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By Hilary Lewis Rappahannock News Staff Writer
For most, retirement means more time for golf, grandchildren, and relaxation. But for Sudha and Pandit Patil, retirement took on an entirely different significance.
“Our dream was to have a vineyard. We love wine and thought it sounded like a nice part-time thing to do,” said Sudha. “We wanted to do something outdoors, to keep busy. Even if we were retired, we didn’t want to just sit back and do nothing.”
Owners of Narmada Vineyard in Amissville, the couple is planning to open a winery this fall, shifting the sole production of grapes to wine-making. They are now’ in the process of constructing a 7,800 square-foot winery which will feature Indian decor and delicacies, adding its own trademark to the Rappahannock wine scene.
The couple, originally from McLean, moved to Rappahannock County and purchased the property in 1999. Pandit has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and formerly worked for the U S. Department of Energy, while Sudha has a practice in Culpeper as an endodontist.
On a trip to Little Washington to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, the couple saw a “For Sale” sign for the 55-acre property in Amissville.
"This was our retirement dream," said Sudha. “We never wanted to move out of Virginia and this is wine country. We knew we wanted to stay here for our retirement."
Growing grapes
The Narmada vineyard started with two acres of Vidal white grapes in 2004 and has since expanded to 14 acres across the property. Today, Narmada’s grape varieties include Trammette, Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc and Chardonnel. This spring, they added Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet
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