Monticello Wine Trail: Merrie Mill Farm

      I love visiting local Virginia wineries, and it's always a treat to visit one that's brand new to the Charlottesville area. I was so charmed on my first visit Merrie Mill Farm that I knew it needed its own winery review blog post!

     Merrie Mill Farm opened its doors just about a month ago, making it the newest winery on the Monticello Wine Trail! I was kindly invited by the PR firm representing Merrie Mill to come in and visit for a complimentary tasting. While I have really enjoyed most of the wineries that I visited (it's rare I find a local one that I really don't like), I was blown away by how much I loved this one just from the first visit! Merrie Mill Farm has so much charm in everything from their tasting room decor to their phenomenal staff to their overall ambiance. 

      Fun fact about vineyards: it takes a few years and growing seasons for new grapes to be harvested for wine. Merrie Mill Farm was on track to harvest their first crop of grapes in 2020... but due to a devastating late spring frost in the Charlottesville area, their first crop was lost. (Darn 2020! What a bad year on so many levels.) They still decided to open to the public in 2021, and this year they are serving True Heritage wines in their tasting room, which are made from grapes at other local vineyards in the Monticello AVA area! Merrie Mill Farm is planning to start serving wines made from their own grapes in 2022- I'm already so excited to come back and visit next year to try those. 

    However, the True Heritage wines that Merrie Mill Farm is currently serving are wonderful! I love how they're still serving wines this year that are from local Virginia grapes. I received a complimentary tasting flight, which enjoyed two whites, two reds and a rosé. My favorite white was the Viognier (a sweeter Viognier with some fruity notes), and for the reds I really liked the Estate Red blend! I'm not normally a big red wine fan so it says a lot that I really liked this one. Merrie Mill Farm has table service with waitstaff which makes it a more elevated winery experience (there are a few other local vineyards that offer this as well). They have a small menu of sharable plates- my friend and I split the small sized cheese and charcuterie board and it was fantastic! The portions were also very generous for the size of the board- neither of us were able to finish everything.

     Perhaps the best part of Merrie Mill Farm isn't even the wine or menu though.... it's the stunning tasting room! I think this might be my favorite tasting room of any local winery. It is decked out in gorgeous shades of blue, with complimentary pops of gold, pink and neutrals. There are eclectic furnishings and beautiful artwork to discover. A personal favorite part of the decor for me was this fun sea lion that's hanging from the wall (see the picture above!). I'd love to return to Merrie Mill Farm not only to drink, but to take some blog photos in the tasting room!

    Merrie Mill Farm's owners are Guy and Elizabeth Pelly. They moved to Charlottesville from the UK in 2018 to purchase Merrie Mill Farm and begin their winery dreams! They've already done such an amazing job, and I can't wait to see how this winery will grow in years to come.

     Merrie Mill Farm is about 30 minutes away from downtown Charlottesville, located in the village of Keswick. The closest nearby winery to it (if you'd like to hit more than one) would be Keswick Vineyards. Castle Hill Cidery is also fairly close by.

     Check out more of my Monticello Wine Trail winery reviews here!

     God Bless,

     xoxo Annaliese