I was sworn to secrecy about the Best Loudoun Winery trifecta until the winners were officially announced to the public.
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Little did I know as we chatted about how to celebrate Sunset’s hat trick that a deal was pending in the pipeline to sell not only 50 West but Sunset Hills Vineyard and all affiliated properties as well. But that at this point he wanted to own the winery, not work it seven days a week year round. Mike replied that he enjoyed the farming aspect of vineyard ownership. Interviewing Mike about the latest Canney coup (50 West had made the 2022 Governor’s Case for their 2019 Ashby Gap red blend), I asked him if he ever thought about selling the whole shebang and sailing around the world – or some such pastime that thirty-plus years of hard work and kickstarting 13 businesses earns you. Given there are 50 and counting wonderful wineries and tasting rooms in Loudoun County, this three-peat was no small feat.
Three times is the charm! Sunset Hills Vineyard had been voted Best Winery 2022 in Loudoun by readers of the Loudoun Times for the third year in a row. His classic 1967 Chevelle muscle car, a gift from Diane, was oftentimes on display. Mike Canney, an avid car enthusiast and race-car driver, frequently held antique and classic/sport car events at Sunset Hills. He had been keeping an eye open for a new property to develop. So my second guess was that he bought another winery. That wasn’t exactly news – at least not for a wine column. Mike, who used to race, owned ten cars, a 1953 Chevy 3100 truck and a 1940 Model A John Deere tractor so the odds were good he had added to the collection. Sunset Hills trademarked the slogan Uncork a Great Sunset, which adorned the Chevy pickup Mike parked at both wineries for fun selfies. 50 West, Sunset Hills’ sister winery in Middleburg, had been on the market for awhile. So my first thought was he sold the winery. What journalist can resist the prospect of a big-news heads up? But the possibility of a super-secret in the winery biz was all the more elusive. On a sultry summer Sunday in June, Z~Oenology, along with longtime Sunset Hills Estate Club members Kathy and Craig Stuart (who have been to over 200 Virginia wineries) and vineyard owner Mike Canney, were wagging the chin in the pavilion of the historic Wenner farm-winery property. Support Good News Journalism, Subscribe >
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