Veritas Vineyard
Veritas Vineyard is located in scenic Afton, Nelson County, in the Blue Ridge Mountains west of Charlottesville. Veritas (the name is from the famous phrase about one of wine’s benefits — “In Vino Veritas“), was first planted in 1999. Owned by the Hodson family, originally from England, who bought what was Saddleback Farm and turned into Veritas. This is a sister company of Flying Fox Vineyard, also located in Nelson County.
Wine: One of the Top 10 wineries in Virginia. Three veritas wines were awarded gold medals at the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition: their “Scintilla” (a sparkling wine), 2019 Petit Verdot and Veritas Reserve. Five other wines, including their Malbec, were awarded silver medals. The Scintilla was also a gold medal winner at the 2022 Governor’s Cup. The Veritas 2021 vintage “Momentarius,” a white blend, was awarded an impressive double gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle nation-wide wine competition for 2023, after the 2019 vintage Momentarius had been awarded a gold medal at the 2022 Chronicle competition. The Veritas 2019 Petit Verdot and 2017 Cabernet Franc Reserve were also awarded gold medals at the 2023 Chronicle event, while the Veritas Reserve came way with a bonze medal there. Two Veritas wines, the 2017 Veritas Reserve and Petit Verdot, were awarded gold medals at the 2022 Monticello Cup. Veritas Petit Verdot wines have twice, in 2018 and 2019, been named as one of the top 12 wines in Virginia.
Setting: Two stars. Named a one of Virginia’s Ten Most Beautiful Wineries. A large but attractive tasting room, with racks of wines on display, and a nice veranda with many table facing the grounds and the hills. Great views, and one can walk around the grounds to a certain extent. Tours of the winery are available with reservations. Outdoor concerts some Summer weekends; plan in advance and reserve at their Bed & Breakfast, The Farmhouse at Veritas. With the setting and popularity of the wines, can become fairly crowded; lines are usually shorter if you go earlier. Bread and cheese and sandwiches available.
Stories: One star. Natural Virginia — Rockfish Gap. The Rockfish Gap, a few hundred feet above the village of Afton, is the main passage between Charlottesville, in Virginia’s Piedmont, and Waynesboro, in the Shenandoah Valley on the other side of the Blue Ridge Mountains: Interstate 64 between the two cities crosses the Gap. Rockfish Gap was first used by Native Americans, likely pursuing Buffalo and Elk who also utilized the pass. It was later the site chosen for the railroad to pass West from Charlottesville, through a series of four tunnels. The longest of these went through Afton, and when it went into operation in 1858 it was the world’s longest tunnel! The tunnels remained in operation until 1944, when a new tunnel was required for larger trains. Trails through the Gap retain their importance, as the Appalachian Trail passes through here, as does Skyline Drive which shortly below the Gap meets and transits into the Blue Ridge Parkway. Afton also was a popular resort in the late 19th century for Washingtonians and Richmonders looking for a summer in the mountains. In the Fall, you can also volunteer to join the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch. Volunteers lookout for the 16 species of raptors that migrate through Rockfish Gap. Their total for 2014 was 7,000 hawks.