This is a lovely winery. They have multiple seating areas, upstairs and downstairs. You can sit…read moreinside or outside. They also had downstairs rooms for tasting as well. The staff is fantastic, very friendly and engaging. There is a limited menu with availability based on events and whether.food trucks are onsite. The vineyard is lovely and the grounds seem extensive with a lot going on. They had a large variety of wines ranging from white, rose, red, sparkling and port. It's great to have a place like this available!

What a sweet diamond in the middle of a cornfield! Went there last night to meet friends for the…read morevery first time and it was above exceptional! The wines are so good and the atmosphere is so cozy. They had music last night and it was like being in Nashville! I highly recommend this. They have rooms to rent houses to rent and just gorgeous fields and landscape. They have a food truck on the weekends and it's just as a perfect place to meet up and to spend your next weekend. Cheers y'all.

Pros:This vineyard is a delight for history lovers--it was built in the early 1800s and has served…read moremany purposes over the years, including a boys' school, a Union troop garrison during the Civil War, Washington Academy, a courthouse, and even a dairy farm. The tasting room is spacious and comfortable, with tables and couches perfect for relaxing with friends. There's also a charming gift shop, along with a selection of cheeses and snacks available for purchase. Cons:I tried the five-red tasting for $12, but none of the wines were especially memorable. The pours were inconsistent, with some wines served as one sip, some two, and others three. The cheeses for purchase are pricey, with 4 oz costing $13. The most significant issue was the wine glasses--each sip had a strong odor reminiscent of dirty sponge water, indicating that their glass-cleaning process needs major improvement. Overall: A charming vineyard with rich history and a comfortable tasting space, but the wines didn't impress and snacks are pricey. Great for the atmosphere, less so for the tasting. Based on this experience, I rate this establishment a 2.5 out of 5.

This was a large and lovely winery. It's a beautiful property with different buildings and spaces…read morefor wine, enjoying wine, listening to music or all sorts of events. The vinard is onsite and I believe they help other local wineries in the area to make wine. The employees were great, so friendly and knowledgeable. There was live music. They have some food on site and they have food trucks. The oyster food truck was wonderful. Can't wait to return.

Pros: Rick and Lori Gump (yes, like Forrest, but no…read morerelation, haha!) graciously welcomed us for a wine tasting right before a private party. Rick stayed and chatted with us the entire time--easily the kindest and most personable host we met on our trip. We left with a bottle of their fresh Autumn Apple Sangria and their Cabernet Sauvignon. The venue and property are fantastic, featuring a tasting room, ample space for parties and events, live music on Saturdays and some Sundays, food service, and a dog-friendly atmosphere. Simply put, they offer it all! Of the three wineries we visited during our three-day vacation, this was by far the best. If we're ever in the area again, we'll definitely stop back. Cons: None whatsoever!

Had an amazing time at the Backporch Vineyard. If you're ever in the area I definitely recommend…read morestopping in. The sangria was the best I've had and we bought several bottles of the Petit Verdot and Rose.

I gave this place at five star. We tried the dessert wines, the sweet wines and regular wines. My…read morefavorite were the chocolate Moyuka wine so good the peach wine and the watermelon wine. The staff was so friendly and knowledgeable. We sat outside after we had gone house shopping with my clients and we pulled over. It's very small nice little patio I felt like it was in the middle of the Italian hills somewhere Just so cute. I would recommend it if you're in the area Cove point Park is across the street great spot to grab a couple drinks and try some local wine very good. I would suggest that they add some food, maybe crackers, cheese, and fruits. They didn't really have anything. Luckily my clients brought chocolate and crackers so that helped.

Small winery located on the owners property. I bought a Groupon for myself and husband for 2 wine…read moretastings and were able to try a variety of wines. The service here despite it being crowded at the time of our arrival due to small seating space.

We were driving from OBX to Baltimore and this came up as one of the places on the way back north…read more I was skeptical but so glad we stopped! First, amazing wines. They even had Nobiolo Rose made with Rkatseteli grape juice which is an amazing grape varietal from the Republic of Georgi. Second, the employees! Very knowledgeable and welcoming! Hello to Carolyn! I recommend to anyone passing by or looking for hidden gems!

Great wine, fantastic service. We did a tasting of 7 wines, all the wines were good. I'm more of…read morea dry red lover, so I was very happy that they had 3 dry reds. The Syrah was my favorite and the Tannat was my husband's favorite. The winery is small, with an outdated feel to the decor, but the wine is worth the visit. I know the atmosphere is important to some people. The wine is what is important to me and I gave them 5 starts for the excellent wine. You can bring outside food. They have tables large enough for 8 people. They have a nice covered porch with seating to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. The staff is very attentive to their customers and knowledgeable with the wines and processes used to make the wines.

This is a must stop in... A Winery and Vinyard... in a super cute country town, WORTH THE…read more TRIP!!!!!!

I love finding hidden gems like the Rivah Vineyards at the Grove. I was in the area exploring some…read moreof the other wineries (there are three others within 10-15 driving distance) and wanted to try Rivah Vineyards since it is the newest, having only been open since November 2019. NOTE: If using your phone's GPS, Google Maps or WAZE are slightly off. Once your GPS indicates, "you've arrived" drive another 2-3 minutes and you'll see the entrance on your right. Drive up the slight incline and the first building on your right is where the main tasting room is located. Likely as you get out of your car, the unofficial mascot Happy (young chocolate lab mix) will come running up. But no worries, since he's a friendly pup who probably will have a ball in his mouth and just wants to play catch. Oh yeah, this place is very dog friendly! The best part of Rivah Vineyards, is the proprietor, Bryce. He immediately greeted our party and his enthusiasm was evident. Bryce is a local farmer and grower, who has spent many years assisting other vineyards in the area with their operations. So after helping other people, he decided to set up his own winery...and his decision is our gain for Virginia's every expanding wine industry. Bryce is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to Virginia wines and we probably spent more time talking to him about how the high clay content determines which grapes grow the best than, we spent actually spent drinking wines. If visiting and lucky enough to encounter Bryce, ask him about VA's terroir. Terroir in French literally means "soil" or "earth" and having a background as a farmer, allows Bryce to know what grapes can be grown for their estate varietals and which grapes are best grown in other parts of VA. For instance, while I really enjoy viognier white wines and at one time, this was designated as the "official grape of Va," Bryce actually explained to us that viognier grapes are rather inconsistent and don't really grow so well in VA's terroir. Honestly, too often when I go to wineries, the people I speak with during my tastings are either reading from a card describing the wines or don't really have a background on the product. Speaking with Bryce was like a "Master Class" on wine production. As for the wines themselves, really good for a small operation! I picked up these three bottles: YEOCOMICO WHITE: Blend of Vidal Blanc, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnel, and an off dry Petit Manseng. Not too dry and not too sweet. Good balanced white wine which pairs well with poultry and seafood. ELEMENT: One of the better VA RED wines I've tasted in a long time. Aged in French and American oak, this blend of Petite Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, and Tannat. slight notes of plum and pepper corns and black currents. Probably best with red meat, but honestly, I could also enjoy this with cheese and crusty bread. SWEET SUE: A blend of 95% Chambourcin and 5% Concord concentrate aged in stainless steel. Named after Bryce's grandmother, this Rosé speaks of the winery owner's grandmother, definitely a strong palate of red berries and fruit supported by a 4% residual sugar. I wouldn't call this a "dessert wine" since there's low sugars, but it has a nice finish without being sickly sweet. Rivah Vineyards does not have leather couches or dark hardwood tables with large stone fireplaces, typical of some of the more "high-end" tasting rooms found in other VA wineries. But don't let that discourage you from visiting. There is a deck out back with a nice view of the Yeocomico river, which should be great for enjoying a glass of wine when the weather warms up. If in the area visiting some of the larger established wineries, I also HIGHLY recommend stopping by Rivah Vineyards to sample some of their excellent wines. And during your visit, be sure to play a few rounds of catch with Happy.

I chose to take my dad here to go wine tasting for his birthday based on the 4-star rating of Slack…read moreWine's other location in Ridge, MD. It seems that this location in Leonardtown is newer. First, be warned that this place very difficult to find. Google Maps took us to a house address and we had to call them to get to the right place. Once we got there, the view was beautiful. They asked us to sit down at a table and said they'd bring the wines over to us. The entire time, it felt like we were intruding on a private party (a lot of people were hanging around the bar - it may have been for their wine club). They weren't very attentive - they waited a long time between each tasting, to the point where it felt awkward just sitting there. We tasted four wines, then assumed the tasting was over because they stopped coming over. TL;DR: the venue is beautiful, experience wasn't great, but the staff (while inattentive) was very friendly. The wine was eh - none we tried were good enough to bring home. The only thing that made it better was that the tasting was free since they've just started offering that.

The River Concert Series runs through the summer each year, typically on Friday evenings in June…read moreand July, with varying concerts set on the St. Mary's College townhouse green. Their rather spectacular stage features a variety of acts; classical concert music, jazz, and choral arrangements, with a few surprises each year. The musicians are a mix of college faculty from SMCM and other local institutions, alumni, and current students, as well as featured professional soloists. The venue on the river is always beautiful, and while it's a ways out, it's directly on Route 5 and not difficult to find by car, and you won't be bothered by traffic for most of the way. Definitely reachable from DC or Annapolis or various suburbs. Parking is ample. Seats are not provided, but the area is grassy; this is the sort of scenario where towels and lawn chairs might be advised. Being a summer event, it is subject to thunderstorms. More frequently, however, it is subject to gorgeous sunsets in the background. The crowd is always at least close to full and blends county locals and people connected with the college, though it will depend on weather and the program for the night. The college does very little in the way of summer school, and thus there aren't generally a lot of residents around (a good thing for them, given that the festival is on their lawn). Various food and art vendors congregate next to the townhouse green, and sometimes local political campaigns. The concert itself and the parking are free. This is a great opportunity to see the college and the area and to experience musical performances which are worthy of a major urban venue, but welcome in this remote but special setting.