STAFFORDSVILLE (WSLS 10) - Fall is harvest season for grape growers across Southwest Virginia, and for the first time, one county will welcome their first winery, offering wine made locally grown grapes.
Giles Mountain Winery is a first for Giles County. Sitting on top of a mountain peak in Staffordsville, Giles Mountain Winery offers a three-sixty view of rural scenery, surrounded with four acres of homegrown grapes.
Owner Tom Mullis says that's only half the selling point.
"The view is magnificent and the wine is exceptional. Just exceptional," Mullis said.
For owners Tom and wife Diane Mullis, seeing Giles Mountain wine bottled for the first time is s a longtime dream that is now coming to fruition with the help of their team of friends and fellow connoisseurs.
They will run the boutique winery from their home that sits overlooking the winery. They are now even considering building on a tasting room in the future.
Soil scientist Lori Porterfield has worked to cultivate the perfect grape, made possible only by the unique limestone soil in Giles. She says it is some of the best in the state for making wine.
"We have a really unique soil here in Giles. It's rich with limestone and it's very well drained and these steep slopes are perfect for good air drainage as well as soil water drainage," Porterfield said. "So it is a really great place to grow grapes and I think it makes our wine unique."
The man behind the mixture is Maarten Van Gelder. Originally from the Netherlands, he has been a wine maker since he was only a boy. He's spent countless hours crafting the three unique flavors that make up Giles Mountain. While the rich soil and French hybrid grapes make the taste unforgettable, he says the desired taste is due to much more.
"The work we do here, the love we put into it creates a nice wine," Van Gelder said.
It's a homegrown flavor that the four friends and now wine experts couldn't be prouder of as they sit together and enjoy sipping their wine creation.
Charles Lytton, a self-proclaimed "helping hand" has worked the grapes for years. He spent 30 years working as an extension agent through Virginia Tech and has grown a wealth of knowledge in the subject over the years.
He says it is a dream of his that the Mullis' helped make a reality.
"There is something special and you want to taste that sunlight. You want to taste that sweat down your back, taste the sunburns on your face. You want to see stains and blisters on your hand that don't come off, .and it's in that bottle," Lytton said.
It's not only the first winery for the county, this team looks at the new agribusiness as an opportunity for other grape growers in Giles to capitalize on.
"It's that one bottle of wine they bring back as a gift to a member of a family. That bottle will be that bottle that brings their family and friends back over where you continually rotate local money through local venues," Lytton said.
He hopes to see more grape growers in the area expand to open a winery.
The grand opening for Giles Mountain is on Sunday, October 4 from 11 until 5 p.m., rain or shine. Events throughout the day include wine tasting, local artisan vendors, harvesting grapes and even pressing the wine.
The winery is located at 290 Moye Road in Staffordsville, VA 24167.