Notaviva Owners Reflect on 'Dream House' Appearance

By Rachael Dickson (Contact)

Monday, November 24, 2008

Since the season of HGTV's "Dream House" series featuring Notaviva Vineyards in Purcellville aired, the owners have received an overwhelmingly positive response, and they've made plenty of plans for their future.

"[The show] was awesome, way beyond what I thought they were going to do with it," owner Shannon Mackey said. "We've seen their other shows and they're really good, but this one … was just phenomenal. We were bawling through the whole thing."

The vineyard has received numerous e-mails from fans of the "Dream House" series after the last show, saying they had a similar response.

"We got e-mails from all over the country from people saying they were crying," Shannon Mackey said.

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Notaviva in the Fall

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Shannon and Stephen Mackey, owners of Notaviva Vineyards, at their tasting bar. (Rachael Dickson)

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The Mackeys advertising Notaviva's appearance on HGTV's Dream House series. (Rachael Dickson)

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Notaviva Vineyards in Purcellville was featured on this season's Dream House series on HGTV. (Rachael Dickson)

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Notaviva Vineyards in the fall. (Rachael Dickson)

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Notaviva Vineyards was recently named the Loudoun County Agricultural Small Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce. (Rachael Dickson)

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"They [HGTV] really captured the broad emotion of why we did what we did," said owner Stephen Mackey.

Though the Mackeys feared that artificial melodrama might be inserted in the editing of the show, they were happy with how their family was portrayed.

They were especially happy that the show captured a time in their life that they will later be able to show their sons, Tristan, 3 and Duncan, almost 2, and their third child, expected next year.

"We'll always have it," Shannon said. "Later, they'll get to see this whole segment of our lives."

Though the Mackeys think the actual show has had minimal effect on their financial profits, they attribute recent business growth to the local press surrounding their appearance on "Dream House." October was their busiest month yet. The first Saturday in November, they conducted 182 wine tastings alone.

Recently, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce named Notaviva Vineyards the Loudoun County Agricultural Small Business of the Year. The Mackeys said they were surprised but thrilled by the award.

The last episode of the series aired on Saturday, and now that it's over, the Mackeys are looking ahead to their future plans for the vineyard.

Though the Mackeys have not decided yet whether the vineyard will be open during the winter, they said the tasting room will still have wine to serve, even if it is not a Notaviva wine.

"Right now our biggest problem is inventory," Stephen Mackey said. "We're probably going to run out by Christmas."

In the spring, they will be planting three more acres in the vineyards. Two of the varietals they are adding are yet to be named but they believe they would have the first of that kind in Virginia.

"We're trying to blaze trails, stay creative, stay in front of it," Stephen Mackey said. "Right now, Loudoun County has 23 wineries, more than any other county in Virginia. What happens ten years from now when that's doubled?"

As part of their marketing strategy, Notaviva Vineyards has started profiles on Facebook and MySpace, along with an active forum on their own Web site for the show.

Also in the spring they have plans to add a guitar-shaped deck to the house and at least one outside tasting bar. They'll also need to add staff.

"At the end of the day, we're in the service business," Stephen Mackey said. "Our guests want to leave here feeling like they've been to a Virginia farm winery ... This isn't Wine Disneyland."

Tagged: entertainment, Notaviva Vineyards, Purcellville, wine, winery

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