As West Virginia blooms, local wineries squeeze nature’s goodness into big glass bottles!
Get a taste of spring with these season-inspired wines:
1. Fruit flavors at Forks of Cheat
Imagine if the fruit hanging from fruit trees were replaced with bottles of wine— then you’d have Forks of Cheat Winery. Okay, not literally, but this Morgantown winery boasts a whooooole lot of fruity wines. Just take your pick!
We’re talking strawberry, blackberry, blueberry, pomegranate, raspberry, peach, apple, pear and plum. If none of those suit your fancy, try out their “Bad Cat Catawba” concoction, a mix of fragrant fruit with dewy hints of melon.
2. Forest-y finds from Kirkwood
Kirkwood Winery near Summersville was one of the very first vineyards in the region. They’ve been perfecting mountain flavors since the 80s, and they’ve got just about every fruit flavor you could want.
They’ve also got some extremely unique spring flavors, like dandelion, Appalachian ramp and strawberry rhubarb. Now that’s some wild, wonderful wine for ya!
3. Wildflower mead from the mazery
At Mountain Dragon Mazery’s apiary, an array of buzzing pastel drawers dot the the dense green landscape. Beekeepers turn the honey made in these colorful drawers into meads (a.k.a. wine made from honey, yeast and water).
Want a unique way to toast to spring? Try their West Virginia Wildflower Honey Mead, reminiscent of our beloved state’s “wooded mountains, sunny meadows and bountiful wildflowers.”
4. Hummingbird from WineTree
“Look Daddy, a wine tree!” Craig and Candice Bandy’s 5-year-old exclaimed as she admired a dwarf plum tree. And with that, WineTree Vineyards was officially born.
Try their fruity and light “Hummingbird,” which is grown, bottled and processed from start to finish right here in West Virginia.
5. Seasonals from Batton Hollow
Batton Hollow Winery in Lost Creek has found the secret to making delectable wines. Though they’ve only been open a short time, they’ve already mastered several classics. This spring, they’re crafting a seasonal named Primavera, which is the Italian word for spring.
6. Fruity favorites from West-Whitehill
West-Whitehill Winery’s resume is drenched in awards from the West Virginia Wine Competition. Their Raspberry Royale, a sweet red concoction made of Aurore grapes and red raspberries, seems to be the show-stopper, racking up accolades year after year. Another enticing choice is their Regal Cherry, a lush sweet wine made from Montmorency cherries.
7. Blueberry Thrill from Lambert’s
The folks at Lambert’s Vintage Winery love their West Virginia roots. In fact, their winery is constructed from hand-cut stones from around the state. For a light and airy spring treat, tip back a glass of their Blueberry Thrill and let the spring notes slowly soothe your soul.
8. Fresh tastes from Daniel
C. Richard Daniel, a retired doctor turned winemaker, takes great pride in his vineyard. Of thousands of farms in West Virginia, his property has been named one of the best conservation farms in the state.
Each spring, the Daniels’ 192 acres burst with renewed life. Taste some of that springy rejuvenation in Daniel Vineyards’ signature Blackberry wine, or at their annual Spring Wine Festival.
Which one will you be trying?