Cox Family Winery

By Candace Nelson - 10:00 AM

Cox WineryIt's probably no surprise that I have a goal of seeing all the wineries in West Virginia (in addition to the breweries, meaderies, distilleries, and restaurants, of course...). 

While at Taylor's Farm Market on a little mini daytrip, I went to the wine cellar area and something caught my eye in the local section - Cox Juice.

I had the "Cox Family Winery" on my to-visit list for some time, but I didn't realize they were in stores - or nearby. So, I picked up the bottle, gave them a call and asked if I could come see the winery since it was close. They called back and said they don't give tours quite yet, but they were happy I was purchasing a bottle to try it out.

Our StoryDuring the Prohibition, Jack and Mutt Cox (Uncles) produced and sold illegal whiskey to many who disagreed with the 18th Amendment. After the Prohibition, Jack and Mutt influenced their little brother Bill Cox (Mike and Rodney's father) to continue making home brew. Over the years, Bill made hard cider and wine for his family.   

Rodney enjoyed helping and watching his father make homemade wine, but felt the taste was not satisfying. In 1979, Rodney began making his own, which he perfected over the years. Although, Mike showed no interest in making wine, he encouraged his son Michael to take an interest. Michael, enjoyed "hanging out" with his Uncle Rodney. In 1980, Michael helped Rodney make his first batch of plum wine.   

Over the last thirty years, Rodney has been making homemade wine through trial and error. Michael attended a small class offered at the Robert Mondovi Winery in Napa Valley, California. He immediately thought of his Uncle Rodney.   

Michael and Rodney made seventeen bottles in 2008 and sixty-nine bottles in 2009. They have been asked by many people to purchase their wine. Because they were not a winery or licensed for business; they could not sell it. Due to its growth in popularity by people who have heard of their unique blend and taste, Mike added a division to an already existing family business.   

Now, the Coxs' can finally offer their wine to the people who have been praising "COX JUICE".

I went with "The Original" - named after the only wine they have been making since the 1970s. Original is an amber colored wine that is cold pressed from Concord grapes. This wine is deliciously sweet with an obvious fruitful flavor. Cox Juice Original 2013 contains 15% alc/vol. Very good!

They have a number of other wines, including Niagara, Wine Berry, Chambourcin, Canadice, Tates, Venus, Zinfandel, Peach, Blackberry, Muscat, Steuben, and Cabernet Franc, that can be purchased in a few retail locations in the Eastern Panhandle:

Penn Liquors
Martinsburg, WV
304-263-9749

Big Apple Liquors
Inwood, WV
304-229-2845

Taylor's Farm Market
178 Pilgrim Street
Inwood, WV
304-400-6123

Grapes and Grain Gourmet
Shepherdstown, WV
304-876-1316

Top Shelf Liquor
Berkeley Springs, WV

Have you tried Cox Juice? Which is your favorite? There are so many that sound delicious that I'm gonna need to make a trip east soon to pick up some more bottles! 

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