Quièvremont's Malbec Vertical: 4 Vintages in the Blue Ridge Foothills

Four Vintages, One Weekend: Quièvremont Goes Deep on Malbec

Most Virginia wineries don't grow Malbec. Quièvremont Vineyard & Winery, tucked into the Blue Ridge foothills at 162 Gid Brown Hollow Road in Washington, VA, not only grows it — they're pouring four consecutive vintages this weekend in celebration of International Malbec Day (April 17).

The weekend tasting lineup is unusually deep for a small artisanal winery:

2021 Library Malbec — a back-vintage release pulled from the cellar for this occasion
2023 Malbec — current release
2024 Malbec — newly bottled vintage
2025 Malbec (barrel tasting) — an unreleased look at what's still aging

All four are also available for purchase online through the winery's website. But tasting them side by side — from a 2021 library wine through to juice that hasn't even been bottled yet — is a genuinely rare opportunity, and one that's unlikely to repeat until next April at the earliest.

What Makes a Virginia Malbec Interesting?

International Malbec Day, celebrated on April 17th each year, commemorates a pivotal moment in Argentina's wine history — the grape's best-known home. But Malbec has found a foothold in Virginia's Piedmont, where the clay-loam soils and warm summers can coax the variety into something distinctly regional: often darker and more structured than its Argentine counterparts, with earthier, more savory edges.

A vertical tasting — particularly one that includes both a library wine and a barrel sample — lets you read that evolution in real time. The 2021 Library Malbec will show how the grape ages in this specific microclimate; the 2025 barrel tasting offers a preview of what Quièvremont's most recent growing season produced before the winemaker has finished shaping it.

About Quièvremont Vineyard & Winery

Quièvremont is a small artisanal winery situated in the foothills just outside the village of Washington, VA — the same tiny town that's home to Patrick O'Connell's three-Michelin-starred Inn at Little Washington. The winery runs Thursday happy hours during the season and has a following among DC-area wine lovers who make the 70-mile drive out Route 211 on weekends.

The venue recently posted that they were open for Easter weekend as well, suggesting a pattern of staying open during holiday weekends this spring. If you're planning a trip to Rappahannock County in late April — perhaps for SperryFest on April 25th — a stop at Quièvremont pairs naturally with a day in the region.

Planning Your Visit

Event: International Malbec Day Vertical Tasting Weekend
Dates: April 17–19, 2026 (all weekend)
What's Poured: 2021 Library Malbec, 2023, 2024, and 2025 barrel tasting
Address: 162 Gid Brown Hollow Rd, Washington, VA 22747
Phone: (540) 827-4579
Website: quievremont.com
Regular Hours: Thursday happy hours during season; check website for full weekend hours
Online Purchases: All Malbec vintages available to order through the website

While You're in Washington, VA This Weekend

If you're making the trip out on April 17–19, the same weekend sees Sumac — the wood-fired fine dining pop-up at Pen Druid Brewing in nearby Sperryville — running their spring à la carte menu (Friday 2–6PM, Saturday–Sunday 12–6PM). The two stops make for a natural pairing: afternoon wine tasting at Quièvremont followed by wood-fired plates at Pen Druid. Sperryville is approximately 10 minutes east of Washington, VA on Route 522.

Washington, VA is approximately 70 miles west of Washington, DC. Take I-66 West to US-211 West through Warrenton and Sperryville — the last stretch through the Piedmont foothills is part of the experience.