The Bluemont Experience

The Bluemont Experience is a full-day Virginia wine tour from Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia to Bluemont, in Loudoun County, through the Blue Ridge foothills and up into the Blue Ridge Mountains. Along the way, you’ll travel scenic mountain roads and gravel back roads and pass through small historic towns in the Virginia countryside. You’ll taste at a family-owned vineyard, enjoy an intimate tasting with the mead maker himself at a tucked-away home meadery few visitors ever find, and reach a winery high above the valley with views back toward D.C. We handle the driving, and our public experiences are limited to 14 guests.

Our experiences are designed to show you the sense of place that is Virginia wine country: the scenic mountain roads and gravel back roads, the small historic towns, the mountains, and the wineries themselves, where you’ll find insights and deeper meaning in the day and the places you visit. We know the wineries, and they know us, which opens doors: private tastings, club-room seating, and often special promotions. You’ll learn about each winery and how to taste wine, while the driving is safely taken care of. The day is paced so it’s comfortable and everyone has a good time. Nobody has to plan, drive or watch the clock. You simply arrive and enjoy.

Mead is one of the oldest fermented drinks in the world, a drink of kings and queens in antiquity. It’s made by fermenting honey. At a tucked-away home meadery down gravel roads, you’ll have an intimate tasting with the mead maker himself, hear the stories behind each pour, and see keepsakes and mead bottles collected from around the world. It’s a stop you won’t find on other tours, and it would be hard to find on your own. We can bring you there because we know the way and we know the mead maker.

Any time is a good time to visit Virginia wineries, because each season brings its own flair. In winter, the wineries give you extra attention, and they’re beautifully decorated for the holidays, often with snow on the mountaintops. In spring, you see the vineyards waking up. In summer, you watch the grapes grow. In fall, you enjoy harvest season, including seasonal events, and can see and taste the grapes.

Public Bluemont Experience tours begin at two easy-to-reach locations. Pentagon City Metro in Arlington is a multimodal hub with easy access by Metro and bus, and plenty of parking. The Hyatt Regency Reston has plenty of parking on site, right at the pickup location, and it’s also about a 10-minute walk from the Reston Town Center Metro station. Both areas have plenty of restaurants for an after-tour dinner. We may be able to accommodate other pickup points at hotels and locations on the way to the wineries, so contact us to ask. Private experiences pick up within 15 minutes of Crystal City or at locations heading to the wineries, in areas such as Arlington, Alexandria, Reston, Fairfax, Falls Church, Washington, D.C. and Tysons. Other locations may incur an additional charge. Contact us for details.

Choose the day that suits you. Our booking calendar shows open dates for the Bluemont Experience, and we can run it any day of the week. If a date shows a wait list, or you’d like a different day, contact us and we’ll explore options.

The Bluemont Experience takes about eight hours, from pickup to drop-off. We typically return between 5:30 and 6:30 pm, with time to linger at every stop.

More than a list of things, it’s a day designed to show you the sense of place that is Virginia wine country. Your price includes three tastings, winery taxes and tips, transportation, bottled water, a fully curated day with your guide, photos of your day, and a shared Spotify playlist for the ride. Along the way, you’ll also enjoy semi-private sit-down tastings, VIP club-room access, an intimate tasting with the mead maker himself, insider perks from our winery partners, including preferred seating, reservations made for you, a host who walks you through the wines, pre-selected pours and special offers at select wineries, and a little wine education that deepens how you taste. Lunch is on your own.

Public Bluemont Experience tours are $243 per person, with tastings, winery taxes, tips and fees included. Private experiences are $264 per person, with a 7-person minimum or equivalent cost, and you can book them online. Corporate outings and groups larger than 14 need a quote, so contact us.

Lunch on the Bluemont Experience is on your own, at the first winery of the day. Farm-to-table food is also available to purchase at the winery high above the valley, in the club room.

We keep it intimate, with no more than 14 people on our public experiences, so you can get to know the others, share conversation and laughter, and truly take in the experience. Private groups can be larger than 14, so contact us for a custom quote. Private experiences have a 7-person minimum or equivalent cost, and smaller groups are welcome.

All guests on the Bluemont Experience must be 21 or older.

Yes, the Bluemont Experience runs rain or shine, because our tastings are indoors. The wineries are beautiful, even when it rains.

Wear comfortable shoes and layers. Bring your camera or cell phone, any medications, a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. Bring extra cash too, because the wineries sell wine by the glass and by the bottle, plus food. Many also have a gift shop where you can pick up wine-related gifts to take home to friends and family as a memory of the day.

We do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions and needs, and mobility limitations within reason. Contact us for details. All three wineries are quite accessible. Some of the day is on uneven ground and grass, and there are some hills. If an area is hard to reach, you’re not required to take part in every part of the day.

Yes, please. Tips for the wineries are included in your price, but our guides are largely compensated through tips and truly appreciate them. You can tip your guide in cash or through CashApp at $wineguy21.

For the Bluemont Experience, cancel more than 5 days before your experience for a full refund. Within 5 days, you’ll receive a 50% refund or the full value applied to a future experience. Within 48 hours, no refunds are given. If we cancel because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, you receive a full refund. To cancel or ask about a cancellation, email info@vinovirginia.net or call 703-429-0954. No-shows are charged the full price.

Yes, we love them. See our private groups and corporate outing pages for full details.