Virginia is no longer wine’s best-kept secret. Imbibers have caught on to the state’s diverse terroir and unique grapes. For all the accolades, however, there was one thing lacking: a winery devoted to sparkling wine.
J. Snyder, a Loudoun County native and wine connoisseur, recognized this opportunity. He sought to create a winery that emulates the experience of luxury hotels and restaurants, one where every detail, from the exacting wine-making process to the tasting room’s music, is thoughtfully considered. The result is Petit Domaine, a world-class winery that unites the winemaking style of Champagne, France, with the spirit of Virginia.
The winery opened in October 2025, and though it will be a couple more years until the Virginia grapes they harvested are ready for bottling, visitors can still get a taste of Petit Domaine’s distinctive style. Snyder worked closely with a Premier Cru champagne producer in Côte des Blancs to develop a private label wine that embodies Petit Domaine’s ethos of bright and beautiful minerality. Meanwhile, Shai Van Gelder, the estate’s winemaker, is hard at work creating a wine that lets Virginia’s terroir shine. “It’s so exciting that we get to shape not only the future of Virginia sparkling wine,” Van Gelder says, “but also the Virginia sparkling wine consumer. It’s such a privilege to have an impact on that.” ThePetitDomaine.com
Petit Domaine, the Commonwealth’s own take on Champagne
This article originally appeared in the June 2026 issue.
