Generally when I head to the DC area, I visit a bunch of wineries. With Virginia being the 5th largest wine-producing state and the Shenandoah region right outside of DC being a prime wine-producing area, it is not hard to find good local wineries.  This time, I tried to stick to beer, but with some many wineries close by, I had to stop by at least one.  This time I visited Paradise Springs Winery, which has adequate wines but an excellent location.  Paradise Springs is located in Fairfax County just minutes from everything in the tiny town of Clifton.  Many people don’t even know that the town of Clifton exists and fewer know there is a winery there. Clifton is a throwback in time– primarily agricultural and a historic district.  There are a couple of small, but good, restaurants there.  I only know about the town because years ago I did some work with the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust and worked on a project within the town limits.

Paradise Springs has a great tasting room in addition to the great location.  The tasting room is comfortable with lots of wood accents.  On the late fall evening that I visited, the outside patio was covered up with outdoor heaters.  The place was packed as there was live music. Many people brought potlucks and food while enjoying the music and wine.  The patio was hopping!  The staff is also very friendly at this winery.  Our staff member, Francisco, was very knowledgeable and personable.

Now on to the wines–I would categorize most as average. Nothing here stands out that much but you are assured to find something that meets your palate.  We started our tasting with the Albarino which was very good but not very traditional.  The 2012 Chardonnay was typical, but I absolutely detest chards so I am not the one to ask.  The 2011 Viognier still had a very green grape flavor, perhaps it needed to mature a bit more. Viogniers are my favorites so I was a bit disappointed in this one.  The 2012 Sonnet Blanc was a blend of vidal blanc, traminette, riesling, and chardonnay. The nose on this wine was very traminette even though it was only 16% of the blend.  I found it a bit too sweet for my liking at 1.4% residual sugar.  The 2012 Nana’s Rose was very dry but had a light flavor.  We tasted the 2012 Melange, not the 2011, as given on our tasting sheet.  The Melange is a blend of cabernet franc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and petit verdot. Since we tasted the 2012, I don’t know the actual percentages of each varietal. It had a very earthy nose, of which I am generally not fond, but was a good blend reminiscent of a French wine.  The 2012 Cabernet Franc was a bit light for me.  The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon was very good with a great nose that held just a hint of that earthy smell.  The 2011 Tannat was very good and by far my favorite. Of course, I generally love tannats.

If you find yourself in the DC area and want to hit a winery but don’t have much time, I would highly recommend Paradise Springs. You will get a good feel for what Virginia wines have to offer and find the atmosphere very enjoyable.