Local vineyard selected to showcase wines at historic Virginia resort

Hardware Hills Vineyard has added a new recognition to its list of Virginia Governor’s cup medals and other area awards. Recently, the vineyard was selected to be part of the Omni Homestead Resort’s Virginia Wine Experience as the February showcase winery.

“For us, a small farm winery, to be included in his line-up is a huge honor,” said Andrea Nickels, who owns Hardware Hills with her husband, Rob. “The comradery in this wine region is impressive. Everyone is in very strong support of each other. I think that’s why this wine region is starting to get the accolades it deserves and seeing the interest and the love for wine.”

Selected by Fred Reno, wine executive and host of the Fine Wine Confidential podcast, the couple got to travel to the resort to share their story over the course of the weekend. Guests of the resort shared a special dinner and wine tasting with the couple, who moved to Virginia and took over the winery in 2021.

“This isn’t just our winery, it’s our home,” Rob said of Hardware Hills. “It’s very special to us for a lot of reasons. We talk about it as our home, but even the broader community is our home. For me, it’s important to be a part, to be woven into the fabric of this area and get to share the literal fruits of our labor.”

See more from the Nickels about their stay at the Homestead on their Facebook page.