Rivah Vineyards at the Grove

It appears the vineyard is closed. Grass growing up in the parking lot. The Facebook post had a post from June 5 but the building and access road look deserted. Sad.

I love finding hidden gems like the Rivah Vineyards at the Grove. I was in the area exploring some of the other wineries (there are three others within 10-15 driving distance) and wanted to try Rivah Vineyards since it is the newest, having only been open since November 2019.NOTE: If using your phone's GPS, Google Maps or WAZE are slightly off. Once your GPS indicates, "you've arrived" drive another 2-3 minutes and you'll see the entrance on your right.Drive up the slight incline and the first building on your right is where the main tasting room is located. Likely as you get out of your car, the unofficial mascot Happy (young chocolate lab mix) will come running up. But no worries, since he's a friendly pup who probably will have a ball in his mouth and just wants to play catch. Oh yeah, this place is very dog friendly!The best part of Rivah Vineyards, is the proprietor, Bryce. He immediately greeted our party and his enthusiasm was evident. Bryce is a local farmer and grower, who has spent many years assisting other vineyards in the area with their operations. So after helping other people, he decided to set up his own winery...and his decision is our gain for Virginia's every expanding wine industry.Bryce is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to Virginia wines and we probably spent more time talking to him about how the high clay content determines which grapes grow the best than, we spent actually spent drinking wines. If visiting and lucky enough to encounter Bryce, ask him about VA's terroir. Terroir in French literally means "soil" or "earth" and having a background as a farmer, allows Bryce to know what grapes can be grown for their estate varietals and which grapes are best grown in other parts of VA. For instance, while I really enjoy viognier white wines and at one time, this was designated as the "official grape of Va," Bryce actually explained to us that viognier grapes are rather inconsistent and don't really grow so well in VA's terroir. Honestly, too often when I go to wineries, the people I speak with during my tastings are either reading from a card describing the wines or don't really have a background on the product. Speaking with Bryce was like a "Master Class" on wine production.As for the wines themselves, really good for a small operation! I picked up these three bottles:YEOCOMICO WHITE: Blend of Vidal Blanc, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnel, and an off dry Petit Manseng. Not too dry and not too sweet. Good balanced white wine which pairs well with poultry and seafood.ELEMENT: One of the better VA RED wines I've tasted in a long time. Aged in French and American oak, this blend of Petite Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, and Tannat. slight notes of plum and pepper corns and black currents. Probably best with red meat, but honestly, I could also enjoy this with cheese and crusty bread. SWEET SUE: A blend of 95% Chambourcin and 5% Concord concentrate aged in stainless steel. Named after Bryce's grandmother, this Rosé speaks of the winery owner's grandmother, definitely a strong palate of red berries and fruit supported by a 4% residual sugar. I wouldn't call this a "dessert wine" since there's low sugars, but it has a nice finish without being sickly sweet.Rivah Vineyards does not have leather couches or dark hardwood tables with large stone fireplaces, typical of some of the more "high-end" tasting rooms found in other VA wineries. But don't let that discourage you from visiting. There is a deck out back with a nice view of the Yeocomico river, which should be great for enjoying a glass of wine when the weather warms up.If in the area visiting some of the larger established wineries, I also HIGHLY recommend stopping by Rivah Vineyards to sample some of their excellent wines. And during your visit, be sure to play a few rounds of catch with Happy.

I visited Rivah Vineyards today and I highly recommend you go and taste some of their amazing wines. The owner, Bryce, is a huge reason to go visit! He is extremely friendly, passionate about the wines, and loves to share history with his visitors. He has been growing for other vineyards for years, but just started making his own wine in November 2019.Many times when you go for a tasting, it is clear that there is a set speech. This is definitely not the case with Bryce. He puts his heart into the grapes and the wines! His descriptions are detailed and get you excited about each wine you are tasting!We left with 5 bottles of wine that we can't wait to enjoy!When you stop by the vineyard, don't forget to throw a toy for his dog Happy!

A beautiful rolling 200 acre vineyard on the banks of the Yeocomico River just upstream of the Kinsale Historic District. This is part of the quintessential Northern Neck experience. Even the drive to and from the Rivah Vineyards at the Grove is beautiful. The young owner, Bryce, has a personality larger than life. A down to earth Northern Necker and part of the eighth generation who calls the Rivah Vineyard "home". And "yes" the wine is superb as well.

This place is great! The owner, Bryce, personally ensures that every guest enjoys themselves and learns about the history and process behind his amazing wines. I brought a party of six there, and we were treated like family and loved his diverse wine selection. Be sure to say hi to (and play fetch with) his dogs (Happy and Shaq) while sipping on some wine and exploring the grounds of this beautiful new vineyard. We left with five bottles of wine and smiles on our faces.

This winery appears to be closed. Unfortunately, my husband and I visited today - its website indicated that it had opened at 12 p.m. When we arrived around 3, it was clear that in addition to it not being open today (despite stating so online), the grounds appeared to not have been cut in some time. It would have been nice if there had been an "FYI" online, etc. so that the public would know not to visit at this time. As we pulled up, another group pulled in and turned around after speaking with us. I really hope the owners are o.k. and would love to visit some other time when they are back open for business.