Located in winery-heavy Afton, 30 minutes west of Charlottesville, this is a small, boutique winery with an equally small tasting room. Flying Fox was started in 2000 by Rich Evans and Lynn Davis, and sold about 2015 to the Hodson Family, three siblings. The winemaker is family member Emily Pelton, who also produces wine at Veritas.
Wine. One of the Top 100 wineries of Virginia. Flying Fox’ 2017 vintage Petit Verdot and “Trio” (a red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) were awarded gold medals at the 2022 Monticello Cup, a regional competition attended by a couple dozen area wineries. The same Petit Verdot was also awarded a gold medal at the 2022 state-wide Virginia Governor’s Cup tasting competition, while the Flying Fox 2020 Viognier, 2017 Trio and Cabernet Franc came away with silver medals at the event. At the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup, three of the winery’s offerings – the 2021 Petit Manseng, 2019 Pinot Gris, and 2017 Cabernet Franc – received silver medals, while one – the 2017 Trio – was given a bronze medal.
Setting. The tasting room is located some five miles from the vineyard, and is small, cozy and comfortable. There are remnants of the 1840s Inn which this once was, including a wood-burning fireplace. Picnics are welcome. Next door in the former stable is the Bleu Ridge Bed & Breakfast, where you can stay and enjoy Flying Fox wine as late into the night as you want.
Stories. 19th century Virginia Infrastructure – The C&O Railway. Situated alongside the C & O Railway, Afton was once a mecca for tourists who escaped the cities to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was formed in 1869 from several smaller Virginia railroads. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Richmond to the Ohio River, where the railroad town of Huntington, West Virginia was named for him. The town’s name turned out to be his consolation prize, as Morgan and Vanderbilt soon wrested away control of the railroad. The state of Virginia owned a portion of stock, and financed the hard and expensive task of crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains. Tapping the coal reserves of West Virginia, the C&O’s Peninsula Extension to new coal piers on the harbor of Hampton Roads resulted in the creation of the new city of Newport News. In the 1970s it became part of the Chessie System, and the CSX system in the 1980s. Today Amtrak’s Cardinal passenger train follows the historic and scenic route of the C&O through the New River Gorge.