Veritas: Perfecting the art of Virginian Wine & Hospitality.

For a boutique hotel and a luxury culinary experience, look no further than Veritas. Patricia and Andrew Hodson started Veritas in 1999, when they moved to Virginia from Florida and decided to plant five acres of vines. Over the last two decades, Veritas has grown immensely to over 50 acres, and now boasts wonderful Virginian wine, a fully established winery and a boutique farmhouse hotel.

Words by WS
November 11, 2019

The former farmhouse, originally lived in by the Hodsons, has been converted into private bedrooms upstairs and has a dining room, lounge area and sun room downstairs. We stayed in the beautiful ‘Cornwall’ room. There are also the Nottingham, Devon and Hampshire rooms, all references to Andrew and Patricia’s British roots.

There is no chance you will go thirsty in this house! A bottle of wine was placed in our room upon arrival and there is a wine hour in the sitting room from 5 – 6pm each evening. This offers a great chance to try a selection of the home-grown wines. Dinner at the farmhouse is a fine dining treat. The excellent chef and staff prepare four courses (using local produce) which, of course, are wine paired with Veritas’ selection of Virginian wine!

Breakfast at Veritas

We started with a delicious combination of turkey confit, mole, avocado puree and puffed farro paired with the Sauvignon Blanc, which was followed by the second course — a delicious squash dish, paired with their rosé. Our third course was a dry aged beef strip loin, which went beautifully with the Veritas Claret. We finished on a high with a sumptuous banana, peanut butter and chocolate dish, served with Kenmar, Veritas’ dessert wine!

If that’s not enough, then Breakfast in the morning is also top quality, starting off with a warm and perfectly crisp croissant with fruits and then on to whatever the Chef has prepared that morning. Just say yes, it will be delicious! They even offer a glass of bubbly to start the day. When in Virginia…

At the winery, tours and tastings are offered seven days a week. There is a beautiful and relaxed outdoor space which is a wonderful place to enjoy during the summer months with friends, wine and food. A small food menu is offered at the winery; delicious classics, such as soups, salads, sandwiches, charcuterie and cheese boards! As we were there on a misty autumnal day, we decided instead to get cosy next to the fire with a glass of their Petit Verdot!

Flying Fox, Veritas' sister brand is doing some funky things

Flying Fox is Veritas' sister brand. They are doing some funky things, such as Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Franc, and a Vermouth.

Meet Emily Hodson, the head wine maker.

Andrew and Patricia took on a daunting challenge when they spearheaded this project 20 years ago, considering it was a complete change in professions. They must be incredibly proud of what they have created at Veritas and now the winery is a real family affair. Their son, George, is CEO; their first daughter, Emily, is head winemaker; their second daughter, Chloe also works in the business, and her husband, Elliot, is the assistant winemaker.

This next generation are bringing exciting new projects to Veritas: The Virginian Sparkling Wine Company (which is an investment in sparkling wine facilities), Flying Fox (a funky offshoot winery where they are trying new and exciting products such as a Bourbon barrel aged Cabernet Franc, and a Vermouth), and True Heritage Wines (a joint venture with other Virginian vineyards) are just a few of the many activities going on at the estate. The ultimate goal is to put Virginian wine —especially Veritas— firmly on the national and international market.

The wines are delightful and I would highly recommend seeing, or staying in, Virginian wine country with Veritas!

Read about Barboursville in Virginia here.

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