Reynard Florence Vineyard is on a small country road off of Highway 33, west of Barboursville and some 30 minutes northeast of Charlottesville. The winery is owned by central Virginians Roe and Dee Allison, who started a farm here in 1976. The 3.5 acres of vines were planted in 2006, and with assistance from Michael Shaps’ wineworks wine production enabled the opening of the small tasting room in 2011. The winery’s name combined the old French word for “fox” and Dee’s given first name.
Wine. Tier II. Several Reynard Florence wines have been awarded silver medals in Virginia wine tasting competitions in the past few years. At the 2023 Virginia state-wide Governor’s Cup competition, their 2021 Petit Manseng came away with a silver medal (their Petit Verdot managed a bronze medal). At he 2022 Governor’s Cup, their 2019 vintage Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay all received silver medals. At the 2022 Monticello Cup, a competition for wineries in the Monticello AVA, Reynard Florence’s 2019 Cabernet Franc and 2020 “Ti Rey Rosé” won silver medals. And back in 2021, their 2017 Cabernet Franc and 2016 “Recherché” (a Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot blend) were silver medal winners, while six other wines were given bronze medals. Production is limited to less than 100 cases annually, focused on white wines, with Petit Manseng being the featured grape.
Setting. One star. Excellent views of the vineyard and the Piedmont hills in the distance. Small and cozy tasting room, not unusually overcrowded. The Corgi is a bonus.
Stories. Learning to make wine in Virginia — Piedmont Virginia Community College. Roe and Dee, owners of Reynard Florence, learned to become winemakers by attending Piedmont Virginia Community College’s initial enology and viticulture programs, graduating in 2006. Both hold certificates in Enology and Winemaking. With the boom in Virginia wines, several other aspiring winemakers have taken a similar route to the Allisons. PVCC offers Virginia’s only certificate programs for Viticulture (grape-growing), Enology (winemaking), and Tasting Room management. Instructors include Virginia industry professionals (students could have celebrated Virginia wine-pioneer Gabriele Rausse lecturing on pruning of vines). The program offers classes on everything from site selection, vineyard management, spraying the vineyard, canopy management, to legal issues, and even repairing tractors.