Ten Wines I Loved in 2025

Here we go again….

For the third year running, I’m back with a list of ten wines I absolutely adored this year. This whole tradition started in 2023 and rolled right through 2024, and as a creature of habit, I’m just gonna keep it going. As always, these aren’t necessarily wines released in 2025 — just wines I tasted for the first time this year and immediately thought: I would absolutely pour this for you… if I hadn’t already drunk most of my stash.

So without further ado, here are my top ten (in no particular order):

2023 Ankida Ridge Chardonnay

If a Chardonnay makes it on my list, you know it’s something special. Grocery-store Chard ruined the grape for me long ago, and it rarely delivers the zing I want — but this one from Ankida Ridge? This is bright, layered, fresh, and beautifully acidic. I drank a lot of this wine in 2025 and loved every bottle. (And yes, the ’24 vintage just gets better with each cork popped.) If you missed the 2023 before it sold out, don’t worry — I may have tucked away a couple. Bring me an arepa or some excellent Indian takeout and I might share.

2023 Glen Manor Cabernet Sauvignon

I missed out on Glen Manor‘s 2022 vintage (minus one glorious bottle at Amber Ox in Williamsburg), so I wasn’t letting the 2023 escape. This bottle is all about fresh, elegant fruit with restrained tannins. It’s a “drink now and be delighted” kind of wine, and I’m already eager to see what 2024 brings. It’s still on the website as available, so if I were you, I’d swing by or order online. I bought enough that I have half a case remaining, and I’m hoping to keep it running until the ’24 vintage is released.

2022 Hark Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is about to dominate lists like this thanks to climate change pushing Virginia fruit to beautiful ripeness. Hark‘s has lovely fruit, good depth, and a subtle earthiness that works equally well with dinner or on a cool evening deck hang. I’m watching for the ’23 release very, very closely. This one requires some pairing too – goes beautifully with steak. Or evenings after a tough day at work.

2023 Hark Cabernet Franc

Now available at Wegmans, which is dangerous because I can easily replenish my stash. This is fresh, tasty Cabernet Franc that plays well with basically anything — food, no food, Tuesday, whatever. Just an easy, joyful drinkable bottle. This may be one of the easiest drinking Cabernet Francs I’ve had in a while, and it’s a go-to for me.

2023 Domaine Finot Malbec

Slight chill, big grin. Carbonic maceration might be one of my new favorite things, and this wine is a perfect example of why. This wine from Matthieu Finot is purple-fruited, plum-heavy, a little cherry, super refreshing — I finish this bottle without trying. Turk Mountain seems to have a magic touch with Malbec, which tends to be tough to grow in Virginia – I’ve been missing it since the wipeout of Arterra’s Malbec planting due to extreme cold in winter 2018. While this is a different style, it’s fantastic and fun. If you find the ’23, buy it; it’s getting harder to track down.

2024 King Family Mountain Plains Rosé

It pays to have friends in wine clubs you don’t belong to. We tasted this with Matthieu on a tour and I was instantly smitten. I had a lot of excellent Rosé this year, but this King Family Petit Verdot Rosé absolutely blew my socks off. I know in my brain the acidity is higher, but the presentation is gentle and wonderful. This was gorgeous.

2023 Pollak Merlot

2025 might officially be the year I fell in love with Virginia Merlot. The Pollak Merlot vertical we attended with Kenny opened my eyes — this grape shines here. This wine is part of that wave of amazing wines from 2023 we all knew were coming. I’m ready for a tidal wave of ’23 vintage red releases. So glad there’s plenty of this floating around, cause it goes fast in my house.

2022 Pollak Cabernet Sauvignon

Another standout Cab from a strong vintage at Pollak. This wine has an “old soul” vibe — deep, earthy, refined tannins, and an elegance that makes opening a bottle feel like an occasion. If I gift you one, it means I love you. Deeply.

2022 Mount Alto Tributary

A Cab-heavy blend from Mount Alto with Merlot from Mount Juliet/Grace Estate that softens and elevates everything around it. Their consistent, silky Cabernet Sauvignon leads the way with a whisper of Petit Verdot earthiness in the distance. The Merlot component dances on your palate as you sip. Liquid velvet, pure soul. I scored a magnum and plan to age it into something even more glorious.

2024 Pollak Rosé

A rosé with 24% Nebbiolo? Yes please. This bottle surprised nearly everyone I poured it for. The Nebbiolo adds depth to the wine, giving it more heft and satisfaction than your typical dry strawberry-raspberry rosé. Truly impressive.

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Honorable Mentions

2024 Arterra Albariño: I adore Virginia Albariño and had a lot of them this year — Arterra‘s was one of my favorites. Bright citrus, refreshing, and hard to leave off the list. It was a struggle to not expand from ten wines with this one. I’m really looking forward to the ’25 release.

2022 Glen Manor Nebbiolo: I didn’t know I could love a Nebbiolo until this bottle. I absolutely should have bought more. Lesson learned. ’23 is on the way and I’m fighting you to fill my case!

2024 Delve “Aurora”: 80% Roussanne, 20% Albariño, adds up to 100% delicious. Delve’s wine is soft and expressive. This is a bottle I happily pour for guests — and routinely drag people to the Virginia Wine Collective to taste. They come again willingly. The bright Albariño puts zing in the refined Roussanne, and this is just so great. Only one left in my house :(.

2022 Jake Busching Cabernet Franc: Jake’s wines always make me happy, and this one shows exactly why. Elegant fruit, confident presence, zero pretense. If I could put F8 on this list every year, I would. Who makes these rules?

2023 Hark Rosé: A Cabernet Sauvignon rosé from the stellar 2023 vintage. More depth than tang, and absolutely perfect with raw oysters on their patio.

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And that’s the outcome of a year packed with fantastic Virginia wine. The dam is officially breaking — the 2023 reds are arriving in force, and next year’s list might be even harder to assemble. Think Ankida Ridge 2023 Pinot Noir, Arterra’s 2023 estate reds, Pollak 2023 Nebbiolo, Glen Manor 2023 Nebbiolo, and whatever Hark, Mount Alto, and everyone else are about to unleash.

I’ll be here tasting it all and telling you about it — but now it’s your turn.

What were your top ten Virginia wines of the year?
Which of these did you love, and what did I miss that I should absolutely track down?

Drop your favorites in the comments — I love discovering what moved you this year.

Keep loving that Virginia wine, friends! 🍷