Inside Fairfax County's first farm winery at Paradise Springs
CLIFTON, Va. - It’s that time of the year when people are looking for wineries.
Tucked away in rural Fairfax County, just off of Yates Ford Road in the historic town of Clifton is home to Paradise Springs.
"We are the first farm winery in Fairfax County," said Kirk Wiles.
On 36 acres of land that’s been in Wile’s family for nine generations.
Inside Fairfax County's first farm winery at Paradise Springs
The winery opened in 2010 but the idea to transform this property came about in 2005 when Wiles was having a conversation with his mother, who is also a co-founder.
"We saw the winery as a great vehicle to take that agriculture use and property and preserve it into the future," he explains.
Almost twenty years later, the family-owned business is competing with the best and winning.
Inside Fairfax County's first farm winery at Paradise Springs
FOX 5 got a chance to taste some of the winery’s best sellers.
"This is the one that was voted as the top Petit Manseng in the state of Virginia," said Wiles as he described the taste of Petit Manseng. "So you get a dry white wine, but there’s certainly an element of tropical fruit."
The wine has no borders. Wiles and five other Virginia wineries selected by the Governor’s Office were recently in Paris for Vinexpo; one of the largest winery conferences in the world.
"We got to go over there and really pour and represent Virginia and really show what we can do," Wiles said.
Inside Fairfax County's first farm winery at Paradise Springs
Producer quality wine, grown and bottled in Clifton.
"When you come in and taste wines, you’re literally tasting wine steps away from where that wine was aged," Wiles added.
Wiles gave us a tour of the property, starting with the Barrel Room that’s right across from the bar.
"In this room in particular, you have 236 barrels, every one of them is filled with wine," he explained before taking us to the production room in the basement.
"When the grapes come in here, we actually either destem the grapes and press them off to juice. You’re a part of the process when you come here," he said. "The second wine we are going to try today is in your honor, Nana’s Rose. This wine is actually a dry, French style rose."
Paradise Springs is a place where you don’t just taste a selection of almost 20 wines but also leave with some knowledge.
It’s named after the co-owner's 98-year-old grandmother. Nana's Rose is just one of the many wines here that hold a story like a bold red blend named "The Moment."
"There was a moment that my mother and I had at two o’clock in the morning in the cabin here on the property and decided to go into the wine industry at that moment," Wiles said.
Inside Fairfax County's first farm winery at Paradise Springs
It's a moment that changed their lives forever and hopefully does the same for Virginia’s underappreciated wine culture.
"When you go to France, you want to drink French wine. When you go to Italy you want to drink Italian wine, when people come to Washington D.C. or live here, we want them to drink VA wine," Wiles said.
Paradise Spring doesn’t end in Fairfax County, they’ve expanded to the West Coast with a winery in Santa Barbara, California.
For more information on both locations and upcoming events at Paradise Springs click here.