(Formerly Delfosse Vineyards and Winery)
Mountain & Vine / Delfosse is located half-an-hour south of Charlottesville in the village of Faber. Established in 2000, the winery was purchased in 2016 by Mike and Adrienne Albers, originally from Langley, Virginia. Mike left his work in high tech to pursue their dream of owning a winery. Like many aspiring winemakers, they took classes at Piedmont Virginia Community College to learn the business.
Wine. One of the Top 12 wineries in Virginia. Mountain & Vine wines have been really coming into their own with their last several vintages. At the 2023 annual Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine tasting competition, this was one of the very few wineries to be awarded three gold medals – for their 2020 Petit Verdot Reserve, 2021 Screaming Hawk Meritage and “Go-Go Girl” (a Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot blend), with the Screaming Hawk named as the #1 wine in the state at the tasting by the judges’ panel. At the 2025 Governor’s Cup, their 2023 vintage Chardonnay and 2022 vintage Screaming Hawk were awarded gold medals, while the winery’s 2021 Petit Verdot, 2023 Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc received silver medals. At the 2024 Governor’s Cup event, the Mountain & Vine 2022 Chardonnay was voted into the “Governor’s Case,” the 12 best wines in Virginia for the year as judged by the panel; their 2021 Petit Verdot Reserve was also awarded a gold medal. Mountain & Vine wines score for catchy names, including the “Grinning Fox” and “Hippie Chick.”
Setting. Two stars. Great views of the Blue Ridge and the vineyards. A century year old chestnut log cabin is available to be reserved if you want to keep sipping wine and enjoying the views until sunset and beyond. Delfosse is marketed also as a Corporate Event Center, so check ahead that the winery is open.
Stories. The Waltons’ Mountain Museum. If “The Waltons” wasn’t the most popular television show of the 1970s (when nightly television fare was limited to four networks), it certainly came close. Millions who grew up in the 1970s tuned in weekly to the show about the depression-era Appalachian family, to watch what would happen next in the lives of Mary-Ellen, Grandpa, and of course John-Boy. The last episode of the show ran in 1981, but the memories live on for many viewers, and can be brought to life at the Waltons Mountain Museum. The town of Schuyler, Virginia, the boyhood home of John-Boy Walton, is 10 miles southeast of Delfosse Vineyards. The “real” John-Boy was Earl Hamner, Junior, whose memories from his childhood in Schuyler were captured in the book “Spencer’s Mountain,” (which though fictionally set in Wyoming, was based on his Virginia experiences) and led to the storylines about the Walton family. Hamner both wrote the book about the Waltons, and narrated the television shows. His old High School is now home of the Walton’s Museum. The Museum houses replica rooms from the television series, including John-Boy’s bedroom, the Waltons’ kitchen and living room, and Ike Godsey’s store. The museum also has an exhibit room with models and a soapstone display and a Recipe Room.