Casanel Vineyards
- Casanel is one of the closest wineries to Leesburg. Established in 2008 by the DeSouza Family; the owners have been Casey and Nelson, from whose names comes the winery’s own name. Nelson is originally from Brazil. Casey passed away in 2021, and the Casanel is as of this writing up for sale, with a list price of $8.8 million. A small production, craft-oriented winery.
- Wine. Tier II. Three Casanel red wines were awarded Silver Medals at the 2021 Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine competition: their Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere. Casanel was awarded a gold medal for the Petit Verdot at the 2018 Governor’s Cup competition, three silver medals at the 2019 Governor’s Cup, and a single silver at the 2020 competition (Chardonnay). The Carmenere (unusual for east coast wineries) won “Best in Class” at the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition, a gold medal at the 2020 San Francisco International Wine Competition, and a silver medal at the 2018 Finger Lakes Wine Competition. Their Petit Verdot won a gold medal at the San Francisco Chronicle competition in 2017, a silver in 2018 and then a bronze on 2019, and a silver at the 2020 San Francisco International event. All production is from estate-grown grapes (with the small exception of some Norton brought over from Chrysalis Vineyards).
- Setting. One star. Beautiful tasting room, nice fireplace, excellent views over the vineyards. The porch overlooks a pond. Crackers, cheese and chocolates available.
- Stories. 20th Century Virginia — Precursor to the World Bank and IMF. In downtown Leesburg, close to Casanel, sits Dodona Manor. This early-19th-century house was purchased in 1941 by General George C. Marshall (1880–1959). A student of the classics, Marshall called the house, in its grove of oaks, “Dodona Manor” after the ancient Greek oracle that spoke through oak leaves. This was his home during the years of Marshall’s great achievements as military chief of staff during World War II, presidential emissary to China in 1945, secretary of state (1947–1949), and secretary of defense (1950-1951). The Marshall Plan for restoring war-torn Europe won Marshall the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. Today the World Bank and the IMF, Washington DC’s largest non-government employers, carry on the spirit of economic development. Tours of the house are available. One can also see a statue of Marshall on West Market street (across from Mom’s Apple Pies, another Leesburg legend)