Muse Vineyards is a vineyard and winery in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley where science, passion and reverence for the tradition of classic wine making converge to produce award-winning wines. In 2015, Muse’s 2009 Clio, a Bordeaux-style blend, was named Virginia’s top wine and awarded the coveted 2015 Virginia Governor’s Cup, besting over 400 entries from across the state. Muse Vineyards is devoted to time-honored farming and wine production techniques in homage to the domaine vineyards of France and Italy. Rarely larger than 35 acres, and often family-owned and operated for centuries, these vineyards represent the ideal of artisanal premium wine making. Muse’s proprietors are husband and wife, Robert Muse and Sally Cowal. Robert is an international lawyer who (as an Arizonan) trained as a barrister in England. Sally is a former United States Ambassador. Like many Americans, farming is a large part of Robert’s background. In the 17th century, his French Huguenot ancestors came to America and settled on the banks of the Potomac, adjoining George Washington’s birthplace. In 2003, Robert and Sally purchased a one acre overgrown and neglected vineyard in Woodstock, Virginia. They resuscitated the vines and in 2005 purchased a 200 year old forty acre Mennonite farm adjacent to their property on the banks of the Shenandoah River. Over the next ten yearsm they expanded to thirty acres of vines. After much research, and trial-and-error, they learned how to combine the qualities of Muse’s soil, it’s topography, and its proximity to the river to produce a range of exceptional wine grapes. Muse has planted some twenty different grape varieties, many of them atypical in Virginia. According to Robert, ”The varieties we’ve planted produce interesting wine: for instance, Sangiovese is the grape from which Tuscan wines are made, mid-weight with cherry notes; while the Nebbiolo grape produces the complex wines of Italy’s Piedmont region. We use those grapes and others to produce bold reds that are refreshing, food complementary wines.