Located in Floyd, very close to the larger Chateau Morrisette, this is among Virginia’s oldest wineries. Villa Appalaccia opened in 1995, with grapes first planted on the small 2-acre vineyard in 1989 by original owners Stephen Haskill and Susanne Becker. In 2018, new owners Julie and Tim Block purchased the property and have kept the original flavor of the house and winery.
Wine. Tier II. Villa Appalaccia offers 8-10 wines depending on the vintage, wines are with few exceptions based on a range of Italian grape varietals you won’t see elsewhere in Virginia: Sangiovese, Primitivo, Malvasia, Anglianico, Vermentino, and Corvina Veronese. The 2020 vintage Sangiovese was awarded a silver medal at the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine competition. Small-batch productions so availability may vary.
Setting. Two stars. Beautiful Tuscan-style villa to reinforce the very Italian atmosphere from the wines, but with surprisingly small tasting room. Beautiful grounds for good days, with spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and a short hop to the National Park. With the wine, have a (not inexpensive) cheese plate with bread, fruit, olives and local cheeses.
Stories. Making wine in Virginia: the grapes of Italy. In the first days of Virginia wines’ Renaissance, Italy played a big role. The Zonin family and their Italian Piedmont-born winemaker, Gabriele Rausse, got Barboursville and serious wine-making back up and moving in 1976. Villa Appalachia was another of the early Virginia wineries, with its Italian varietals planted just a decade or so after Barboursville’s. Since then, Italian varietals have become rarer in Virginia’s vineyards, and if you come to Villa Appalacchia some of the wines may be firsts for you. Here are a few facts about what you’ll find. Sangiovese is one of Italy’s most familiar grapes, as it is the mainstay of Chianti, one of the most important Italian wine imports to the USA. It was given its name as “blood of Jupiter,” and is most frequently found in Central Italy. The famous Brunello grape is a Sangiovese clone. Primitivo is a black-skinned grape found mainly in Puglia, in southern Italy, possibly having been introduced there from across the Adriatic in Croatia. It is used primarily as a blending grape. Malvasia, while popular in Italy, is a Mediterranean area grape originating in Greece. There are many varieties of Malvasia. In England it is often called Malmsey. It is now grown throughout Italy, and used in white table wines as well as dessert and fortified wines. For Shakespeare devotees it may bring to mind the play Richard III and the drowning of the Duke of Clarence in a vat of Malvasia. Aglianico is a black, very tannic grape grown mainly in Basilicata and Campania, in mountainous south-central Italy. It needs a long growing season, and makes deep garnet-colored wines that tend to be strong and age well. Vermentino is an aromatic white wine grape grown mainly in Sardinia. Barboursville Vineyards has had great luck with its recent Vermentino plantings, part of the Virginia’s Governor’s Case in both 2019 and 2020. Corvina Veronese is often called just Corvina for short. It is the main grape in several popular red wines, all from the Veneto region in northeastern Italy, including Valpolicella, Amarone and Bardolino. In general the wines produced from Corvina tend to be light to medium-bodied, with the notable exception of Amarone, and often have notes of plum or cherry.