Guide to Charlottesville's Route 29 Wine Trail

Explore Wineries Near Charlottesville, Virginia

The Monticello Wine Trail, off of VA route 29, consists of 33 outstanding wineries. Of course, no one can enjoy all 33 in one day. So I will be describing to you two of my favorites, along with an excellent brunch option. 

Loving Cup Winery

Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery is extremely unique in that it is 1 of only 3 Certified Organic Wineries on the East Coast! We sat and talked with owner, Karl, for a long time - He was such a gracious host and is truly a great person and businessman! Loving Cup is a smaller Vineyard and Winery, but Karl and his father do all of the work themselves and truly take pride in their Wines. Tastings at Loving Cup Winery are only $5 and you get to taste five wines! 

The grape varietals that Loving Cup grows and harvests for their wines are not very commonly known grapes. This is because, being an organic vineyard, they have to pick disease resistant varietals since they cannot use common pesticides and sprays! My favorite wines that we tasted were the Loving Cup White, Dudley Nose Rose', and their house-made Sangria! The kindness and uniqueness of Loving Cup makes it a must-see Winery on The Monticello Wine Trail!

Delfosse Vineyard and Winery

Delfosse Vineyard and Winery has a huge property and offers many award-winning wines! We spoke with Adrienne and Mike (owners) for an extended amount of time. They were extremely kind and easy to talk to, and even toured us around the Vineyard in the cutest "safari" vehicle. In addition to creating incredible wines, Delfosse is a beautiful venue for weddings and events! Also, there is a cabin that can be rented on the property.

My favorite wines from Delfosse were the 2015 Chardonnay, the 2013 Merlot, and the 2014 Grand Cru Olivier (An award-winning blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec). Tasting are $10 and with so many wines to love, I am sure that you will want to buy a bottle to take home as well! 

Brunch at Basic Necessities 

Basic Necessities is a complete hole-in-the-wall, but the small cafe style and unique French influence makes it so darn cute! It’s simplistic charm makes you want to smile, and the food was out-of-this-world good! When I dined here, we enjoyed their Sunday Brunch. I ordered their phenomenal French Toast, fruit, and a mimosa! Sounds like the perfect way to start a wine getaway to me, right?

Since we only had Brunch at Basic Necessities, we did not taste any of the wines that they have to offer! However, the owner (Kay) has a strong love and knowledge for French wines. They also have an adorable wine/gourmet food shop located inside of the building!

Closing Remarks

If you would like to find out more information about the area, head to https://monticellowinetrail.com. This particular article originally appeared in Katie Church’s WineandWeekends.com blog. Read her full length VA Wine Blog for a full 2-3 day itinerary!