Dave Matthews and his eponymous band are by all accounts hugely profitable, award-winning, wildly popular and celebrating 25 years of success in a very challenging industry. Why would its leader then choose to venture into sustainable farming and wine-making? Maybe for the purpose of creating community and fostering general well-being; this is the apparent motivation for much of his life and work.
Fans of the Dave Matthews Band are FANS - loyal, dedicated, and addicted to the man and the band, the music, and the social scene surrounding him. The sense of community that has developed around the band goes far beyond the usual party atmosphere to include social awareness and advocacy for taking care of each other’s and the planet’s well-being.
The band's own charity, BAMA Works Fund, supports environmental and arts programs, disadvantaged youth, and disabled persons in and around Charlottesville, VA. The band has worked with Farm Aid, Habitat for Humanity and the NAACP, as well as assisting victims of Katrina and the Sri Lankan tsunami. Fans are encouraged to join in, and they do!
Dave himself is revered for his creativity, his sense of connection, and his fun-loving, life is good attitude. Part of the appeal is certainly Dave's affability and accessibility; there are stories that he once hitchhiked with fans to his own concert, and stopped another fan whose car had a Dave Matthews Band bumper sticker just to chat.
In addition to being a vocalist, musician, and songwriter, Dave has extended his creativity as an actor and a documentary film producer. He also draws a bit, including a deck of cards he designed and hand-painted (more about that later.)
So, why wine?
It started with Dave's purchase of Blenheim Farm near Charlottesville in 1999 to ensure its historical preservation. Originally "claimed" from the Colony of Virginia in 1730, the farm’s various structures were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. One such structure was said to have housed Thomas Jefferson and his bride on their way to nearby Monticello. The property was nominated to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Registry of Historical Places in the mid-1970s.
Although Dave originally purchased the property for his mother, the Matthews family decided the land should honor its agricultural heritage. As there were remnants of old vineyards on the property and the area surrounding Charlottesville was flourishing as a wine region, Dave chose to follow another one of his passions - wine - and plant grapes to establish his own winery.
Many of Dave's songs mention drinking and he's said that he loves to relax in conversation with a drink. Wine drinking has always been associated with a slower, more gracious, and more European way of life involving less stress and less urgency. Moderate wine drinking has been shown to be good for us - and it's delicious! And wine-making involves a delightful dance with nature with beautiful landscapes and estates, following the seasons, and living the good life in general.
Dave first planted grapes on his farm in 2000, using sustainable farming practices because he recognized that the well-being of the ecosystem is good for the well-being of the community — a familiar theme.
Sustainable farming needs to meet three criteria: it must support itself economically, be socially supportive of the community, and ecologically sound with the environment. General practices include the protection of biodiversity, preservation of the ecosystem (i.e. no pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or GMO seeds), crop rotation, and on-site composting, with little or no degradation of soil, water, or other natural resources. Blenheim Farm is under a Conservation Easement, which protects the land for future generations by limiting what can be done there. The owners are good with that.
Though Blenheim practices a sustainable style of vineyard management and wine-making, the wine is not certified organic. Preservatives are included so the wines may be aged to enhance flavor but these preservatives aren’t compatible with organic wines.
The new Blenheim Vineyards winery building, designed by Dave and master craftsman William Johnson and built in 2000, was also conceived to have minimal impact on the environment. Though not LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, it was built with sustainable elements to seriously conserve energy. The wine-making room on the lower level is nestled into a hill, providing passive cooling. In the upstairs tasting room, which is built of reclaimed wood (in order to reduce, reuse, and recycle), south-facing glass walls provide daylighting for visual comfort and to reduce energy usage, as well as to capitalize on passive solar heating.
The winery produces about 7,500 cases of wine per year, of both individual varietals and blends, on 30 acres. The vineyard's wine is available online and in several Virginia and Washington DC shops. Early on, Dave produced sketches for the wine bottle labels, posters of various labels, and that deck of cards mentioned earlier.
So if you're in the area, stop by for a wine-tasting or a special event to relax and enjoy the good life!
Blenheim Vineyards
31 Blenheim Farm Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 434-293-5366
Special thanks to Tracey Love of Blenheim Vineyards
Photo Credit: Marcia Molnar
Lori Oddino is a Houzz Recommended interior designer and LEED Green Associate. She enjoys the occasional glass of wine in beautiful Silver Lake, California.
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