Embrace a Great Opportunity in Virginia Wine Country

Virginia is for lovers as they say - but it's also for people who love good wine. No visit to Smith Mountain Lake or anywhere else in Virginia would be complete without a trip to "wine country" - actually nine regions throughout the state. With over 140 wineries, Virginia is finally reaching its promise as the wine producing center that early settlers had hoped it would be. Only California, New York, Oregon, and Washington currently have more wineries, and the fine and varied output of local vintners has found it way to the White House during the events surrounding President Barack Obama's inauguration and has won praise from Bon Apetit magazine and Martha Stewart.

The founding fathers of Virginia saw wine as key to the state's economy and made it a law that every male settler had to plant 10 vines and tend them. Disease killed off the vines which were supposed to produce enough wine to supply the British Empire. Tobacco became the new hope for Virginia, but many people tried to cultivate European vines, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. All attempts were unsuccessful but native American grapes produced award-winning wines by the late 1820's. At the Vienna World's Fair in 1873 a Virginia Norton wine was named "best red wine of all nations"; the same wine also won a gold medal at the Paris World's Fair of 1889 when the Eiffel tower was constructed. When vintners later found that American and European vines could be grafted, the industry saw steady growth - which was derailed by Prohibition. In the late 1950's, local vintners began experimenting with the hybrids again - with great success. This time, industry growth has been skyrocketing as the number of wineries have increased. There is a serious marketing efforts underway to promote the wine industry.

The state has nine wine regions, which makes a trip to wine country a must for vacationers and a popular destination for locals as well. Tucked in the Central Virginia Region (CVA), the area is set along the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It includes a small ridge known as Southwest Mountain, the site of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home, where he tried for years to grow European grape varieties that would make good wine. When local vintners started using native and hybrid grapes, they found that the area yields wonderful variety of wines that include: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Muscat Canelli, Muscat of Alexandria, Norton, Orange Muscat, Petit Manseng, Petit Verdot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Rkatiteli, Sauvignon Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Syrah, Tannat, Touriga Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Viognier, and Zinfandel.

Among the 33 wineries in the CVA, there is the Savoy-Lee Winery in Huddleston, VA, 30 minutes from Roanoke, Lynchburg, Bedford, and Faith Mountain Lake. Small and family owned like many in the area, the Savoy-Lee Winery was built to produce high quality wine. The first grapes (both American and hybrid) were planted in 2001; within a year a variety called Woodstock Merlot won a bronze metal in local competition. The first crush occurred in 2004. Currently, the winery produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Traminette, Chardonel, and Viognier -plus prize-winning local varieties of red, white, and blush in the Johnson Mountain Picnic Series.

Carefully planned since 1998, the winery is positioned for growth. Due to family circumstance, the winery is now up for sale. (See the listing at http://activerain.com/blogsview/1074688/savoy-lee-winery.) Fully outfitted with a vineyard, winery, tasting room, and private home, the winery sits on 117 acres which include a lake. With a planned production of 5,000 - 6,000 cases per year, Saxon-Lee was also laid out to accommodate tourists and local events such as weddings - three strong income streams for a potential owner.

The property offers a prospective owner a unique business opportunity in a beautiful area of Virginia. For information, please contact Vickie Millehan at (540) 520-2401 or by emailing her for more details. You can also see more information about the winery at http://www.savoy-lee.com/.