Dry Mill Vineyards & Winery

(Been there, checked it!)

Dry Mill Vineyards & Winery nestled in Virginia Hunt Country and surrounded by the majestic beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the newest “old school” winery in Northern Virginia.

Built by a family with a passion for grape growing and the love of wine, Dry Mill Vineyards and Winery combines old country grape varietals with the latest wine-making techniques to produce deeply satisfying, approachable wines for all palates.

We hope you enjoy our wines as much as we enjoyed making them. They are truly a labor of love!

No tasting fee for groups of fewer than 8. Open Friday 12 – 8; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 12 – 6

We visited Dry Mill on 30 July. Here’s a link to Nancy’s post on our visit. Dry Mill Vineyards is so close to downtown Leesburg, you’ll think you’ve misread the directions. How can there possibly be a winery right…oh, look, there’s the winery! As it happens, the vineyards themselves are at the owners’ home, Short Hill Vineyards, in Lovettsville, but some new stakes out front at Dry Mill hold promise for some Leesburg-proper grapes before too long.

All photos from this winery

On a Friday evening, a hugely talented (and unadvertised) musician played modern bluegrass and mountain music while a nearly full courtyard of patrons munched on the “picnic special” – a bottle of wine, baguette and crackers and choice of cheddar, boursin, brie, or meats at 10% off.

The tasting room takes up the old barn that used to be the Loudoun Hunt Club. The owners have completely renovated, but created a warm, rustic feel with exposed wood beams, a tin roof, sconces, and a fireplace. The original large wooden storm shutters now slide past the winery’s French doors, and the loft has two balconies overlooking the grounds.

Owners Dean and Nancy Vanhuss wander in and out, and Dean stops to pour a sample of a nice young Merlot that, like the winery itself, holds great promise. We left with a bottle of the “Endangered Wine” – a rich ’07 Norton ($25).

Traminette; Chardonnay (two kinds — steel and barrel); Chambourcin; Syrah; and Chambourcin Rose.