8 Chains North Visit

I stopped by 8 Chains North during its opening weekend and got the chance to check out the tasting room.

The tasting room is off of Route 9 on the left hand side just before you get to 287 (assuming you are coming from Leesburg). There is a small sign, so you have to watch for it :). They are set up in a barn (which is an ongoing theme with Loudoun County wineries ;)), but the inside has a very elegant, Persian, feel to it.




The tasting bar is huge, with two sides, so plenty of room for throngs of fans, and there is a nice little patio area on the outside. They also have the coolest weather vane I have ever seen.

At the bar they are tasting 4 wines: LoCo Vino, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Furnace Mountain Red (All 5 Bordeaux varietals sourced from their furnace mountain vineyard).

They also have a Cabernet Sauvignon available, but there are so few cases left they are not tasting it.




Ben Renshaw the owner, vineyard manager and winemaker at 8 Chains North took a minute to talk to me while I was there. They plan on producing about 1500 cases this year and he has some great expansion plans for the new space.

He has space set aside for a tank room, which means he won't have to ferment inside a trailer any more and his barrel room looks great.

If Ben looks familiar, it is because his LoCo Vino has been available at Fabbioli Cellars for the last couple of years and he stops by occasionally to pour and talk about it.

Ben plans on doing the same thing for other winemakers that Doug did for him, he has already identified a winemaker whose wines he plans on showcasing and you should see those wines in the 8 Chains North tasting room soon.