Stone Tower Winery
- Located on the outskirts of Leesburg in eastern Loudoun County, on Hogback Mountain Road (a long dirt road brings you here). Family owned property since about 1980, with the winery opening in 2012. Owners Mike and Kristi Huber also own Belfort’s furniture store; daughter Lacey manages the winery. Stone Tower is one of the most popular wineries in the area, and one of the largest. There are over 300 acres here, 75 acres planted and more under development, with 13 different varietals, and production of about 10,000 cases annually. You’ll find two separate tasting rooms here – one in the Harvest Barn, which is family-friendly and has space for picnics, the other one in the Tower View Tasting Room. A third space, with the wonderful name of Wild Boar Hall (appropriate on Hogback Mountain), is available to club members.
- Wine. Tier II. A wide variety of varietals and blends available. The whites are better known, notably the Viognier. The “sanglier noble” is a notable red blend, while the Meritage was awarded a spot in the 2016 Governor’s Case, the top twelve wines in the state-wide wine competition. The winery has not been presenting at competitions in some years. Some people like the wine, some don’t. But the business model here is more about entertainment and views. “Joy in every bottle,” the slogan on the corks, is nice. Some of the grapes are brought in from the west coast to supplement the vineyard’s current production. Prices are average.
- Setting. Two stars. Stunning views from the top of Hogback Mountain. Cheese, charcuterie and chocolates available, as well as wood-fired pizza on weekends and food trucks in Summer. Frequent live music. Expect it to be generally crowded (though there is a lot of space), and be prepared for weekend events such as weddings – don’t arrive expecting quiet.
- Stories. One star. Natural Virginia — Catoctin Mountain. Hogback is one of the many ridges along Catoctin Mountain, which runs from just below Leesburg north through Frederick County, Maryland, to the west of US Highway 15. Along with the Bull Run Mountains, Catoctin Mountain forms the Easternmost ridge of the Blue Ridge. It is more commonly referred to as the Catoctin Mountains, although geological convention prefers using the singular for a long formation without any distinct peaks, just ridges. The mountain you are on was once taller than Mount Everest –as is true of much of the Appalachians, long since eroded well-down from their original heights. The Catoctin formation, which underlies the mountain but stretches much further north and south, is made up of ancient lava flows (no, the volcanos of Virginia are no longer active – haven’t been for… about 550 million years). The mountain is home to many state parks and recreation areas; its most famous place of recreation, if of a more private kind, is the presidential retreat of Camp David, on its northern section in Maryland. People come to enjoy the many trails in the second growth forest of the mountain, along with wildlife. Catoctin is an Algonquian name for “place of many deer.” Along with deer, black bears, turkeys, and timber rattlesnakes are in abundance on the mountain. A more unique (and legendary) creature was said to live in the forests here, at least back in the early 1900s: the snallygaster. The Catoctin snallygaster was described in a local newspaper as being a creature having “enormous wings, a long pointed bill, claws like steel hooks, and an eye in the center of its forehead,” and it was said to make a noise “like a locomotive whistle.” The beast reportedly seized a man and drained him entirely of blood prior to discarding him atop a hillside. Surely the presence of Prohibition-era bootlegging stills on Catoctin Mountain had nothing to do with the snallygaster’s appearance.