West Wind Farm is located in Max Meadows, Virginia, near Interstate 81 midway between Roanoke and Bristol, and also close by to Interstate 77. Owners Paul and Brenda (Humphrey) Hric planted grapes here in 2003 on the site of Brenda’s family homestead. The Humphrey family has been on the farm, formerly named Mount Zephyr (the West Wind) for four generations. The first wine made here was in the fall of 2005, and there are five acres of grapes being cultivated on the farm, making about 1500 cases of wine a year.
Wine. Tier II. This a family winery focused on small-batch wines. West Wind’s grapes are grown in the cool of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and their varietals focus on those adapted to the environment. White wines include a Gewürztraminer, a Pinot Gris, a Riesling, and the Galena Creek White, made from Vidal Blanc. Red wines include Cabernet Sauvignon, a Galena Creek Red blend, and Chambourcin. West Wind also produces fruit wines from blackberry, peach and concord grape.
Setting. Two stars. The small winery is nestled in the Blue Ridge foothills. There are great views of the surrounding hills and the vineyard, with plenty of outdoor seating, and a gazebo with seating. Regional foods including cheese for sale, along with other products in the gift shop. Reviews emphasize great service.
Stories: The Virginian Father of Texas. Stephen Fuller Austin was born on November 3, 1793, in what is now Austinville, Wythe County, Virginia. His father Moses, along with a brother, had moved after the end of the Revolutionary War from Connecticut to seek opportunities in the newly developing mines of the Great Valley. Moses Austin eastern Wythe County in 1789 with intentions of founding a lead mines on the banks of the New River. The Virginia venture did not pan out, and in 1797 Moses Austin purchased a lead mine in Missouri. Nearly two decades later, the Austins again relocated to the largely unsettled expanse of Texas, as was then being encouraged by the Government of Mexico that owned the land. Moses died in 1821, and Stephen F. Austin set out to fulfill his father’s dream of making it in “Tejas”. He became an early leader of the Colony, and helped the population of Texas grow from 300 to over 11,000 by 1832. The colonists soon found themselves in a state of war with the Mexican government, that had originally encouraged them to settle there. Austin briefly commanded Texan forces in late 1835, and helped secure a decisive victory near modern-day San Antonio. In 1836 Texas’ sovereignty was officially recognized and the war for Texas independence was over. Austin failed in his candidacy to serve as the new nation’s first president, but was appointed by Sam Houston as Texas’ first secretary of state. He died only two months in this position before dying from a severe cold in December. Millions of Americans are familiar with Stephen F. Austin fame as the “Father of Texas,” but few are aware that he hailed from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia.