Williams Gap vines in OctoberRound Hill, Loudoun County
Artist’s renderings of real Northern Virginia settings.
More than 50 tasting rooms in Loudoun, a few prize winners closer in, and what to settle before buying next to a vineyard.
Updated October 12, 2026Visit Loudoun, the 2026 Governor's Cup results, the Code of Virginia and Loudoun CountyAbout a 10-minute read
Written byAhmed MakkiyahREALTOR®, Douglas Realty of Virginia · English and ArabicMobile 734.383.6945 · Direct 703.957.0060 Quick answer
Loudoun County has more than 50 wineries and tasting rooms, by its tourism board's count in October 2026, most of them west of Leesburg toward the Blue Ridge and along Route 50 near Middleburg. Prince William and Fairfax have a few of their own: The Winery at La Grange in Haymarket had a wine in the 2026 Governor's Cup Case, and Paradise Springs in Clifton won Best in Show. If you buy next to one, Virginia law protects a farm winery's usual events.
Checked October 12, 2026
The lay of the land
Wine country usually enters a home search as scenery: rows of vines on a hillside, the Blue Ridge behind them, and farm roads that stay quiet because the land is still in large parcels. This guide maps the wineries in the four counties I cover, and what living beside one involves.
The industry here is young. Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, on the Catoctin Ridge at the southern edge of Leesburg, opened in 1984 and calls itself Loudoun County's original winery.5 An older, undated Visit Loudoun trail guide counted more than 40 wineries and tasting rooms.2 In October 2026 the county's tourism board counts more than 50, about 25 miles west of Washington, and markets Loudoun as “DC's Wine Country.”1 In Prince William, The Winery at La Grange in Haymarket, described as the county's oldest established winery, pours in an 18th-century manor house.10
A note on awards: every medal on this page is from the 2026 Virginia Governor's Cup, the state's official wine competition, as published in March 2026. They are the judges' results, not mine. The Cup itself went to Valley Road Vineyards in Nelson County, outside Northern Virginia.3
A note on county lines: a Middleburg mailing address does not always mean Loudoun. Some tasting rooms with Middleburg addresses sit across the line in Fauquier County, which this guide does not cover, so I checked the county of every winery address on this page. Arlington has no wineries that I found.
Six tasting rooms to know
Chosen for their setting, their 2026 Governor's Cup results or their history. Each fact comes from the winery itself or from the competition.
Leesburg · Loudoun County
The winery describes a 300-acre estate on Hogback Mountain, home to three generations of the Huber family.6 Open Thursday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., when checked on October 12, 2026.6
Purcellville · Loudoun County
The winery's plantings climb Short Hill Mountain, with long views of the Blue Ridge from its tasting room and terraces.7 Its 2021 Meritage took gold at the 2026 Governor's Cup.4
Middleburg · Loudoun County
Greenhill calls itself “the foremost boutique winery in Loudoun County,” its own description rather than a ranking. Groups of 10 or more need a confirmed reservation.8 Its 2023 Cabernet Franc took gold in 2026.4
Hillsboro · Loudoun County
Two vintages of the same blend took gold in the same year.4 The winery gives a Hillsboro address; Visit Loudoun's trail guide lists it under Purcellville, whose ZIP code, 20132, it shares.2,9
Haymarket · Prince William County
Its 2024 Petit Manseng was named to the 2026 Governor's Cup Case, the competition's top scorers, the only wine from the four counties to make it.3,4 Prince William Living calls it the county's oldest established winery.10
Clifton · Fairfax County
The winery describes itself as “right in Fairfax County,” about 30 miles west of Washington, and also runs a location in Santa Barbara.11 Its Petit Verdot was one of the 2026 Best in Show wines.3
More award winners
Nine more names, from the hills around Purcellville and Round Hill to Centreville and Nokesville.
On a bluff off Route 50 near Middleburg, looking toward the Bull Run Mountains, per the winery. A second gold went to its 2023 Cabernet Franc.3,4,15
Three golds in 2026: the 2022 Norton, the 2024 Albariño and the 2024 Albariño Verde.3,4
The 2023 Merlot, the 2023 Williams Gap Red and the 2024 Albariño, from Sexton Farm Lane in Round Hill.4,14
One of 18 Loudoun wineries on the 2026 gold list.4
On the Catoctin Ridge at the southern tip of Leesburg, with views over the Loudoun Valley to the Blue Ridge, per the winery, which calls itself the county's original.5
Describes itself as a destination for adults.12
Also on the 2026 gold list in Loudoun: The Barns at Hamilton Station, Cana Vineyards & Winery of Middleburg, Carriage House Wineworks, Doukénie Winery, Hillsborough Winery, Brewery & Vineyard, Lost Creek Winery, Two Twisted Posts Winery, The Wine Reserve at Waterford and Zephaniah Farm Vineyards.4 Five more gold winners, Braebourne Winery, Endhardt Vineyards, Good Spirit Farm (also a Best in Show winner), OH's Vineyard by the Walo and Private Label Cellars, may be in Loudoun, but I have not confirmed their addresses, so they are not counted here.
Visiting
Visit Loudoun groups the county's wineries into six clusters, and most visits start in Leesburg.
Visit Loudoun's six clusters are the Loudoun Heights area, Waterford, Harmony, Middleburg, the Potomac and Snickers Gap. Close to a dozen wineries sit within a short drive of downtown Leesburg.1
Hours and rules differ from one winery to the next. When I checked on October 12, 2026, Breaux listed every day, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Greenhill, every day, noon to 6 p.m.; and 868 Estate, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.7,8,9
Some are for adults only. Greenhill admits adults 21 and older, with no infants or children, and Stone Tower's event listings require guests to be 21 or older.6,8 Ask before you bring children.
Not every visitor drinks, and many come for the view, the food or an event. If anyone in your group will be tasting, plan a designated driver or a hired car before you set out; Visit Loudoun lists wine-tour operators.1
At a glance
| Stone Tower Winery | Leesburg, Loudoun | – | 300-acre estate on Hogback Mountain; events 21+ |
| Breaux Vineyards | Purcellville, Loudoun | 1 gold | 104 acres planted, 17 varieties |
| Greenhill Vineyards | Middleburg, Loudoun | 1 gold | Adults 21+ only |
| 868 Estate Vineyards | Hillsboro, Loudoun | 2 golds | Two Meritage vintages |
| The Winery at La Grange | Haymarket, Prince William | Case; 3 golds | 18th-century manor house |
| Paradise Springs Winery | Clifton, Fairfax | Best in Show; 2 golds | About 30 miles west of DC |
| 50 West Vineyards | Middleburg area, Loudoun | Best in Show; 2 golds | Bluff view to the Bull Run Mountains |
| Chrysalis Vineyards at the Ag District | Middleburg area, Loudoun | Best in Show; 3 golds | Norton and Albariño |
| Walsh Family Wine | Purcellville, Loudoun | Best in Show; 1 gold | Bethany Ridge Tannat |
| WildKind Estate | Purcellville, Loudoun | Best in Show; 1 gold | WildKind White |
| Williams Gap Vineyard | Round Hill, Loudoun | 3 golds | Merlot, red blend, Albariño |
| Sunset Hills Vineyard | Purcellville, Loudoun | 1 gold | 2023 Cabernet Franc |
| Willowcroft Farm Vineyards | Leesburg, Loudoun | – | Opened 1984 on the Catoctin Ridge |
| The Winery at Bull Run | Centreville, Fairfax | 1 gold | 2024 Petit Manseng |
| Effingham Manor & Winery | Nokesville, Prince William | – | A destination for adults, per the winery |
| The Barns at Hamilton Station | Hamilton, Loudoun | 2 golds | Cabernet Franc and Meritage |
| Cana Vineyards & Winery of Middleburg | Middleburg, Loudoun | 1 gold | 2022 Petit Verdot |
| Carriage House Wineworks | Waterford area, Loudoun | 2 golds | Red Barouche; Petit Verdot Reserve |
| Doukénie Winery | Loudoun | 1 gold | 2021 Merlot |
| Hillsborough Winery, Brewery & Vineyard | Loudoun | 1 gold | Ruby Nights 20th Anniversary Reserve |
| Lost Creek Winery | Loudoun | 1 gold | 2021 Allure |
| Two Twisted Posts Winery | Loudoun | 1 gold | 2023 Cabernet Franc |
| The Wine Reserve at Waterford | Waterford, Loudoun | 2 golds | Prossimo Meritage; Phoebe Petit Verdot |
| Zephaniah Farm Vineyards | Loudoun | 1 gold | 2023 Cabernet Franc |
Gold counts are from Wine & Country Life's list of the 2026 gold medals; the Case and Best in Show results are from the Governor's announcement. A dash means the winery won no gold in 2026, or that it is listed here for another reason.
Homes near the vineyards
The view comes with neighbors who farm, host events and draw weekend traffic. Here are the rules behind all three, and the towns where the vineyards meet the neighborhoods.
A farm winery, in Virginia law, has to sit on land zoned agricultural, with a vineyard or orchard growing fruit for its wine, and it ferments and bottles on site. Land zoned “residential conservation” does not count as agricultural.16
The license comes in four classes. A Class I winery grows all its fruit on the licensed land, on at least 1.5 acres, and ferments at least 2,250 liters a year there. Class II needs at least 3 acres, Class III ferments at least 4,500 liters a year on site, and Class IV needs at least 10 acres and seven years under an existing farm winery license.17 Licenses applied for before July 1, 2023 and granted before January 1, 2024 stay under the older rules until July 1, 2028.18
For a neighbor, the key sentence is in § 15.2-2288.3 of the Code of Virginia: a farm winery's “usual and customary activities and events” are allowed without local regulation unless they have a substantial impact on public health, safety or welfare. A county's noise rules for those events, other than outdoor amplified music, cannot be stricter than its general noise ordinance, and before it allows outdoor amplified music the county must consider the effect on the neighbors.19
Loudoun's zoning ordinance, effective March 12, 2025, allows a farm winery only on a parcel with a producing vineyard, orchard or similar growing area. It can be approved by a minor special exception on Preservation Farm Lots and Rural Economy Cluster Lots, and it is prohibited on Residential Cluster Lots and Common Open Space Lots. A commercial winery in the AR-1 and AR-2 rural districts must meet road-access standards, and one that uses heavy equipment needs direct access to a public road.20 Those same districts allow one home per 20 acres in AR-1 and one per 40 acres in AR-2, which is a large part of why the vineyard views stay open.20
VDOT counts 20,000 to 27,000 vehicles a day on Route 15 at Lucketts, north of Leesburg.22 Loudoun's Route 9 study page gives 13,000 to 18,000 vehicles a day on Route 9, from data that appear to date from about 2018.23 I found no published counts that separate winery weekends from weekdays, so I cannot tell you how much busier a fall Saturday is. Drive the route yourself on one before you buy.
The Winery at Bull Run, on Lee Highway.
Open the guide pageHaymarket · Prince WilliamThe Winery at La Grange and its 18th-century manor house.
Open the guide pageAldie · LoudounOn Route 50, between the Middleburg-area tasting rooms and the suburbs.
Open the guide pageClifton · FairfaxParadise Springs, a 2026 Best in Show winner.
Open the guide pageMiddleburg · LoudounGreenhill, Chrysalis, Cana and 50 West nearby.
Open the guide pageNokesville · Prince WilliamEffingham Manor & Winery and open farmland.
Open the guide pageLeesburg · LoudounClose to a dozen wineries within a short drive of downtown.
Open the guide pageHamilton · LoudounThe Barns at Hamilton Station, with two 2026 golds.
Open the guide pagePurcellville · LoudounBreaux, Walsh, WildKind and Sunset Hills.
Open the guide pageRound Hill · LoudounWilliams Gap Vineyard on the slope of the Blue Ridge.
Open the guide page
What could change
Before you buy beside a winery, or buy one, ask where each of these stands.
Loudoun County · Pending
A rewrite of Loudoun's comprehensive plan and zoning rules for the rural west (CPAM-2024-0002 and ZOAM-2024-0002) covers wineries, limited breweries and distilleries, events and parties, and agritourism. At a special meeting on May 4, 2026, staff brought up to 57 committee recommendations to the Board; the county expected its Zoning Ordinance Committee to begin reviewing draft text in June 2026 and anticipates final adoption in late 2027.21 I have not yet verified what happened after June, so treat the details as unsettled.
Virginia · July 1, 2028
Wineries licensed under the rules in place before July 1, 2023 keep them until July 1, 2028, when the class rules described above apply to all.18 Under today's Class II rule, for example, at least 51 percent of the fruit must come from Virginia land the winery owns or leases, and no more than 25 percent from out of state.17 If you are buying an operating winery, ask which rules its license falls under and what the deadline means for its fruit sourcing.
Questions
Visit Loudoun, the county's tourism board, counts more than 50 wineries and tasting rooms as of October 2026, about 25 miles west of Washington, DC. Most visits start in Leesburg, with close to a dozen wineries a short drive from downtown.
The 2026 Governor's Cup went to Valley Road Vineyards in Nelson County, outside Northern Virginia. In the four counties, The Winery at La Grange in Haymarket had its 2024 Petit Manseng named to the Governor's Cup Case, and five wineries won Best in Show: 50 West Vineyards and Chrysalis Vineyards near Middleburg, Walsh Family Wine and WildKind Estate in Purcellville, and Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton.
Yes. In Fairfax County, Paradise Springs Winery is in Clifton and The Winery at Bull Run is in Centreville. In Prince William County, The Winery at La Grange is in Haymarket and Effingham Manor & Winery is in Nokesville. I found no wineries in Arlington.
Generally, yes. Virginia law allows a farm winery's usual and customary activities and events without local regulation unless they have a substantial impact on public health, safety or welfare. Noise rules for those events, other than outdoor amplified music, cannot be stricter than the county's general noise ordinance. Visit on a Saturday afternoon and check the winery's event calendar before you buy.
It depends on the license class: at least 1.5 acres of growing area for Class I, 3 acres for Class II and 10 acres for Class IV, which also requires seven years under an existing farm winery license. The land must be zoned agricultural, not residential conservation, and in Loudoun a farm winery is prohibited on Residential Cluster Lots and Common Open Space Lots.
Greenhill Vineyards in Middleburg admits adults 21 and older only, with no infants or children, and Stone Tower Winery's event listings require guests to be 21 or older. Policies change, so ask each winery before you bring children.
Who wrote this
I have been a real estate agent since 2014, first in Michigan, and licensed in Virginia since 2019. The Northern Virginia Association of REALTORS (NVAR) named me a Top Producer every year from 2020 to 2025.
For this page I read each winery's own website, the Governor's announcement of the 2026 results, the published gold-medal list, the Code of Virginia and Loudoun's zoning ordinance, and checked the county of each winery address with the U.S. Census Bureau's address lookup, all on October 12, 2026. Where a fact could not be confirmed, the page says so or leaves it out.
For a home near a vineyard, I pull the closed sales myself, look up the zoning of the home and the farm next door on the county's records, and go through the HOA, easement and road documents with you before you commit. Showings are private and by appointment, in English or Arabic.
Your next step
Name the winery, the road or the view you have in mind. I will reply personally with homes nearby and the closed sales behind their prices, in English or Arabic.
Keep exploring
Horse country, dining, resorts and more.
Back to the series Luxury seriesThe private clubs, the ranked courses and the homes beside them.
Read the golf guide County guideTowns, prices, schools and commutes across the county.
Open the county guide Loudoun CountyGreenhill, Chrysalis and 50 West nearby.
Open the town guide Loudoun CountyStone Tower and Willowcroft just outside town.
Open the town guide Loudoun CountyBreaux, Walsh, WildKind and Sunset Hills.
Open the town guide
