The Northern Neck is renowned as being part of one of the premier Wine Trails on the East Coast, and later this year, a new addition will bring not only a fresh take on proven vines, but a historical first in the wine community. When ‘Rivah Vineyards at The Grove’ in Kinsale opens to the public, its owner – Bryce Taylor – will be the youngest winery owner not only in Virginia and on the East Coast, but also one of the youngest in the country. Don’t let the 26-year-old’s youth distract you, however, from the fact that his vines, and the plans for his winery, have been aged to perfection.
Bryce Taylor.
Taylor’s personal wine-tale has been a process more than seven years in the making, and it began with a dedication to his family that has borne amazing fruit.
Taylor’s family has owned the Kinsale, VA property, known locally as “The Grove” since 1799, when the Bailey’s received the property through what he calls “The Earle’s Grant,” which was a Crown Grant that gave property to homesteaders looking to build and establish a working farm. The Taylors, of Northumberland County, later married into the Baileys. The current brick manor was built by Taylor’s five-times grandfather, and although some evidence of an earlier house has been unearthed, it was likely destroyed during the burning of Kinsale in the War of 1812.
A view of the Yeocomico River.
As a child, Taylor often visited the stately home and his grandparents, Sue and Bill, Sr., where he fell in love with the land and its bounty. At 125 acres, with 70-acres farmable, the home sits directly on the Yeocomico River, with stunning views and plentiful game.
“My granddad taught me the love of fishing and farming,” Taylor said of Bill, Sr., who died of a stroke in the 1990s, adding that after graduating from Smithfield High School in 2010, he decided to move into the home to be a companion and take care of his grandmother, Sue.
Vineyards.
“She was ‘Granma’ to everyone, and had the most infectious smile,” Taylor reminisced of the amazing woman who sadly passed in March of this year. “She was one of those people who couldn’t get through the telling of a funny story because she would laugh so hard. I am going to name my first Sweet Red after her and call it ‘Sweet Sue.’”
Just a year after moving in, Taylor, who dreamed at the time of becoming a park ranger, had a conversation with his dad, an Episcopal Minister at St. John’s in Hopewell. The conversation changed his life. Taylor, who had always had a garden, was prompted by his father to look into growing grapes on the property. Taking him up on the idea, Taylor attended a viticulture class offered by Rappahannock Community College, and fell in love. He began visiting every winery in the region, absorbing all the lessons he could from time-tested vineyards. It was during that time that he met Floyd Oslin, a wine-maker famous in the region for his palate, depth of knowledge about winemaking and all of its accoutrements.
Construction of the wine tasting and event room.
Armed with the knowledge that it takes years for a vine to be aged enough for wine harvesting, and using an inheritance for his funding, Taylor planted his first grapes at age 19, starting with two acres of Viogner and Petit Manseng. After the first year, he took over more of his land, adding Chardonel, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and later Chambourcin vines. Most recently, Taylor planted Cayuga White, adding that Oslin has nicknamed it “The Elixer,” due to its “killer” taste.
For the past seven years, Taylor has devoted every moment of every day to the vineyard, its growth and health. Taylor recalls one night where he feared he would lose his vines from a polar vortex that threatened his crop with disastrous frost.
Like a scene from a movie, Taylor braved the cold weather on an overcast, starkly still night. He set up burn barrels at strategic locations around the vineyard and constantly tended to the fires so that they warded off the cold and rotated the air but didn’t harm the vines. Throughout the night he raced around the vineyard, his dreams at stake. When morning came, his work had paid off, and the future wine-maker was safe from the deep freeze.
Vineyard transportation.
Now, Taylor is building a new the addition to his land — the winery — a project that he started from scratch, which is about to become a dream come true. After doing research, Taylor teamed up with Eddie Hammond, of Tappahannock’s Hammond Builders. Together, they laid out the plans and began work on a carriage-style, colonial building that will include a wine-tasting area on the main floor, with the amenities necessary to host a multitude of events including weddings, parties and farm-to-table dining — all with an amazing view of both the vineyard and the Yeocomico River. In the basement, areas have been built for barrel aging and storage, and Taylor has gone to great lengths to find some of the most unique barrels to truly bring out bold flavors, including Romanian, Hungarian, French and American Oak, as well as Acacia Wood, or Black Locust Wood. In addition, there will be room for the secret recipes and chemical mastery that go into the actual wine making.
Oak barrels for aging wine.
With the flavors from the barrels, and the blends and recipes that he plans on utilizing, Taylor proudly notes that he has planned his wines to perfectly compliment area cuisine, especially seafood and crabs.
“That is something I have really planned, because what better place than this area to have wines that pair well with seafood,” he said, adding that eventually he will be adding a distillery to make his own Port and fortified wine, which he will be naming ‘Earle’s Grant Distillery’ after the early history of his family’s land ownership.
Taylor also has plans for an interesting group of varietals and hybrids, which he hopes will truly make people fall in love with the unique blend of tastes. He plans on showcasing those flavors at special-invitation wine tastings, barrel club events and other celebrations that he will be opening to the public once all of his permits and applications are finalized and the rooms are ready.
Although it may seem like an ambitious goal for such a young man, Taylor’s bright blue eyes shine when he thinks about his 10-year, and, YES, 20-year plans! He already has ideas for a beekeeping area, a berry patch, opening up the main house for distillery tastings, and even eventually a falconry on the land.
The Main House serves as a focal point of the winery.
“I just want this to be an amazing place for people to enjoy delicious local wine, sit by the Yeocomico in a hammock, play with the dogs and just have a relaxing and amazing time enjoying the vineyard and what I have built,” Taylor said. “This has just gotten in my blood. I never dreamt I’d be doing this at 26, but it was just fate and now I can’t imagine my life any way else.”
Taylor plans on opening ‘Rivah Vineyards at The Grove’ later this year, and The House and Home Magazine will be keeping its readers up to date on all of the latest news, and the opening schedule, of this historic young man’s winery.