On September 20th, I participated in an Uncork Loudoun Winery Education Day at 868 Estate Vineyards. The event provided a behind-the-scenes look at Loudoun wine country as well as a tasting through a pilot group of 13 Loudoun County wineries. This initiative connects sommeliers and buyers directly with winemakers to explore viticultural practices and varietals with the long-term goal to place a Loudoun Made, Loudoun Grown wine in every restaurant across Loudoun and surrounding counties, ultimately expanding into the Washington, DC market. Uncork Loudoun is a coordinated trade initiative launched by the Loudoun Wineries & Winegrowers Association (LWWA) to transform how restaurants and retailers source and sell local wine. The program aims to increase the visibility and accessibility of Loudoun County wines across the DC region by focusing on education, unified marketing, and collaborative sales.
The Education Day started with a glass of Iron Will Sparkling Viognier while 868 Estate tri-owner Nancy Deliso and winemaker Tim Kish gave a brief overview of the 15 year history of the winery. Then it was off the visit the production facility and walk through a portion of their 21 acres of vines. In normal years, 868 Estate produces approximately 4,000 cases of wine annually, but the last two years have not been normal, for Loudoun County, Virginia, or the East Coast. This was the case in 2022 and 2023 where ideal growing conditions led to a bumper crop which is helping the winery alleviate a dismal 2025 crop and a disastrous 2026 harvest. This is a result of the April Freeze That Rewrote the 2026 Vintage where 868 is looking at a complete loss of their white grapes and 50% on their reds. We walked alongside suffering Nebbiolo and Cabernet Franc. And if was not just vinifera vines, even the Chambourcin and Chardonel were affected.
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Within the winery production facility we sampled a couple barrel aged wines, followed by their 2023 Estate Viognier. This wine shows by the Virginia marketing authorities designate Viognier as the Commonwealth's signature grape - although because of its temperamental behavior - is not widely grown. This wine differs from many across the area, because Kish is a strong believer in whole-cluster fermentation where the entire grape clusters, including stems, are fermented. This provides increased aromatic and flavor complexity in addition to adding more tannins and phenolic compounds which provide more structure and aging potential.
Back in the Vintner’s Table building, we sampled more wine from 868 Estate as well as other wines from the Uncork Loudoun portfolio. One of my favorite wines of the day was the 868 Estate 2025 Rosé - a blend of Cabernet Franc and Viognier made effervescent through forced carbonation. Of their reds, the 868 Estate 2022 Merlot was very pleasant with a fruit forward character transitioning to an earthy and herbaceous finish. That's 20% Cabernet Sauvignon will do. On the other side of the spectrum I have to comment on their 868 Estate 2022 Chardonnay which was a Gold Medal Winner at the 2024 Virginia Governor's Cup awards and provides green apples and citrus with a noticeable structure and fresh acidity.
I hope to see more Uncork Loudoun events throughout the rest of 2026 and into 2027. Afterward this event, I was able to visit a couple more Loudoun craft beverage establishments as well as a few more last weekend while trying to celebrate Oktoberfest. Stay tuned for more Loudoun County coverage. Cheers.
