Charlottesville History Archives - BS Guide to Virginia Wineries

Meriwether Springs Winery & Brewery

Located in Ivy, West of Charlottesville between the towns of Centerville and Crozet, on Owensville Road. This beautiful property is located on part of the original estate of Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis & Clark fame. The winery, which opened in 2014 with vines planted in 2012, is currently for sale and open only to private events, or beer and wine bottle sales.

Wine. Tier III. Meriwether has produced good wines under the hand of winemaker Matthieu Finot, best known for his outstanding work at King Family Vineyards in Crozet, one of the top five wineries in Virginia. However, wines are not now under production during the property’s sale process, and many of the bottles advertised on the website have sold out of inventory. Still if you can get a bottle that is available, it should be good.

Setting. As noted, this is now mainly a private event center. The 31-acre property is easily accessible from Charlottesville and beautiful. The winery is on the first floor of a lovely wooden building also functioning as a B&B, with a flagstone terrace overlooking the vines. The Meriwether Brewery is in the basement and features a wood-paneled bar

Stories: Meriwether Lewis. One of America’s most remarkable explorers was Meriwether Lewis, co-leader of the 1803-1806 Corps of Discovery Expedition, better known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Following the Louisiana Purchase, signed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802 and transferring the right to a vast uncharted territory from France to the young United States, the Lewis and Clark Expedition mapped a land which would more than double the size of the country. The expedition was the first to navigate up the Missouri River, cross the Continental Divide, and make contact with dozens of new Indian tribes. Lewis and Clark’s often-harrowing and difficult journey established the claim of the United States to most of what is now the lower 48 states. Meriwether Lewis, William Clark’s partner on this momentous voyage, was born in 1774 on Locust Hill Plantation, Albemarle County, where Meriwether Springs Winery and Brewery is now located. Meriwether was his mother’s maiden name. At age 21, Lewis joined the army of the new United States as an ensign, becoming a captain by 1800. William Clark was one of his commanding officers, marking the beginning of their famous partnership: Lewis was assigned to Clark’s unit after being court-martialed for drunkenly challenging a lieutenant to a duel. In 1801, Captain Lewis was named by newly elected President Thomas Jefferson to be his Secretary to the President, and in 1803 was asked by Jefferson to take on the job of discovering what it was that the country had just purchased. The expedition went on to cover 7,000 miles, and catalogue 178 new types of plants and 122 new animals. Its members were, among other things, the first Europeans to see prairie dogs and grizzly bears. Lewis also brought his black Newfoundland dog, Seaman, along. After the end of the journey, Meriwether Lewis was appointed Governor of Louisiana Territory by President Jefferson. He died of gunshot wounds in 1809 in Georgia and is buried there.

Eastwood Farm & Winery

Located off of Route 20 in Charlottesville, some 5 miles south of town on a hilltop. Newly-opened (May 2020) family-owned winery and wedding venue, owned by Athena Eastwood. The wines are currently made by Brad Hanson at Prince Michel, though they offer fruit wine from the farm’s pears, apples, blackberries, blueberries and cherry orchards.

Wines. One of the Top 40 wineries in Virginia. Eastwood wines burst onto the Virginia wine-drinkers’ radar at the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine tasting competition, winning a striking four gold medals – for their Cabernet Franc, Blanc des Blancs sparkling, Merlot, and Meritage Reserve. At the 2025 Governor’s Cup, Eastwood’s 2022 vintage Petit Verdot was awarded a gold medal. The same Petit Verdot was one of two Eastwood offerings awarded double gold medals at the prestigious 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, along with their 2022 Cabernet Franc; Eastwood’s 2023 Petit Manseng and 2022 Meritage Reserve were also awarded gold medals at the same event. Eastwood’s Merlot and 2022 Rose were awarded gold medals at the 2024 Governor’s Cup. Eastwood is a farm and winery, but without a vineyard. Wines are being sourced from Prince Michel, though the fruit-based wines use Eastwood Farm’s products. Eastwood’s Tall Tails White Blend, a blend of apple and pears, was awarded a Silver Medal at the 2020 Governor’s Cup.

Setting. The tasting room is in the old horse barn on the property, with a porch. Great views of the hills and farmland from this spot on Carter’s Mountain Range. An attraction of the winery is a set of hiking trails on the property open to winery visitors.

Stories. Early Charlottesville. When European settlers first arrived in the area that would become Albemarle County, in the drainage of the James River, they found a Native American village named Monasukapanough. The Monacan town was located approximately five miles north of the present center of town on a hillside overlooking the Rivanna River. During the colonial era travelers followed a Native American hunting trail west – the Three Notch’s Road — from Richmond to a pass in the Blue Ridge Mountains, today’s Jarman’s Gap. Patents for large land grants began to be recorded in the 1720s and 1730s. Two recipients were near-neighbors whose grandchild was to become America’s first transcontinental explorer, Abraham Lewis and Nicolas Meriwether. Lewis secured 800 acres in 1735 in an area that currently includes the University of Virginia grounds, and Meriwether secured 1,020 acres in 1737 in the eastern portion of contemporary Charlottesville. That same year another patent was issued to William Taylor between the Meriwether and Lewis tracks; this tract encompassed the area that would later become the village of Charlottesville. The city was formally established in 1762, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George the III of England, and the last Queen of Virginia. A big part of its future character came less from this royal connection than from one of the area’s revolutionary sons. Thomas Jefferson, living at his nearby estate of Monticello after relinquishing the Presidency, envisaged and founded the University of Virginia in 1819. Jefferson selected the site atop a small hill one mile from the center of town, in part due to his preferences for agricultural versus commercial “city” pursuits. The University’s location “outside of town” profoundly affected the subsequent urban development of Charlottesville by providing a strong westward focus of development, particularly along Three Notch’d Road (Main Street) connecting the University to the west and the town’s center to the east. One failed pursuit of Jefferson’s has another large impact on the city today: making wine in Virginia. Today Charlottesville is at the center of the most successful viticultural district in Virginia, the Monticello AVA, and is surrounded by a number of the state’s top wineries.

Grace Estate Winery

Located north of the village of Crozet, near White Hall, west of Charlottesville. The 65-acre estate on Mount Juliet Farm is owned by John Grace, who first sold grapes to other wineries and then opened Grace Estate to the public in 2013. Small-to-mid size winery. Winemaker Franz Ventre is a native of Bordeaux, and was earlier the winemaker at Jefferson Vineyards.

Wine. One of the Top 20 wineries in Virginia, also boasting the most aristocratically-named wines in the state. The Grace 2021 “First Baron” Sauvignon Blanc was awarded a gold medal at the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine competition; the 2021 “Count Stephen” Merlot, and “Mayor William” Cabernet Sauvignon received silver medals at the event. Other wines include a “Colonel Richard” Tannat. Grace was a highly successful entrant at the 2025 Governor’s Cup, coming away with three gold medals, for their 2021 Tannat and 2022 Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. Their 2021 Odo Red (for Old Dominion) and 2023 Sauvignon Blanc received silver medals. Their 2021 Petit Verdot was awarded a gold medal at the 2024 Governor’s Cup competition. All of the wines at Grace Estate are made from grapes grown on the estate’s Mt. Juliet farm. Red wines include Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. White wines include Viognier, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc, and Vidal Blanc.

Setting. One star. Wrap-around deck and plenty of outdoor seating from which to enjoy good views of the Albemarle hills. The Tasting room has ample indoor and seating, with a large stone fireplace. Bread, cheese, cold cuts can be purchased and picnics may be brought in; there are also gas grills available.

Stories. The Three Notch’d Road. When Europeans began exploring the area between Richmond, on the fall of the James River, and the Blue Ridge Mountains, they found a hunting path laid out by Native Americans to help them find their way west. This path, most used by the Monacan tribe, with time grew into what came to be called the Three Notch’d Road. The name derived from the method of marking or blazing the trail: three notches in the trees. This east-west route ran from Richmond to the pass in the Blue Ridge Mountains that is now called Jarman’s Gap, and paralleled the James and Rivanna Rivers. West of the future Charlottesville, the road threaded its way through the Southwest Mountains at the Rivanna River Gap. As patents began to be granted for lands in Albemarle County, and pioneers began settling beyond the Blue Ridge and exploring over the Appalachian Mountains, the Three Notch’d Road became a trade route used by European settlers to shuttle goods between Richmond and the Mountains. When the village of Charlottesville was created, the Three Notch’d Road became Main Street, and the village found itself sitting on a major trade route: without it, Charlottesville would have remained a small village, and not the major Virginia city it is today. The Road was the scene of a famous Revolutionary War episode, “Jack Jouett’s Ride,” a nighttime ride by young Jouett to warn the Virginia Legislature – which had escaped to what it thought was safety in Charlottesville – of an impending attempt by the British Army to catch them by surprise and capture the legislators. Three centuries later, the old Monacan hunting path, become the Three Notch’d Road, had still another destiny in front of it: this became what is today US Route 250, which passes by Crozet and is still the major route west to the mountains. The old name certainly sounded more glamorous. A historical marker in Charlottesville’s downtown pedestrian mall commemorates the road and its role in the city’s growth.