50 West Vineyards — Attraction in Brambleton

If you like crisp white wines and a good view this is the place for you! However, I would like to add an extra two cents because on my third visit here I did have an unpleasant time. If you only care about the wine, do not read past this point, the wine is great.

I went here for a friends birthday, the week before she had been here and asked if it was ok to bring a group of people here for a birthday. They said it was fine, but that they could not accommodate balloons inside, only outside. Thrilled, we made our plans.

A week later we showed up with a picnic and crew in tow, as well as a few balloons. When we got here we were immediately greeted by the manager who informed us we could not have balloons at all. We informed her that we had been told it was fine outside but not inside. She informed us it was not ok either way and the website said so. After she left, we searched the website and found no mention of balloons so we stayed where we were.

Later, the manager came back out to question why we had not abandoned the balloons. After we informed her that the website had made no distinction, she proceeded to say “Also, I’m the manager” and that essentially what she said went. When she realized the website said nothing of balloons, she made a weak excuse and still made us get rid of them.

After this odd interaction, the manager acted very cold to us and did not offer the same amenities to guests when it began to rain as I had previously received from other managers.

The point in explaining this all is:

1. The vineyard needs to standardize it’s protocol and normalize it among staff, because it made an otherwise fun day very awkward and
2. if you are planning to have an event here, validate plans with the manager who will be here day of so there is no confusion.

I hate to say that something that was so small made such a big impact, but we felt incredibly unwelcome and unwanted after this and made the day very uncomfortable. I will not be back to...

My group had a very bad experience with 50 West. I hired a bus to do a tour of northern VA wineries for my wife's birthday. 50 West was supposed to be the last of three wineries we visited, but when we showed up we received a less than hospitable reception. The tasting manager stopped the bus immediately and asked if we had a reservation. We did not, so he said he would see what he could do and returned inside. Several minutes went by and he did not return so I went inside to talk to him. He was not making any effort to accommodate us and stated we were not allowed inside because they did not allow groups without a reservation. I informed him that nowhere on their website does it say anything about this. I told him we came all the way out from DC and it was my wife's birthday, could he please make an exception? Still the answer was no. I told him that we didn't need a group tasting and were happy to split into smaller groups. There was only 11 of us in our group, so it wasn't as if there were 30 of us about to take over the tasting room. Also, the winery wasn't even crowded at that time. I was then told we were not allowed inside. He said they were going to announce last call soon even though they their advertised closing time was 6:30 PM. It was 5:40 PM. I again pleaded with him but he said it was their policy. I reminded him that this policy was not made available to the public. He said our bus tour company should have known and told me. I told him they had not. Realizing I was making no progress I asked to speak to the manager. He said he was the manager and that I needed to leave. I can not recall ever being treated this rudely for no reason. I returned to the bus and we returned to DC having only seen two wineries thanks to 50 West. I highly discourage anyone from visiting this winery. Their customer service and hospitality are...

What was better, the wine or Joe? .... Driving up to the property you are greeted by the stunning rolling hills and quaint property. I should have brought my tennis racket. The warm decor compliments the view of the mountains and invites you to enjoy a glass ( or 6 ) of wine. We were greeted by Joe and invited to a tasting of wine. I'm no stranger to a tasting. I have enjoyed the company of many wines. And the wine was great. 50 West has the variety to satisfy any pallet. From the dry to sweet white or bold and complex reds there is a wine to capture the interest of anyone. But the wine is not the only area where 50 West shines. Joe walked us through each bottle with captivating takes of his life. We laughed, exchanged ideas, and talked about life like old friends do. It was joes warm Appalachian personality that made our time special. It complimented the wine like a fine cheese or aged beef but none of the calories. We look forward...