Cana Vineyards and Winery
- Located on US Route 50, between Gilbert’s Corners and Middleburg. The name refers to the Biblical feast of Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine – an unusual but appropriate name for a vineyard. Owned by the Bell family since 2011, and the former farm was planted with vines in 2012.
- Wine. One of the Top 40 wineries in Virginia, and one of the five best wineries in Loudoun County. 2022 was a breakthrough year for Cana Vineyards and its winemaker, Melanie Natoli. At the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine tasting competition, Cana placed not one but two wines among the state’s top 12 bottles (the “Governor’s Case”), their 20202 Unité Reserve and 2020 Le Mariage, with the Unité coming away with the title as the #1 rated wine of the entire competition. Melanie followed this up with an award of “winemaker of the year” in Loudoun County at the 2022 Best of Loudoun competition, a gold medal for the Chardonnay at the same Best of Loudoun event, and another gold medal at the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup, for the 2021 Cana Petit Manseng. The 2020 vintages of the Mariage and Unité Reserve were awarded silver medals at the 2023 Governor’s Cup, while Cana’s Merlot was given a bronze medal. Cana’s 2021 Petit Manseng and Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon were awarded silver medals at the 2022 Finger Lakes Wine Competition, while the Rosé of Merlot and Rhapsody in White came away with bronze medals. Cana also offers several fruit wines.
- Setting. Set on a hill with nice views from their outdoor porch. Mixed reviews of service quality. Live music on weekends.
- Stories. One star. Trending in Virginia — Women in Wine. Cana Winemaker Melanie Natoli was named “Woman Winemaker of the Year” at the 2017 International Women’s Wine Competition, making her the first Virginia winemaker to win in the history of the competition. Melanie followed this up in 2022 with her “winemaker of the year” award for Loudoun County. She is one of a small, but growing, number of women at the helm of Wineries in the state. The following is from a profile on Melanie from WTOP after she won the award: “When Melanie Natoli left her stable career in physical therapy to work in the wine industry, she knew she was taking a risk — not to mention a steep pay cut. “I always said, ‘Someday I’ll retire and open up a winery,’ but then was smart enough to realize I was not going to retire with the amount of money it takes to start a winery,” Natoli said. Winemaker, however, was a much more realistic goal. In 2009, while still paying back student loans for her physical therapy degree, Natoli quit the health care track and took an intern position at Fabbioli Cellars in Leesburg, Virginia, where she learned the ins and outs of grape growing and winemaking. Now, she is the head winemaker at Cana Vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia, and this summer was awarded “Woman Winemaker of the Year” at the 2017 International Women’s Wine Competition. Natoli is one in a growing number of women rising to leadership roles in the traditionally male-dominated field of wine. In 2015, the graduating class from UC Davis’ enology and viticulture program was about half female, up from one-third in 1999, Wine Enthusiast reports. In her eight years in the field, Natoli has seen this shift, first hand — especially as Virginia wine has grown to a nearly $1.4 billion industry. In 2015, more than 10 females were either head vintners or assistant winemakers in Loudoun County, alone.”