Jul 31stKeswick Vineyards

In the heart of the historic region of central Virginia, the 400 acre Edgewood Estate in Keswick is home to one of Virginia’s most highly regarded family owned vineyards. Al and Cindy Schornberg wanted a place to raise their family and began looking for property to fulfill a lifelong dream of growing grapes and making wine. They chose Virginia, planted vines, and opened the Keswick Vineyards over ten years ago. In the last decade, Keswick wines have won awards in many domestic and international competitions, received the Governor’s Cup in Virginia, and been given high ratings in Wine Spectator.

The Schornbergs dedicated themselves to producing exceptional wines and created a top of the line facility. Their choice of winemaker and vineyard manager was also an exceptional decision. Stephen Barnard, from South Africa, has been at Keswick since 2006. With training and a background of winemaking in South Africa, Stephen believes in focusing on the vineyard to produce fine wines. It’s obvious that his philosophy is working – Keswick is making excellent wines.

Members of the family are often on hand greeting visitors and pouring the tastes. At our visit last week we met Brian Schornberg. We had a wonderful time tasting the wines and talking with Brian about the winery. After tasting their Norton and Norton Reserve, Brian introduced us to Stephen Barnard, the winemaker (and his brother-in-law), who shared a tasting of an unreleased Norton. The 2012 Norton was made by using a second fermentation, giving it a different taste from the usual Nortons. While we still prefer the 2011 Norton, this new vintage will appeal to many.

If you are traveling to Central Virginia, be sure to find time to visit Keswick Vineyards. You’ll find the vineyard to be beautiful and the wines to be excellent.