From a weekend getaway to an award-winning vineyard
On a warm, welcoming May afternoon, families and couples (more on them later) lounge on Adirondack chairs, glasses filled with chilled Sauvignon Blanc, taking in sweeping 360° views over glorious vineyards. Idyllic, yes. But it took grit and determination to establish this vineyard with its award-winning wines. Searching for a peaceful spot away from trendy Georgetown in Washington DC where they lived, it was love at first sight for Robert Muse and Sally Cowal — an old farmhouse, with
a one-acre vineyard cultivated by previous owners as a hobby. However, with a deep-seated interest in good wine, the couple had ambitions beyond this initial acre. The challenge was that both had full-time and fully engaging commitments in neighboring Washington DC with Robert Muse running his own well-established law offices and Sally Cowal, a senior vice-president of Global Cancer Control at the American Cancer Society. Neither of them intended to discontinue these jobs.
TRANSFORMATION IN 15 YEARS.
It so happened that Sally invited me to spend a weekend with them in the Fall of 2003 while I was visiting DC. Quite unsuspectingly, on arrival at their country house, I was handed a bucket, given brief instructions and so started my first experience of plucking grapes! This turned out to be the first harvest at Muse Vineyards.
Fast forward to 15 years later. Arriving at dusk on a Friday evening, approaching 6 Serendipity Lane in Woodstock, Virginia, a subtly lit welcoming logo, Muse, suddenly appears. It’s on the side of a stunning building, constructed entirely with local hardwoods and housing the Tasting Room. Perched up on a hill facing the Appalachian Mountains, with the Allegheny range behind and the Shenandoah river running below, Appalachian Mountains, with the Allegheny range behind and the Shenandoah river running below, a more ideal setting would be hard to come by. So how did they arrive at this?
NOTHING COMES EASY
Slowly the story unfolds. Following their initial experience with the one acre, Sally and Robert immediately set about a serious study of winemaking. Determined to make quality wine, a process of extensive reading, learning about varietals, soils and methods began. First, close to home, but then from Europe, primarily France and Italy, in order to understand classical and traditional winemaking methods. A lawyer, used to in-depth study and analysis, Robert amassed 3,000 or more books to study everything you would ever want to know about wine and winemaking. He delved into serious research. Walls of their country house are lined with bookshelves containing the well-thumbed treasure trove. “Vacations” in Europe were really an excuse for field study. Each year saw implementation of new knowledge, working with more varieties and continuing experimentation. Nothing comes easy.
To complicate matters, Muse vineyards, extends from an elevation of 600 feet at the river level to a height of 1000 feet. There are three distinct contiguous vineyards each with its own soil type. Loose loam formed from crystalline rock, red gravelly clay, and silt loam alluvium formed from sandstone and shale at the lowest level on the river’s bank. As Sally explains, “This affects what you grow, how you grow it and where you grow,” multiplying the complexity of experimentation and decision-making.
Over the years the two co-proprietors bought adjacent land, increasing the property to 40 acres, with about 33 acres now under cultivation. Robert and Sally have created a state-of-the-art boutique vineyard using only traditional farming and wine production techniques and using the highest quality French and Italian vines which are grown on American rootstock. With a relentless pursuit of excellence for making artisanal and premium wines, Muse makes wines only with grapes grown, crushed, aged and bottled on their estate. Increasingly a rarity in the US, especially for small, independent producers like Muse.
THE AWARDS POUR IN…
Their efforts paid off. The owners were completely taken by surprise when Muse Vineyard’s 2009 Clio was named Virginia’s top wine and awarded the Governor’s cup for 2015! Many more awards were to follow. A double gold for the 2013 Clio at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, gold for two Clios at the Indy International Wine Competition, Gold for the Petit Verdot 2013 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association, and more golds at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. A US Ambassador in a previous avatar and still the quintessential diplomat, Sally started initiatives to make Muse wines accessible to the local community.
A tasting menu was introduced with a small tasting fee of $10 to sample five recent releases, with an add-on option for three reserve wines. Accompaniments such as salads and cheese plates are also available to buy. Muse’s sparkling Chardonnay, made using the traditional champenoise, labour intensive method, was the perfect start. Served in their signature flute, fresh tasting with light
bubbles and easy to drink, it’s perfect as an aperitif on a warm afternoon
WHAT’S NEXT?
As to the future, Sally and Robert both feel that their goal is “to produce the best wines they possibly can”. Although the vineyard produces about 200 cases per year, with a good season they hope to achieve a production of 300 cases, or 36,000 bottles a year. Sally’s initiatives of setting up a wine club, organizing tastings in all seasons, a welcoming wood- burning fireplace in the tasting room in the winter, regular music and other events – all go towards attracting a regular, year-round clientele. A European style wine trail through the vineyards is a great initiative, bringing people close to the vines, watching them grow and feeling a part of the whole process!
Going back to where we started – who are these people relishing wines on a sunny May afternoon? It turns out, they are two families from Pune and Aurangabad! Working nearby in the tech sector, Sandeep and Kushal with their spouses, Swapily and Arudranee, are regular visitors to Muse Vineyards, bringing along their kids, Kabir and Riaan. Yet another generation, Pam and Robert Bray, wine club members, visit regularly in all seasons. Even when the river overflows the low vehicular bridge, they are happy to walk across the hanging bridge to get to the wines they love!
Muse vineyards is a melting pot of ages and cultures, drawn together by this remarkable couple. Sally who started her diplomatic career in New Delhi, when venerable Kenneth Keating was US Ambassador to India, is now a senior Executive with the American Cancer Society and co-founder of Muse Vineyards. Robert, who did his wanderings at an early age through India, Australia, and as a barrister in London to establishing his own legal office in the US is co-founder of Muse vineyards. They continue in their professions in Washington DC and work weekends in Woodstock, creating history at Muse Vineyards on Serendipity Lane. It’s miraculous, serendipitous – or what!
GETTING THERE
Muse Vineyards
16 Serendipity Lane,
Woodstock, Virginia 22664
T +1 (540) 4597033
E info@musevineyards.com
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