JULY NEWSLETTER 2026
IN THIS NEWSLETTER...
VIP Wines of the Month
Report from the Tasting Room
Report from the Vineyard & Winery
Report from Locksley Farmstead Cheese
Note from Jenni
250 years of America... that's certainly something to celebrate! Whether you're having a gathering at home, headed to the beach, or coming to visit The Ag District we've got everything you need for a star-studded party! From wine and cheese to burgers and brats we're your one-stop shop to stock up before the 4th!
We hope you all make The Ag District part of your holiday plans, but wherever you'll be we wish you a Happy 4th of July!
THE FARM MARKET PRESENTS - All-American Cookout Basket
Come on in and pick up the perfect combination of local products for your 4th of July celebration!
What’s inside:
- Ground Beef
- Bacon
- Pork Sausages
- Locksley Farmstead Cheese Red Knight Pepper Jack
A 10% discount will be applied at purchase.
*Available for pickup at The Ag District Center all month long! (while supplies last)*
JULY EVENTS:
Friday Night Flights - Every Friday 5:00pm to close
Join us on Friday evenings to enjoy a $5 discount on all flights! A great way to start your weekend!
July 10th at 6PM - VIP Pick-up Party - Patriotic Paint & Sip - (RSVP REQ)
CLUB MEMBERS ONLY - Club Members MUST RSVP to TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com by July 5th. More information about this event can be found in the "Note to Our VIP Club Members" section of the newsletter. Want to join the party? Join the Club and RSVP today! To join our VIP Club CLICK HERE.
*Must be 21+ to attend. Held in our 21-and-over seating area.*
July 25th 2:00 - 4:00 - Jurassic Bingo (Sponsored by the Middleburg Library - Free to Attend)
Grab a pizza and a glass of wine and join our friends from the Middleburg Library for a few rounds of Bingo with a dino theme!
*Must be 21+ to attend. Held in our 21-and-over seating area*
July 30th 5:00 - 6:00pm - Book Club (Sponsored by the Middleburg Library - Free to Attend)
Join us at The Ag District Center, home to Chrysalis Vineyards, on Thursday, July 30th, from 5 to 6 PM for Book Club! This month we'll be discussing They Called Us Enemy by George Takei. Haven't read the book yet? No Problem. Come sip, listen to the discussion, and hear about next month's read!
NOTE TO OUR VIP CLUB MEMBERS
Join us on Friday, July 10th at 6 PM for a Patriotic Paint and Sip! Shawn will be leading the evening's activities and helping our club members paint while you enjoy appetizers and, of course, sip wine! We'll be painting a selection of flag images on barrel stave oak. All supplies will be provided and you don't need to be an artist, so just bring your appetite and have some fun!
We kindly ask members to RSVP to TR-Manager@ChrysalisWine.com no later than Sunday, July 5th to reserve your spot. RSVPs received after July 5th will be placed on a waiting list, and while we will do our best to accommodate everyone, entry to the event cannot be guaranteed. Please include your name and the number of people attending (2 per membership only). Lastly, when planning your visit, please remember that we close at 8:00 PM.
Not a VIP Club member yet?
Learn more about the benefits below and join the club today!
This July our VIP members will receive our 2023 Butterfly Blanc and 2019 Block 8.1 Norton.
2023 Butterfly Blanc| Wine Club White Selection 100% Vidal Blanc and stainless steel fermented, this crisp semi-sweet wine is the perfect summer sipper. Aromas of honeysuckle and tropical fruit are followed by flavors of ripe melon and stone fruits. Simple and refreshing, it's the perfect way to battle the summer heat.
2019 Block 8.1 Norton | Wine Club Red Selection This is a first time release of this special wine that has been aging gracefully in the cellar. It's the result of a bit of experimentation that we did in our Norton vineyard, specifically in Block 8 - Zone 1, hence the name. Block 8 typically produces the best Norton fruit in our vineyard and the 2019 harvest was no exception. Calcium limestone was spread in Zone 1 early in the growing season in an attempt to lower the soil acidity and monitor the affect on the fruit. The result (whether or not it was directly due to the experiment) was fruit that produced a Norton wine with naturally lower acidity. Our Block 8.1 Norton is made exclusively from the fruit in that block. Full-bodied, well-balanced, and easily drinkable, the nose is greeted with familiar Norton aromatics of sage, tobacco and dark red fruit. Tha palate leaves a long finish of black pepper, spices, and black currant. We've done the aging and cellaring for you so this delicious treat is ready for you to enjoy!
As a reminder to our members, all VIP wine is available for pickup at the Ag District Center tasting room anytime during regular business hours. If you haven't been able to visit for a while and need to pick up more than 3 months of wine selections, please call at least a day in advance of your visit so we can have them ready for you.
NOTE: Please do not reply to this emailed Newsletter. Your email will not be handled in a timely manner or may even be lost.
REPORT FROM THE TASTING ROOM
Spritzers are here, and just in time to help with the summer heat! We have a selection of 4 flavors available in the tasting room, blends of our Chrysalis Vineyards wine, fruit juices, and soda that are delicious and light.
Our Chrysalis Mule is a blend of Petit Manseng, ginger beer, and lime garnished with mint fresh from our herb garden. The Rubiana Sangria combines our medium-bodied red blend with orange flavors, the Tropical Spritz features our Butterfly Blanc with pineapple, and the Verde Breeze blends our Albariño Verde with lemon and triple sec flavors. Refreshing and lower in alcohol, these are the perfect companion to a salad or pizza from the Little River Bakehouse!
See you in the tasting room!
- Lori Tate, Tasting Room Manager
REPORT FROM THE VINEYARD AND WINERY
Virginia’s wine industry offers a surprisingly powerful lens through which to view the 250th birthday of our country. In many ways, the story of Virginia wine mirrors the story of the nation itself: ambitious beginnings, periods of struggle, reinvention, and ultimately a confident emergence onto the world stage. When the colonies were young, leaders like Thomas Jefferson believed deeply that winegrowing could become a defining American craft. His early experiments at Monticello failed—mostly due to climate, pests, and the lack of experienced viticulturists—but the aspiration itself became part of Virginia’s agricultural identity. Two and a half centuries later, that same spirit of experimentation and resilience has produced a thriving, nationally respected wine region with more than 300 wineries and a reputation for distinctive, terroir‑driven wines.
As the nation marks its semiquincentennial, Virginia wine stands as a living expression of the Commonwealth’s agricultural heritage and its evolution. The industry has grown from scattered farm vineyards into a sophisticated network of growers, winemakers, researchers, and hospitality professionals. Modern Virginia wine reflects both Old World influences and New World innovation—an echo of the cultural blending that shaped the early republic. Varieties like Norton, Viognier, Albariño and Petit Manseng have become regional signatures, showcasing how Virginia has learned to work with its climate rather than against it. This adaptability feels especially fitting during a milestone anniversary that invites Americans to reflect on how the country has changed while still honoring its roots.
The 250th anniversary also highlights the role of Virginia’s rural landscapes—vineyards among them—in shaping the nation’s identity. Many wineries sit on land with deep historical resonance: former tobacco farms, early homesteads, or properties tied to Revolutionary‑era families. Our own Ag District is no exception - John Champe, who lived on land right here in Aldie, was a Revolutionary War hero. He probably walked the fields and forests where we now grow grapes and pasture our dairy herd. Visiting these vineyards during the semiquincentennial offers more than a tasting experience; it becomes a way to engage with the layered history of the Commonwealth. The industry’s emphasis on agritourism, preservation, and local craftsmanship aligns naturally with the themes of reflection, renewal, and community that define the anniversary.
In this moment of national commemoration, Virginia wine serves as both a tribute to the past and a celebration of how far the state has come. What Jefferson once imagined as a symbol of American potential has become a thriving, creative, and distinctly Virginian industry—one that invites residents and visitors alike to raise a glass to 250 years of independence and to the ongoing story of the Commonwealth.
REPORT FROM LOCKSLEY FARMSTEAD CHEESE COMPANY
July is a month full of family picnics, barbeques and vacations and we have the perfect cheese for all those occasions. Our Friar Tuck Fromage Blanc is a light, fresh cheese that reflects the rich, creamy milk that we produce in it's purest form. This spreadable cheese is delicious spread on crackers or stirred into your scrambled eggs, but that's just the beginning of its versatility.
You may be familiar with the garlic and herb version that we sell in the tasting room, a savory counterpart to the origianal version. For a sweet summer treat try whipping in a bit of confectioner's sugar and piping it into strawberries or raspberries. Or for the more adventerous bakers use it as the base for a cheesecake, icing for your carrot cake, or swirl it into your cookie bars! The possibilities are endless! If you have a favorite recipe to try with our Friar Tuck Fromage Blanc share it with us at Cheesemaker@LocksleyCheese.com!
In a few days, most of us will enjoy the camaraderie of family and friends as we celebrate America’s 250th beginning of independence from King George III. We all know that Thomas Jefferson wrote that incredible document, but fewer (today :-( ) know that he was also a great lover of wine. “Good wine is a necessity of life for me.” Amen! And he was also trying to gain independence from European wine (taxes really... no, taxation without representation wasn't really about tea!). Mind you, I love the great wines of Europe and have collected and enjoyed them since I was a young adult. But I fell in love with Norton in 1995, and saw this great American gem as a legitimate contributor to the great reds of the world. I came to Virginia to grow it.
Anyway, right above my computer monitor is a little strip of old, curled paper with this quote from Mr. Jefferson that he wrote in 1808, “We could in the United States make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kind, but doubtless as good.” Unfortunately for Mr. Jefferson, he was not successful in this endeavor. But just 63 miles east of Monticello was Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton, at this Magnolia Farm, in what is now urban downtown Richmond. He did it!
Norton’s Virginia Seedling became world renowned just a few decades after Thomas Jefferson died in 1826. I wish he could have known this.
If pride is a fault or a sin, I’m guilty. As I am as proud to be an American, I’m also proud to have had a hand in our forebears’ quest for the great American wine grape…
Norton, The Real American Grape!®
Have a Happy Fourth, and drink some Butterfly Rouge (100% Norton) with your hotdogs and hamburgers on this important anniversary!
Take care,
Jennifer McCloud
Chrysalis Vineyards at The Ag District
39025 Little River Turnpike (Tasting Room/Creamery/Kitchen)
23876 Champe Ford Road (Winery/Milking Center/Offices)
Middleburg, VA 20117
McCloud@ChrysalisWine.com
Office: 540-687-8222
www.ChrysalisWine.com
Facebook.com/ChrysalisVineyards