Desert Rose Ranch & Winery

This winery has an excellent winery of flavorful reds and whites, many of which are aged in French oak that imparts a much milder flavor and some sweetness compared to the harsher American Oak. If you’ve never tried oak, try this place. We especially liked the cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and peach dessert wine (using peaches from a nearby orchard). We really like staying at the nearby Inn at Vineyards Crossing, and like with the Philip Carter Winery, we get a free bottle of wine as wine club members («Posse») every time we stay at the Inn. Two free bottles of wine every stay at the Inn? Yeah, i’ll take it ;-). I’d love if Desert Rose also offered horseback ridings, since they board or raise several on sight (of course, before imbibing).

We found this winery through Harvest Hosts, and we are so glad we did, or we would have driven right past not knowing it even existed!
First off, we have a large St. Bernard puppy, and they embraced him with open arms. Letting him come in and sit with us so he didn’t have to stay outside alone, which is awesome and automatically put them at the top of our list, since our dog is our baby, and we love dog people!
Melissa was great, she did a tasting with us. Very friendly and knowledgeable about the winery and the area. Their Cabernet Franc was my favorite, with the Covert Cab being a close second… but I enjoyed all their wines. I normally hate Chardonnay, but theirs was the best I’ve ever had!
The owners, Bob and Linda, were so hospitable! They genuinely care about their guests and want to get to know them. They are passionate about what they do, and it shows.
Since we were there right before closing, they came out and sat on the beautiful porch with us and talked for over an hour — even after closing time!
Their tasting room is large and beautiful. All wood, with a gorgeous fireplace. Outside, they have an awesome wrap around porch with tables and chairs. Then out front, there’s a nice picnic area with tables, a fire pit, and pond; all overlooking the vineyards.
We wished we weren’t pressed on time, or we would have stayed longer, but we will surely be back!

The staff was great, especially Amy; nice, warm and welcoming on a rainy day. We chatted quite a bite with her as we went through the tasting. The wines were pretty good (for VA wines), and we ended up bringing some. Looking forward to go back and try on a warmer day.

Such a cute and homey place! Lovely staff, super sweet owners and yummy wine :)

My mom and I visited the Winery this past Saturday. Nestled away near the Marriott Ranch, Desert Rose has a special charm reminiscent of the old West. We arrived at around 1:30pm, and were able to find a parking space near their outdoor fountain. Once inside the tasting room, we were greeted warmly by the staff. Kim did our tasting for us, and she was fabulous! Kim really made us feel welcome, and made the tasting engaging. My favorite wines were the Starboard, Cabernet Franc, and Hitch Hollow Chardonnay, but I was honestly impressed with every wine on the tasting. We later purchased bottles, cheese, Norton jelly, and enjoyed a glass outside on the porch. It was an afternoon well-​spent in a charming setting.

The wines were ok. The service was good. I liked the peach wine which was pretty unique! I would go again if I were in the área, but I would not go out of my way!

We were in the area this past weekend and called Desert Rose to inquire about their pet policy when we were told, «bring him on in!» and so we did. We walk in and we and Charlie the Tzu was immediately greeted and made at home with a bone and fresh water by the horseshoe bar and fawned over. FYI: The surest way to my heart is through my dog and that was only the beginning of a great visit.
Desert Rose Ranch and Winery we learned was run by the owner who is former CIA and wine/​horse enthusiast. Very cool! The bar is creatively constructed like a horseshoe and foreign currency from many of his travels and donation. Double cool. Tasting room is wooden and rustic while being warm and inviting. Staff are friendly, welcoming, hospitable and knowledgeable of wine and property.
NOW OPEN 7 Days/​Week/​Year Round 12−6pm
We had the option of tasting 8 wines for $ 8, tasting 10 wines for $ 10, if you purchase a bottle the tasting fee is waived, if you purchase two or more bottles two tasting fees are waived. Go big or go home and taste all the wine, right? We went for the 10 for $ 10 and loved the wine so much we bought 6 bottles.
We tasted:
2014 Hitch Hollow Chardonnay– aged in French Oak for 5 months. Loved this so much we bought a bottle.
2014 Unhitched Chardonnay– less oaky having been aged for 4 months. Interesting what one month difference in the aging process produces.
Our 2014 Olé Moo Moo– blend of Vidal Blanc, Viogner, and Chardonnay aged in steel. Boyfriend loved this and bought a bottle
2014 Sparky Rose blend of chambourcin and Bordeaux which I loved and bought a bottle
2012 R.E.D. Chambourcin aged in American Oak. Lovely for those who love big bold reds, bought be a bottle
2012 Fiery Run Cabernet Franc– lovely and bought a bottle
2013 Covert Cab– First VA grower to plant the Crimson Cabernet grape and award winner. Great wine paying tribute to owner’s time In the field.
GiGi peach wine– interesting how different the wine tastes– first sip dry, second sip sweet. Very good.
2012 Starboard– dessert wine made from the Norton grape aged in oak and whiskey barrel. Quite lovely and delectable.
2013 Desert Delight– dessert wine made from vidal blanc grape aged with residual sugar in steel tanks.
Big fan of Desert Rose Ranch and Winery. Thank you for the hospitality for our dog and us, great wine tasting led by our ever so welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable older woman (I wish I knew her name), and laidback casual atmosphere. Would love to come back and hopefully hear some stories from the big man himself!

It is with some reservation that I write this less than positive review. Our initial impression was positive and we were looking forward to a nice visit – but in the end it was a huge disappointment. This winery definitely offers one of the most unique experiences in the area, with a «western» theme. It’s not your everyday winery, which is nice. However, there was a distinct lack of organization and it really hurt the hospitality. Long story short, we waited for 15 minutes at an empty bar for a tasting while the staff walked around aimlessly trying to check out a large group trying to buy wine after their tasting. It really felt like if we weren’t part of that group, they could care less that we were there. The couple who came in shortly after us renamed that they felt the same. During the tasting, the person pouring walked away between pours without giving much of a coherent description of the wines. Overall, the wines were about average, the atmosphere was quite interesting, and the experience fell completely flat on its face. I wouldn’t tell anyone not to visit, but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it or visit again myself.

Every member of the staff we encountered had a wicked sense of humor. Including Gigi, the winery dog. It was so wonderful to see a dog-​friendly winery (we had left ours at home). In addition to wine, they had a neat assortment of local jams and spreads from nearby farms and vendors. The tasting counter is glass, revealing currency from around the world (the owner has a fascinating personal history), including from countries that no longer exist and featuring leaders who have been deposed. If you bring them a piece of foreign currency that they don’t already have, they will give you 10% off your bill. Don’t get too excited about your Canadian pennies, though– they have about 100 countries represented.

Wine is a 3, customer service a 5! Owner is super cool, great stories of the farm and wine origin. The preserves were actually our favorite part of our trip but we didn’t purchase wine. Beautiful grounds!

You’ll feel like family.
A very close knit small winery with ambition.
They didn’t go the typical route of trying to just capitalize on NoVa’s quickly growing wine tasting culture with mediocre wine and high prices. They don’t have a massive tasting room either. They just celebrated their 4^th anniversary but make some of the best crafted wine in the region.
Their rose’ is one of the best in the area.
Their 2011 Cab Franc stands out as one of the top 3 in NoVa for a very very bad wet wine year.
Recently tasted their 2013 Cab Sav. Holy Moly. They have a winner here. Rich deep flavor with some smokiness and very smooth. I think it’s already medal worthy, but a few years aging this will be outstanding.
Shout out to Melissa, their new GM who is always friendly and honest.

We’ve been through the area many times and have never stopped, not sure why. But today we did. They were very busy as it was their 4^th anniversary and large crowds at wineries is typically something we shy away rom, but upon entering, the staff instantly welcomed us and found a nice spot at the tasting bar for us to enjoy their tasting.
The wines tasted VERY nicely! They have a great selection of wines and all were done nicely. The pours were very nice too.
Their tasting room was beautifully decorated in a western/​cowboy theme. The layout of the tasting room allowed for the huge crowd without feeling crowded, there was plenty room for everyone to spread out.
They are kid and dog friendly, inside and out.
Outside, the landscaping and grounds were neat and clean and conducive to having groups enjoy the beautiful Hume countryside and hills while enjoying their great tasting wines.
The staff was all very friendly, full of smiles, knowledgeable about wine and the wine making process and they even offer a law enforcement discount! (Thank You!)
We can’t wait to come back!

We went there for my sister’s 30^th birthday. Everyone there including the owner and his wife were very nice and accommodating. We went in January, so we didn’t get a chance to enjoy the scenery as much. There was a private room set up for us for our tasting (our group of 10) We were able to bring our own food and just paid $ 10 pp for our tasting. The wines were pretty good, of course everyone has different tastes. We got to enjoy live music (went on a Saturday) we sat and just enjoyed our time with our friends. I would recommend for a visit or special occasion.

Really enjoyed our visit to Desert Rose. Large flights for a good price (8 for 8). Melissa made us feel very welcome. Wines were good, atmosphere warm and interesting. Definitely should be on your list. We enjoyed glasses in front of the fireplace (haha Melissa!) and some to take home. Will be back. Wine and horses, what’s not to like?!

I took my mom and sister here when they were in town for Thanksgiving. We had a great girls’ afternoon! The staff is friendly, the atmosphere is warm and homey. Wines are diverse enough to satisfy all different tastes. We joined their wine club and look forward to spending more time there!

It’s a beautiful ranch and winery within the rolling Virginia hills that’s palpably a family passion project. And I hadn’t even cared for wine before.
The tasting room is an homage to the family’s western roots – casual, quirky and comfortable. It’s a working ranch juxtaposed with fantastic description and knowledge of the techniques and flavors of the wine.
The wines are really very good and they have fun doing it. After tasting all 8 (3 reds, 2 whites, 1 rose, 2 dessert), I bought a few glasses and left with two bottles. None are overpowering which allows more subtle flavors to come through. The port is not too sweet, making it great for pairing. The cabs were rich and fruity, which I prefer to nearly any red I’ve had before.
On one of those days when the Virginia mist comes rolling off the mountains, sitting by the fire in that welcoming cabin sipping on a delicately crafted wine is about as good as it gets.

3.5 stars.
The only wine I really liked of our flight of 8 was the Chardonnay. However, I liked it so much I bought multiple bottles.
The property is beautiful, the rustic wood is warm and inviting, and the tasting bar is massive. The lady who poured our wine was very friendly and I was impressed to see that they had ample staff to accommodate the two limos bus tours that were there AND still be very attentive to us regular folks.
They offer a buy 3 bottles and get two tasting fees waved promotion, which I liked. They also have lots of snacks available for purchase AND the whole property is dog friendly.
Overall it’s a very nice place. I gladly will return.
Worth mentioning:
I did notice quite a few black wasps in the umbrellas on the patio, so being with someone with allergies, we cut our visit short once they started to explore us a little closer than we were comfortable with.

A group of us went to Desert Rose yesterday for a bachelorette event and had a lovely time! I had made reservations in advance with the owner via email and it was really simple. We were able to know exactly how much it would be for each person before we arrived which was helpful.
We loved that it wasn’t crowded and we had the tasting room all to ourselves! Bob, the owner and grower, did our tasting. He gave us enough detail for us to enjoy the wine, but not too many details to seem pretentious. He was a blast! A fun, older gentleman who is clearly passionate about wine, horses, and life.
After the tasting, we ordered cheese plates, bought some wine, and sat outside under an umbrella. It was gorgeous! The sky was so blue and the grass was so green, it almost seemed fake.
The winery/​ranch is seemingly secluded making for a very peaceful visit.
Despite living over an hour away, I would not hesitate to recommend Desert Rose to anyone and I will certainly be back.
Great place, fantastic location, and lovely staff!

A friend and I visited here for the first time one afternoon to taste wines!
The interior of the winery tasting room is woodsy and inviting — ranch-​like as the name would imply.
Our tasting person was Amy — she was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, interesting, and not that it matters to one’s ability to describe wines — but drop dead gorgeous!
We tasted all eight wines, and Amy made the tasting fun and interesting. She provided all sorts of interesting informational tidbits and historical anecdotes that made the wine tasting all the better!
We also got to taste their peach vinegar — which was a real treat! It was very good, tart and tasty! Would make a great salad dressing!
We enjoyed all of the wines! Will need to come back here again to retry and buy a few wines!

Very hospitable folks here. We liked/​bought the moo moo (white), rosè, and their chambourcin (red). All good stuff. :)