Spinning Jenny Vineyard
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: In the spring of 2019, the Spinning Jenny Vineyard in Draper, Virginia opened the boutique tasting room to the public. Spinning Jenny is a small winery focusing on producing small batches of wines. Visitors will discover a modern tasting room with a relaxing atmosphere.
We arrived at the Spinning Jenny Vineyard to discover a simple and modern recently built tasting room and winery. We quickly met the owners and winemakers Curtis and Jennifer Brown.
Tasting Room
Inside, the tasting room is contemporary and includes a tasting counter and seating. A good size deck offers views of the Virginia countryside and has several picnic tables where visitors can relax with a glass of wine while also enjoying the views. On less windy days, umbrellas cover the tables offering shade.
The tasting room is bright. Near the door a chandelier created with wine glasses sparkles. Curtis designed and built the winery and tasting room. The tasting room has a fireplace and the floor is tiled with 18” off-white tiles. Round tables and chairs are available for enjoying a glass of wine. A garage-style garage door, composed mostly of glass, offers views of the deck and countryside.
Originally from Florida, Curtis and Jennifer have owned the Virginia farm since 2006. In Florida Curtis was a software engineer and Jennifer was a nurse. The decision to move to southwest Virginia was made in part to avoid the potential hurricanes in Florida. After living in a lake house along Claytor Lake for six months, they decided to stay in the area permanently.
The Browns own a 37-acre farm. One day they sat on the back porch and pondered what to do with the land rather than growing hay. Planting grapevines and producing wine was popular. So in 2014 they began preparations for a vineyard. By 2015 they started planting a vineyard and also planted grapevines in 2016 and 2017. Today Curtis and Jennifer have a one-acre vineyard that includes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc and Vidal grapevines. . At Giles Mountain Winery and Iron Heart, Jennifer and Curtis help with the harvest and bottling the wines.
Little by little they entered the wine industry. They bottle 70-plus cases of their own wine and also buy 70 cases of locally produced wine to sell in the Spinning Jenny tasting room. Eventually they would like to produce 200 to 250 cases of their own Spinning Jenny wines.
The winery is named Spinning Jenny for a special device that is used to spin off trellis wire. The name also reflects Jennifer’s name. In front of the tasting room a small vineyard with Norton grapevines was planted in May 2019.
Winery
Adjacent to the tasting room area, there are rooms devoted to winemaking. Much of the equipment is placed on platforms so Curtis and Jennifer can move it from one spot to another to maximize the space during the winemaking process.
Spinning Jenny Wines
Available with wine tastings are crackers, cheese and fruit plates, both large and small. The bottle labels and other marketing materials are designed by Megan Shula – a close friend of their daughter.
We began our wine tasting with the 2018 Chardonnay. This 11% alcohol wine was a light yellow color. The aroma included apple and pear notes. The full-bodied wine had a silky mouthfeel with apple and pear. The finish was crisp with apple predominating.
The 2018 Vidal Blanc had 11% alcohol. The wine was a light straw color. The aroma included flowers and citrus. The taste was of daisies, honeysuckle and citrus. The finish was crisp and fruity. Honeysuckle was on the aftertaste.
Curtis and Jennifer harvested ½ ton of Viognier grapes from a Dublin vineyard and made both the dry Viognier and Sweet Table White from these grapes. The Viognier 2018 had 11% alcohol. The wine was a light straw color. The aroma was floral. The mouthfeel was velvety and oily with hints of daisies and tropical fruits. The finish was crisp with a long aftertaste.
The Sangria made in the tasting room offered aroma notes of perfume and citrus. The mouthfeel was velvety. The finish was delicious and refreshing.
The 2018 Sweet Table Wine was produced with 100% Viognier. The residual sugar was 30 to 37.5 g/L. The wine was a light straw color. The aroma was floral. The taste offered some tropical notes. The finish was crisp. The good acidity cut the sugar. This wine is good for a warm summer day.
Our tasting ended with the 2017 Portal wine that was made at Giles Mountain Winery. Spinning Jenny's 2017 cabernet sauvignon grapes/wine was blended with the Giles Mountain Chambourcin and distilled Chambourcin to make the Giles Mountain port-style wine. The 19.5% alcohol wine was produced with Chambourcin. Neutral grain alcohol was used. The wine was a translucent ruby color with a dark pink hue. The aroma reminded one of a black fruit salad. The mouthfeel was very velvety. The taste was of black fruits. There was some alcohol burn on the finish.
Curtis and Jennifer want people to know that Spinning Jenny is a small farm winery and that they like old-style winemaking techniques. The couple wants the winery to stay small. In the future, they are looking forward to producing Norton wines.
Spinning Jenny Vineyard
2664 Old Rte 100,
Draper, Virginia 24324
GPS: N37º 00.4177’ W80º 44.6556’
Article written June 2019.
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