Fall in the Shenandoah Valley brings postcard-worthy panoramas of mountain and rolling farmland. It brings sweater weather, made even better with family pictures frolicking in fallen leaves. It brings harvest and Halloween fun. It brings rich, malty beers and pumpkin-spice everything. But if you want to celebrate changing seasons with a new taste, why not enjoy a glass of Virginia wine or cider sourced from local apples at a brewery along the Beerwerks Trail? Read on to uncork flavor!
Zone C
Bring a picnic and kick back on the lawn or deck at Rockbridge Vineyard & Brewery to enjoy the autumn sunshine and the vineyard’s award-winning wines, served by flight, glass, or bottle. Try the DeChiel Cabernet Franc, winner of the 2025 VWA Governor’s Cup award for its “spicy and rich red fruit flavors and aroma.” Cider fans will enjoy Rock Dry Cider, made with a blend of locally-grown Winesap and Golden Delicious apples. And those wanting to toast the season with something special should raise a glass of the estate-grown Sparkling Riesling.
Great Valley Farm Brewery & Winery compliments the autumnal leaves with wines coming in shades of red, pink, and yellow. Want red? Try the Petit Verdot or the 2020 Red Blend, which boasts notes of cherry and raspberry. White wine standouts include the 2023 White Blend and the estate-grown 2022 Gruner Veltliner, which is partially fermented and aged in French oak. Don’t skip the 2022 Vin Gris Rosé, and if you’re looking for something sweet, taste the Blaufrankisch Dessert Wine. Grab a spot at a picnic table or in an Adirondack chair to relax before setting out on your next Valley adventure.
Heliotrope Brewery’s bright and dry Troddenvale House Cider hails from Warm Springs. If you prefer sweeter tastes, try the Pomme Mary, a semi-sweet cider from Albemarle Ciderworks. Wine fans will like the Great Valley Farm’s Gruner Veltliner (white) or the Italian Vina Galana Tempranillo (red). Hungry after a long hike or day spent exploring Lexington’s shops and museums? Heliotrope’s exciting lineup of wood-fired, sourdough (or cauliflower-dough) pizzas awaits!
Other Cider and Wine in Zone C:
Zone B
Stable Craft Brewing serves craft beer and Hermitage Hills cider that’s made onsite, and a trip to the farm brewery is always an adventure. Stable Craft’s Sly Dry Cider incorporates three types of apples and brings to mind apple wine, while the traditional semi-dry Green Apple Cider is crisp and delicious. You can also get this in sweet/tart blackberry, refreshing white peach or zesty tangerine. Hang onto your memories of your summer beach trip with the Tequila Sunrise Cider that’s flavored with citrus, cherries, and just a touch of tequila. If you prefer wine, the brewery serves California red along with sparkling white and rosé blends.
While they don’t serve cider, Queen City Brewing Co. suggests that “when life starts hurling fruit, you grab it and make fruit beer.” Try their delicious (and addictive) Hard-Pressed Apple or Hard-Pressed Ginger. Or plan ahead for Thanksgiving with Hard-Pressed Cranberry. And along with a big menu of craft beers on tap, Queen City also carries two different types of fruity, tart, sweet sangria: Diamond and Ruby. Grab a seat outside for a chat with good friends as the sun goes down.
In town for Waynesboro’s Fall Foliage Art Festival this weekend? After the festival, nothing hits the spot quite like the Basque Sangria from Basic City Beer Co.’s Showroom, a bright blend of fresh fruit soaked in red wine, brandy, and triple sec, topped off with their bold Bask DIPA. Or, don’t take our word for it: choose from the Basic City Beer Co. menu of draft beer, wine, cider, and cocktails.
PRO RE NATA+ serves Blue Toad Hard Cider’s crisp and refreshing Paddy Green cider fermented with Nelson County apples. You can also order Into the Orchard Cider, a good spice-forward fit for fall weather that warms you up like a cozy sweater. We hear that it’s good both cold and warm, especially if you are hanging out around the firepit.
Other Cider and Wine in Zone B:
Zone A
Along with beer, White Oak Lavender Farm and Purple WOLF Vineyard serves cider and wine. You can order white, red, and lavender-infused wines and cool off on the last few remaining hot days with icy wine slushies. Try the Dragonfly, a chardonnay blend offering floral aromatics, bright fruit, and notes of honeysuckle, peach, and apple. The off-dry Traminette is another solid choice, with notes of honey and lavender and a crisp balance of sweetness and pepper.
Elkton Brewing has expanded its beverage options to include wine, hard cider and mead. The grape-forward Sangue Di Alce Sangiovese (Italian red) is crafted onsite with Italian grapes! The brewery also offers both a dry cider, Betwixt, and their Off the Press sweet cider to meet your palate’s sweet spot. And if you want something new, with a connection “to the folks that called this beautiful place home long before we showed up,” try the Wahdooleesee mead, a honey wine that takes its name from the Cherokee word for “honey.”
The Friendly Fermenter doesn’t make cider or wine, per se, but their brut ales tread the line between beer, wine, cider, and sparkly seltzer. Start with the Must Wine a Bit – Sauvignon Blanc, which is created when a brut ale base is fermented with sauvignon blanc grape must. The brewery also serves their Can’t Believe It’s not Seltzer brut ale blended with mango nectar or raspberry and lemonade.
Other Cider and Wine in Zone A:
Beerwerks Fall Flavors
Not all the breweries offer wine or cider, but some do have additional flavors that taste great in fall weather.
Three Notch’d Brewing Company welcomes fall with Apple Crumb, a red ale that’s brewed with Virginia apples and fall flavors like vanilla and cinnamon, and Biggie S’mores an Imperial milkstout flavored with graham crackers and chocolate malts. Those who spend the year counting down the days to pumpkin spice season will love the Pumpkin Spice Lager they can score at Devils Backbone Outpost Taproom & Kitchen.
Looking for Oktoberfest beer? Try Pale Fire Brewing Company’s Festbier, Feel the Rain Brothers Craft Brewery’s Fest Bier, or Seven Arrows Brewing Company’s Fallen Timbers Oktoberfest Märzen. They all pair well with brats, firepits, and autumnal celebrations.
Does hard seltzer come close enough to cider or wine to count? The Alpine Goat Brewery serves a pretty, pink Prickly Pear & Passion Fruit Hard Seltzer.
Fall weather is great for outdoor fun followed by a visit to a Beerwerks brewery. And don’t stop after tasting the craft beer: check out their cider and wine offerings as well!
