One of the closest wineries to Washington DC, Paradise Springs is located in Fairfax County, in the village of Clifton (“The Brigadoon of Virginia”). The winery was founded in 2007, with the tasting room opening in 2010. The name reflects the winery’s location on the site of an old mineral spring whose water was bottled in the 19th century, near Bull Run. Founder Kirk Wiles has also created a sister winery of the same name in Santa Barbara, California. Paradise Springs is experimenting with a “bi-coastal” winery model, which intends to use grapes from the two states.
Wine. One of the Top 3 wineries in Northern Virginia, and among the twelve best wineries in Virginia. After a few less remarkable years, Paradise Springs in 2023 once again came away from the Virginia Governor’s Cup with strong claims to being among the best wineries in the state, being awarded no fewer than six gold medals – one better than their 2018 coming-out party when they received fine golds at the event. The Governor’s Cup gold medals were for their 2019 vintage Meritage, Petit Verdot, Tannat and PVT (a 50-50 Tannat and Petit Verdot blend), and their 2021 Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Five other Paradise Springs wines received silver medals at the event: their 2021 Chardonnay and Petit Manseng, 2020 Rosé, 2019 “Moment” (a Bordeaux-style blend) and the ”Swagger VII” (a port-style wine from Chambourcin). At the 2022 Governor’s Cup, Paradise Springs had received one gold medal (for the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon) and nine silver medals, including for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 vintages of the PVT. As of this writing, the 2019 vintage gold medal wines were only available as a package, and not individually.
Setting. The Paradise Springs property features an 1800’s log cabin, which was renovated in 1955 by a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. It is near hiking trails and the Hemlock Overlook State Park, so a good place to combine a walk or hike with a wine tasting. Limited food options.
Stories. Land debates — not everyone loves wine. One of the reasons Paradise Springs remains one of the very closest wineries to Washington DC is that there are (at least currently) no other wineries in Fairfax County. When the founders decided they wanted to create a winery in Clifton, they were initially denied permits by the County, that took the view that a winery was an “industrial” rather than an “agricultural” pursuit, and so tightly limited in terms of location – and certainly not to be allowed in rural Clifton. This led to several years of legal battles, until late 2009 when a decision came down from the Virginia ABC Board proclaiming Paradise Springs Winery’s right to operate. The ruling was appealed by disgruntled neighbors, but ultimately upheld. This illustrates that while many people love wineries – especially though not only wine drinkers – not everyone does so. We’re a long way from the days of Prohibition when vineyard adversaries helped tear out grapevines, but there are many people who don’t really like the idea of crowds constantly driving up and being loud nearby. NIMBY, Not in My Back Yard, has an influence on wineries as well as on other activities it is more associated with – like factories or infrastructure.