WindSong Winery

WindSong Winery
5801 Funny Tree Trail
Columbia, Virginia
USA 23038
Phone: (804) 457-2865
http://www.windsongwinery.com

Contact: Jim & Sherry Ramey

The name WindSong was derived from the frequent and changing soft melodies caused by winds blowing through the loblolly pines and other trees surrounding and scattered throughout the property.

WindSong Farm is 90 acres nestled in the western section of Goochland County. This 90 acre parcel was a part of the Young America Gold Mining Company property which originally consisted of 308 acres. Gold was panned from the creek and taken from deep shaft mines in the early 1900’s. The first three sections of the original property are privately owned by a descendent of Mr. Theodor Kuntzen, who resides there today. Mine shafts still exist on various parts of the property, although most have been filled in. Gold flakes can still be panned in the creek running through our property, but you do not want to quit your day job.

Jim and Sherry Ramey purchased the fourth parcel of the original property Circa 1997. It had been farmed as a loblolly pine forest for most of the previous 100 years, and prior to the purchase, it had recently been clear cut and had not been replanted as a pine forest.

The Ramey’s, with the addition of David Terrill, and many friends and family, spent the next six years clearing portions of the front 30 acres of the property. Bob Blansfield joined the clean up crew in 1999.
During the building of the detached garage, the house, and other outbuildings, Bob made the off hand statement “we have all this land, why don’t we grow some grapes and make a little wine”. That statement started the great adventure!

After months of research and a trip to Canada, we selected Dornfelder wine as a favorite. Dornfelder grapes are so versatile that they can be made into a rich robust full-bodied wine, a lite refreshing sweet wine, or even a delicious port wine. The wines compliment a variety of foods and can be enjoyed with meats, spicy dishes, cheese and crackers or as a simple sipping wine.
After finding that Dornfelder wine was produced at two locations in the United States, we decided that WindSong Farm would be the first to pioneer the growing of Dornfelder grapes in Virginia. Our goal was to introduce this exceptional German red wine to the Old Dominion!
The first vines were planted in 2003 and consisted of 100 Dornfelder plants. Additional vines and the winery inevitably followed.
Although Dornfelder wine, oaked and unoaked, is, and will remain our basic showcase wine, our winemaker is currently experimenting with different styles and blends of wines to please a wide variety of discriminating palates.
In the future, we will be offering Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, dessert wines, and others.

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