There are people making excellent wine in Virginia. The pricing is difficult, in part because there is no economy of scale or shared resources, and in part because the main business model for most wineries is to bring local tourists out for days at the winery with picnics and wine, so they focus a lot of resources on the experience. That can actually make it a pretty fun weekend activity - take a picnic, go out to some wineries, have a good time.
My favorite wineries that I visited in my few years living in DC (2016-2019) were:
Early Mountain - good Bordeaux blends, arguably the best Chardonnay in Virginia, maybe tied with Linden
Michael Shaps - superb Petit Manseng, Petit Verdot (IMO the two most promising grapes in Virginia), Tannat
The Barns at Hamilton Station (Michael Shaps is also the winemaker here) - closer to DC than Shaps’ Charlottesville location. V. gd Petit Manseng
Veritas - Excellent Petit Verdot, good Viognier, some other gems to be found
Ox Eye - Best Pinot Noir in Virginia. Admittedly, this is not saying a whole lot, but it’s an impressive feat in itself
Barboursville - most of their basic tasting is worth avoiding, but the library tasting gives you access to some good wines, including a good Nebbiolo and their Octagon Bdx blend
Paradise Springs - only an hour’s drive from DC, fun place. They have a sister winery in Santa Barbara, but the Virginia stuff is actually good. Good Meritage, good Petit Verdot, good PV/Tannat blends. In my experience the whites were less impressive.
Stone Tower - their estate Hogback Mountain and Windswept Hill Bdx blends are actually fully ripe, well structured, good wines. They’re also $70. So is their varietal Petit Verdot, which is asking a lot when other wineries are making good versions for half that price. But the wines are genuinely delicious and it’s a fun day out near Leesburg, only an hour’s drive from DC. They also make a delicious Port-style wine from Norton grapes. Porton.
I don’t personally love Linden because they are pretentious and exclusionary and I don’t like tasting at places where I literally have to hear someone say “we don’t want those kinds of people here”. That said, the wines are good, and Jim Law has been a very important part of improving the quality and community of Virginia wineries.
A few other places worth considering:
Benevino Vineyard Cabernet Franc at Delaplane.
Various Nortons at Chrysalis - quality is variable, but it’s worth it just for the experience I think. Some of it is pretty good. The carbonic stuff is, in my opinion, missable.
Boxwood is trying really hard to make good wines from major Bordeaux varietals in Virginia. That’s a tough ask, but the best versions are good. The tasting room is a little sterile and small.
I never made it out to Glen Manor but I’ve heard good things. I’ve also never been to RdV - too pricy for me - but supposedly the wines are excellent.