Grayhaven Winery

First came to Grayhaven for just a tasting but returned shortly after for their International Cheese Pairing; loved both and have been back several times since. South African style wines are unique to the area and on the drier side, no fruit wines. Their gift shop boasts a lot of other South African products including juices and sauces, everything we’ve had so far we have loved.

Greyhaven is a small winery (12 acres under vine/​3000 cases a year) with a VERY nice variety of vino! They started as a vineyard in 1978 but sometime in the 1990s started making their own booze. Their wine maker (and my taster) is a South African gentleman named Deon, who kindly gave me the backstory of his place.
What sets them apart is the availability of varietals I seldom see elsewhere. They have Touriga (Portuguese grape), Pinotage (South African), and Rkatsiteli (ancient Georgian varietal). If you’re looking for your stereotypical tasting menu of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Cab Sav, look elsewhere! But if you want to expand your palate, try here.
White/​Rose: First off was the Moonlight White (Rkatsiteli). R-​Kat is a dry white with a nice ‘bite’. The dry Evening Tide was more of a Blush-​style than a Rose; it was was made with Touriga; he made it dry with Touriga and it had a wonderful color.
Reds: The Sojourn was a Chambourcin/​Cab Franc blend; nice nose and earthy body. The 2013 Pinoage had a layered palate and earthy finish. But of the reds, my favorite was the Rendezvous Touriga; the boldest of the bunch.
It must have been my lucky day because Deon opened a 2004 (!) Rivercrest port, which was supremely smooth. He actually was about to bottle a new vintage, and was deliberating on whether to hold on to his last bottle or drink it himself. Fortunately, he let me sample it before he chose the later.
And fun fact: Greyhaven is the film location for Attack of the Vegan Zombies. No undead were spotted during my visit, vegan or otherwise.

Rustic, artsy setting. Hidden gem. Very comfortable. Beautiful horses and grounds. We could’ve spent all day chatting with Deon, one of the owners. He was extremely knowledgeable about all of their wines and a very interesting guy in general. Very involved in art. Looks like they have a bunch of events they host throughout the year. Sounds like their South African Wine Festival is one of their most popular. Their Port and Mulled Wine were our favorites. Generous Deon gave us some of the Mulled Wine spices to try at home. We are looking forward to making it soon.

Sorry but this wine is probably the worst I’ve had in VA. I have tried it several times just to make sure I was correct. Not sure what the problem is but I’ve had many South Africa wines and they taste so much better that’s gray haven. I recommend just walk away when u see them at festivals

Stopped here as part of a wine tour. They had a great mulled wine and a port that was mixed with cognac. The employees are very friendly and informative. The building seems old and in need of a lot of repairs.

Small but local winery. Don’t let the appearance fool you these people know their stuff. The wine tour was excellent the owners were very nice and knowledgeable about their product. The cheese plate was also amazing. 5 stars for a great local winery.

I’m of two minds about the place, honestly. It is not the stunning spot that some other wineries in Virginia can claim, it’s a bit cluttered, a little unfinished, and the wines are decent, but they’re nothing to write home about, not yet. They’re progressing, though, and the wine does appeal to a lot of my family and friends [it’s handily available closer to home if i don’t feel like going all the way to the vineyard]. I’ve also found the staff to be very pleasant, chatty and kind. I’ll likely go back at some point, but I am not in a desperate rush to do so, as there is a lot of other wine to taste in the interim.
They merry-​go-​round was a marvelous bit of nostalgia, though.

The approach was encouraging; being greeted by a 1960s playground was just plain fun. But the tasting room was tiny and full of flies, the owners uninterested and the wines uninteresting. We bought a very light white and had to practically fight for 1 of 3 tables. Quite possibly an overrated winery.

Just left the blues festival. Pros… dog friendly and kid friendly. One staff in the winery main building was nice.
Cons…waited outside by the tasting tent for 20 minutes. The two working did not once acknowledge us… with a be with you in a minute… or who is next. We were not in a line we were right up to the table and unacknowledged. Seemed the workers served people they knew first versus who had been standing there the longest.
Cant comment on the wine. Was never afforded the opportunity to try it. Wont be back.

We really enjoyed out visit. The wine maker was personable and knowledgeable. We’ll definitely be back next time we’re in Virginia. Be sure to say hi to Daisy!

A hidden gem just 30 minutes out from Richmond! My friend and I found a Groupon for this place and came as a spontaneous trip on Thursday evening and we were very pleasantly surprised. Don’t let the small appearance deter or fool you.
We arrived a little after 4pm wout a reservation (which they prefer), but we’re happily greeted and taken care of by the owners. The groupon was $ 20 for 2 for a wine tasting, cheese platter, and a tour of the place, and my friend and I agreed that it was so worth the price.
The Wine Tasting
— We got detailed descriptions of the wines we were tasting. They had a great variety but my favorites were the Leechee wine, the sangria, and the port wine omg
The Cheese Platter
— I think a total of 5 cheeses (the ones I remember are smoked Gouda, smoked cheddar, goat cheese topped with lignin berries, and a bourbon soaked one), olives, and good quality crackers. Delicious.
The Tour
— The owner was very descriptive and walked us through the wine bottling process, from the pumping of the wine, to the seal — and I got to try it all!
We left soo relaxed and extremely content. In addition to the Groupon package, we were offered to walk on a nature trail on their property and were told to check out their horses. unfortunately we weren’t able to do those because we ended up forgetting about it before we left, but I wish we did. I know for a fact we stayed after hours, but there was not a single mention about it, or even a hint to skiddadle. The owner even joked with us and told us dinner was at 730 lol
Sweet people, great wine, excellent service, and beautiful scenery and atmospheres. Not to mention they had the cutest and sweetest dogs on their property!

Excellent winery. Very scenic place where you can enjoy wines from South Africa as well as wines bottled in Virginia. The owners are very friendly. Plenty of full bodied wines from South Africa and Virginia.

Loved this winery a lot. I was lucky enough to come here the weekend after their South African Wine Fest so got to taste a lot of wines, plus a very good sangria.
Fell in love with the winery itself. Smaller than a lot I have been to but well kept up and the grounds themselves were fantastic. It was so peaceful to just sit outside among the pretty flowers and koi pond. Plus there were horses and two dogs — one a super friendly french bulldog.
The hospitality was excellent. Will definitely be back

We had a great time. Every wine we tasted was very good. Nothing boring, no funky notes, just clean high quality wine. I didn’t like the Sangria but everybody else did.
Guy doing our tasting (don’t remember his name) from South Africa was entertaining. Really friendly, conversed with my friends and I, let us walk around the property and relax for a bit. We all had a great time; good location too (right off 64 inbetween Charlottesville and Richmond). Definitely add this one to your list.

While we knew going in that it was going to be small, we did not expect it to be so rundown and dinky. The guy doing our wine tasting literally just read to us off the wine label and poured half the wine on the table each time; you would think someone working at winery would have SOME knowledge of wine and at least be able to pour it!
Wines were decent, but not spectacular. We brought our own picnic and they happily let us set up in the table inside. There were VERY kind throughout out visit.

Owners are great! Good wines and sangria. A little out of the way and no cell reception, the staff is nice.

Very cute winery in VA wine country. It is small, but that’s something to appreciate. I was impressed with the quality of the wine I tasted; I actually enjoyed all 4 or 5, which is unusual for me.

The reviewer from Richmond is full of shit. This place is unique, the owners are vibrant, refreshing, and entertaining and besides the good wines, there is a lot of history and modern entertainment going on at this vineyard. It is an absolute GEM.
People who think visiting wineries is all about sticking your nose in the air should stick their nose somewhere else. The people at Cooper and Keswick would never condone such rude and ungracious behavior.
Their customer service is excellent too, which bad reviewer should know but some people… you know…
They built the tasting room to look like one of the Hobbit homes in «Lord of the Rings» and «Attack of the Vegan Zombies» was shot here as well. They have a lovely South African festival in September of this year as well as historical, special-​effect, ghost stories in the fall.
It’s a must see/​must taste. Trust me.

This is a really nice winery and they have great events here, like the upcoming South African wine festival, but I’m not a huge fan of the wines.
I’m a red drinker, and while the South African whites have been making an impact on the market, the reds are not as good. So it’s more a matter of personal taste for me.
Grayhaven participates in lots of regional festivals, like the James River Cellars get-​together, but if you like visiting wineries, this is a good place to check out as it’s a fun tasting experience and a nice property.

I’ve been to nearly 100 Virginia wineries but I have yet to experience a place like Grayhaven Winery. A recent review in The Old Town Crier compared the tasting room to something out of a Tolkien book, and that’s a good description. The owner is from South Africa and knows a thing or two about making fine, and unusual, wine. The size of the winery is deceiving – they make a lot of wine here. This is the only winery in Virginia I’ve been to that makes a Touriga — a bold red meat wine. Actually there isn’t a bad wine on the list. I found it hard to pick my usual «budgetary» allowance of two bottles to go.
They made a movie here — you won’t see it in your local multiplex anytime soon…“Attack of The Vegan Zombies.” Apparently it is unrated but the staff said it is «NC-​17 for sure.»