Address: 17655 Winery Road, Barboursville, VA 22923
Phone number:540-832-3854
Website: www.bbvwine.com
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday 11:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday 11:00am – 5:00pm
Wednesday – Sunday 12:00pm – 2:30pm LUNCH
Friday & Saturday 6:30pm – 9:30pm DINNER
WINERY TOURS*
Saturday – Sunday 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Tasting: Fee of $7.00 for tastings of our current vintages.
Amenities: Restaurant, B&B, Picnic Areas
Wine Trail: Monticello Wine Trail
Winemaker(s): Luca Paschina, Daniele Tessaro
Barbourville Vineyards Story
When the Zonin family (one of the most respected winery families in Italy) founded Barboursville Vineyards in 1976, tobacco was the king crop in Virginia. Locating a Vitis Vinifera vineyard near the ruins of the Thomas Jeff erson designed home of Virginia Governor James Barbour seemed folly at the time. But as the winery said in their latest newsletter, “It was not by lighting a match, or flicking a switch, but by resolute guts, perseverance, and his capacity to inspire others that this winery gained for this ‘enchanted corner’ of Virginia the name, wine region.”
By the time Winemaker and General Manager Luca Paschina came to Virginia in 1991 on a two month consulting assignment from the Zonin wine company, Barboursville had established itself a as a pioneer in the Virginia wine industry. Luca (as he is known throughout the industry) took the operation to the next level. Working with Vineyard Manager Fernando Franco, Luca fostered a new direction regarding varietals and blended wines. His leadership and personality have helped positively shape the perception of Virginia wines nationwide. Last month, Luca made a point to have long time Vineyard Manager Fernando Franco at the media tasting of Gold Medal winning wines.
Barboursville firmly believes that great wines come from great grapes. The 900 acre Barboursville Estate, named after Virginia Governor James Barbour, features the ruins of Barbour’s Thomas Jefferson designed mansion. The building burned on Christmas Day 1884. Legend has it that during the blaze the men moved the dining tables out onto the lawn to continue the Christmas feast.
The hollowed out ruins stand guard over the estate’s southeast corner, a reminder of how fleeting greatness can be. Approaching the winery, visitors take a circuitous route providing fantastic vistas of rolling vineyards with their one armed white windmills standing guard. After the final turn, a visitor could be excused for mistaking the low slung white stucco building built into the hill as belonging in the Piedmont of Tuscany rather than Virginia.
Barboursville believes wine and food belong together. Over a decade ago Chef Melissa Close-Hart opened Palladio, a northern Italian restaurant, on the property. Th e concept is to promote local gourmet food to be paired with the estate’s outstanding wines. In 1776, prior to designing the Barboursville Estate, Thomas Jefferson wrote not of where we as a nation had been but of the pursuit of happiness. Similarly, Barboursville Vineyard is so much more that the award winning wines they have already achieved; it is about the continued pursuit of Virginia wine growing and hospitality excellence.