First Colony Winery

(Been there, checked it!)

First Colony Winery is nestled in beautiful Albemarle County, the heart of Virginia Wine Country. Owner Randolph McElroy, Jr. has created a truly spectacular winery by producing exceptional wines in the classic European style. Old world traditions abound at First Colony with a French winemaker, whose focus is on producing world class wines.

Monday-Friday 10am-6pm; Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm. Tastings cost $5.

We visited First Colony on 24 July. Here’s a link to Nancy’s post on our visit. This large, simple tasting room, housed in a semi-Tudor style building down a gravel road, was our home for a long, long time recently. Us, about a dozen other visitors, and Fritz the cat shared the space on a hot day as a kind but overwhelmed tasting room attendant introduced us to First Colony’s 12 selections. (Fritz abstained.) The poor pourer was left high and dry when the helpers called in sick.

All photos from this winery

The great thing about slowing down our tour was the chance to get some chat time in with the other guests. We shared Charlottesville restaurant tips and compared notes on nearby wineries. Business cards came out, oyster crackers exchanged. We looked longingly out at the shady deck as a place to rest our tired-of-standing legs, but with temps pushing 100, we stuck it out, and ultimately left with two bottles – and that’s saying a lot, since the purchase process extended our visit even more. A very nice, smoky Petit Verdot, and a crisp Claret made their way to our car, and we waved goodbye to our tasting room full of new best friends.

Viognier; Chardonnay, Rose (blend of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot); Meritage (First Colony does it with Cab Franc, Merlot, and Cab Sauvignon); Petit Verdot; Tannat; Zephyr (blend of Vidal Blanc and Petit Manseng); Sweet Shanando (100% Vidal Blanc); Claret; Red Dessert Wine (port-style wine fortified with brandy); and Late Harvest dessert wine.