Located in Lovingston, Nelson County, 30 minutes southwest of Charlottesville. Mountain Cove Vineyards was founded way back in 1973 by Al and Emily Weed, the oldest operating vineyard in Virginia today. Amazingly Al and Emily still run the winery today, nearly five decades after starting it.
Wine. Tier III. Mountain Cove bottles a limited but interesting selection of wines, at some of the lowest prices you’ll find among Virginia wineries. The Tinto is an unusual red wine blend of Virginia native Norton, Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin. The Chardonnay uses grapes from Bedford County and is made in stainless steel tanks. Their Skyline White uses the very uncommon Villard Blanc grape, mostly found in the production of Vouvray in the Loire region of France, blended with Vidal Blanc. Under their Virginia Harvest Wine label, Mountain Cove produces blackberry, apple and peach wines.
Setting. Family-run Mountain Cove is both old and small. The rustic log cabin tasting room has limited seating, as does the small patio outside. There is some seating and room to bring blankets and chairs outside. As befits its name, Mountain Cove lies in the crook of the mountains, and is surrounded by hills and woods on all sides. The Weeds welcome picnics, and encourage hiking on a nearby preserve of the Nature Conservancy, Fortunes Cove Preserve.
Stories. Then there were 10: Virginia earliest Post-Prohibition wineries. There weren’t always 300 wineries in the state of Virginia. In fact, as late as 1977, the number of commercial wineries in Virginia was in the single digits. Mountain Cove, founded in 1973 is Virginia’s oldest operating commercial winery. It did have a number of peers opening in the 1970s, more than half of which have disappeared. Here are the first ten wineries that opened in the state as interest in wine slowly returned:
- #2 Piedmont Vineyards, on Waverly Plantation in Middleburg started in 1973, the same year as Mountain Cove, and became known for their Chardonnays, closing around 2012
- #3 Rose Bower, started in 1974 by an English Professor at Hampden-Sydney, closed some time before 2000.
- #4 Meredyth Vineyards in Middleburg, launched in 1975 by Archie Smith, which became one of the state’s larger wineries for a time. Closed around 2010.
- #5 Barboursville, launched by the Zonin Family in 1976, and still going strong.
- #6 Shenandoah Vineyards in Edinburg, in the Valley, started in 1976. Recently purchased by Michael Shaps and also going strong.
- #7 Oasis Vineyard. Started by the Salahi Family in 1977 in western Fauquier County. Closed around 2010.
- #8 Montdomaine Winery. Begin in 1977 south of Charlottesville, now the home of Michael Shaps Wineworks.
- #9 Chateau Morisette. Started in 1978, Chateau Morisette continues to thrive and is one of Virginia’s largest wine producers.
- #10 Rapidan River vineyards. Started in 1978 in Culpeper, and subsequently absorbed into Prince Michel which continues to use the brand name.
The second 10 wineries to arrive on the scene in Virginia include La Abra Vineyard in Lovingston (1979, closed), Ingleside Winery on the Northern Neck (1980), Jefferson Vineyards in Charlottesville (1981), Tri-Mountain Winery in Stephens City (1981, closed), Prince Michel in Madison (1982), Oakencroft in Charlottesville, started by the owners of the Boar’s Head Inn (1982), Naked Mountain in Fauquier County (1982), Blenheim Winery south of Charlottesville (1982), Bacchanal Vineyards in Afton (1982, now Afton Mountain Vineyards), and Linden Vineyards in Fauquier County (1983).