Willowcroft Farm Vineyards
November 9, 2024 Loudoun County is celebrating 40 years of the wine industry this year - 2024 - because in 1984 Willowcroft Farm Vineyards released its first commercial vintage and became the first winery in the county. Owner and winemaker Lew Parker bought an old farm on Mount Gilead in 1979 after a successful career in the medical device business. He planted his first vines in 1980 and replanted in 1981 when the first plantings died. Lew was the Virginia wine person of the year in 2002 and the winemaker of the year in Loudoun County in 2023 showing long-term recognition by his peers. The old red barn from 1875 houses the wine production area on the ground floor, a small wood-beamed tasting room on the second floor and a loft room on the third floor. The tasting room itself is cramped with virtually no seating. Go upstairs for that. Or better yet, take your picnic and your w...