RdV Vineyards
Rutger de Vink - RdV
When Rutger de Vink decided that he would one day create a world-class wine in Virginia, there was nothing on earth that could stop him. An apprenticeship with Virginia’s Linden Vineyards, and with numerous other well-known vineyards in California and Bordeaux, solidified his love of winemaking and helped him hone his skills. After years of exhaustive research, planning, and searching for a site, he finally established RdV in 2004. This former Recon Marine turned corporate executive turned vigneron was one step closer to realizing his dream. Every day, Rutger pours his energy and passion into the vineyard, infusing the RdV culture with his tenacious approach to life. When he’s not outside working in the vineyard, he, together with his partner Jenny, can be found gardening and caring for their family.
Our journey started with a search for land. Despite prevailing industry assumptions (or maybe precisely because of them) we chose to look in a largely unknown, unproven region. Three years and hundreds of soil samples later, we found it — the place we knew could upend expectations and produce some of the world’s finest wine.
For two years, we studied the land and worked the earth, uncovering a vast expanse of granite. Renowned experts from the US and France, as well as our own research and experience, guided us in understanding how to coax the best from our terroir. We decided to cultivate our 30,000 plants by hand and practice sustainable viticulture to work in harmony with the land. This intentional dedication to science and nature has led to irrefutable results: a wine of astonishing complexity and finesse.
RdV’s 16 acres of vines are located on a steep, stony hillside in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, roughly 60 miles west of Washington, DC. Our vineyard is divided into 11 parcels dedicated to growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. We focus on doing one thing extraordinarily well — creating iconic Bordeaux-style blends.
When Rutger de Vink decided that he would one day create a world-class wine in Virginia, there was nothing on earth that could stop him. An apprenticeship with Virginia’s Linden Vineyards, and with numerous other well-known vineyards in California and Bordeaux, solidified his love of winemaking and helped him hone his skills. After years of exhaustive research, planning, and searching for a site, he finally established RdV in 2004. This former Recon Marine turned corporate executive turned vigneron was one step closer to realizing his dream. Every day, Rutger pours his energy and passion into the vineyard, infusing the RdV culture with his tenacious approach to life. When he’s not outside working in the vineyard, he, together with his partner Jenny, can be found gardening and caring for their family.
Our journey started with a search for land. Despite prevailing industry assumptions (or maybe precisely because of them) we chose to look in a largely unknown, unproven region. Three years and hundreds of soil samples later, we found it — the place we knew could upend expectations and produce some of the world’s finest wine.
For two years, we studied the land and worked the earth, uncovering a vast expanse of granite. Renowned experts from the US and France, as well as our own research and experience, guided us in understanding how to coax the best from our terroir. We decided to cultivate our 30,000 plants by hand and practice sustainable viticulture to work in harmony with the land. This intentional dedication to science and nature has led to irrefutable results: a wine of astonishing complexity and finesse.
RdV’s 16 acres of vines are located on a steep, stony hillside in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, roughly 60 miles west of Washington, DC. Our vineyard is divided into 11 parcels dedicated to growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. We focus on doing one thing extraordinarily well — creating iconic Bordeaux-style blends.
