Local in Opal, Virginia, just south of Warrenton off of US Highway 15. Luke and Toni Kilyk started Granite Heights winery in 2008, and do the managing and the bulk of the labor themselves – while working full-time at other occupations (Luke is a lawyer and Toni is a Family Practice Physician at the Fauquier Free Clinic. The vineyard is fairly small, and the owners refer to Granite as a “nano-winery.” They have been supported by, among others, well-known Virginia wine consultant Lucie Morton.
Wine. One of the Top 100 wineries of Virginia. Granite Heights wines were a resounding success at the 2022 Virginia state-wide Governor’s Cup wine competition. Three of their wines – the 2017 vintage Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and the 2016 Lomax – were awarded gold medals. Their Merlot was one of the very few in the state to achieve this. They also received six silver medals at the event. At the 2023 Governor’s Cup, Granite Heights did not manage the same success, but had three wines be awarded silver medals – their 2017 Lomax Reserve (a Cabernet Sauvignon-led red blend), 20921 Chardonnay, and 2019 vintage “Humility” (a Bordeaux-style red blend). Four wines were given bronze medals: the 2016 Humility, 2017 Barbera, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
Setting. Granite Heights’ tasting room is in a converted 1820s farmhouse, which provides a nice historical feel to tastings; if you’re lucky you’ll be in the Library. The room is fairly small, but on the other hand crowds are unusual given the location. On-line reviews are consistently positive about service. Salami, cheese and bread available.
Stories. Virginia’s new economy –Multitasking. Having a vineyard and making wine sounds glamorous. Making it work financially, however, is not easy to do. Throughout the state, many wineries rely on non-wine revenue streams to keep going – the most obvious being event hosting, taking advantage of Virginia’s scenery. Owners of smaller farm vineyards, like Granite Heights, may have to make it work by holding down other jobs – which is exactly what Luke and Toni do at Granite Heights. With high land and real estate prices in Northern Virginia, especially the close-in suburbs like Arlington, affording to do what you really want may involve multi-tasking, and having more than one job at a time.