Located on James Monroe Highway, in the heart of Colonial Beach, in Westmoreland County. Monroe Bay Winery is a small farm winery and cidery established in 2014. Owner and winemaker Kiki Apple started as a home wine maker after living in the south of France. The winery’s name reflects the colonial history associated with nearby Monroe Hall, which was the birthplace of Founding Father and future U.S. President James Monroe (1758-1831), our fifth President.
Wine: Tier III. Monroe Bay’s red wines include Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Blue Heron Red. Whites includes Viognier, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng and Blue Heron White. In addition there is a Blue Heron Rosé. Bottle prices run around $18-24. Hard Ciders include one made from “Virginia Hughes Crab” apples, a variety grown by President Monroe himself.
Setting. One star. This cozy farm winery features a small indoor bar area, and an outdoor waterfront patio overlooking Monroe Creek. Lovers of water will enjoy sitting and sipping. Historians will enjoy the aura of James Monroe imagining his early years on the neighboring farm. As of mid-2020 a larger tasting room is in preparation. The adjoining farm, “Stawbale,” is also a wedding venue.
Stories. Virginia’s Northern Neck. Neck is a traditional Virginia name for a peninsula. The Northern Neck is bounded by the Potomac River to the north and the Rappahannock River to the south. It encompasses over 1,000 miles of shoreline, with beaches, marinas, small towns, and more recently wineries. Today a favorite vacationing spot for residents of the Washington DC metropolitan area, and for lovers of water and wildlife, the Northern Neck was once the area of the earliest plantation development in the southern colonies. The colonial Northern Neck was often referred to as the “Athens of the New World,” for the aristocratic society which thrived around the rich plantations of the late 17th century, and its cultured lifestyle. The plantations of the Neck, as elsewhere in the southern colonies, became heavily dependent on slave labor – initially from indentured servants from England, then captured Native Americans, and on a much larger scale African slaves. Many important historical figures were born on the Northern Neck, including three future US Presidents (George Washington, James Madison and Monroe), Robert E Lee, and a pair of signers of the Declaration of Independence (Francis Lightfoot Lee and Richard Henry Lee). Robert “King” Carter, agent for Lord Fairfax and the first to successfully sell wine made in Virginia, was born on the Neck at Corotoman Plantation (a descendant of his has established Philip Carter Winery in Fauquier County). Colonial Beach, in the upper part of the Neck, developed as a popular tourist spot for Washingtonians in the 19th century, with its beach and casinos.