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Woodland Vineyard, located at 15501 Genito Rd., in Chesterfield, represents a different approach to wine making. Billed as the smallest farm winery in the state, it features a half-acre of different varieties of grapes in what amounts to the side yard of the home belonging to Melissa Jeltema and her husband, Eric Gretenhart.

The couple took classes in grape-growing and planted vines in 1997 with the idea of developing a hobby for their retirement. They opened for business in 2004. “Obviously, it’s got way beyond that,” Gretenhart said with a smile, surveying his vineyard and thinking about the work ahead of crushing and bottling wine.

Jeltema is a food chemist who still works her day job, and Gretenhart is a former attorney who now works more than full-time as the vineyard manager. He says he likes wine making a lot more than lawyering.

They make approximately 200 cases of wine each year in their backyard winery, a glorified shed filled with wooden barrels, steel tanks and cardboard boxes that create an award-winning product. Jeltema was awarded for the 2006 Merlot at the National Women’s Winemakers Competition in California.

They recently planted an additional acre of grapes on a piece of land in Amelia County, with the idea of expanding. Woodland Vineyard will remain in Chesterfield County with the extension of the winery’s harvesting acreage in Amelia.  “As a farm winery, we have to grow 51 percent of the grapes we use in our wines. The land in Amelia will initially serve to supply the grapes we need. We’ll still buy additional varieties. We’ll have varieties complimenting the things we’re doing and take our reliance off other Vineyard until we can build a new winery,” Gretenhart said.

Another expansion over the last few years is the indoor tasting room, with ample room and modern touches. It provides wine enthusiasts a chance to relax while tasting the vineyard’s harvest so folks don’t feel crushed. The room is on the front of their home and used to be their living room and dining room. Its balanced atmosphere features photographs and sculptured exhibits created by their daughter, Megan Witherspoon, who also creates the winery’s labels.  Her artwork is displayed around comfortable tables, chairs, a couch, and wine- tasting bar that invites one to relax and enjoy Virginia’s finest. The area can be rented for business, civic, and social meetings. The tasting room is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm until 5 pm and by appointment on weekdays and after Dec. 7 until mid-March.

With harvesting and wine making in full swing, the nerves and patience of everyone in the business is tested and has some questioning whether this is such a good idea. In Mid-October, the vineyard washed, crushed and de-stemmed a couple hundred pounds of grapes to prepare for fermentation of its Cabernet Franc. The product ages until its anticipated release in September of 2010 or even earlier. “We taste them as they’re going through the aging process, and if the juice turned out to be light in color, we’ll see if the tannins get more rounded and less astringent,” Gretenhart said.

But there are moments when those doubts fade. “At the end of the day, I’ll sit on the back deck and grab a glass of wine and sit there and watch the sunset,” Gretenhart said. “You know you’re drinking your own wine, and it’s something you created through your own efforts, and there is that feeling of satisfaction.”

In fact, for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Gretenhart suggests several pairings for a satisfying flavor. ““The Barrel Select Chardonnay and the White Merlot would probably be the two strongest ones for Thanksgiving dinner because both can stand up to cream sauces the gravies and some of the other dishes. They’ll also compliment the traditional cranberry sauce,” he said.

“For something for hors d’oeuvres, I’d recommend the Vidal [Blanc] because its crispness would clear the palate. And then for the dessert, I would probably go with Woodland White primarily because it’s a little bit sweet, so it’s not a dessert type wine. It will match the – especially if you make your apple pie with Granny Smith Apple and use a relatively unsweet recipe for the pumpkin pie as well -  it will add a little bit of sweetness to round out the whole experience,” he said.

For those waiting to entertain in December, the 5th annual Holiday Open House at Woodland Vineyard will start at noon on Saturday, Dec. 6. Wine tasting, light hors d’oeuvres, and the vineyard’s signature mulled wine, as well as hot cider and cookies for the kids, will be available at $5 per person/ $8 for the family.  For more information about Woodland Vineyard, visit http://www.woodlandvineyard.com/index.htm or call (804)739-2774.

Bill Lohmann is a staff writer for Richmond Times-Dispatch and staff researcher Wendy Addison and Midlothian Exchange editor Elizabeth Farina contributed to this report.