Glen Manor Vineyards, located in Virginia approximately 70 miles due west of Washington D.C., is situated on a western flank of the Blue Ridge Mountains, 5 miles south from the north entrance to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive.  Nearby mountains, ranging between 1400 and 3400 feet in elevation, surround the vineyards forming a “Glen”.  The vines are growing high on steep mountain slopes, in very deep and well drained rocky soils.

     The original six acre vineyard, established in 1995, is comprised of Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vines   This mainly western exposed vineyard site rests between 1000 and 1200 feet in elevation with the valley floor below at 800 feet.  The vineyard soils are Myersville-Catoctin Complex, with Chester Manor and Chester loam.  The soils are deep and well drained with low to moderate available water holding capacity.   These soils formed in weathered products of green schist, granodiorite and greenstone.  The vine density is 454 and 908 vines per acre. The vines were originally cordon trained and spur pruned but all have been converted to cane pruned and all are growing on the Open Lyre trellising system.  A permanent covercrop grows between the rows and under the vines to aide in controlling the vines summertime growth.   The red Bordeaux varieties are cropped at 2.0 to 2.5 tons per acre and the Sauvignon Blanc around 4 tons per acre.

     In 2006, establishment of a new vineyard site began with the clearing of a young forest on higher ground just northeast of the original vineyard.   A long and deep ravine runs between the two vineyards, carrying both water and cold air away from the vines.  This new site, ranging between 1100 and 1300 feet in elevation, has very steep slopes of deep and very rocky soils.  These slopes face in all directions with the largest slopes facing west and south.  At the top of the site is a plateau of about 3 acres.  The vineyard soils are Tankerville-Purcellville Complex, Philomont-Tankerville Complex and Myersville-Catoctin Complex.  The entire site of 25 acres was planted with a blend of dense, low and slow growing grasses that require very little maintenance, i.e. summer cutting.  An initial 4 acres of vineyards were established in 2008, with Petit Manseng and Merlot planted on the plateau and Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc on the southern slopes.  The vine density is 1361 vines per acre and all are cane pruned and trained to the Vertical Shoot Positioned trellising system.  In 2009 an additional 4.5 acres was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on a west slope and Cabernet Franc planted on a south slope.