Keswick Vineyards, Early Mountain Vineyards, Knight’s Gambit Vineyard and The Draftsman Hotel
We LOVE October! Along with much anticipated cooler temps and pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins comes Virginia Wine Month! We celebrated in style with a quick trip to Charlottesville. We visited Keswick Vineyards, Early Mountain Vineyards, Knight’s Gambit Vineyard and stayed at the Draftsman hotel. Read on for details about our afternoon of dog-friendly wine tasting in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Keswick Vineyards
We’ve wanted to visit Keswick Vineyards for a while as they are one of two Virginia wineries we know of with a fenced, off-leash area for dogs (the other is 8 Chains North in Northern Virginia’s Purcellville). One of the things about the Charlottesville area (and we can’t call it a negative, so I’ll stick with “thing”) is that there are SO MANY amazing wineries. You can’t even put a dent in the list with one trip. So when we visit Charlottesville we generally plan our trip around clusters of vineyards. And Keswick has always been outside those clusters. Since this was an impromptu trip with lots of flexibility, we chose the inbound route that takes us through Keswick, which is just northeast of Charlottesville.
So glad we stopped! They are super dog friendly. We found water bowls around the patio as soon as we approached from the parking lot. And tons of seating! More on that later. Once inside the tasting room, where dogs are allowed inside, we found a jar of treats just for the pups. Rummy was enthusiastically greeted and I felt at ease with her. Rather than the tasting, I opted for the flight so that I could enjoy it outside in the off-leash area. The tasting room has a little over a dozen bar stools at the tasting counter, but no seating inside. So if it’s a hot or rainy/snowy day, you may not be able to stick around after your tasting. But the weather was perfect, so we headed outside.
Seating
The patio has a few dozen tables, so you should haven’t trouble finding seating on a nice day. They also have two sofa seating areas under the covered portion. They were outfitted with fall decor and looked so inviting. You could definitely get comfortable there for an afternoon.
The fenced, off-leash area has two picnic tables, a water station and a trash can for waste bags. It’s a nice size–maybe 30 yards from one end to the other. Rummy is hit or miss on running in large areas. For the most part, she just likes to poke around and explore so this area was perfect for her. If you’re expecting a large, open area for your dog to sprint, this isn’t it. If you’re expecting a nice area for your pup to explore and stretch her legs while you relax and sip wine, you’ll love it.
We give Keswick Vineyards 5 Pups for allowing dogs in the tasting room, lots of seating options, treats and several water bowls throughout, and the fenced, off-leash area. We generally reserve 5 Pups for wineries with indoor seating options, but the off-leash area pushed them over the top. They also participate in the Virginia Wine Pass (great discounts)!
Early Mountain Vineyards
Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison was the next stop. It’s 27 miles North of Keswick, which takes about 40 minutes on VA-231. This one is definitely out of the way from Keswick, but we were meeting friends at Early Mountain and had a flexible schedule, so we enjoyed the scenic drive with the beautiful rolling hills of Charlottesville.
Early Mountain does not allow dogs in the tasting room, but they do have a mostly-covered patio and spectacular lawn. It wasn’t busy and were able to get a table in the corner, so Rummy hung out for a few minutes while we checked out the tasting room. This likely isn’t an option on a weekend, but it was a slow weekday so we made it a quick tour inside.
They do have quite an impressive food selection, much more than the standard charcuterie board. We ordered a little bit of everything– roasted maitake mushroom, olives, pork belly, charcuterie & cheese board and a few baskets of bread with the most delicious salted butter.
The lawn is really beautiful with picnic tables and Adirondack chairs. It would be a great spot to spend the afternoon. But after our lunch, we headed down to Charlottesville to check in to the hotel.
We give Early Mountain 3 Pups for covered/shaded patio seating and an expansive lawn. I expect it becomes very busy on the weekends as it’s such a destination winery, so be sure your dog is good with crowds or you have someone to sit with them if you head inside for a tasting.
The Draftsman, Autograph Collection Hotel
We generally choose to rent private homes on our trips to Charlottesville as we like having a yard for Rummy to explore. Airbnb has tons of options, some as low as ~$100/night. As this was just a quick trip, we opted for a hotel. The Draftsman is in downtown Charlottesville and the pet fee is only $25/night (max two pets per room)! It is part of the Marriott brand, but has a more boutique feel. Very stylish and comfortable.
We really didn’t spend much time in the hotel or take advantage of amenities, so unfortunately I don’t have a ton of information (or photos) to share. We left our cars with the valet and then headed out in an Uber to our last winery. But the staff was very welcoming to Rummy, and the location provided many dining and walk routes. They also have a nice lobby where you could relax with your pup. I’d absolutely stay here again.
We give them 5 Pups for such a low fee, comfortable places to relax with your dog and central location for access to dining, shopping, etc.
Knight’s Gambit Vineyard
Our last winery of the day was Knight’s Gambit Vineyard, about 14 miles northwest of Charlottesville, which was about a 25-minute ride. They allow dogs in the tasting room and have their own sweet winery dog.
The tasting room has a small counter, large enough for five to six people. There were several seating options inside– a sofa, a few chairs and a table. It has the feel of a comfortable living room. Rummy said hi to the winery dog while we enjoyed our tasting then we all headed outside.
The patio is completely covered and has ~10 tables and chairs facing the lawn. There were a few couples seated and they all looked very comfortable. We opted for the lawn where there are several picnic tables. The lawn is a really nice size- we walked Rummy around to explore intermittently and she really liked it. They do offer a few food options so we had some cheese and took in the peaceful setting.
We give Knight’s Gambit 5 Pups for allowing dogs in the tasting room, providing water, indoor seating options and covered/shaded outdoor seating options. They also participate in the Virginia Wine Pass!
Uber
We do Uber often with Rummy and have only once encountered a driver that did not allow her. Once the ride is confirmed and the driver’s contact info is available, I call to ensure they are ok with her. Be sure to do this as soon as the ride is confirmed so you won’t be charged a cancellation fee should the driver not allow your dog.
More Dog-Friendly Ideas
Looking for more dog-friendly wine tasting in Charlottesville or other areas? Check out our Wineries page where you can filter by location, access to tasting room and more. You can also check out more of our reviews on the Reviews page.