Barrel Oak Winery - Marshall

This was our 1st winery stop. And from the phone call to get info, the tasting and the food it was a wonderful experience. Bob was awesome!!!! He had me at hello......on the phone. Totally informative and if I wasn't going to visit then I was after the phone call with Bob. We had a great tasting with Sara and we loved most of the wine and I did buy 2 bottles. But if you don't like wine they do have other options. I loved the inside and the outside seating. Plenty of room. We were lucky because there were oysters that day. And they did not disappoint. The grilled oysters were OFF THE CHAIN! I could have had 2 dozen of them but my wallet would not allow me to. The guys cooking were also very friendly. We sat outside and enjoyed the view. It was such a beautiful day and there was plenty of room for everyone. We apparently started with the best winery that day. We did visit 2 more. Great experience and I would go back and I would recommend to friends. And I bet Bob would remember us. : He is that good.

We have been going to Barrel Oak Winery (BOW for years. It was always our quick go to for wine, beer and pizza (sometimes oysters! and they were always the most dog friendly place around. They were amongst the only places for a long time you could actually bring dogs inside. The wine was always reasonably priced, the beers were decent enough, and the wood fired pizzas were awesome. Then, new ownership took over last year... I 'm not exactly sure what their goal is for the place, but they have already completely eviscerated everything that gave BOW it 's character: Wood fired pizza: Gone. Completely closed up shop so they 're clearly not coming back. Food trucks are in: so far okay variety but generally overpriced and subpar quality. Outside food isn 't allowed anymore The website is garbage. The brewery has said Launching Soon for months. The wine prices have gone way up. Beer is still available but they eliminated the token system which was awesome. They haven 't done much with the existing beer options but I anticipate they 'll screw this up soon as well. It 's really, really sad actually. I 'm sure the new owners are trying to recoup their investment ASAP and put their own spin on the place, but they clearly don 't care about everything that made BOW what it was. Good luck but our BOW days are numbered now as we find a better place that 's close to DC without having to go all the way out to Loudoun...

So new owners have taken over Barrel Oak. I was introduced to the new owners at last years Christmas party. Most of the staff that I knew have left. They have a new tasting menu. Before Brian had left he had hired a new wine maker. The wine makers Sharon and Shai haven 't been there for a while. They have gone heavy on the white wines. If you like white wines I 'm sure you will find one you enjoy. The reds other than the Merlot have become very acidic, and I 'm not a fan. They are currently out of Chocolate Lab my favorite port style in the area. My wife and I just had a baby and we went on a Wednesday. There was a family there that were leaving upon arrival. Very quiet I 'm use to seeing a lot of people even during the weeks days I guess an off day.

I've been disappointed at many wineries in the DMV area and this was the first out of a dozen that had pretty decent wine for a reasonable pricing point! Nice ambiance and decent wine. Great outdoor space and dogs allowed both indoor and outdoor which is a huge plus for me. Will be coming back!

What happened here? New ownership and this place has gone way down hill. No longer are picnics allowed, now you must buy overpriced bbq. The good news the crowds are gone but they are gone because this place has gone way down hill and no pun intended. Pizza is gone too, we'll only if you want to wait till the summer. Food is non existent and the wine is just ok. Not coming back, but dogs are still allowed.