We have been growing grapes for nearly two decades at our property, nestled at the eastern edge of the Shenandoah National Park in the shadow of Old Rag Mountain and White Oak Canyon.
Our story is best described as a “hobby gone wild,” and you can read a fun and interesting set of articles from the Piedmont Virginian Magazine about how we got started and our journey over the years. These are available on the Occasional Musings page.
We initially sold our grapes to a winery up the road, and wines that included our grapes won a number of awards, including the Virginia Governor’s Cup as the best wine in the state and the Best Wine in the East (out of 1,400 entries) in another competition.
So we decided to begin bottling a small amount of wine under our own label, exclusively for friends and neighbors and a small but growing email list of “fans and followers.” We are gratified that it was well received and in fact sold out completely in each of the three years we did it
Which brings us to today: We expanded production and opened to the public in 2010, with a gorgeous new tasting room and boutique winery at our vineyard site at the edge of the Shenandoah National Park.
We continue to do things our own way – selling our wine only on site (not in any stores), in small batches of the highest possible quality (and still selling out each year), and with a fantastic, loyal base of customers who appreciate the uniqueness of our operation and help spread the word.
“In all of our operations, we strive to respect the environment and to support local businesses. We invite you to learn more about our stewardship practices.
We welcome your visit and are happy to share our story and our wines with you.”
– Scott Elliff, Owner
Here is a fun podcast from the “Life Between the Vines” series that features an interview with Scott and details what DuCard is all about.
[audio src="https://lifebetweenthevines.com/podcasts_mp3/podcast_148_ducard_vineyards.mp3" /]
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