This family-owned winery has grown into one of the commonwealth's leading wineries.

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By Corey Mann and Taylor Kelly | New River Voice correspondents

The constant hum of a grape press isn’t just a soothing noise in the background for customers to enjoy; it’s a constant reminder of the hard work David Morrisette has put in to create the biggest winery in the New River Valley.

The family-owned winery started in the mid ’70s in a blasted underground cave. By 1981 it had evolved into a full-scale winery, restaurant and gift shop known as Chateau Morrisette. The Floyd County tourist destination, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, is now one of the most profitable wineries in all of Virginia.

Morrisette met Bob Burgin, now vice president of the winery, when they were two of three enology majors at Mississippi State. They graduated just before the program closed down. “We went our separate ways, and when I realized I shouldn’t be the wine maker because I was terrible at it, he came in and took over,” Morrisette said. “I should have been doing other things, like marketing.”

Chateau Morrisette produces and ships 15 different wines that are sold throughout the commonwealth and along the East Coast, including North Carolina, Maryland, Tennessee and West Virginia. With 70,000 cases and more than 100,000 customers each year, the winery is flourishing. October is by far the best month for sales, as the fall season brings in much more business than the winter.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing. “We put it up for sale three times during the ’80s, and even now it’s a tough market. It’s hard for all the wineries right now.” The family has learned from experience. “In 1987 the temperature was 35 degrees below, and we had all our grapes grown here in Floyd. Needless to say we lost 100 percent of our grapes. That’s when we decided we needed to grow them in different areas around the state.”

Through trial and error, Morrisette has found better locations. “Different grapes grow better in different microclimates. The grapes are brought in 24 hours a day by refrigerated tractor-trailers.” They have grapes growing in Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, the Shenandoah Valley, Patrick County and anywhere from 10 minutes away to five hours away. No matter where the grapes are grown, every last one is shipped through the mountains to the beautiful winery in Floyd to be pressed and used.

With their Sweet Mountain Laurel and Red Mountain Laurel dessert-style wines flying off the shelves, most profits come from grocery chains. “Walmart, Sam’s, Kroger, whatever grocery chain. But Kroger was the main chain that helped us get our foothold,” he said. “It’s nice because now Walmart is pushing to have regional products in their stores, from wine to apples, pears, local beef — anything local you can put in there.”

Gov. Bob McDonnell has made a big push to promote Virginia wineries, in contrast with some past governors who never served Virginia wines at the Governor’s Mansion. In this economy, the governor isn’t the only one pulling for the wine industry. According to the Virginia Wine Marketing Office, sales of Virginia wine reached an all-time high in 2011, with more than 462,000 cases sold. The office reported that it was an 11 percent increase over 2010, making the commonwealth the nation’s fifth largest wine producer.

Suzette Miller, one of 85 current employees in Floyd, had nothing but great things to say about the winery. Her job consists of greeting customers, taking them through the wine-tasting process, giving tours of the production facilities, and sharing interesting facts. She was the ultimate guide. Miller was an intern who just couldn’t leave. “I can’t express how much I enjoy working here and being apart of this winery, giving to the Service Dogs has really won me over.”

Miller is referring to Chateau Morrisette’s community involvement. It is known for its support of “Dogs 4 A Cause,” one of many service dog organizations Chateau Morrisette supports. Profits from Liberty and Independence wines benefit St. Francis Service Dogs. “The money pays for the dog as well as the training to serve as a service dog,” Miller explained. They also give to “For the Love of Dogs,” which benefits the research for EPI, Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, a disease in which a dog has the inability to digest food due to a lack of pancreatic digestive enzymes.

The black labrador, or “Black Dog,” featured on a number of the wines at Chateau Morrisette, has been a symbol of the winery for more than 25 years. Winery? Black lab? Where’s the connection? While Morrisette was growing up, he was the proud owner of a black lab named Hans. When Morrisette took over the winery, Hans could always be found snooping around, as he had a fine taste for a special vintage.

Trilogy was Hans’ favorite wine, an off-dry wine with a blend of cabernet, chambourcin and merlot. Though Hans could always be found slurping up a freshly poured bowl of what is now known as “The Black Dog,” he lived a long and loving life until he passed at the age of 15. Morrisette was so affected by Hans’ death that he decided to start the Black Dog marketing strategy, showing his respect for the dog he loved. Little did he know, the strategy turned into what is now one of only two wineries in Virginia that sells more than 50,000 cases of wine a year.

Chateau Morrisette has found its place in wine making and is doing extremely well on the East Coast. Though Morrisette is grateful for all that the winery has accomplished, he’s considering expansion. As of right now, they are working on exporting to China. Morrisette plans to visit Hong Kong to start selling his wine there as well.

It’s important to David, his seven children and four dogs to keep the winery in the family. Even though his children are young, Morrisette can tell some are destined to join the family business. “I know a couple of them are really interested in the winery. They’ll definitely want to get involved when they’re older.”

By Olivia Ryan | New River Voice Correspondent

RADFORD, Va.-Taking on a new business venture in a struggling economy may seem risky for most. But not for John Long; a prime location and high demand made his plans for a coffee shop in Radford that much more realistic.

Located on the corner of First and Clement streets, Brewin’ Around is Radford’s newest addition. For many people, starting a business from scratch takes years of planning. For Long, the idea transformed from a dream to reality in a calendar year.

“The idea dated back to December of last year. We started to buy equipment before we even found our location because we knew we were going to do it somewhere, just a matter of where,” Long says. They decided on a vacant lot underneath Price Williams apartments on Clement Street, in the heart of “lightside.” Brewin’ Around’s location makes the shop easily accessible by students, faculty and people in the community.

If he was beginning his business elsewhere he may have had reservations about starting it up in a struggling economy, but Long is confident there is a high enough demand for coffee in a college town. “I’m a college student myself; I know they love their coffee.”

Brewin’ Around gets its coffee beans from a local supplier called Honduras Coffee Co. out of Floyd, Va. The supplier owns a plantation in Honduras and has the beans shipped to the United States. He roasts them in the basement of his coffee shop, then sells his beans to local buyers like Brewin’ Around.

Brewin’ Around offers more than just your average cup of Joe. “We have a pastry chef that comes in at 5:30 a.m., so [there are] fresh-made pastries cooked in-house, Paninis, [and] eight flavors of smoothies,” Long says.

The local business aspect may give Brewin’ Around an edge over what it considers its biggest competitors: 7-Eleven and Starbucks. “We care. If I make a drink and it’s bad I don’t give it out,” Long says. “it’s my reputation.”

“I’ll definitely give them my business; it’s great having a little coffee shop on lightside. That’s just right down the street with way more reasonable prices than Starbucks,” says Chelsea Cotman, a Radford University junior.

The new business also gives provides job opportunities for locals and students. “We put ads out on Craigslist and Facebook and people also just walked in. We had huge turnout,” Long says.

As they hit their two-week anniversary of being open, they are optimistic that Brewin’ Around will generate enough business to one day be Starbucks’ competition. “I haven’t slept in two months. We’ve put in hundreds of unpaid hours; it’s been a lot more work than I thought it would be,” Long says. “I think once word gets out there, they’re going to learn it’s just as good.”

The big day is upon you and you’re realizing that for one reason or another you have a couple holes in your menu. You need one or two more dishes but you don’t have time to get into anything too complicated. It’s a minor menu emergency.

BHG.com offers an array of Thanksgiving recipes that can be made in 15 minutes or less. This is just the sort of recipe rescue that you need.

Do you need a no-fuss salad? Go for Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts. Maybe it’s a soup you’re looking for? Try quick and easy Pumpkin-Bean Soup. Need an extra side? How about Garlic & Herb Mashed Potatoes (pictured)? Forgot about dessert? Make Fruit and Nut Chocolate Sticks. Bored with your beverage choices? Offer Cranberry Apple Crush.

What is your fall-back recipe when you need something quick? Let us know your best quick and easy recipe for the holidays by commenting below.

What is Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? But maybe you’ve used the same pumpkin pie recipe for years. Are you looking for something a bit different this year?

BHG.com offers 25 pumpkin pie recipes, some traditional and some, well, not! As you peruse the recipes, you’re sure to find a few that you’ll want to give a go.

Just look at a couple examples. How about Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Mousse, which offers mascarpone cheese, whipped cream, and hazelnut liqueur? Or you could try Toffee-Almond Crunch Pumpkin Pie (pictured) for some added texture to the traditional dessert. Or maybe you want to get decadent with Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Pie!

Do you have a favorite pumpkin pie recipe of your own? Share it with us by writing in the comments section below.

You’re going to someone’s house for Thanksgiving and you’ve been asked to bring a dish. Where do you start? What will be good and will travel well?

BHG.com has plenty of prime potluck options from which to choose. If you want something a bit out of the ordinary—perhaps even extraordinary?—try Chipotle Scalloped Sweet Potatoes. If you’re looking for something more traditional, you could go with Southern-Style Dressing. If you need something super simple, try Chopped Holiday Salad. And if you want a guaranteed favorite, you can’t go wrong with Sweet Potato Casserole (pictured).

Do you have a favorite holiday potluck recipe? If so, let us know by commenting below!

Time. We never have enough, it seems. And when friends or family come to visit for Thanksgiving, we often spend so much time in the kitchen that we barely have a chance to visit.

This year, you can start making your side dishes right now so you won’t be so frenzied and busy on the big day itself. BHG.com offers 29—that’s right, 29!—yummy side dishes that you can make in advance to make your life much easier on Thanksgiving Day.

And with so many recipes to choose from, you are sure to come across a few that will become family favorites. The delicious list is a long one: Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes, Basic Potatoes Au Gratin (pictured), Gourmet Onions, Lemony Green Beans, Chunky Apple Sauce, Roasted Squash Soup, Cherry-Pomegranate Chutney, Fresh Citrus and Cranberry Salad … mmmmmm, the list goes on.

What’s your favorite holiday side dish? Let us know in the comments section below!