Owner's Welcome

 January 2025

Hello,

Thank you for coming to our Vineyard and Winery website. My name is Bill Taylor. Since 2013, my son Bryce has been the active manager of Rivah Vineyards at the Grove. As many of you may know, Bryce was killed September 19th, 2023, in a tragic automobile accident. His death has been devastating to me and my family. Bryce was only 32 years old and had a brilliant future ahead.

He had this dream ever since he came to the Northern Neck to do something by working outside; to do something with the soil; to do something with our farm that is exciting and interesting. Bryce's grandfather, my dad, William Brown Taylor, Sr., who owned the farm taught all of us to love the land, to respect it and to use it to grow and steward all kinds of things. He had a great vegetable garden and would share the benefits of it in the growing season with many folks in the community.  Bryce was farming grapes on the same land his grandfather loved so much and now the land that Bryce came to love himself. While I never lived in the Northern Neck, I would come here as my mom and dad began their retirement years in the old house called "The Grove." I am an Episcopal priest serving a church in Hopewell, Virginia about 25 to 30 miles south-east of Richmond. But we have some really great folks that have been around the winery for a while and will be glad to welcome you in the days to come. I used to say, I can't make the wine, but I can bless it. To have Bryce as my son has been a true blessing and I  miss him very much.

The land we are on (see History Page) has been in our family for generations. The Federal style brick house on the property was finished in 1832. If you look real hard you can see the date on a brick way up on the chimney, as well as the initials of the brick mason. The house was built by my fourth great-grandparents - David Ball Taylor and his wife Fannie Bailey Taylor. The land was originally in the Bailey family. We suspect that there was an earlier house on the property somewhere, however, we have yet to find a foundation.

Being right on the water, our family always has enjoyed water activities as well as God's magnificent bounty coming from the river.  We are talking about seafood; fish of many kinds, crabs, oysters, and some clams. Bryce found the wines he and his mentor have made and we will continue making, pair really well with many kinds of Virginia Specialty Foods and with foods that seem synonymous with the Northern Neck, i.e. oysters and crabs. The other bounty from the river is the clay found under it.  In fact the clay used to make the bricks for the manor house was taken from the river bottom, made into bricks by hand, and fired on a kiln right here on the property. We don't know exactly where it was on the property, but we do have a few clues. 

For a couple of years, we let the fields and vines go fallow in order to concentrate on some new ventures that we have in mind for the winery and grounds. However, we did have a harvest in 2022 or 2023. We are hoping that Spring of 2025 will offer us new possibilities as our vineyards are in really great shape to give us a superb harvest next Fall. 

We  are  working  with  several  local  event  vendors  and  area  businesses  to  offer  the  perfect  venue  space  to  host  all  of  your  events to  include  weddings, receptions, and all  your  most  memorable  moments to make Rivah Vineyards at the Grove the best venue for events on the Northern Neck. We hope the land and the winery will be a place for visitors to enjoy a day of relaxation, education, fun, and the best venue for the most special day of days, whether visiting or living here on Virginia's beautiful Northern Neck.

We will continue to consider establishing our Founder's Wine Club with a limited membership. This will include having your name placed in a prominent position for all to see, invitations to special events, Founder's Club-only events, a percentage off wine and other merchandise, as well as free wine tastings for two. When you join the club you will know, too, that you are helping this venture continue to thrive with a solid financial foundation. If you are interested in being a part of a Charter membership in our Founder's Club, please contact us here.

We will continue to try to follow Bryce's dream as we look to a new way of doing business in the days to come.

Thank you to those who have followed Bryce's path through the years. We hope that you will continue to follow us as we try to follow Bryce's dream of a place where folks can come and relax, enjoy the outdoors, and have a glass or two of wine. 

Bill Taylor