Silver
Our Story
Silver Dog Vineyards, situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is located in the Shenandoah AVA in Linden, Virginia. Linden has gained a reputation as a special wine-growing region. There are currently five wineries within a few miles of each other, and Silver Dog Vineyards is proud to be part of this young wine-growing tradition.
Husband-and-wife team Eric Gronning and Lori Robertson were inspired to launch the vineyard after a seven-year run as owners of a wine bar and restaurant called Maple in Washington, DC.
Eric – a Virginia native who is most at home these days on his tractor and tending to the vines – was particularly inspired. Lori needed some convincing.
When they found the right parcel of land in 2018, Lori agreed to this adventurous endeavor on one condition: They name it after their beloved dog, Silver.
Silver Dog Vineyards was born.
Over several years, they planted vines: French varietals common to many Virginia wineries, but also barbera and sagrantino, Italian grapes they had come to love through their restaurant and visits to vineyards in Italy.
They’re committed to crafting small-batch wines that celebrate the growing distinction of this region and they look forward to sharing their experience and wines with you.
Wine is made in the Vineyard... We believe that the best quality wine can only be made from the best quality fruit. Soil, slope and exposure are critical to growing quality grapes and we chose our location because of its wine growing potential. Linden has a proven track record of accomplished nearby wineries, producing some of Virginia’s best wines. Exceptional quality grapes allow for a low-intervention winemaking process resulting in a true expression of the land and its seasonal variations. We will only make wine from our estate grown grapes, where we can oversee every aspect of the grape growing season. We are committed to the best possible farming practices and recognize that we are only stewards of this land and that nature plays the largest role in this endeavor. We currently grow cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, barbera, petit verdot, sagrantino, chardonnay and petit manseng.
As the winegrower, Eric spent several years learning the craft of growing grapes, utilizing Virginia Tech’s agricultural assistance, reading as much as he could, and benefiting from the gracious advice of other winegrowers from Virginia and California. His desire to incorporate Italian varietals in the vineyard stems from his time living in southern Switzerland many years ago, when he began learning about wine and traveling into northern Italy to visit wineries.
Silver Dog’s first vintage was in 2023, one of the top growing years in Virginia with ideal weather.
Winemaking
Virginia’s first off-grid tasting room
The contemporary tasting room is completely off-grid: There is no physical connection to any utility. Electricity is solar generated. All water comes from the property via a well and spring, and rainwater is captured for vineyard use. The building is designed to be energy efficient. Large overhangs shield the interior from the warming effects of the sun in the summer, and large doors take advantage of the cooling winds. The design features large expanses of glass, steel and exposed concrete floors, and the building is clad in American cedar
The tasting room was designed and built by Eric, who is an architect, furniture designer and wood/steel fabricator. He is the owner of Gronning Architects, a design-build firm in Washington, D.C., that focuses on restaurants, small commercial and residential projects.
