We are so very blessed by mountains and vineyards here in central Virginia. We have a few lovely neighborhood wineries and a delightful nearby cidery too, recently joined by a new addition.
Southwest Mountain Vineyards has recently opened to the public, with wines from grapes grown at the base of the Southwest Mountains on the lovely Castlalia, and Ben-Coolyn estates. Currently, Castalia has their entrance decked out for the holidays and it is totally worth a drive-by!
Although the tasting room is on Castalia, the entrance to the winery is down Stony Point Pass road, not by the entrance to Castalia. The tasting room is a wonderfully reimagined cattle barn, originally built in 1903 and renovated by Uhler and Company in 2015, snuggled up against the base of the Southwest Mountains.
You enter the tasting room barn through this lower level.
From the outside porch above the entry, looking toward the piedmont, mountains at our back. Through the trees, just visible is the beautiful, grand home of the owners, who have meticulously planned this winery as a celebration of the land and setting.
When you get inside, you may be greeted by this handsome host ( yup- that's him!), who will help you decide where you want to be seated for food and wine, have a wine tasting, or pick up grab and go picnic foods and a bottle of wine. (Thanks to my family who indulged me by staging this entire photo- my Dad is engaging his grandson/ host, and the girls are shopping for wine and Keswick themed goods behind.)
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| A reservation earned us this spacious spot near the fireplace! |
While the 2021 and 2022 wines are delicious and made by local award-winning vintner Emily Hodson, the winery has more recently hired respected head winemaker Boela Gerber from South Africa. Also, they have a full kitchen run by Chef Greg Lewis, previously at Maya, making a stop at SMV worth the afternoon! Add in live music, gorgeous outdoor seating spaces, and an enormous fireplace and we feel quite fortunate to be just around the corner.
Charlottesville was named the Wine Region of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. When I say we are blessed, I mean it. Wineries like SMV bring people from all over the world to our little corner of paradise.
And now, our Youngest has joined their team working as host and bar back at this busy venue. They are open Thursday through Monday, and Youngest is still in college courses, so he is only working part time, mostly weekends, but y'all c'mon around and he will find you a seat, a wine tasting and some good eats!
Live music, and plenty of room to get up and have a swing about the dance floor should you be so inclined.
On our last visit we chose a charcuterie and cheese board, a fresh pimento cheese appetizer and I believe a brie and apple panini made it onto our table, I barely got to notice it before it was gone.
As for wines, Huz' favorite is the Cab Franc. Although it may be unusual for it to stand on its own outside France, it is making the grade here in VA, and several wineries are really making that grape shine. My favorite SMV offering so far is the Chard Reserve 2021. Although I gave high marks to the 2021 Petit Manseng, for it walks through several stages with each sip, making it interesting as well as delicious. Even though this is a newer winery, the quality is already excellent. The Petit Verdot 2021 won a gold medal in the 2023 Virginia Wine Governor's Cup Competition, and seven others were awarded a silver medal.
They are offering a red flight, a white flight and a flight with two whites and two reds. Flights were $20 for 4 2oz. pours. The full menu is available on the website: smvwines.com.
I recommend a reservation done online by Tock, but if you find yourself nearby, and don't have a reservation, no worries, you can be in the ground floor tasting room or outdoor spaces. There you can have wines, and the grab and go food selection. It is only the second floor for which reservations are strongly recommended.
And, although not all can have the help of the capable and jovial HPDrost, (Youngest), if you are at Southwest Mountain Vineyards and want to experience more of the fabulous offerings within a stone's throw (okay, you'd have to have a really good arm), our favorite cidery, Castle Hill Cider and the always delightful Merrie Mill Farm and Vineyard are really close! Keswick Vineyard is right in the center of it all too.
And, after all that wine, Foxcroft Farm is just around the corner, and in a few more months of renovations will have guest rooms again! Current situation could be described as "grim". But, will get better and I'll be doing some "before and afters" blogs.
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| Photo in case you think I'm joking. |
