Endless adventures await on the Gold Medal Wine Trail – a free mobile passport experience that unlocks perks at Virginia’s top wineries.

Celebrating the results from the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup, this annual trail tells the story of Virginia’s evolving wine scene, spotlighting the producers and wines shaping its future.

This year’s trail features over 80 gold medal-winning producers that span the state. While more than half of the winners are located in Central Virginia, making the Monticello AVA—Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 “Wine Region of the Year”—a fantastic home base, there are also must-visit destinations in Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.

How the Trail Works:

Signing up is easy. After registering, you’ll receive a link to your passport via text or email. Use your phone to check in at participating wineries and cideries using your location. Then, sip and enjoy as you taste the best of Virginia.

Passholders who check in at participating locations will receive 100 points with each check-in to put towards Virginia Wine prizes. Cashing in offers and discounts will unlock extra points, and trail users can visit their favorite wineries monthly for even more points. Prizes up for grabs include Virginia Wine notepad, tote, sweatshirt and blanket!

Taste the Best: Governor’s Cup Case Winners

Not sure where to begin on the trail? Consider visiting one of the Governor’s Cup Case winners—12 standout wines that earned the highest scores in the 2025 competition. Among them is Barboursville Vineyards, which took home the Governor’s Cup for their 2023 Vermentino.

2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup Case winners: 

• 50 West Vineyards, 2021 Aldie Heights Cuvée
• Barboursville Vineyards, 2023 Vermentino
• Barboursville Vineyards, 2017 Octagon
• DuCard Vineyards, 2023 Cabernet Franc Vintners Reserve
• King Family Vineyards, 2021 Mountain Plains Red
• Michael Shaps Wineworks, 2022 Chardonnay
• Paradise Springs Winery, 2023 Cabernet Franc, Brown Bear Vineyard
• Potomac Point Winery, 2023 Albariño
• Trump Winery, 2018 Sparkling Rosé
• Valley Road Vineyards, 2023 Petit Manseng
• Veritas Winery, 2023 Monticello White
• Winery at La Grange, 2023 Petit Manseng

Calling all Cider Lovers

The trail also includes gold medal-winning cideries, like Daring Wine & Cider Company, which earned Cider of the Year for its Crab Apple Blend. If you fall in love with cider along the way, consider continuing the journey on the Virginia Cider Trail.

About the Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition

In 2025, more than 620 wines were evaluated by a panel of world-class judges. The competition awarded 155 gold medals to 87 wineries, cideries, and meaderies throughout Virginia.

Each entry must be made with 100% Virginia-grown fruit, showcasing the dedication, quality, and authenticity of the Commonwealth’s wine producers. The Virginia Governor’s Cup not only celebrates excellence—it captures the ongoing story of Virginia’s winemaking evolution.

Get out and celebrate the 2025 competition today with a taste of the best on the Gold Medal Wine Trail!

Not sure where to go for your oral health or dental treatments in the Lynchburg area?

Look no further than the experts referenced in our Area Dental Guide. From braces for your kids to the dental professionals you want in your corner when there’s an issue, we have you covered.

Lynchburg’s Resource to Local Dental Care

Not sure where to go for your oral health or dental treatments? Look no further than the experts referenced in our Area Dental Guide. From braces for your kids to the dental professionals you want in your corner when there’s an issue, we have you covered.

SMALL TOWNS ALONG THE RIVER BRING A HAVEN FOR RELAXATION, ADVENTURE AND MORE

Evening has begun to creep in as we pass through the 500-person riverside village of Urbanna. Perusing Virginia Street and other heart-of-town corridors brings charming clusters of beachy cottages interspersed with hedge-lined historical homes and buildings dating to the 18th, 19th and early-20th centuries. Elsewhere are brightly painted shopping boutiques, small but interesting-looking restaurants, a coffee house, an old-time pharmacy, a whitewashed brick courthouse that was built in 1745 and is now a women’s club, and the list goes on.

Like many others, I ‘discovered’ the two-county River Realm by way of the nationally-renown Urbanna Oyster Festival, a two-day event that draws about 50,000 visitors each November. Today, however, the vibe is very different. Gone are the crowds and noise, the raucous air of carnival and festivity. Also, the traffic. Now it’s just … relaxed.

I take a deep breath and, heaving a sigh, feel the workaday stress evaporate.

Reaching our destination, the Town Marina, we’re greeted by the sight of dozens of sailboats, sloops, fishing vessels, small yachts and a couple of houseboats bobbing alongside the docks of Urbanna Creek. Known as Bailey Point, the inlet opens on the smooth-flowing Rappahannock River, here about 2.2 miles wide.

We pursue wooden walkways toward the big, vintage, 50-foot-long M/V Veteran. Built in 1914, the former fisherman’s ‘buy-boat’ received a luxury overhaul around 2007. It is now used for chartered recreational, ecological and maritime history tours on the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay. Options range from 2-hour sunset and sunrise trips, to custom private outings replete with meals at dockside restaurants 5–15 miles downstream.

Virginia tourism sites hail the Veteran as supplying one of the finest marine tours in the state, and we discover that it sets the stage for a premium experience. Sunset finds us luxuriously reclined, cruising eastward down the Rappahannock. We watch the show from the back deck over glasses of wine—a delightful 2017 viognier courtesy of Kilmarnock’s Good Luck Cellars.

Aside from a few distant fishing boats, we have the river to ourselves, and peacefulness falls like a warm blanket.

The River Realm isn’t all built up and super commercially developed, says Golden Age Charters owner-captain Mike Sheffield. “The river’s clean and the banks are beautiful. And [the people here] are serious about keeping them that way. There are all these little towns on the water, but they’re so old, they feel like they’re a part of the environment.”

As the cruise continues, we find ourselves in agreement.

Nightfall meets us disembarking at the softly lighted docks of Locklies Marina. We bid farewell to kind Captain Sheffield and the M/V Veteran and stroll toward our reserved table for two on the porch of the tiny Merroir tasting room in Topping.

Celebrated by media outlets ranging from People magazine to Saveur, the place is, of course, somewhat famous. It was here the cousin-founders of Rappahannock Oyster Co., Travis and Ryan Croxton, lit the first humble sparks of the Chesapeake Bay oyster revolution in the early-2000s. And it does not disappoint.

“Estuaries offer premium oyster farming, and the Chesapeake Bay is the world’s largest and most [environmentally] varied estuary,” says Ryan Croxton. Rappahannock capitalizes on the terroir by taking a no-limits approach to farming superior bivalves. “Our goal is to be the globe’s best oyster producer, period.”

We follow the shellfish with a sampler of tasting dishes.

These include a grilled romaine heart with anchovies and parmesan; a fresh-caught shad roe pan-fried and sprinkled with bacon and caramelized onions; and baked oysters adorned with thick, crispy pieces of Edwards ham. All are fantastic.

Dinner segues into a car ride across the Rappahannock by way of the Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge. Turning left in the tiny village of White Stone, we proceed to the Tides Inn Resort in Irvington.

Occupying a small private peninsula on Carter’s Creek in Irvington’s National Historical Register district, the 106-room resort dates to the 1940s and offers the finest lodging in the River Realm. But that’s not all. Additional features include an array of amenities like The Chesapeake Room, a waterfront fine-dinery boasting pre fixe meals prepared by chef Alex Pasco; a private 60-slip marina replete with kayaks, paddle boats, tour ships, and sailing school; the full-service Journey Spa; the Fish Hawk Oyster Bar; and much more.

Our suite is furnished in a manner befitting its four-star rating. There are boutique leather sofas and chairs; antiques abound, including tables, lamps, dressers, chest-of-drawers and a carved fourposter bed; windows, ceilings and a pair of French doors are trimmed with ornate mahogany. Wet-bar and bathroom countertops are marble. The jacuzzi tub is backed by pearlescent tiles and looks brand new.

The bedroom’s French doors open onto a private outdoor patio. Outside, the thrumming song of insects and bullfrogs fills the night. We pass through a small gate in the fence, carefully pick through the landscaping and emerge on a manicured lawn of soft grass surrounded by what, in the darkness, look to be the silhouettes of willow trees. Overhead, the stars burn fierce and bright.

“Boy, we don’t get views like this in the city, do we?” murmurs my partner. With the softest of laughs, she takes a seat on the grass; like a child preparing to make snow angels, she sprawls her arms and legs.

Following her lead, I say, “No, we certainly don’t.”

To plan your visit go to VirginiasRiverRealm.com

---

Two Great River Realm Events To Explore This Spring

Spring in Virginia’s River Realm is a magical time. Riverbanks and creek sides erupt with new greenery and buds; historical homes bring a delight of floral eye-candy. Among residents, winter’s recent passing evokes an atmosphere of festivity and general mirth.

Interested in experiencing it for yourself? These awesome local events will make your visit all the more interesting.

The Urbanna Cup
2023 DATE: TBD. Urbanna Town Marina, Urbanna
A fantastically fun and quirky event, the regatta is a nationally sanctioned competition for cocktail class wooden boat racers. Held in waters adjacent to the picturesque Town Marina, the pier and grounds are perfect for family-friendly viewing. Events run throughout the day, with food trucks and beer and wine vendors. urbanna.com/events/

Arts in the Middle Fine Arts Festival
June 3-4, 2023. Hewick Plantation, Urbanna
Held at the edge of town on grounds punctuated by giant mature trees and a regal plantation home that dates to 1678.

The setting is as much a draw as the show itself. In its sixth year, the fest features around 100 artists from throughout the U.S., whose work spans at least seven media categories. Expect tents with regional beer, wine and champagne; two stages with continual lineups of music; and food vendors galore. www.artsinthemiddle.com

Savor local foods & drinks produced in the southern gateway to the Shenandoah Valley.

It’s easy to find local foods and drinks on menus throughout Rockbridge County, Virginia, but you can also skip the middleman and go straight to the source. Get out and visit some local producers, from modern farms to historic mills, coffee roasters to craft breweries, cheesemakers to chocolatiers, and you’ll discover award-winning, crave-inducing items so high quality they make even the most refined taste buds swoon.

Wade’s Mill is the oldest continuously-operating commercial grist mill in the Shenandoah Valley. Local grains have been stone-ground the traditional way at this site since 1750. No wonder it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register. “Until steam, the mill was the most efficient energy source,” says John Siegfried, owner and miller. He grinds an average of 300 to 400 pounds of grain a day and supplies restaurants in Lexington and other cities in Virginia and Maryland. Grits, cornmeal, flour and other treats—many made of heritage grains—are available for purchase. Explore three floors of historic milling equipment and museum displays.

On Saturdays at select times from April through December, the historic 21-foot iron Fitz overshot water wheel is demonstrated. To linger at this picturesque site, check into the overnight accommodations.

Lexington Coffee Roasters has been named one of the “12 Best Coffee Roasters in the U.S.” by Forbes and “Some of America’s Best Coffee” by USA Today. Its focus is on sourcing top-quality beans from Latin America and Africa. Visit the roastery on Route 11 to see the coffee roasting process, discover innovative brewing processes and equipment, and sip coffee and espresso drinks. Take home some freshly roasted coffee beans and order online when your supply runs low.

Craft beers, wines, and ciders flow in abundance in Rockbridge County with four breweries (all stops along the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail), four vineyards, and a cidery. On Route 11, Devils Backbone Outpost Tap Room & Kitchen produces more than 120 different beer recipes, all based on European brewing traditions. Enjoy a pint or sampler flight alongside hearty fare at the bar or in the outdoor beer garden.

Great Valley Farm Brewery & Winery (Photo Above: Chris Weisler) produces Belgian-style ales and Cabernet Franc, Gruner Veltliner, Lemberger and Vidal Blanc varietals using ingredients from its 27-acre farm in Natural Bridge. Sip pints or tasting flights against panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In downtown Lexington, Heliotrope Brewery produces what co-owner Erik Jones calls “wild farmhouse beers” using local ingredients. “We even foraged a wild yeast to give the beer terroir.” The beer lineup will change seasonally and cover a range of styles including IPAs, saisons, pilsners, and lagers among others. Savor a 12-ounce pour from a stemmed glass alongside a creative pizza, made to order in the brick oven.

Rockbridge Vineyard & Brewery, a two-time winner of the coveted Virginia Governor’s Cup, produces small-batch wines in a range of styles. Vinifera, hybrid, and native vines grow on 17 acres. Sample through the portfolio in the tasting room then enjoy a glass of your favorite while gazing out at the breathtaking view of Shenandoah Valley. Lexington Valley Vineyard has been handcrafting red and white wines since 1999. Enjoy them by the glass or bottle while relaxing on the deck and gazing out at the 67-acre property. Jump Mountain Vineyard welcomes visitors to its 32-acre farm on Saturdays and Sundays. Enjoy tastings, wines by the glass, or stock up on several bottles of red and white varietals to savor at home.

Sip small batch cider at Halcyon Days Cider Company. This family-owned cidery boasts a stunning labyrinth orchard. Inspired by the legendary labyrinth at France’s Chartres Cathedral, 2,500 dwarf apple trees are planted in a circuit that stretches 1.7 miles from the center to outer edge. Wander through 50 different apple varieties, from heirloom American, modern American, classic Europe, and Central Asian ancestral apple trees. Step into the pavilion for stunning 360-degree views of the Alleghany and Blue Ridge Mountains. All hard ciders are made using Virginia grown apples in a range of tastes from tangy to spicy to sweet.

Cocoa Mill Chocolates has gained a national reputation for its indelible treats, all made Awards and accolades from The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, Chocolatier, U.S. Air Magazine, CBS Morning News, The Washington Post, among others. The chocolatier strives for excellence each step of the process—using fair trade chocolate, choosing natural ingredients and freshly hand-crafting confections for each order. Whether you bite into a truffle, gourmet bark, dipped fruit, chocolate-covered pretzel or peppermint, or other treat, trust that it’s made with high-quality ingredients and attentive precision.

Sweet Things Ice Cream Shoppe is Rockbridge County’s only homemade ice cream shop. Its retro décor may spark nostalgia, but its now-antique equipment churns out treats that modern equipment can’t replicate—including homemade waffle cones. “We’ve been in business since 1982, but our waffle irons date back to the 1950s,” says owner Chris Williams. And that aroma will get your mouth watering the moment you step into the door! The best-selling cookies and cream flavor ice cream is dark brown, not the usual white, thanks to the fact that this ice cream machine can crunch and crumble a whole lot more real Oreo cookies than modern machines. Flavors like mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, banana, black raspberry, and dozens more—scooped into cones, sundaes, shakes, and other treats—lure locals and visitors alike. Grownups, don’t miss the Guinness beer-flavored ice cream.