Lake Anna Winery

Saturday, while spending a weekend at the lake with friends, the guys took the boat out on the water while the girls headed to Lake Anna Winery (Spotsylvania). It is described on their website as a small boutique winery that specializes in producing award winning wines at affordable prices – and that is all SO true! The entrance is not well marked, but you’ll see the vines from the road. A narrow gravel driveway leads the way to the winery and it is very quaint. They have plenty of parking and you can get up close and personal with the grape vines.

When you walk inside, it’s a great first impression. They have a great gift shop area and the prices are SO affordable. Coasters, wine stoppers, funny cocktail napkins, travel wine openers, etc. The tastings are held at a double-sided tasting bar in the middle of the room. We tasted eight wines, a good variety of whites and reds. First, we tasted a 2013 Seyval Blanc, which won them a gold at the 2014 Virginia State Fair Competition. We also tasted a 2012 Barrel Select Chardonnay, which won them bronze in the 2014 Governor’s Cup.

The Totally White was very good, my second favorite from this tasting. This wine has Chardonnay, Seyval Blanc, and Vidal Blanc with 1% residual sugar. The Spotsylvania Claret won silver at the 2014 Governor’s Cup and I thought this would probably be my husband’s favorite of the day. It is 0.8% residual sugar, with 50% Cab Franc, 40% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Next was a new release – their 2012 Chambourcin, which won silver at the 2014 Governor’s Cup. I liked this as well, and it is 100% Chambourcin.

The Lake Side White was my personal favorite – I ended up drinking a glass there and buying a bottle to take home. It won bronze at the 2014 Governor’s Cup and is 3.5% residual sugar. It is fermented and aged in stainless steel, and is made to be a semi-sweet wine which is perfect for every day sipping. I loved it! The Lake Side Sunset is their best seller, and I thought it was very good as well. The final wine was their Lake Side Red, which is 5% residual sugar, but I was not a huge fan of this particular wine.

They also had a 2012 Bellhaven Chardonnay, aged in stainless steel, which you could only buy by the bottle. They were completely sold out of their Totally Red and 2010 Cabernet Franc. The Totally Red won gold at the 2011 Virginia State Fair and a bronze at the Tasters Guild International.

The prices are SO affordable – most wines are either $13.00 or $15.00, with the most expensive being $23.00. I ended up buying a few things from the gift shop, a tasting, a glass, and a bottle of Lake Side White – all for $31.00. Seriously! Lake Anna Winery is part of the Heart Of Virginia (HOV) Wine Trail and they host Wine Trail events on a few weekends throughout the year. For $20.00, you get a souvenir wine glass and wine tasting at SIX HOV Wineries: Lake Anna, James River, Cooper, Grayhaven, Weston Farms, and Mattaponi. If you go on a special wine trail weekend, the wineries will also have munchies available.

~Dawn R.