One of Virginia’s most beautiful vineyards began with a picnic and a bottle of Pinot Noir. Bob and Nikoo Bakhtiar were musing with friends what they would do with the beautiful land around their newly built home in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The stunning tract of fertile rolling hills nestles up near Massanutten Mountain—famous for cutting up through the landscape and dominating the horizon. On that day, Nikoo’s friend, Joy Strickland, suggested that they plant a vineyard on the land. “The worst that could happen is you make a little wine for yourselves,” Joy said. “I told her, ‘If we ever make wine, we’ll name it after you,’” says Nikoo.

After mulling over the idea for some time, the Bakhtiars, pictured below, planted their first vines in 2001. In 2006, they bottled their first vintage, followed by the opening of their winery tasting room in 2008. And true to Nikoo’s word, guests can still enjoy Joy Red and Joy White at the winery.

As you enter the 125-acre estate winery today, you will notice the unique gold crossed keys decorating the gate. In the spirit of the nearby Old Cross Keys Tavern, a popular gathering place in the early to mid 19th century, the Bakhtiar family strives for the winery to be a welcoming hub in the community. 

“The keys embody our goal of producing exquisite wines, delicious food and fabulous events,” the Bakhtiars share. More importantly though, “they are a daily reminder that we are here to provide an excellent experience for every guest.”

The Team at CrossKeys Vineyards

Bob’s passion and extensive career as an executive in the hospitality industry meant the couple had a wealth of experience to draw upon for their winery. Inspired by their many travels to Tuscany’s wine country, the architecture of the estate and the winery’s tasting room are modeled after an Italian villa. The layout of the complex has the guest in mind, with a wine tasting room and farm-to-table restaurant. There is also a large central ballroom at CrossKeys Vineyards that spills out into a generous courtyard for celebrations.

Today, the property is home to 36 acres of vines and 12 varietals of grapes with plans to expand. All of the wines are made from estate grapes.

As for the wine itself, Steve Monson (seen below), CrossKeys’s head winemaker, is uniquely in tune with the local vineyards. “There’s a spirit of experimentation on this side of the mountain,” Monson says. And he’s right; CrossKeys has led the way to defining this emerging young wine region. The Shenandoah Valley is finding its voice in winemaking.

The Bakhtiars’ vine and wine philosophy is driven by this “pioneering spirit of trying to understand our site,” Monson says.

Not surprisingly for this family-run estate winery and vineyard, community events, such as wine dinners, make up a large part of its identity. Bob and Nikoo’s sons, Saam and Babak, direct operations and marketing, and infuse an exciting youthful energy into the business. From their weekly Friday night “Concert Series” to their monthly “Salsa Nights,” CrossKeys focuses on their guests’ overall experience.

CrossKeys Vineyards’ Weddings and Special Events

In addition to holding their own winery events, CrossKeys Vineyards also is available to visitors to rent. With the beautiful vista and myriad of luxurious spaces at the vineyard, it’s the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion or wedding and reception. Whether you choose the gorgeous Tuscan Villa or the full-service outdoor venue option, the ambience is magical. 

Guests may choose from multiple spectacular rental options to enjoy any celebration. The Signature Rental is tailored to larger parties of up to 200 guests and includes access to the Key Room, Vineyard Room, Piazza, Courtyard, Veranda, and Bridal Suite. The Vista Room and Terrace rental at this beautiful Virginia Vineyard is perfect for more intimate parties of 20 to 70 guests and includes the Vista Room, Terrace and Bridal Suite.

For all events at the winery there is onsite gourmet catering and professional event staff. There is also an event manager to work side-by-side to create the perfect occasion with minimal stress.

Image Courtesy of CrossKeys Vineyards

CrossKeys Vineyards Bistro Menu

A bistro is typically defined as a small casual restaurant with a relatively inexpensive and simple menu. While the Bistro at CrossKeys has the intimate, European atmosphere of its traditional counterparts, the food has been elevated to a fine dining experience. Open for lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch, and special occasions, the Bistro serves an upscale menu of artfully crafted dishes that cater to all. There are dairy free, gluten free, vegan and vegetarian items on the menu to please anyone in your dining party. All dishes are created with fresh ingredients and made to pair well with delectable CrossKeys Vineyards wines. Each menu item comes with a specifically suggested wine pairing sure to complement the food. You can also enjoy a flight of wine alongside your meal to see how the flavors play together. 

CrossKeys Vineyards’ Award-Winning Wine

The Petit Verdot was CrossKeys Vineyards first and is the most successful in regards to quality. Their best seller is the Vidal Blanc. Touriga Nacional—a grape commonly used to make Port wines in Oporto, Portugal—was originally planted for the CrossKeys port-style wine, called “Tavern.” Touriga continues to go into the Tavern wine, but the winery team liked it so much as a dry red in 2015, that now they’ll also bottle separately in great vintages.

CrossKeys’s 2020 Blanc de Noir and 2019 Ali d’Oro — a sparkling and a dessert wine, respectively — each won a gold medal in the 2023 Governor’s Cup competition.

A popular line of fruit-infused, Vidal-based wines called Fruit d’Vine do well in the tasting room and at festivals. From peach and apple to hops, the collection offers wine enthusiasts a sweet treat for those spring and summer eves.

Shenandoah Valley Wine Region

The site is quite special, and the soils in the larger Shenandoah Valley AVA (American Viticulture Area) are unique. There’s bedrock of ancient limestone, and the clay-based topsoils have nice moisture balance; “they don’t get waterlogged, and they don’t dry out either,” Monson says. In the summertime, the Shenandoah Valley wine region and Rockingham County (CrossKeys Vineyards) is known to be cooler than the Monticello AVA, which surrounds Charlottesville. The cooler temperatures oftentimes mean the grapes retain more acidity, which translates to balance and texture in fine wine.

Specific to CrossKeys Vineyards, they’ve discovered a few soil anomalies and have friable shale bedrock, with rich topsoils. As the topsoil gets shallower, the vine size gradually decreases as the vines work a little harder to get through the bedrock. They recently discovered a vein of black rock running through their Chardonnay vineyard.