The Tasting Room – Wine Bar & Shop

I have to agree with another reviewer that this place was really sterile and felt a bit pretentious. Our server or whatever you want to call her just talked about herself the whole time. It was really annoying.
I did not like the wine tasting menu. You basically either get a flight of wines on their menu or get a tasting card to use on the wine machine. Only a few of the wines are actually Boxwood wines. Their wines were pretty good overall, but it was quite pricing for tastings. They are not so great that they should be charging prices like that.
They completely take the fun out of Virginia wine tasting by giving it a really corporate feel instead of the local feel that I’ve come to love touring other VA wineries.

If you like overpriced wines poured by a robot, this is the place to go. «Tastes», or more appropriately «sips» ranged from $ 2 — $ 5 and they weren’t even worth that much. The staff was nice enough, but nothing compared to the estate wineries where we were treated to better wines and a more personalized experience. In bad weather, this is a place to consider if you need a wine fix, but for the full NOVA wine experience, choose elsewhere.

the staff was knowledgeable and friendly. they were the only tasting area we went to that had a tasting machine. 1 oz was anywhere from $ 2-​$ 5. and the prices per glass only increase from there. we did buy wine from them, however it wasn’t boxwood wine, it was imported french wine.
We did get to try two of their red wines. i found them rather dry, and not to be my favorite. it was the release day for the 2008 boxwood red. worth stopping to if you are in midlleburg, however i wouldn’t go out of the way to go here.

It’s not that the place wasnt nice and the person helping wasnt nice– they were both lovely and pleasant. Im not overwhelmed by the enomatic or anything. I dont actually care that the place was stark. The point is the wine and the wine was not good.
That’s pretty much it. I’m not sure what else anyone can say nor do i have any suggestions. I came there for wine and it was not good.
Oh, I only tried the Boxwood wines so if they carry others give it a shot.

1.5 stars… because I’m feeling generous. I like going to Middleburg, and our pourer was very nice and friendly. We did the whole Boxwood winery tasting, which included Roses and Reds. They don’t make whites apparently? Anyway, the Reds were powerful, strong, but somehow completely lacked substance. How does that happen? Anyway, the Roses were ok. I took one home with me for 12 bucks. The tasting was more expensive than that. That said, its not really a tasting, its more like getting 6 glasses of wine, as they fill them up quite a lot and it takes a while to get through them all.
I like to enjoy my wine… and I don’t mind a wine buzz, but with how much they give you here, even regular wine drinkers will feel it upon exit. Some people go to wineries for that, and not for the quality necessarily, and for that, this place is probably just right for you.
I’d much more prefer to visit someone’s vineyard and survey the area that led someone to choose wine-​making as their calling. You don’t get that from this tasting room. Although, as I said, you can leave with a buzz.

I recently was a part of a large group that was doing a day trip to several Virginia wineries. Boxwood was the last one on our agenda. Half of us went to the tasting room and half went to the winery itself and then we switched (review of winery posted on winery section). We did our tasting of Boxwood’s three reds at the Tasting Room.
I do have to agree with other reviewers that the Tasting Room is a bit sterile. Compared to other Virginia wineries, it seems a bit pretentious, but I did think the wines were pretty good compared to other Virginia wines. I was disappointed that we didn’t do our tasting at the winery itself, but after my visit to the winery after the tasting room, I’m thrilled that we didn’t (posting a review about that under the winery).
So ultimately, the wine is decent even though the atmosphere was a bit cold. I did get to talking with the man who was working the tasting room that evening, and he seemed very knowledgeable about wine and Boxwood’s process. He was also very eager to answer my questions and help me learn about wine. My interaction with him was what bumped my review up from 2 to 3 stars.

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, in between «stuff» and «sports» we meandered through Middleburg and stumbled upon The Tasting Room. This is an in-​town tasting room for Boxwood Winery. Talk about minimalist… stark cross between white and dove grey expanse of walls make this small venue appear bigger than it is. There is a super modern wine dispenser in the round to your left as you walk in, a few tables strewn about and a semi-​circle steward/​cashier area straight ahead.
I’m used to visiting wineries that do direct pour across an expansive bar type area… and wasn’t thrilled with the «purchase this key card and serve yourself from the dispenser» option.
We ended up choosing a specific wine and their cheese/​fruit plate so we could sit, consume, chill and then head off to our next activity of the day. The wines, all red, are red bordeaux style blends. My husband chose the Boxwood… reflects the Medoc style with the Cabernet Sauvignon as the principal grape. Unfortunately I was unable to recall the French selection I made by name, but it was a full bodied Cab with nice earthy undertones, blackberry and a slight peppery tingle left on the back of the tongue.
While we were not so impressed with this atmosphere, we are enticed to go to the actual vineyard since the pictures on the wall show that its a beautiful property with cool attributes to the tasting area and the cask cave. It doesn’t appear to us to be an outing with kids, so we’ll probably save this as a stop on a wine tour Saturday with friends… and possibly a limo!

While out in Middleburg today — I saw a sign out on the street that mentioned «Boxwood Winery,» of which the winery itself is just west of the town of MIddleburg. Curious — as I am a fan of Virginia wines — I went in to investigate.
Turns out — THIS is their outlet for tasting wines. NOT at the winery. The room is very modern and sterile. Stark white and there is a high tech machine that dispenses tastes of wine. You can even swipe a credit card into the machine and commence your tasting.
I declined to taste any wines in this fashion. I just don’t get it. This place — this format — is so out of touch with the ambiance of what a winery and wine tasting event should be. Next thing you know — we’ll be plugging wires into our heads and downloading the flavors into our brains to taste wines.
Now I have no idea how Boxwood Wines taste. But I absolutely do not like what they’ve done with this format. One can visit the winery to taste wines — BUT it is by appointment only. AND from what I can tell from their web site — there is a $ 20.00 tasting fee to taste their wines. I have no problem with paying a tasting fee — but $ 20 seems a bit steep. As far as I can recall — the most I’ve ever paid for a wine tasting fee in Virginia is $ 5.00.
Their web site is pretty crappy — the Commonwealth of Virginia Wine web site has better information about the winery:
Makes one wonder if this whole venture is targeting the rich folks who reside in the Middleburg/​Virginia Horse Country financial strata.