Born from Jerry Deal’s home winemaking hobby, Forks of Cheat Winery has produced wine in the Appalachian Mountains of north-central West Virginia since July 1990. The family-run winery, where Jerry works alongside his wife Susan and son Eric, produces more than 20,000 gallons annually and has become known for its prize-winning wines made in an old-world tradition.
WineTree VineyardsThe Craig Bandy family’s WineTree Vineyards grows grapes and makes, processes, and bottles its wines on its farm in Vienna, West Virginia. Craig and Candice Bandy bought the farm in 2001 after Craig had spent more than 30 years making wine as a hobby, then sold their first bottle as a bonded West Virginia Farm Winery on July 4, 2008. Today, the farm winery pairs traditional dry wines with sweet varieties and welcomes visitors to its tasting room, where the production area is visible through large glass windows.VIENNA, WV
West-Whitehill Winery, LtdSince 1981, West-Whitehill Winery has made wines from grapes grown in the cool, dry Potomac Highlands of eastern West Virginia. Founded by Steve West with a few acres and homemade equipment, the Moorefield winery now produces thousands of cases, with dessert wines blended with pure fruit, berry, and spice flavors as its specialty. Steve’s daughter Amanda manages the vineyard and family member Tyler Wilkins serves as winemaker and winery manager.MOOREFIELD, WV
Kirkwood WineryKirkwood Winery is a West Virginia winery and distillery producing wines and spirits in a rural valley three miles north of Summersville. The first vineyard in the region was planted by Rodney Facemire and his sons in 1984; after winter and drought losses, the vineyard was replanted and expanded to more than six acres, yielding 40 tons of grapes and over 10,000 gallons of wine annually. Frank and Elizabeth Dix have owned the winery since 2017, carrying on its local winemaking tradition.SUMMERSVILLE, WV
Red Heifer WineryOn a 56-acre Smithsburg hillside that was once the Naylor Peach Orchard, Kevin and Yvonne Ford run Red Heifer Winery, making wine from a vineyard planted in 2010. Owner and winemaker Kevin Ford processes, ages, and bottles every wine on-site, while the family farm’s history—from peaches and apples to dairy and hay—still shapes the winery’s character. Opened in November 2012, the adults-only winery pairs its dry and sweet wines with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains.SMITHSBURG, MD