31-01-2025
Opening this year in Goochland: A 7 Lady Vineyards tasting room and gourmet provisions shop
7 Lady Vineyards in Goochland is building a tasting room and gourmet provisions shop on the grounds of the massive estate it shares with event venue Dover Hall.
Why it matters: It should open later this year and is just a short drive over the Henrico/Goochland line.
State of play: Dover Hall owners Chad Hornik and Jeff Ottaviano planted the first seeds for their on-site vineyard in 2018, a year after the duo took over the 38,000-square-foot estate special events venue.
7 Lady's first estate-grown wines — Cabernet Franc and Viognier — were harvested in 2022 and both were honored by the Virginia Governor's Cup annual wine award. A wine club was added last year.
The on-site tasting room is the latest development on the 55-acre property, which also includes the Dover Hall wedding and event venue.
Zoom in: Construction is slated to begin soon to convert an existing barn into a 3,500-square-foot tasting room, complete with a terrace and in-house gourmet shop, which was first reported by BizSense.
The gourmet provisions shop will feature locally-made items like curried chicken salad and homemade jams, plus a selection of meats, cheeses, olives and nuts so folks can make their own charcuterie spread, Ottaviano tells Axios.
The items can be taken to-go, plated to enjoy in-house or put together as traveling charcuterie box for folks visiting multiple wineries that day.
The tasting room will serve 7 Lady's portfolio of more than two dozen wines, which includes their varietals of Virginia wines, plus their wines made outside of the state, like their Malbec, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.
There are also plans for a 2,000-square-foot pavilion facing the pond on the property, which will get a lighted water fountain, plus fire pits, gazebos and additional seating on the nearby grounds.
What's next: 7 Lady Vineyards' tasting room should open by the end of 2025.
