October One Vineyard is located in the village of Bluemont, in the far southwest of Loudoun County., October 1 Vineyard (O1V for short) is one of Loudoun’s and Virginia’s newest wineries. Owners of the 30-acre vineyard are Bob and Loree Rupy. Bob Rupy is a former winemaker and co-owner of Bluemont Vineyards, located nearby to October 1. Nate Walsh, of Walsh Family Wine and formerly of Sunset Hills, is the winemaker with Bob.
Wine. Among the Top 10 wineries of Loudoun County. The 2022 “Rescue” (a Bordeaux blend) was awarded a gold medal at the 2025 state-wide Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition. They also received three silver medals, for their 2023 Viognier, and their 2021 Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Current production is about 30 acres. As the vineyard matures, expect more great wines and medals from O1V and their top-notch team. Winemaking philosophy, as noted on their website, “We feel single vineyard, single varietal wines provide context to understand not only this place but the influence of mother nature on the vintage of a wine.”
Setting. For now October 1 remains a “winery without walls.” They have opened a Tasting Room in downtown Leesburg, where one can find not only October 1 but also other Loudoun County wines. Find their wines also at Farmers’ Markets, local restaurants, or online via their website.
Stories. Making Wine in Virginia: Drawing on Local Talent. As the number of wineries in Virginia continues to grow by leaps and bounds, it gets harder and harder to stand out among the crowd. One tried-and-true recipe in many businesses, including winemaking, is to find and draw on local talent to help. Bob and Loree Rupy are following this recipe, drawing on the support of one of Loudoun wine’s best-known names, and one of its rising stars. Doug Fabbioli, of Fabbioli Cellars, has been producing superb wines for decades, and has made it a passion to share his wealth of experience with the next generation of Loudoun winemakers. The Rupys are next in line for that help, with Doug as their vineyard consultant. Nate Walsh meanwhile has been making a name for himself as winemaker of the well-regarded Sunset Hills wines since the early part of the last decade, and has now struck into owning his own business with Walsh Family Wines (at the old Northgate Winery site). Bob Rupy, no mean winemaker himself at Bluemont Vineyard, has talked Nate into holding the winemaking reins at O1V. That’s a lot of successful local talent to help a new winery. Of course, neither Fabbioli nor Walsh would be around if they did not see plenty of promise in O1V.