VINES
Williams Gap Vineyard Invites Visitors to New Tasting Room BY NORMAN K. STYER
When McLean veterinarian Jack Sexton bought 30 acres on the outskirts of Round Hill in 1983, little could he or his family have known the adventure to follow that investment. Over the years he bought neighboring parcels growing the land holdings to 200 acres. In 2006, he decided the rolling terrain could be ideal for growing grapes and began planting a vineyard to supply other area winemakers with fruit. “One day he said to me, ‘let’s build a vineyard” just out of the blue,” recalled his wife, Jeanne on a recent visit. “And here we are.” Today, Williams Gap Vineyard grows 10 varieties on 35 acres.
The vision changed again a couple of years ago, as Sexton—now semi-retired as his son, Jeb, took over the McLean Animal Hospital— began envisioning the vineyard’s barn as an event space. In 2019, he launched his own label bottling six wines created by Rob Cox, of Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton. In April, the reimaged barn opened as a fullfledged tasting room making Williams Gap the newest stop on Loudoun’s popular winery circuit. Later this year, the family plans to begin on-site wine making operations. “No, we did not see this coming,” Sexton’s daughter, Caroline, said of the family’s journey. Industry veteran Bridgette Smith joined the team in February to manage the tasting room. WILLIAMS GAP
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Norman K. Styer
The former equipment barn on the 200-acre Williams Gap Vineyard has been reimaged as a tasting room overlooking the Town of Round Hill. It’s the newest stop on Loudoun’s winery circuit. MAY 2021
GetOutLoudoun.com
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