Venue Information
Public🏡 Key Venue Details
About the owners
The Carter family has called the rolling hills of Fauquier County home for more than three centuries, serving as stewards of Virginia’s viticultural heritage since the earliest days of the colonies. Today, that legacy is carried forward by Philip Carter Strother, a direct descendant of Virginia’s pioneering winemaker Charles Carter of Cleve Plantation. In founding Philip Carter Winery in 2008, Strother revived the family’s centuries-old connection to the vine—continuing a lineage that produced America’s first internationally recognized wines in the 1760s. The winery remains a family endeavor dedicated to honoring the Carters’ long tradition of excellence, hospitality, and cultural preservation.
History of the venue
The Carter family’s history is inseparable from the story of American wine. In 1762, Charles Carter sent twelve bottles of Virginia wine to the Royal Society of Arts in London, earning a gold medal for producing the first wines in the colonies deemed equal to Europe’s best—a milestone celebrated as the birth of America’s fine-wine tradition. Nearly 250 years later, the family returned to winemaking in Fauquier County, planting 1,800 vines on land symbolically recalling those original plantings. Visitors today can view an authentic replica of the 1762 medal and Carter’s original correspondence, displayed in Cleve Hall, while enjoying the panoramic vineyards that link past and present.
Winemaking philosophy
At Philip Carter Winery, history and stewardship go hand in hand. The winemaking team focuses on expressing the unique terroir of the Virginia Piedmont while advancing modern sustainability practices. As a member of the Virginia Green Program, the winery actively reduces its environmental footprint through recycling, resource efficiency, and environmentally minded sourcing. It also partners with the Piedmont Environmental Council and the Fauquier Wine Council, embracing best practices in sustainable winegrowing that benefit local communities and preserve the rural landscape. True to its vision, Philip Carter Winery strives to promote “a gracious way of life through wine, the arts, and culture”—continuing the Carter family’s enduring role as the First Family of American wine.
