Uncork Loudoun

Home / Events & Education / On‑Site Winery Education

Uncork Loudoun
A Trade Education Morning by Uncork Loudoun

Uncork Loudoun On‑Site Winery Education

A working morning built for the trade. Buyers, sommeliers, and press taste through thirteen Loudoun County wineries alongside opening remarks, a walk‑around education session with winemaker Kerem Baki, and a regional slide talk from founder Aimee Henkle.

Duration 11:00 am to 12:30 pm
Format Immersive winery education and tasting
Audience Trade only
Wineries pouring Thirteen
Register Here
Schedule

The morning at a glance

  1. 10:45 – 11:00 am

    Welcome white wine tasting

    Guests arrive to a poured white flight; a working, on‑your‑feet introduction to Loudoun County white varieties.

  2. 11:00 – 11:15 am

    Opening remarks

    Aimee Henkle

    Uncork Loudoun founder, sommelier, and owner of Echelon Wine Bar (Richmond & Leesburg) and Lost Creek Winery frames the morning and the program.

  3. 11:15 – 11:45 am

    Walk‑around education

    Kerem Baki, Hillsborough Vineyards

    A geographical review of the Loudoun growing region, the terroir behind it, and Kerem’s winemaking philosophy, delivered in motion across the room.

  4. 11:45 am – 12:00 pm

    Loudoun County wine region

    Aimee Henkle

    A short, image‑driven slide talk on Loudoun County: the AVAs, the soils, the producers, and the market context for placing Loudoun on a Virginia list.

    View Aimee’s presentation deck ›

  5. 12:00 – 12:30 pm

    Trade tasting · thirteen wineries

    Guests visit the pouring stations at their own pace. Every participating winery below has a live page in this app; use it to prep tasting notes or send follow‑up requests directly to the producer.

Speakers

Who’s presenting

Founder & host

Aimee Henkle

Uncork Loudoun · Lost Creek Winery · Echelon Wine Bar

Sommelier and owner of Echelon Wine Bar in Richmond and Leesburg. Co‑owner, with husband Todd, of Lost Creek Winery in Bluemont, purchased in 2012. The dream started on their 1998 Bordeaux honeymoon, moved through Napa and Willamette, and landed in Virginia in 2007. In 2017 they planted Meridian Ridge Vineyard: five acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Tannat. She leads Lost Creek’s vision, hospitality, and national profile, and founded Uncork Loudoun to bring Loudoun’s producers together for the trade.

Winemaker

Kerem Baki

Winemaker & owner, Hillsborough Vineyards

Winemaker and owner of Hillsborough Vineyards, on a 36‑acre estate west of Hillsboro. A Virginia Tech enology graduate, Kerem planted every vine of the original plot by hand with his father Bora in 2003 and poured the first Hillsborough wines the same year. Today the family farms fourteen acres of estate vines including Tannat, Fer Servadou, Petit Verdot, Petit Manseng, Roussanne, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. His approach is terroir‑driven and Old World in outlook, filtered through the Virginia Piedmont. Accolades include 2021 Governor’s Cup Golds for Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Best Petit Manseng for Opal, and coverage in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Washingtonian, and Fox 5 DC.

Trade tasting · 12:00 to 12:30 pm

Wineries pouring

Thirteen Loudoun County producers at the walk‑around tasting. Tap any name for the full producer profile: bios, vineyards, current releases, and contact.

Reserve your spot

The on‑site winery education morning is a working event for buyers, sommeliers, and wine press. Registration is required.

Register Here