Our Story
A gem at the foothills of the Blue Ridge
Exciting changes are taking place every day at First Colony Winery. In addition to our other varietals, 4.5 acres of new Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon have been cultivated since 2013. Coupled with our new state-of-the-art processing building, which includes a new glycol system, Old World thatched roof and the addition of a covered crush pad, we have also prepared several acres for future vineyards and gardens for the visitors' enjoyment.
The Vineyards
In 2013, First Colony added 4.5 acres of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to its existing 6.5 acres of Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Traminette. In 2014 the Traminette was replaced with Vidal Blanc to better serve our needs. Our plan is to continue to expand our vineyard each year until we have approximately 20-25 acres under vine.
THE THATCHED ROOF
In October 2013, master thatcher Colin McGhee began transforming the existing processing building roof to resemble that of a 17th century northern European country farm building. The roof is made entirely from imported Turkish water reed. It has a life of 50 to 300 years and is treated periodically with fire retardant. To the owners’ knowledge First Colony is the only winery in the US with a thatched roof. The roof was topped off on March 15, 2024 with a rooster weathervane, affectionately and appropriately named Colin Reed or “CR”, after the thatcher and the medium.
Meet the owners
David Fratkin
Jeff Miller
