We didn’t think that Virginia wineries could get any better, but add in a pup or two and that’s an absolutely perfect way to spend an afternoon! While most Virginia wineries are pet-friendly, allowing you to bring your dogs along for a day at the vineyards, many also have their own winery mascots. These four-legged friends often protect the vines from pests, but they are also there to greet visitors and get lots of pets in the process. Meet the friendliest and most lovable vineyard employees, the dogs (and cats!) of Virginia wineries.
Captain—New Kent Winery
Breed: Yellow Labrador Retriever
Fun Facts: Captain’s main job at the winery is security, ensuring that no animal enters the vineyards to snack on grapes. While he began as a naughty employee, occasionally stealing lunches from other workers, he has settled into his role and become a model employee for the vineyard.
Cara, Calvin, & Cody—Elk Island Winery
Breed: Cairn Terriers and Yorkshire Terrier
Fun Facts: Calvin and Cody were “hired” to chase off vermin from the vines, but they have shifted to a part-time role in the tasting room, where they spend time mingling with guests and melting hearts to gain lots of snacks. Their winery nickname is the “Elk Island Terroiriers”, a play on terrier and terroir. They have earned their own wine label for their hard work, Terroirier Red and Terroirier White, with a portion of the sale proceeds going to three different Terrier rescue groups.
Rosie—Iron Heart Winery
Breed: German Shorthaired Pointer
Fun Facts: Rosie was originally hired as a bird dog for guests staying at the winery to use during guided hunts. However, she quickly changed positions, becoming the winery’s top customer service representative in a short amount of time. She’s a gentle soul that absolutely loves fetching tennis balls.
Crush—Cunningham Creek Winery
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Breed: Australian Shepherd
Fun Facts: Crush loves everyone at the winery, even Spicy Cat, the vineyard’s resident feline. In addition to Crush and Spicy Cat, Cunningham Creek Winery is also home to Jack and Whip, two more vineyard dog mascots.
Remi—Old Hill Cider and Showalter’s Orchard
Breed: Brittany Spaniel
Fun Facts: Visitors to Old Hill Cider and Showalter’s Orchard often find Remi waiting in the parking lot, ready to walk with you to the farm store or usher you down rows of apple trees.
Bramley—Old Hill Cider and Showalter’s Orchard
Breed: English Setter
Fun Facts: Like Remi, Bramley is all about making new friends, trotting obediently after his latest buddy as they explore the orchard and cidery.
Rascal—Barren Ridge Vineyard 
Breed: Jack Russell Terrier
Fun Facts: Rascal visited the winery in 2008 and decided to stay permanently after his owners could not be found. This sweet boy often leads guests from their cars to the tasting room, making sure you don’t get lost along the way. If you take a seat, be ready for Rascal to make himself comfortable in your lap.
Beau & Fig—Knight’s Gambit Vineyard
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Breed: Shepherd Mix and Hound Mix
Fun Facts: Fig loves kids and tends to tag along with them as they play in the yard outside the tasting room. As the unofficial winery mascot, she greets customers at their cars and escorts them to the tasting room, even following them onto the deck for a few snuggles. Both Fig and Beau guard the vines, running off the pests attempting to sample the grapes.
Brix White—Chateau MerrillAnne Winery
Breed: Yellow Tabby
Fun Facts: During a winery potluck dinner, Brix showed up to eat and spent the evening mingling with the guests. Brix works in the tasting room every day, keeping pests at bay and greeting visitors, but he has a bad habit of showing up late and making himself comfortable in the laps of unassuming visitors. His hobbies include sleeping and getting nonstop belly rubs.
Ti Rey—Reynard Florence Vineyard 
Breed: Corgi
Fun Facts: Ti Rey can be a bit of a diva when other dogs are around, but he loves greeting visitors at the door and herd them to their seats, where he’ll plop down by (and sometimes on) your feet while you sample the wines.
Jackson—Abingdon Vineyard & Winery
Breed: Vizla
Fun Facts: Jackson is a social butterfly, especially with visiting dogs. He enjoys running around the vineyard with these pups, chasing birds, and fetching sticks from the river that runs beside the winery.
Eli—Abingdon Vineyard & Winery
Breed: Unknown
Fun Facts: Eli is a rescue, so his breed is unknown, but he is 100% sweetheart. He spends his days greeting tasting room visitors, napping in front of the fireplace, and begging for salami.
Dixie—Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery 
Breed: Red & Blue Heeler Australian Cattle Dog Mix
Fun Facts: Dixie is the latest in a long line of Blue Heelers that have belonged to the owners of Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery. The breed is especially close to their hearts, and Dixie returns all of this love to winery employees and visitors alike. The winery carries special meads called Blue Heeler Dry Blueberry Wine and Little Heeler Sweet Blueberry Wine, and when they are in stock, they are purchased by Heeler fans all over the country. A portion of proceeds from the sale of every bottle goes to The Mosby Foundation, a nonprofit that helps finance animals in need of critical care.
Rkatsiteli “Rascal”—MountainRose Vineyards
Breed: Large Grey Exotic Tabby
Fun Facts: Named for the Rkatsiteli grape, one of 15 varieties grown at MountainRose Vineyards, Raskiteli, called Rascal for short, definitely lives up to his nickname. He was born the same year the winery was constructed, and he seems to think that it was built to serve as his house. Rascal is very friendly and loves greeting guests, periodically stopping in to see if anyone is willing to share snacks with him. Before leaving the winery, be sure to check your car, as Rascal has been known to catch a ride home with visitors before!
Bailey & Willie Nelson—Ashton Creek Vineyards
Breed: Golden Retriever and Terrier mix
Fun Facts: Between Bailey and Willie Nelson, Willie is definitely the “boss” of the winery. However, the two are inseparable, and when they have to be apart for any amount of time, they are always overjoyed to be reunited. They act as greeters for the winery, but mostly spend their days entertaining each other as well as the winery staff.
Millie—Afton Mountain Vineyards
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Breed: Boxer-Labrador Mix
Fun Facts: Millie loves playing with kids; she is more of a winery “greeter” than a vine protector. A rescue from the Augusta County animal shelter, Millie shamelessly begs for attention from every visitor, flopping onto her back for belly rubs whenever possible. She loves kids and will often run around with them, frolicking on the grounds until everyone is worn out and ready for a nap!
Madison—Rosemont Vineyards & Winery
Breed: German Shepherd/Chow Mix
Fun Facts: Madison has spent her whole life at the winery. Her daily duties include greeting guests and playing with visiting children.
Duchess—Beliveau Estate Winery
Breed: Unknown Mix
Fun Facts: Duchess may be up in age, but she can still race the tractor to the top of the vineyard and win. She is great with all visitors, stopping by each table for a few scratches and pets, and even welcomes cuddles from young children.
Winston & Wyatt—Brix & Columns Vineyards
Breed: Great Danes
Fun Facts: Winston has become such a fixture at the winery that he even has a monthly blog named after him (Wine with Winston) that details upcoming winery events, and Brix & Columns Vineyard is often affectionately referred to as “Winston’s House”. He likes to greet guests in the parking lot and ushers them to the tasting room. In 2019, Winston moved up in the ranks and began training Wyatt, who is learning the ropes of being an adorable tasting room host.
Enzo—Hamlet Vineyards 
Breed: Unknown
Fun Facts: Enzo is the official winery dog for Hamlet Vineyards. He stays busy following patrons around the vineyard during business hours. While his age and breed are unknown due to him being a rescue, his owners believe him to be an Australian Shepherd Mix who is about 8 or 9 years old. His job at the vineyard doesn’t include protecting the vines, but he does enjoy unsuccessfully chasing bunny rabbits from time to time.
Tug—Effingham Manor Winery
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Breed: Golden Retriever
Fun Facts: Tug has been voted Virginia Wine Dog of the Year three times, but he doesn’t let the fame go to his head. He spends his days patrolling the 12 acre vineyards to ensure everything is up to his strict standards, stopping into the tasting room to greet visitors. On cooler evenings, you’ll find Tug enjoying the warmth of the winery’s outdoor fireplace.
Gracie—Cardinal Point Winery
Breed: German Shorthaired Pointer Mix
Fun Facts: Gracie has a keen interest in groundhogs, spending hours waiting outside a hole to say hello to its resident. She is a gentle and loving companion for visitors, but occasionally likes to voice her concerns when these visitors stray into the winemaking area.
Rochambeau “Beau”—Gauthier Vineyard
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Breed: Vizla
Fun Facts: Beau is so famous at Gauthier Vineyard that they named a wine after him–Sweet Beau. He works at the winery protecting the vines, chasing off deer and geese that come through his property.
Dakota, Freckles, Lucy, Daisy, Bella, Bowman, Rudy, Teddy, Roxy, Jake, Rosebud, & Sandy—Good Luck Cellars
Breed: Various Mixes
Fun Facts: There are a total of 12 vineyard dogs that make up the “Grape Vine Patrol Squad” at Good Luck Cellars, all rescue animals recruited from local shelters. Their jobs are to wander the vineyards and chase away wildlife so that the grapes can thrive and later become delicious wine. The dogs are lovingly cared for by the vineyard owners, and while they are mostly outdoor dogs, they each have their own dog house among the vines. Don’t expect these pups to come running when you arrive; they are kept on-site by an invisible fence, ensuring that they don’t try to go home with you, no matter how many milk bones you offer them!
Tucker—Chatham Vineyards
Breed: Yellow Labrador Retriever
Fun Facts: Tucker is from Montana and loves lacrosse balls, greeting customers in the tasting room, hunting and retrieving, chasing all sorts of animals from the vineyard, and most of all, he loves cuddling at home with his family.
Frank the Cat—King Family Vineyards
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Breed: Unknown
Fun Facts: Frank is a bit of a mystery, as he just showed up to the winery one day and decided it was his new home. He doesn’t think he works for the winery, instead choosing to believe that all the winery employees work for him. Frank has his own house, complete with a heated bed, and spends his days doing whatever he wants, from getting pets from visitors to wandering around the winery grounds.
Dogbert—Glass House Winery
Breed: Border Collie/Shiba Inu Mix
Fun Facts: Dogbert has two roles at Glass House Winery; she works as a greeter for guests visiting the tasting room while simultaneously keeping a close eye on the 50 acres of vines. And while it isn’t outlined in her contract, she also gives her official approval of all the food trucks that come to the winery. Dogbert holds a special place in her owner’s hearts, and not just because of her cuddling skills. In 2017, the son of the winery owners was diagnosed with brain cancer. During his illness and subsequent recovery, Dogbert stayed with him every step of the way, visiting him in the hospital, rehabilitation center, and eventually sticking by his side when he arrived home to recover. To this day, if he is on the property, Dogbert faithfully follows wherever he goes.
Tell us, who is your favorite winery mascot?
Ragged Branch has a wonderful pup that will greet you in the parking lot and walk with you to the tasting room. His name escapes me at the moment.
Riley at Loving Cup!