Affiliated with the Hope & Glory Inn in downtown Irvington, this vineyard has over six acres of grapes as well as a charming tasting room serving up wine and lite fare (including local oysters) on a screen-in porch and outdoor patio. The vineyard also offers lodging, with a complex of cabins located in a wooded area set back from the tasting room. On the grounds, birders will find that the areas not planted with grapes comprise several large, grassy fields that are teeming with Eastern Meadowlarks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and other open country species. During the spring and summer months, there are often swifts, swallows, and martins coursing above the fields. In the right year, this is a spot worth checking for Dickcissels. Directly south of the tasting room, the largest of these fields is bisected by the aptly named “Road To Nowhere,” a paved road that abruptly deadends, offering easy access to bird these fields. The cabins are set back in a wooded area where you can expect to find woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice and, in the appropriate season, warblers and vireos. There are typically also a few House Sparrows hanging around by the tasting room.
Accessibility: The vineyard is located right on Irvington Road (VA 200), just north of the town of Irvington. Two giant corkscrew sculptures flanking the entrance make it nearly impossible to miss the turn. All of the fields can be birded from the entrance drive to the winery or the Road To Nowhere, which is on the right just past the tasting room. The cabins are available for overnight stays, and the tasting room is open all week, serving charcuterie and lite pairings Monday-Friday and a fuller menu on weekends. The tasting room also has bathrooms. Though the fields can be birded without visiting the vineyard, birders may want to consider stopping in for a tasting or glass of wine as a courtesy. If you do so, you are unlikely to be disappointed!
Owner/Manager: The Hope & Glory Inn
eBird Hotspot: The Dog & Oyster Vineyard
—Matt Anthony
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