The winery has won the coveted Virginia Governors Cup among honors in National and International wine competitions. Owner-winemaker Shepherd Rouse has a Masters Degree in Enology from UC Davis and is a seasoned Virginia winemaker. Rockbridge Vineyard is regarded as one of the finest small wineries in the Commonwealth and is the fruition of Rouses dream to make fine wine in his native state of Virginia. He and his team are looking forward to turning their skills now, to producing excellent and interesting beers as well.
In 1988 Rouse purchased a farm in northern RockbridgeCounty, in the Shenandoah Valley at higher elevation than most Virginia vineyards and has 18 acres of grapes. He has complemented his own planting with grapes grown by other top-quality growers at selected locations in Virginia, including Mulberry Grove in Brownsburg, Silver Creek Orchards in Nelson County and Amherst Vineyards in Amherst County. From this palette, Rouse is able to produce a full spectrum of wines to match a broad range of individual tastes. By processing each wine minimally and employing traditional, small batch methods, the full intensity and tenor of each wine is captured in Rouse's winemaking.
His interest in Native American culture and geology has led to the creation of two of Rockbridge's most popular wines. Tuscarora White and Tuscarora Red are named after the Tuscarora branch of the Iroquois Federation and the hard sandstone formation which forms the prominent ridges of the western Valley of Virginia. A semi-dry rosé made from Concord and Vidal is named after a famous bullfrog "Jeremiah", frogs being another of Rouse's favorite childhood pursuits. Rockbridge Vineyard is now producing a wine called Extra Virginia Claret, which is made from the Norton grape. The Monticello Wine Co. made wine from the Norton grape in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was called Virginia Claret.
V d'Or, Rockbridge's cryo-concentrated Vidal ice wine rivals the best dessert wines from France, Germany and California, and was a gold medal winner in the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Cup competiton, as is Rockbridge’s Meritage red. Also in 2022, the V d'Or was in the Governor's Case-representing the top twelve wines of the competition. From these twelve, the top wine of the year is chosen. For 2023, the V d’Or is a gold medal winner. Four other Rockbridge wines won silver medals.
Rockbridge Vineyard and Brewery produces finely-crafted, small-batch brews to complement the selection of fine wines. The taproom offers beer by the pint, flights or growler fills. Taproom hours are noon to 6 p.m., Thursday-Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Rockbridge Vineyard is open year-round for tours and tasting. Winery tasting room hours are Sunday and Monday, noon to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To get to the winery, take exit 205 off I-81 at Raphine, Va. Go west on Rt. 606. The winery is one mile on the right. Visit their website at www.rockbridgevineyard.com.
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