Quievremont Winery is located in Little Washington, in Rappahannock County, about an hour and 45 minutes from Big Washington. It forms part of “Reality Farm,” which has been in existence since the 1750s. The winery was opened in 2017 by owner John Guevremont, formerly a Marine Corps aviator, and executive in a resort company; John and wife Teri bought the farm in 2006. The name Quievremont, “goat hill,” is thought to be the original form (from Normandy) of John’s family name.
Wine. One of the Top 100 wineries in Virginia. Quievremont’s Chardonnay made a big splash at the prestigious 2022 San Francisco Chronicle nation-wide wine competition, coming away with an impressive double gold medal. Their 2018 vintage Vin de Maison (a Cabernet Franc-led red blend) also was awarded a gold medal at the same event. Multiple Quievremont wines have received silver medals at recent wine tasting competitions: their Petit Manseng and Rosé (at the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine competition), 2019 vintage Vin de Maison and Rouge de Ferme (at the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Cup), 2021 Petit Manseng, 2020 Cabrita (a Tempranillo-led red blend) and Vin de Maison (at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle competition). The 2020 Vin de Maison was given a bronze medal at the 2023 Governor’s Cup.
Setting. One star. Great views from the patio and tasting room over the Rappahannock County countryside and the Shenandoah Mountains. The newly-built tasting room was opened in 2017. Bring your own food.
Stories. Goats in Virginia. Quievremont in old French means “goat hill,” which is in this case appropriate not only with the winery owner’s name, but for their raising goats (among other animals) at the farm. You can see the theme on all the winery’s bottle labels. Goat farming, like vineyards and other high-value aspects of agriculture, has been increasing in Virginia. The state’s goat population is estimated at around 45,000, about a 30% increase over the last decade. The goats contribute both to the state’s production of meat (goat meat is supposedly leaner, with less fat and less cholesterol than lamb and beef meat) and artisan cheeses. Goat cheese farms in Vermont and eastern New York, the outcome in part of farm-to-table movements which started earlier than Virginia’s, produce top-quality (and often expensive) cheeses in high demand: Virginia is slowly starting to do the same. It’s hard to beat the combination of a good goat cheese and red wine!