wineries in the Commonwealth and is one of the only international brands in this sphere.   Michael Shaps learned his wine at school in Burgundy, France and moved to Virginia in 1995 to be winemaker at Jefferson Vineyards.   He managed six vintages there before going out on his own.   He was soon in a partnership with a winemaker in Meursault (Burgundy) France and with King Family Vineyards.   When we visited Wineworks in 2018, the tasting room was a small cramped cabin up a steep mountain road, the site of the old Montdomaine Winery.   He has continued to expand operations and influence since then.   He has shed his partners and since around 2014 I believe that his ventures have been sole proprietorships.   In 2018, Michael purchased Shenandoah Vineyards and continues to...