Democracy Vineyards

A unique tasting room and excellent service, but the wines lack the complex flavors of its competitors.

As a lover of American political history and DC-metro resident, I appreciate the DC-themed Democracy Vineyards. Started by two DC lobbyists in 2009, Democracy Vineyards is a relative newcomer to the Monticello Wine Trail. The theme is true to the political careers of the founders - political paraphernalia line the walls of the populist tasting room. Arriving on a Saturday around two, my girlfriend and I found the vineyard empty and were able to secure seats at the tasting bar.

We were warmly greeted by our pourer who honored our VA Wine pass (two tastings for $1 plus a mini glass) and started our tasting ( regularly $5 a person). Of the twelve wines we tried, none of them really stood out as exceptional - they were all average or a little below average. The best ones were the Village View Gold (tasted like apple juice), Suffrage 2013 (a dark purple wine that was soft on the palate with a strong blackberry taste), and the Velvet Revolution 2013 (a red blend with a taste of dark cherries and black pepper). For a tasting these were pretty good, but I can't imagine having a full glass.

Ultimately, I wasn't a fan of Democracy Vineyard's wine selection. The wines tasted a bit bland in comparison to the other well-established vineyards on the Monticello Wine Trail. However, if you're new to wine tasting, or just love sweet wine, Democracy Vineyards will satisfy.

Service: 4 stars
Facilities: 4 stars
Wine: 3 stars (but wines well priced)

Visited last month during a multi-day trip. Neat little place; the owners are fascinated with how the democratic process unfolds around the world, so they have campaign posters and whatnot from everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE; the Solidarity movement in Poland, political slogans from Mexican political parties, photos of different US presidents and Nelson Mandela.

Sadly, I just didn't love the wine as much as I enjoyed the service and surroundings. There wasn't anything I didn't like, but neither was I blown away by anything in particular. The fruit-forward Suffrage Chambourcin was the standout, which I purchased (at a reasonable price).

Still, I'll visit again, and I'd definitely recommend it to a group for the experience of it all.

We have another winner in Nelson Country, that hip area between Charlottesville and Lynchburg that is now home to at least 8 wineries and four breweries.

Democracy Vineyards has been a presence at festivals in the state for about three years and recently opened a tasting room off route 29, close to Mountain Cove Vineyards and Lovingston Vineyards for those familiar with places to imbibe in this area of the state. The tasting building is probably the most unique I've encountered in the state - built below sloping vineyards, it is airy and has two garage doors separate the tasting room from the outdoor patio.

The odd tasting room was the first thing I noticed, but this unusual building offers some extremely good and mature, and well-priced, wines. It didn't surprise us that Michael Shaps is involved in the winemaking, as Democracy Vineyards is currently in the process of building their own winemaking facilities. The wines are not as good as Lovingston's, but getting there. A Meritage-style blend, Merlot, and Chambourcin were the red stand outs. Viognier was the white highlight, and they have a 100% apple wine that's refreshing for the hot weather ahead.

The red, white and blue theme here is based on the background of one of the owners. Political posters and newspaper clippings from yesteryear adorn the tasting room wall and even the bathroom wall. It seemed like a great stop for Memorial Day weekend. Both sides of the political aisle are represented by the posters, so there is no feeling of political bias here, which is refreshing in this day and age.

Wines are well priced (they currently have a 10% off three bottle special), so you can certainly stock up here.

Giving four stars based on the fact that the wine was wonderful.

HOWEVER: the tasting portions were very small, especially considering they charged 8 dollars for a full flight and 5 dollars for the six wine selection. Also the venue was small, which wouldn't be a problem, but they had a two person band that was playing pretty loudly considering the space was so small. Once we were outside, which was beautiful, the music reached an appropriate volume.

Overall, if you're in the area and looking for a close winery, it's a good place to go!

This is the kind of winery we love to support. These are people making wine because they enjoy it. The building is really nice, location is beautiful, and everything is grown on the property.

There were several great wines and there were some pretty unique treatments of varietals like a sweet chambourcin and petit Verdot dessert wine. The Velvet Revolution reserve was particularly excellent and exactly what a good blend should be: notes of all the varietals working together for one cohesive and delicious taste.

Funny name and theme for a winery, but good wine and a fun tasting. I came here with a group of girls on the last stop of an afternoon wine tour. Democracy may have a had a couple of my favorite wines of the day, though after 4 wine tastings it's hard to tell the difference and the alcohol tends to make things rosier than normal.

Democracy certainly lives up to its name. All of the wines are named in the democratic theme from around the world... Dawn's Light, Parliament, Velvet Revolution... to name a few. The walls are covered with historic posters and memorabilia from various democratic movements. The owners came from DC, and all the employees wear red white and blue attire. You can't forget which winery you're in!

It's a little place in a modern building, and our group of 8 had the place to ourselves. A couple more tasters would have made it almost too crowded. But for us it was perfect. I bought a bottle of Velvet Revolution - I love dry, bold reds and this one stood out. I also really enjoyed the apple wine. In contrast to most apple wines that are way too sweet or have a fake apple flavor, this wine was was quite dry and really tasted just like a fresh apple.

Lovely grounds too, as most wineries tend to be. Two of the walls are almost all glass letting in a lot of sunshine and giving a great view of the vineyards.

Worst wines, horrible service and a bad experience overall. The amount for paid tasting were so small, it was offensive and left a bad taste in my mouth. The only redeeming parts were the live music and the scenery. Too bad, as I would like to support local growers.

Summary: Come here for the wine, vintage propaganda posters and with a small group.

Wine (4/5): One tasting goes through 10 different wines. Half of which are ok and the other half are flavorful enough to make you want to come back again. Best wines: Emancipation 2012 and Constitution 2013.

Environment (4/5): Small tasting room in what on the outside looks like a tall shiny tin shack. But once you're inside, the walls are covered floor to ceiling with vintage propaganda posters from all over the world. Great spot for political junkies! If it's busy, you're going to have to wait for a long time because there is only seating for 15 inside.

View (2/5): If you're inside during cold weather, there is a steep hill feet 50 feet from window, so not much to see.

You can bring in your own food and I don't think there is food to order.

My wife and I have the goal of touring all the vineyards in the state with the 2015 VA Wine Pass. Each place we go we're looking for an interesting wine-tasting environment, a beautiful view and most importantly delicious wine. You can find more reviews of vineyards from the VA wine pass here: http://www.yelp.com/list/DcNfeSFbGVKbseeudJ8-Rw

Democracy Vineyards sets itself apart from its competitors thanks to its unique winery and theme. The tasting room itself is rather striking, all modern architecture with aluminum and glass. The side glass panels on the outdoor patio actually open up like garage doors to really create an open, airy space. While the patio is small, having those doors open really extends the tasting room. There's a small bar inside and a few tables, where the staff will offer your tastings there as well. They are pet friendly, and we were able to bring our little dog inside to have a tasting at one of the tables.
The decor is definitely a conversation piece. The tasting room is dotted with historical political paraphernalia and propaganda, both national and international. We were told the the owners are avid collectors and that most of the collectibles are original pieces.
Now, on to the wines. It was $8 dollars for the tasting, which included the full complement of wines they offer. You could do a $5 tasting for only a select few. Naturally we chose to taste all of them.
For me, I've found that I tend to lean towards the white wines when I've done tastings at VA wineries, so it was a pleasant surprise that I really preferred the reds here at Democracy. (I'm typically a red wine drinker.) Standouts were the Forum and Emancipation. We also liked the Unum, which is a white.
We went over Memorial Day, so they had musical entertainment outside on the patio. They also offered a discount if you bought three wines, which I thought was a nice deal considering the price points of their wines are pretty decent compared to other wineries in the area. We bought the three mentioned above.
All in all, Democracy Vineyards is well worth the visit. The staff are very nice and extremely knowledgable.

Service was great. Jim and Blane were EXTREMELY knowledgable. Wine variety great. I only drink sweet wines but bought my first bottle of dry white here, unum. Small batch winery. Highly recommend!