Cooper Vineyards

An easy drive from Richmond, we stopped here first on a self-​guided winery tour. We enjoyed most of our tastings, and even had trouble just choosing one to take home. We ended up selecting the Sangria, a good summery choice.
The space is beautiful, a very welcoming tasting bar with a windy shape, perfect to have many tastings at once. Ther is a nice seating are Inside, and a lovely porch. There happened to be live music, a nice touch to keep folks sticking around awhile. There is also an ample outdoor, covered patio, perfect to buy a bottle and being your own lunch. They do offer cheese and such, though we didn’t partake.
Great place to add to a list to impress out of town guests, I’d come here again for a tasting or to buy a bottle and just hang out.

Great wine, great people, and fun atmosphere. Beautiful view and deck too. They allow dogs and outside food which is wonderful. Definitely recommended.

Second time visitor to this place, which is not only one of the older wineries in Virginia (#63!) but also boasts the most «Green» tasting room on the east coast! At 20 acres of vine/​6000 cases a year, they are mid-​sized by Virginia standards.
Bobby my tasting associate was awesome; he talked me thru not only the history of the place but all of their wines. He was also kind enough to give me re-​tastes, so I left happy (and with a bottle of Cab Franc). The tasting menu was pretty extensive — 13 wines (!) for $ 10, which is an awesome deal.
Whites/​Rose: The 2013 Vidal Blanc was very light and floral; one of the nicer Vidals I’ve had in a while. The 2014 Estate Chardonnay was very tart, while the 2014 Chardonnel (hybrid) had a nice melon nose. The Cooperage Blanc was white blend of Viognier and Rkatseteli, which gave it a nice bite.
Reds: The 2013 Cab Franc was a clear winner for me; nice body and peppery nose. The 2013 Cooperage red blend had a nice nose but the taste didn’t do anything for me. The 2014 Chambourcin was very dry with a cherry palate. I also liked the 2013 Norton Reserve, which had a nice chocolate finish.
Sweet/​desert wines: I’m not a sweet wine drinker but hey — I’ll try it if you give it to me. The Sweet Louisa (Concord grape) was — as the name implies — too sweet for me. The Seismic Sangria, «Vida» desert wine, and «Rhapsody» Vidal/​Chardonnel/​Viognier blend were OK. The only one I didn’t like was the Noche Chocolate/​Rasberry wine, which was basically a tootsie roll in a glass.

This is now our favorite Virginia winery. We showed up on a rainy day shortly after they opened. Toni with an «I» was our wine hostess. She was amazing. She talked about about the different wines and was very friendly and knowledgable. I have been to almost twenty Virginia wineries and this is the first time I actually liked all but one wine on the tasting menu.
We enjoyed the tasting room and the wine so much we are now members and look forward to our next trip to pick up more wines from here. I also truly love the effort they put into their newsletter that you get with the bottles of wine from the wine club. Such a nice touch.
Highly recommend Cooper Vinyards.

I had been to Cooper once before and it was great. Went back last night with friends and it was fantastic! We joined their wine club… came home with 5 bottles of wine! Their chocolate wine, Noche, is FANTASTIC! Excited to be a part of their wine club and get date nights with the hubby when it is time to pick it up!

One of my favorite vineyards! The wine selection is amazing (whether you prefer sweet whites or dry reds), the facility is clean (clean restrooms are always a plus) and most importantly the staff is friendly and accommodating which is more than I can say for another nearby winery… I won’t say names but it rhymes with schmorton’s. I can always find at least 3 bottles to take home with me. Would definitely recommend this to any self-​proclaimed wine connoisseur!

Nice and calm place. good to spend a day. liked the sweet wine selection. bought a sangria too

Great winery. Super friendly staff. We will be back for sure to hang out on a Sunday. The wine is fantastic. Our favorite is Rhapsody. We just randomly happened by this place a few weeks ago… Decided to take back roads on our way back from NC. Giovanni was our pourer and likely the reason we will return. Thank you!

Terrible service. Beautiful tasting room. Not enough seating on the patio. Tasting is way over priced for the weak pours. But there are a few great wines. My personal favorite was the Petit Verdot. They also have many sweet dessert wines which I personally have no interest in. But I know many people who do.

We went here on our anniversary ready to have a great time but were greeted by one of the rudest people I have ever met at a winery. The day we went it was a little busy because of the jazz event they were hosting but the lady we walked up to seemed pissed that we were even there. In mid conversation with her she completely blew us off to literally go hug a dog that a couple brought in behind us. She eventually came back to us like nothing had happened and then got frustrated that we hadn’t been there before and that we didn’t know the wines. We were shocked to discover she was the Wine Club Manager and this left such a terrible first impression that even the great service of the guy pouring our tasting couldn’t salvage the overall experience. We left right after the tasting and went to another nearby winery, where they seemed excited to have us, and bought several bottles from them instead. I have never reviewed anywhere before for anything but after having great experiences at several previous wineries and being a manager for 11 years in the food and beverage industry I had to say something. We will be skipping Coopers in future local tours and festivals.

John was a great pourer. He was friendly and provided time to taste and not hover as we sampled. He also gave good tips on how to infuse the wine.

We went on a breezy, but slightly warm winter weekend day and they were packed inside. Luckily while sipping our tasting, a table opened up for us. The staff were very friendly and the gentleman doing our pourings for the tasting was polite and patient.
Not much description was given with each pour, but the wines did taste good and were everything the staff member and the tasting sheet said.
The tasting room was beautiful, but is too small for the size crowds they can attract there. The restrooms were clean and nice.
Only issue we had was with the live music… they had a guitarist on the day we went. He was talented, but the music was WAY too loud, especially for the small tasting room. He should have either not used the amp or been half the volume. It made it tough for us to sip wine and chat with friends. Even the person pouring our wines had to yell and watching him answer the phone proved the music was too loud, as he had to cover one ear and walk away.
Overall, the experience wasn’t bad. More of a 3.5 than a 4, but we’ll give a 4 over a 3.

Fun atmosphere and friendly pourers. Was disappointed that they were sold out of the more traditional reds. Was not a fan of the more experimental dessert wines.

This was the first vineyard we ever went to many many years ago when they were in their old tasting room. The gentleman working that day was very knowledgeable, friendly, and didn’t make us feel awkward since we had never been to a wine tasting. This first experience probably kept us coming back time and time again when we visit my husband’s parents that live int he area.
Fast forward several years, they have grown, built anew tasting room but still have great quality wine. The new tasting room is gorgeous, had great views, outdoor deck. Most of the time when we have been there has been live music. They have a chocolate desert wine that they are known for but the Cab Franc is my personal favorite.
I highly recommend checking this vineyard out!

I used to love Cooper. Hanging with the owner in his original «shed» or being at one of the festivals it was a warm, wonderful day to spend an afternoon. And while I agree they built a beautiful building it has lost a lot of its charm. The unbelievable $ 10 tasting charge and the corporate feel leave a sour taste. Seems to be a true victim of their own success.

We first came to know Cooper’s Vineyard from their participation at a charity event run by The Noblemen. We visited their vineyard soon after and joined their club. We get the bottles delivered, however, members have the opportunity to go to them and save a wee bit of money.
At their tasting room, there’s a small, somewhat cute, selection of vino accessories to buy. Also, there’s a cork recycling barrel! Now that I know, I plan to bring my corks next time:)

The tasting room and the grounds are magnificent. What’s not so great is the high tasting fee for a few dribbles of wine and a very very rushed 2 sentences about the wine before the server rushes off. There were a few good wines and a few that were not so great.
The prices of the bottles of wine are excellent.

My favorite winery! The Coopertage Blanc is amazing and so is the Chardonnay, the Norton for all the red wine lovers and the Noche for the dessert wine fans! This place is a must visit! Bring your own picnic! On chili days they will even light the fire for you:)

Virginia wines has gradually gained a good reputation over the years and I believe that Cooper Vineyards is an asset to the ever-​growing and exciting Virginia wine industry. It’s a LEED-​certified building (environmentally constructed with energy-​saving features) with a beautiful interior tasting room that’s modern and airy, a small outdoor patio space (I think they set up tastings on the patio when it gets busy), live music on weekends, and gorgeous grounds. It’s dog friendly so bring your pooches — any size! You can tell the owners are huge dog lovers and theirs is usually running around the Cooper property.
Staff is friendly and knowledgeable and I have discovered that the best time to go here is around 3:00pm-4:00pm (Cooper closes at 5:00pm); there are far fewer customers and you’ll likely have a staff member who will provide full attention and maybe offer more generous pours since it’s the end of the day.
For $ 10, they provide a full tasting of their wines and I usually end up sampling about 10 – 12 wines. They offer a good variety of whites, reds, and dessert wines including the Noche which goes perfectly with dark chocolate and a wine that taste likes Skittles; there’s definitely something for everyone. They provide crackers/​pretzels during the tasting to cleanse your palate but I strongly suggest that you bring your own picnic; you can dine on the patio or even take your picnic to their grounds so you’re closer to the vineyard itself.
Definitely check out Cooper during your next Virginia wine tour!

Cooper is worth the drive. I saw the review that complained about the tasting room… by this time next year, you will whine no more as they’ve broken ground on a big new tasting room.
Cooper participates in a lot of regional wine events, and I loved the Lucy’s Weekend they held this past spring to benefit the SPCA. During the fall, they have two free holiday tasting weekends: one near Thanksgiving and one right before Christmas.
They’ve won awards for their Viognier, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc but everyone I know goes for the fab Sangria. You can even bring home a party pack of it that includes three bottles of wine and the awesome limeade-​orangeade mix.