Surely you’ve heard a variation of this old joke, credited as an anecdote and alternately attributed to one of two great wits,  Sir Winston Churchill or the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.

At a late night dinner party, an inebriated gentleman asked an attractive woman whether she would sleep with him for a million pounds.

“Perhaps,” the woman said coyly.

“Would you sleep with me for one pound?”

“Of course not, what kind of woman do you take me for?” the woman responded indignantly.

“Madam, we’ve already established what kind of woman you are, now we’re just negotiating the price.”

We all have our price.  If someone came along and offered a sufficient sum, we’re confident any winery owner would sell — the right price dispels all sentiment.  For those with a hankering for the “winery lifestyle” (whatever that is), we thought we’d look to see which wineries and vineyards are currently actively for sale in Virginia.  Most listings, however, do not describe which varieties are planted, since in most cases the realtor does not necessarily offer the property as a going concern so as not to limit its marketability.

Information in most of the listings is limited, especially data on the vineyards.   Where vineyard information is provided, we include it here.  Of the wineries, we did not assume that they grow everything they produce, since fruit and finished wine are both easily purchased.  We tried to list the actual listing broker for each property, but realize that many agents dealing in higher-end properties will include listings on their websites not their own in an effort to find buyers.  If we inadvertently credit a listing to the incorrect broker, we regret the error.  There may be other wineries actively for sale that we may have overlooked, and there is the phenomena known in the business as a “pocket listing” — a property not actively on the market, but that a broker knows is available for sale should the perfect buyer turn up.

Marketing these properties is problematic.  In the case where the winery is the main feature, you are selling the business and the universe of buyers is rather small.  Those properties that feature large, historic houses, on the other hand, may have an advantage in that they would appeal to the person looking to have an important estate as a weekend retreat (assuming the buyer is looking for such a place, rather than a “working farm”), and for those properties the broker is emphasizing the house, dependencies and land, leaving the vineyard as an afterthought, often barely mentioning it in passing.  The reader will note that in the case of the higher-end properties, the vineyard is not the main feature of the property, appearing to be a caprice rather than a commitment.  The vineyards may produce, but rest assured the owners of those properties likely have others to look after them.

Whether there is a vineyard on the property or not, it can takes years to find the perfect buyer, because finding bank financing for this sort of property is difficult.  Usually its a cash sale, and not many buyers have this much cash at their disposal.  Still, a buyer can rationalize the acquisition as an investment, especially if the vineyard is leased and there are tenant houses to rent.  Pastures can be rented to cattlemen, timber can be managed and harvested.  This sort of “gentleman farmer” requires convenient access to transportation, given that their jobs are likely elsewhere.  At least two of the properties listed below (Eastfork and Albemarle House) have facilities for helicopters.

Chances are, the prospective winery owner might not want the varieties already in cultivation on a particular property, or has other ideas and prefer to start from scratch.  Perhaps your vision calls for a higher elevation for the varieties desired, or you don’t want (or need) an old house with its special challenges.  Then there is the expense of planting your vineyard and designing and building your winery — no small feat, especially when you factor in the time needed to get the thing established.  Virginia’s leading vineyard and winery experts have produced two excellent references: Dr Tony Wolf (et. al) Wine Grape Production Guide for Eastern North America (2008), and Dr Bruce Zoecklein’s Winery Planning and Design (16th ed.).  Going your own way may be a saner, more affordable approach, since you build what you can afford on your own time and to your specifications while not living someone else’s dream deferred.

Wineries for Sale

West Wind Farm Vineyard & Winery

• Price: $1,950,000
• Size: 105 acres
• Under Vine: 5 acres
• Varieties: Not stated
• Location: Wythe County
• Residence: 3,122 square foot c. 2003 house with 3-bedrooms, 2-bathrooms, 1-half bath
• Broker: United Country

Molliver Vineyards & Winery

• Price: $2,400,000
• Size: 134 acres
• Under Vine: Not stated
• Varieties: Not stated
• Location: Halifax County
• Residence: 4,658 square foot c. 1800 house
• Broker: J.W. Shelton Auction & Realty

Lost Creek Vineyards & Winery

• Price: $2,999,900
• Size: 50 acres
• Under Vine: 21 acres
• Varieties:  Not stated, planted c. 1999
• Residence: 3,608 square foot c. 1997 brick house with 4-bedrooms, 4-bathrooms, 1-half bath
• Broker:  Weichert (under contract)

Neala Estate Vineyard & Cellars

• Price: $3,750,000
• Size: 209 acres
• Under Vine: Not stated
• Varieties: Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier
• Location: Madison County
• Residence: 4,788 square foot c. 1840 Greek Revival brick house with 3-bedrooms, 5-bathrooms, guest house, farm manager’s house and other dependencies
• Broker: Joseph T. Samuels

Swedenburg Estate Vineyard [we omit the link because our search engine warned that the site has a virus; visit at your own risk]

• Price: $3,750,000
• Size: 128 acres
• Under Vine:  Not stated
• Varieties: Not stated
• Location: Fauquier County
• Residence: circa 1792 stone house with 3-bedrooms, 3-bathrooms; c. 2007 2-bedroom, 2 -bathroom caretaker’s house
• Broker:  Re/Max
  

Vintage Ridge Vineyards

• Price: $3,750,000
• Size:  44 acres
• Under Vine: 7 acres, planted c. 2002
• Varieties:  Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petit Verdot
• Location: Fauquier County
• Residence: 4,000 square foot house, constructed of three re-purposed barns imported from New Hampshire
• Broker: Virginia Estates and TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Pearmund Cellars

• Price: $4,750,000
• Size: 25 acres
• Under Vine: 15 acres
• Variety: Chardonnay, planted c. 1976
• Location: Fauquier County
• Residence: c. 1994 3-bedroom A-frame house
• Broker: Virginia Estates

Vineyards for Sale

Villa Vita Vineyards

• Price: $1,500,000
• Size: 28 acres
• Under Vine: 7 acres
• Varieties: Chamboursin, Viognier, Traminette, Vidal Blanc
• Location: Albemarle County
• Residence: None.  Improved with a barn
• Broker: Virginia Estates

Eastfork Stables & Vineyard

• Price: $2,225,000
• Size: 160 acres
• Under Vine: Not stated
• Varieties: Not stated
• Location: Augusta County
• Residence: 11,189 square foot c. 1991 Greek Revival house with 7-bedrooms, 5-bathrooms, 3-half baths.  Includes two additional houses, dependencies, helicopter hangar
• Broker: Frank Hardy Realtors

Glendower

• Price: $5,250,000
• Size: 579 acres
• Under Vine:  11 acres
• Varieties:  Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, Chamboursin
• Location: Albemarle County
• Residence: 8,500 square foot c. 1808 Federal brick house with 5-bedrooms, 5-bathrooms, 2-half baths; numerous dependencies
• Broker:  Roy Wheeler Realty Company

Ivy Creek Farm

• Price:  $6,950,000
• Size: 100 acres
• Under Vine: Not stated
• Varieties: Not stated
• Location: Albemarle County
• Residence: 10,122 square foot c. 1875 Federal brick house with 7-bedrooms, 7-bathrooms, 3-half baths; numerous dependencies
• Broker: McLean Faulconer

Seven Oaks

• Price: $8,950,000
• Size: 100 acres
• Under Vine: 15 acres
• Varieties: Not stated
• Location: Albemarle County
• Residence: 8,870 square foot c. 1847 Greek Revival brick house with 4-bedrooms, 6-bathrooms.  Numerous outbuildings and tenant houses
• Broker:  Stevens & Company

Tra Vigne

• Price: $11,500,000
• Size: 137 acres
• Under vine: 14 acres
• Varieties: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, Chambourcin
• Location: Albemarle County
• Residence: 20,068 square foot c. 2002 Tuscan villa with 4-bedrooms, 7-bathrooms.
• Broker: Frank Hardy (under contract)

Albemarle House

• Price: $16,000,000
• Size: 98 acres
• Under Vine: Not stated
• Varieties: Not stated
• Location: Albemarle County
• Residence: 18,000 square foot c. 1985 45-room Georgian style brick house with 8-bedrooms, 13-bathrooms; numerous dependencies, including a chapel
• Broker: Roy Wheeler Realty Company