Meet Grayhaven Winery
Grayhaven is burrowed in the coziest rural scenery, with the cutest bungalow tasting room that is surrounded by a beautiful curated garden and koi pond with the biggest koi fish I’ve seen in a while! As you sit in one of the tables right outside the tasting room, you can look out into the lush greens of this sizable property and spot a couple horses and dogs on their vast field. On a regular (non-COVID) season, you may hear live music coming from the pergola near a pond close to the vineyard.
Every detail at Grayhaven has a wonderful backstory, is curated with great care, and when possible, is done in support of the local community. They are expanding their tasting room, and soon you’ll be able to see their renovated barn, which will be called “The Battuea” in honor of Max’s mother. The gorgeous plants around the tasting room are all sourced from Elizabeth Kates Foundation, an all volunteer organization named after the first warden of the Virginia Correctional Center for Women (VCCW). The Elizabeth Kates Foundation works to help offenders turn their lives around and enable them to return to society as productive citizens.
All the intentional elements combined make for a serene, rural escape from the city hustle and bustle. You’ll sip on wines just as refined and interesting to discuss as those you would imagine finding in some posh, big-city wine bar.
The winery has been family owned and operated since its inception in 1978. Couple Max and Deon are both winemakers and the second-generation owners of Grayhaven. They specialize in small batch production of dry wines (which y’all know is a winner in my book), and in importing select wines from South Africa in celebration of Deon’s culture. I wanted to make sure to bring home a bottle of South African wine, so I did purchase the Eagle’s Nest Sauvignon Blanc from Constantia. Among the 17 different varietals that they grow, one worth highlighting (and trying) is their Pinotage, which is South Africa’s signature grape! Their Rendezvous blend of Pinotage and Seyval blanc was one of my favorites; it falls right between a rosé and a red, meaning it can be served chilled as well, making it versatile for any season.
I was also dazzled by their semi-sweet port, which I was so excited to have. I’ve been dying for some Virginia port as the weather gets cooler and this did not disappoint. It is called Rivercrest Port, named after the family’s hunting lodge. The fact that it’s not as sweet as a regular port (though don’t get me wrong, you’ll still get some sweetness) opens it up to be paired with even more desert possibilities. Their port is made in very small batches, so although the base wine changes from batch to batch, the process stay the same. They use French brandy on it, which contributes to it being such a treat.
Speaking of sweet, they do try to make sure they can cater to the more sweet inclined wine drinker, and they make a fresh batch of red and white sangria made with a masterfully simple combination of wine and fruit. Their white sangria is a lychee sangria that I absolutely fell in love with, and was super excited that Max let me cork my take home bottle! You can see me geeking out below:
It’s truly a special moment when you get to have face time with winery owners, especially in a small business when the owners are very connected with the everyday of the vineyard, the winemaking, and business operations. Max and Deon could not have been more gracious hosts. They shared with my dad and I some amazing insights about the wine industry and hilarious family anecdotes from what they learned along the way (including a funny story from Max’s youth about dandelion wine). Although I’ll keep some of the golden nuggets to myself, I want to share two specific answers from our conversation that really resonated with me:
What is unique about the wine industry in Virginia?
Wine drinkers are intimately involved and influential in the wine industry in Virginia, as many wineries here sell predominantly direct-to-consumer instead of through distribution - that's pretty unusual among major wine regions. We see not only trends being driven by Virginia wine enthusiasts, but also individual wineries catering to specific customer bases with their wines, events and tasting room experiences. In a state with such unpredictable weather, Virginia vintners are also very creative, stubborn and resilient. Everything is intentional, and we’re not afraid to experiment. And of course, every aspect of terroir is very unique in Virginia.
What is your biggest advice to someone wanting to start a winery/vineyard?
Make sure you have nerves of steel, and are ready to adapt on a dime because sometimes we have to make changes fast. Talk to as many people as possible, everyone is incredibly friendly and willing to help. Be ready to never be bored!
Max couldn’t have expressed this any better. I absolutely have found during my conversations with VA winemakers so far that they are 100% some of the most creative, hard working and thoughtful people. I just absolutely loved the way she honed in on the uniqueness of vintners in Virginia.
Something to put on your calendars is that every year (except this year due to COVID) Grayhaven hosts a South African Festival, where winemakers from South Africa come to Grayhaven and get to network with each other as well as with Virginia wine drinkers in a fun, family friendly event. This is an amazing way to celebrate and learn more about South African culture and winemaking. They’re hoping to be able to do this event next year once winemakers can travel to the U.S safely, so stay tuned!
If you want to see Virginia creativity and cultural inclusivity at its best, plan out a trip Grayhaven ASAP!