8 Chains North Winery
8 Chains North Winery
4.5
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Monday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
8 Chains North is a boutique Loudoun County winery located just 8 miles west of Leesburg, Virginia. The winery includes an inviting Tasting Room, extensive outdoor seating, a dog park, and beautiful private event spaces perfect for weddings, special occasions, and corporate functions—all with stunning vineyard views. The winery is owned by Edz Sturans and Cissi DeMarco, and retains the former owner as Chief Winemaker and Viticulturist. Our focus and attention to detail is in the vineyard, where great wines are made. This philosophy is evident in our handcrafted Old World-style wines. Enjoy the fruits of our labor in every glass.
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4.5
74 reviews
Excellent
39
Very good
27
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
3
kaj2600
Alexandria, VA502 contributions
Apr 2016 • Friends
if you're looking for a fun day trip with your dog, 8 Chains is perfect. They are so dog-friendly that there is a fenced in dog-park with picnic tables and chairs.
Dogs are allowed in the tasting room and on the patio, but they need to be on leash. In the dog park -- which is grassy and clean, they can romp around and have fun.
The wines are very good -- they actually import grapes from Oregon and Washington state for a very of their wines.
I enjoyed the LOCO VINO, a white blend of local grapes.
If you remember your dog's food, but forget your own -- don't dismay they have a kitchen with sandwiches. But you are allowed to bring picnics and enjoy the views.
Dogs are allowed in the tasting room and on the patio, but they need to be on leash. In the dog park -- which is grassy and clean, they can romp around and have fun.
The wines are very good -- they actually import grapes from Oregon and Washington state for a very of their wines.
I enjoyed the LOCO VINO, a white blend of local grapes.
If you remember your dog's food, but forget your own -- don't dismay they have a kitchen with sandwiches. But you are allowed to bring picnics and enjoy the views.
Written April 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chloe
Butler County, PA2 contributions
Aug 2021
Do not come here. Definitely do not book a party here. There are plenty of wineries in the area, and if I were a wedding DJ, this location would be on the ‘Do Not Play’ list.
As soon as I arrived with a group of five women, we stood in the tasting room for twenty minutes before any staff acknowledged us. The venue was not crowded. There was a small group celebrating a milestone birthday party. Their table was shoved into a dark corner near the bathroom, even though the tasting room had plenty of open space. There was also a bachelor party in a separate room, which was also a large space, and again they were shoved back into a corner. There were very few other patrons at the facility that were not with a party.
The group that I was with was celebrating my friend’s upcoming wedding as well. A patron from the bachelor party ordered a bottle of wine for our bride to be, and we asked the staff if we could return the favor. We were told no, because that party was supposed to have left by now. Red flag number two.
I finally got someone to wait on me, and decided that they were extremely inefficient with their tasting flights. The new owner behind the counter complained that everyone was ordering different flights. Are you kidding me. The point of a tasting flight is to determine which bottle of wine you’d like to buy. Anyways. I ordered a bottle of wine for my group and some cheese and crackers. The only food that they offer is cheese out of a cooler and crackers out of a basket, but even that seems like it was complicated for them to ensure that it was stocked. I told them we had a group of five, but they gave me three plates. Their point-of-sale system was way too complicated for the business that they run. I had to manually enter my debit card number as the staff walked away and left me to figure it out myself.
All was well for a short time. My group of five drank about 4 bottles of rose. A member of my group was complimenting the birthday girl from another party on her clothes and bought her a flight. One of the staff members told me that I needed to get my friend away from them. It seemed very strange, but I pulled her into another conversation to avoid conflict.
Then a staff member told me that I needed to think about ordering a car SOON because they close at six. It was approximately 4:30. Again, always happy to accommodate, I said “sure can do” and we ordered our Ubers. The bride to be decided to buy one bottle more bottle for our group to share while we waited for our car. She was told by the staff that they had been watching her and would not longer be able to serve her. She was so embarrassed that she went outside and cried. It was the most stomach turning, inappropriate thing for me to witness my wonderful friend who came here to celebrate a life event be treated so poorly by this staff. What would possess a person to act so cruelly to a bride dressed in pristine white who had been planning this celebration at this location? There are so many other ways that they could have handled themselves. The easiest thing they could have done if they insisted on cutting off my friend, which from my vantage point seemed extremely unnecessary, was to still sell her an uncorked bottle and ask that she enjoy it at home instead.
Our Uber driver that took us from this winery back to our house told us that he had picked up other patrons from this winery with similar complaints.
The bottom line is that if another looming shut-down doesn’t force the current owners to put the winery up for sale again, their lack of hospitality and mismanagement will run this business into the ground. A true zero-star experience, which does not happen to me often. These owners and staff need to work on their food and beverage industry 101. I’ll never go back.
As soon as I arrived with a group of five women, we stood in the tasting room for twenty minutes before any staff acknowledged us. The venue was not crowded. There was a small group celebrating a milestone birthday party. Their table was shoved into a dark corner near the bathroom, even though the tasting room had plenty of open space. There was also a bachelor party in a separate room, which was also a large space, and again they were shoved back into a corner. There were very few other patrons at the facility that were not with a party.
The group that I was with was celebrating my friend’s upcoming wedding as well. A patron from the bachelor party ordered a bottle of wine for our bride to be, and we asked the staff if we could return the favor. We were told no, because that party was supposed to have left by now. Red flag number two.
I finally got someone to wait on me, and decided that they were extremely inefficient with their tasting flights. The new owner behind the counter complained that everyone was ordering different flights. Are you kidding me. The point of a tasting flight is to determine which bottle of wine you’d like to buy. Anyways. I ordered a bottle of wine for my group and some cheese and crackers. The only food that they offer is cheese out of a cooler and crackers out of a basket, but even that seems like it was complicated for them to ensure that it was stocked. I told them we had a group of five, but they gave me three plates. Their point-of-sale system was way too complicated for the business that they run. I had to manually enter my debit card number as the staff walked away and left me to figure it out myself.
All was well for a short time. My group of five drank about 4 bottles of rose. A member of my group was complimenting the birthday girl from another party on her clothes and bought her a flight. One of the staff members told me that I needed to get my friend away from them. It seemed very strange, but I pulled her into another conversation to avoid conflict.
Then a staff member told me that I needed to think about ordering a car SOON because they close at six. It was approximately 4:30. Again, always happy to accommodate, I said “sure can do” and we ordered our Ubers. The bride to be decided to buy one bottle more bottle for our group to share while we waited for our car. She was told by the staff that they had been watching her and would not longer be able to serve her. She was so embarrassed that she went outside and cried. It was the most stomach turning, inappropriate thing for me to witness my wonderful friend who came here to celebrate a life event be treated so poorly by this staff. What would possess a person to act so cruelly to a bride dressed in pristine white who had been planning this celebration at this location? There are so many other ways that they could have handled themselves. The easiest thing they could have done if they insisted on cutting off my friend, which from my vantage point seemed extremely unnecessary, was to still sell her an uncorked bottle and ask that she enjoy it at home instead.
Our Uber driver that took us from this winery back to our house told us that he had picked up other patrons from this winery with similar complaints.
The bottom line is that if another looming shut-down doesn’t force the current owners to put the winery up for sale again, their lack of hospitality and mismanagement will run this business into the ground. A true zero-star experience, which does not happen to me often. These owners and staff need to work on their food and beverage industry 101. I’ll never go back.
Written August 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eileen B
Brentsville, VA13 contributions
Apr 2016
A Virginia winery should be just that, a product made from VA only fruit. I am a purist when it comes to this and lost interest immediately when the server mentioned sourcing fruit from California. Their wine is made using a Spanish/Argentine style with grapes (malbec, temparillio?) associated with those areas of the world. We did purchase 1 bottle of red which my husband and I thought a family member would enjoy.
Written April 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mrama004
Silver Spring, Maryland4 contributions
Jan 2016 • Family
Fantastic wine and atmosphere, the white wines are PHENOMENAL. The host provided great, interesting snacks, and had the right balance of interaction and space.
Written February 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Love2travel2oo4
Arlington, VA33 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
In April 2014, my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary at this lovely winery. We have been visiting 8 Chains North almost since they first opened.
On New Year’s Eve of 2010, we had friends visiting from various parts of the world, and they wanted to experience wine tasting in the United States. I called several wineries in Loudoun County and all of them were closed that day. Then Ben Renshaw, owner of 8 Chains North Winery, called me back. I told him about our visitors, and he immediately said "we are closed, but I will be happy to open for you and your friends". We did not know Ben and we thought that was an exceptionally kind gesture. Ben provided outstanding service and our visitors left happy to have their wine tasting experience at such a lovely location, while enjoying the excellent wine that 8 Chains North provides.
As for our wedding anniversary, we enjoyed the high quality service and exceptional wines. Our 30 plus guests had a great time. The 8 Chains staff set up a nice tent for us and as usual provided friendly and professional service. They even allowed us to stay an extra hour when our guests weren’t ready to leave. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary with our friends.
By the way, recently 8 Chains North built an elegant and more intimate party room next to their tasting room. I highly recommend 8 Chains North Winery for hosting large gatherings or just for wine tasting visits.
On New Year’s Eve of 2010, we had friends visiting from various parts of the world, and they wanted to experience wine tasting in the United States. I called several wineries in Loudoun County and all of them were closed that day. Then Ben Renshaw, owner of 8 Chains North Winery, called me back. I told him about our visitors, and he immediately said "we are closed, but I will be happy to open for you and your friends". We did not know Ben and we thought that was an exceptionally kind gesture. Ben provided outstanding service and our visitors left happy to have their wine tasting experience at such a lovely location, while enjoying the excellent wine that 8 Chains North provides.
As for our wedding anniversary, we enjoyed the high quality service and exceptional wines. Our 30 plus guests had a great time. The 8 Chains staff set up a nice tent for us and as usual provided friendly and professional service. They even allowed us to stay an extra hour when our guests weren’t ready to leave. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary with our friends.
By the way, recently 8 Chains North built an elegant and more intimate party room next to their tasting room. I highly recommend 8 Chains North Winery for hosting large gatherings or just for wine tasting visits.
Written October 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrice K
19 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
Love this winery. Nice setting and always a lot of fun. Our dog is always welcome and they now have a doggy run area. Good wine, good music and a great atmosphere
Written September 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JDB
Scottsdale, AZ5,019 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
this place has to be hands down by far the WORST place on the virginia wine circuit. there were more animals here than entire farms. the owners might be pet friendly, but if you want to serve animals then open a frekin Petsmart, and close your winery. they should be embarassed for the smellt fur ridden interior they call a tasting room. one could hardly breathe. just writing this post reminds me of that day which pissed me off greatly. will never ever return, only to watch it be condemned or closed! spare me!
Written August 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angelo N
Waterford, VA15 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
8 Chains North has opened up near our house, so we were able to meet with Ben, the owner, often as the tasting room was being built and the vines were all initially planted. They have been a welcome addition to the neighborhood and worked with those around him to limit the impact from the business to the surrounding homes. Other local products are often on display in the tasting room and they have recently begun hosting occasional dinners.
The tasting room has been very nicely rebuilt out of an existing barn and converted over to house the winery operation. We are only a white wine family and have taken a particular liking to the LoCo Vino, being one of the sweeter on their list. We do not drink wines from smaller wineries much, so it was interesting to have the differences of the same label from year to year explained and being able to see the differences and pick years we liked better than others. There are several wineries within a few mile radius, and we highly recommend this one be included if you are tasting in the Waterford/Hamilton area.
The tasting room has been very nicely rebuilt out of an existing barn and converted over to house the winery operation. We are only a white wine family and have taken a particular liking to the LoCo Vino, being one of the sweeter on their list. We do not drink wines from smaller wineries much, so it was interesting to have the differences of the same label from year to year explained and being able to see the differences and pick years we liked better than others. There are several wineries within a few mile radius, and we highly recommend this one be included if you are tasting in the Waterford/Hamilton area.
Written November 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pickydoc
Doylestown, PA111 contributions
Oct 2020
Great wine tasting (socially distanced!) with lovely views of the vineyards and surrounding countryside. All the wines were great, but the Tempranillo was the winner.
Pleasant and helpful staff.
Pleasant and helpful staff.
Written October 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Delbert W
52 contributions
Aug 2018
We've been members of the winery's Wine Club for 3 years now and I can't think of a better place to spend an afternoon than 8 Chains. The staff of the Tasting Room is incredible and knowledge and the wines are routinely excellent. The winery's owner who is frequently in the Tasting Room is very friendly and unassuming and always makes you feel right at home.
We had our daughter's wedding ceremony and reception there 2 years ago and our friends and family still remark on how incredible the winery and reception was.
Why fly to Napa when you can take the beautiful drive to 8 Chains?
We had our daughter's wedding ceremony and reception there 2 years ago and our friends and family still remark on how incredible the winery and reception was.
Why fly to Napa when you can take the beautiful drive to 8 Chains?
Written September 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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