(relaxed easy listening music) >>So I'm here today at the New River Vineyard and Winery with the owner and winemaker Christy, and what a pleasure to just drive down here today through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Just gorgeous.

>>Thank you.

Thank you for coming up.

>>Absolutely.

>>Really appreciate it.

>>So tell me a little bit about this amazing winery.

>>Well, we've been open for six years.

We started growing grapes about 12 years ago.

>>Oh, wow.

>>In 2012, I guess it, I don't know, yeah, 2012, and basically, this is kind of a funny story.

I went home for a school reunion, and I'm not talking high school reunion.

It was an elementary school reunion.

>>Oh, I love that.

>>So I grew up in Ohio and went home for a reunion, and a friend of mine has a very large winery there, and we got to talking, we were looking around and he's like, "You know, you have 25 acres.

You ought to do something with the land.

Why don't you, you know, grow some grapes?"

And my husband and I talked it over and I thought, "Well, you know, that's not a bad idea."

So we started growing grapes, and my friend subsequently showed me how to make wine.

>>Wow.

>>And of course I've been, you know, reading about it and studying and a lot of trial and error, to be quite honest, but yeah.

Making wine now for 10 years solid, so it's been, it's been an adventure.

So, you know, we were the first winery to open our doors in Pulaski County >>Yes.

>>That had a vineyard on site and open to the public with the tasting rooms.

>>Now what kind of grapes do you grow here on the property?

What variety?

>>We have 10 varieties of grapes.

>>Wow!

>>Yeah.

We've got Sauvignon Blanc, we've got Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot.

We have a Leon Millot.

>>Yes.

>>I'm not sure if I just said it again, Frontenac.

>>Oh, wow.

>>And I started a little batch of Malbec, so I'm gonna try to grow Malbec as well.

>>Wow.

>>But we have, we have American varieties too.

We have Catawba, Niagara, Concord, so yeah, we've got (laughs) quite a variety.

>>Oh, that's pretty cool, so you really, you have an ability then to do some cool blends that others won't have.

>>Exactly, and we do a variety of dry, off-dry, and sweet wine, and of course, nothing dessert sweet at this point, but yes, we have a lot of different varieties, so.

>>And then you also infuse some with fruit?

>>Yes, yes.

We have the fruit blends that we do have.

I'll use our Niagara grape and we'll make a peach wine, and I'll use our Sauvignon Blanc and make a a pear wine in the fall.

>>Oh, wow.

>>And my daughter makes a iced tea wine that has a raspberry finish.

>>Oh my goodness.

>>That's a very unique wine as well.

>>That sounds fantastic.

Well, I'd love to try this peach wine that I keep hearing about.

>>Yes.

Now, I've got three laid out for you.

Now we can try the Vidal Blanc first since it's- >>Let's do that.

>>It's not as sweet.

>>Let's do that.

>>We'll do that one first.

>>Yeah.

>>So this is our Vidal Blanc, and it is off-dry.

So it has some nice citrus notes, but it also has some just real subtle fruit, fruit notes as well.

>>Oh yeah.

Nice.

(pleasant piano music) I love that aroma.

>>It's very clean, very crisp.

>>Mm, so often Vidal is just overly sweet to me.

>>Yes, yes.

>>This is beautiful.

>>So this is our Niagara.

>>All right.

>>With white peach.

>>Ooh, now, are the peaches local as well?

>>They are from Virginia.

>>Okay.

>>Yes, I get the juice from Virginia.

>>Ooh.

>>Yes, ma'am.

>>Wow, that just came right up my nose.

That is beautiful.

>>Thank you, and it is light and it's not overly sweet.

>>No, really nice.

>>Thank you.

>>Ooh.

>>Yes (chuckles).

>>Wow.

I just, I love that.

>>Thank you.

Thank you very much.

>>I love that flavor of peach, and it just reminds me of summertime.

>>Yes, definitely.

It's got a nice, like I said, it's not overly sweet, but it has a nice balance of the fruit with the grape, so it balances really well with each other.

>>Oh, it really does, and Niagara has this reputation of being overly sweet.

>>Yes, yes, it does.

And thank you, thank you very much.

>>It's really, really nice.

>>Awesome.

>>I like the acidity in it.

>>Mm-hmm.

>>Last but not least, we're going to do Leon Millot.

It was developed in 1911, so it does have a lighter body, like a Pinot Noir, but the flavor is very different.

>>Yeah.

>>So it's, it's very unique.

I'll let you taste it and tell me what you think.

>>It's a little smoky.

>>It is.

Now, I used Hungarian Oak.

>>Wow, that is really different.

>>It's very different.

>>Yeah.

>>And as far as I know, we are the only winery in Virginia that grows Leon Millot.

>>This is really different.

>>It is, it's very different.

>>Wow, but it's so good.

>>Thank you.

>>Different is good.

>>Yes, that's awesome (laughs).

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

>>So where do you see your winery going?

>>I hope to grow.

>>Yeah.

>>We, we told each other, my husband and I had a five-year plan.

After five years, we'd start building a separate facility at the end of our property, which actually looks down the New River, so in the next five years, I'm hoping that we can build a separate facility and actually have a bigger tasting room.

>>Well, Christy here is to New River Winery.

>>Thank you.

>>And Vineyard.

>>Thank you.

>>I just, I so enjoy it here.

>>Thank you very much.

>>This feels like home to me.

>>Thank you.

>>It's up on the mountain and beautiful.

>>Thank you so much.

>>So thank you for having us.

>>Oh, thank you for coming.

>>Yeah, and for letting us taste these amazing wines.

>>Thank you very much.

Thank you, thank you.

(relaxed easy listening music) (pleasant piano music)