Fluvanna County is home to two wonderful destinations for wine lovers to visit: Hardware Hills Vineyard and Cunningham Creek Winery. Both are a part of the Monticello Wine Trail and boast a variety of inviting features you may not have known existed in the area.
Hardware Hills, formerly known as Thistle Gate Vineyard, was purchased by Andrea and Rob Nickels in July of 2021. The property is located off of W. River Road in Scottsville—by the Hardware River—and thanks to the previous owners, it is home to Fluvanna County’s first tasting room. Visitors can find live music on Friday nights and are encouraged to join the wine club. Wine aside, you must try their iconic sangria if you’re interested in having your life changed for the better. Hardware Hills also offers a lovely one-bedroom cottage overlooking the vineyard, available for rent through Airbnb.
Another great option, Cunningham Creek Winery in Palmyra offers live music and food trucks at their Saturday Live events; they host trivia and music bingo events as well. It is a family-owned and operated boutique winery specializing in French varietals and blends. Three free-roaming Australian Shepherds—Crush, Corky and Brix—can be found wandering about the premises and making friends with children and adults alike; though they’re partial to toddlers. Please don’t feed them anything other than the treats available at the register!
If you’re looking for good wine, new wine clubs, nice views, friendly locals and a new favorite place to visit with family and friends, Hardware Hills and Cunningham Creek are must-sees. Both are kid and dog-friendly, but be sure to check their websites for specific details before bringing along your furriest family members.
Hours of operation, events calendars and more can be found on their respective websites:
https://www.hardwarehills.com/
https://www.cunninghamcreek.wine/