Nearly 20 years ago, husband and wife Dustin and Tara Miner were the winery-goers themselves, spending weekends exploring Virginia wineries and discovering what was being grown and made across the Commonwealth.
Those weekend winery visits eventually inspired a dream of their own. What started with a love for Virginia wine and a few vines planted in their backyard has grown into a winery producing up to 2,000 cases a year, a tasting room where visitors can get to know the winemaker behind the glass, and an agribusiness rooted in Prince William County’s rural community.
To Dustin, Virginia wine isn’t just what’s inside the bottle. “Virginia wine has soul to it,” he said. “Our bottles have a soul and a personality to them.”
Firefighter By Day, Winemaker… Also By Day
A Prince William County firefighter for 23 years, Dustin has built a career around preparation, discipline, and being ready when the moment comes. Turns out, grapes demand a lot of the same things.
“Firefighting has taught me such discipline,” Dustin said. “You have to clean your equipment, get your equipment ready, because a fire can come out at any time. And same thing goes for the wine industry.”
When the grapes are ready, they’re ready. Growers are picking, fruit is coming in, and there’s no waiting around to get the equipment prepared.
There’s also a little science behind the sip. Dustin’s degree in fire science comes with a minor in organic chemistry and criminal justice. That chemistry background comes in handy once the grapes make their way from the vineyard to the winery, helping him understand the numbers, lab work, and chemical changes throughout the winemaking process.
But numbers and labs will only get you so far. For Dustin, making a great bottle means knowing how to bring all of it together.
From Basement Bottles to 2,000 Cases A Year
Nokesville Winery’s first commercial harvest came in 2021. The production facility ran in the basement of Dustin and Tara’s home.
That first year, they made somewhere between 60 and 100 cases. There was no tasting room or long list of customers waiting for their release, so Dustin did what any other new business owner trying to get a product out into the world does: he started knocking on doors. He recalls becoming a door-to-door salesman, introducing local restaurants to his wines.
After securing their first distributor, Dustin and Tara got a call from a restaurant carrying their wine. The restaurant had recommended one of their bottles to a customer, the customer tried it and then bought the bottle. The restaurant even sent Dustin and Tara a video to capture the moment.
That was when things started to feel real. Someone who they had never met had just spent their hard-earned money on their wine. And it seems to be working. Nokesville Winery earned silver medals in the Virginia’s Governor Cup in 2024 and again in 2026, earning recognition in one of the Commonwealth’s premier wine competitions.
Those have since grown to as many as 2,000 cases a year, and in May 2026, they reached another milestone, opening Nokesville Winery’s tasting room and welcoming their club members and visitors for the first time. Safe to say, they outgrew the basement.
Taking Virginia Wine Global
Dustin already has his sights set beyond Virginia. Next on his list? An international award.
“We don’t want to be just the best in Prince William County or in Virginia,” he said. “I want my wine to be showcased throughout the world and really showcase what Virginia farming and Virginia heritage is about.”
Considering Nokesville Winery started because someone told Dustin he couldn’t make good wine with Virginia grapes; there seems to be only one appropriate response:
Challenge accepted.
Experience Nokesville Winery yourself. Visit Nokesville Winery’s tasting room at 12905 Fitzwater Drive in Nokesville, open Thursdays from 4-10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon-10 p.m., and Sundays from noon-7 p.m.
