Show Chronicles a Family's Dream
Couple's Vision for Building Purcellville Winery at Home on TV

By Rachael Dickson
loudounextra.com Staff Writer
Sunday, October 5, 2008

Six years ago, before they married, Shannon and Stephen Mackey went on a date to an event at Breaux Vineyards in Purcellville. It led them on an improbable journey: a quest to open a winery of their own.

Now everyone can watch that dream come to life, as the building of Notaviva Vineyards is chronicled on HGTV's "Dream House" show over several weeks.

The Mackeys had full-time jobs as multimedia and event producers when they decided to make the leap into the winemaking business.

"We decided to do this completely on a romantic whim," Stephen Mackey said. "But once we decided we were going to do it, then we really approached it from a business perspective."

It was that combination of dream and reality that attracted Debra Koehler, executive producer of "Dream House," which focuses on a family's ambitious homebuilding project.

It was "the vastness of their vision, not just building a dream house. . . . They were starting a dream life," Koehler said. "It was centered around the home, but it was so much more than the home. They put everything into this vision they had for their future."

The Mackeys bought 42 acres in Purcellville, began testing soil and getting ready for their first large planting. They married in June 2004 on the site of the future vineyard, in a specially landscaped wedding glade.

It wasn't until 2006 that the Mackeys started work on the vineyard's main building, which would serve three purposes: winery tasting room, venue for special events and home for the Mackeys and their two sons.

"Our financial plan really only encompassed purchasing the land," Stephen Mackey said. For a long time, "we had no idea when or if we would ever be able to do a vineyard or a tasting room."

Almost as a joke, they applied in February 2006 to be on the HGTV series. Six weeks later, they were chosen from more than 6,000 entries.

The show needed a compelling story with dynamic personalities to fill the eight to 13 episodes per season, and Notaviva fit the bill. Koehler said the timber frame of the house, built by Ronald M. Hawes construction company, was another plus.

"We hadn't seen a show in the 'Dream House' series that was a timber frame home," Koehler said. "The construction is visually compelling, and it's a really spectacular style of home when it's finished."

TV crews were on hand from the groundbreaking in April 2006 to the housewarming party in July 2007, as they filmed the demolition of the property's original 1807 house and the construction of the new building.

The series on the Mackeys began airing yesterday and will continue through Nov. 22; the show airs at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The show "is definitely going to bring awareness that Loudoun is really thriving in the wine industry," Lori Corcoran of the Loudoun Wineries Association said. "I think it's going to be very good for Loudoun."

He and his wife hope "our story will touch people, anyone who has a dream of their own and is just afraid to take that first step," Mackey said.

"Our whole reason for getting involved in the show was to tell our story, from the perspective of two normal, definitely not rich people who were betting it all on achieving a dream for each other, our children, our families and friends, and for the greater good of everyone who would come walking through our tasting-room doors," he said.

Mackey, 40, and his wife, 34, quit their full-time jobs in February and officially opened Notaviva Vineyards in March. The Purcellville winery is a finalist in two categories for the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce's 2008 small-business awards. The Mackeys also run Mesh Multimedia, a Web design and media production company, from the same building.

A performance stage occupies a high loft above the tasting room and features 17 sound speakers and multiple high-definition televisions. The winery hosted a series of weekend concerts in the summer.

"We redesigned the entire roofline just for the acoustics," Mackey said. "It ended up costing us more money, but that's not something you can change after the fact. You've got to get it right the first time."

The building cost more than $1 million.

The Mackeys wonder how they'll be portrayed in the TV episodes and plan to provide a running commentary on their blog, which can be found on the winery's Web site, http://www.notavivavineyards.com.

"My biggest concern is how much artificial melodrama they will try to insert for the sake of creating tension," Mackey said. "It is entirely up to the show producers to pick and choose sound bites to tell the story as they see fit."

Notaviva has released three wines based on the "Dream House" filming. The wines come with specially designed labels showing the first house on the property, the wooden frame of the winery building and the completed structure.