Wine aficionados, raise a glass. Your heaven is now on the market.
For only $2.4 million, you can own 50 acres of paradise smack-dab in the middle of Virginia's wine country.
When Joe and Mary Anne Cunningham bought the property that would become the Miracle Valley vineyard in 2004, only two other vineyards operated in the immediate area. Ten years later, Fauquier County is home to nearly 30 wineries.
While the land has been cultivated for wine grapes, it wasn't always ideal. When the Cunninghams began their search for a vineyard, the property was "overgrown, hadn't been lived in for 15 years -- it was just a farmhouse with some outbuildings," Joe Cunningham says. "We literally went on every state road in Virginia, but we looked at it again and decided it was the place."
Today, Miracle Valley produces 12 wines, all crafted from French grape varietals such as chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet franc. It bottles between 1,000 and 1,200 cases per year.
But there's room to grow. "We turn down two weddings a week," Cunningham says. "We don't have the facilities for it." Ideally, a buyer could develop an event space to push Miracle Valley to the next level of grape-fueled goodness. Cunningham believes a California-level winery and tasting room is possible with proper investment.
The property also comes with an interesting history: An old stone foundation dates to the Civil War, and the farmhouse -- currently operating as a tasting room -- dates to the 1850s, when it served as a cattle ranch.
If neither the history nor the wine gets you, sample the views. With a small pond nestled between the mountains, "it looks like you're in Tuscany," Cunningham says. Also, the stunning sunrises and gorgeous views are all visible from the back deck of the three-bedroom home the Cunninghams built on the property.
The home's enormous kitchen and dining areas offer plenty of room to entertain dozens of your closest friends.
Cunningham says the natural beauty is what makes the property so enchanting. "It's the sunrises and the sunsets," he says. "I love getting up in the early morning and working in the vines with the dew."
Sound tempting? If you have big dreams and a passion for vino, get thee to Miracle Valley.