Narmada Winery

Narmada Winery is a lovely place to visit on a chilly or rainy day. You’re going to have a hard time finding a more cheerfully decorated tasting room or a better view from inside looking out. The tasting bar is embedded with glitter and peacock feathers. The whole room is bright, colorful, and bursting with Indian heritage.

According to the staff on duty, Narmada hasn’t been doing well in recent times. This is a shame because it has such a heartwarming backstory. A white wine on their tasting list is called “MOM.” This is because owner Pandit Patil’s mother sold her jewelry to buy him a plane ticket from India to the United States when he received a scholarship to an American university. MOM is dedicated to all mothers and would be a perfect gift for yours considering Mother’s day is May 11th.

The Patils placed Narmada in Rappahannock County on 70 acres. They grow 10 varietals on 28 acres. The family has put their heart into building the winery, but the tension caused by the bad economy greets you at the door. The service was strained, and we were asked to cash out after each item we purchased. Alternatively, this might have been because we appeared to be two untrustworthy young people who they fully expected to taste and ditch. However, it just wasn’t a very welcoming environment, so my friend and I didn’t feel like staying long.

 

Honestly, I think Narmada might be trying to do too much and spreading themselves too thin. They offer three different tasting flights of over 14 wines (which seems like a lot to me for one wine maker), had live music on an early Sunday afternoon, and have a gift shop selling everything from artwork to clothing to greeting cards. They might be focusing too much on culture and not enough on wine.  Narmada is along 211 which makes it easy to visit it and a few others including Little Washington, Grey Ghost, or Unicorn.