Local in Opal, Virginia, just south of Warrenton off of US Highway 15. Luke and Toni Kilyk started Granite Heights winery in 2008, and do the managing and the bulk of the labor themselves – while working full-time at other occupations (Luke is a lawyer and Toni is a Family Practice Physician at the Fauquier Free Clinic. The vineyard is fairly small, and the owners refer to Granite as a “nano-winery.” They have been supported by, among others, well-known Virginia wine consultant Lucie Morton, and Linden’s Jim Law.
Wine. One of the Top 10 wineries of Northern Virginia, and one of the 30 Best Wineries in Virginia. Beginning in 2022 Granite Heights wines have been a resounding success at the Virginia state-wide Governor’s Cup wine competition. At the 2025 Governor’s Cup, Granite Height’s 2021 and 2023 vintage “Humility” red blend were awarded gold medals. At the 2024 event, their 2019 Cabernet Franc, 2022 Chardonnay and 2021 Petit Verdot were awarded gold medals, while their 2021 Cabernet Franc, 2022 Petit Manseng, and 2019 Humility (vintages do matter) received silver medals. The winery’s production is limited (as are its opening hours), with only 1,000 cases a year.
Setting. Granite Heights’ tasting room is in a converted 1820s farmhouse, which provides a nice historical feel to tastings; if you’re lucky you’ll be in the Library. The room is fairly small, but on the other hand crowds are unusual given the location. On-line reviews are consistently positive about service. Salami, cheese and bread available. Note that while the wine is excellent, the winery is not often open; as of this writing, they are open alternate weekends only.
Stories. Virginia’s new economy –Multitasking. Having a vineyard and making wine sounds glamorous. Making it work financially, however, is not easy to do. Throughout the state, many wineries rely on non-wine revenue streams to keep going – the most obvious being event hosting, taking advantage of Virginia’s scenery. Owners of smaller farm vineyards, like Granite Heights, may have to make it work by holding down other jobs – which is exactly what Luke and Toni do at Granite Heights. With high land and real estate prices in Northern Virginia, especially the close-in suburbs like Arlington, affording to do what you really want may involve multi-tasking, and having more than one job at a time.