More than twenty-three years ago, Susanne Becker and Stephen Haskill lovingly founded Villa Appalaccia Winery & Vineyard on Rock Castle Gorge Road in Floyd, right by the site for FloydFest. With beautiful mountain views surrounding them, Becker and Haskill created a selection of delicious Virginia wines with an Italian flair. Last summer, however, Villa Appalaccia was sold and entrusted to its new owners, Tim and Julie Block.
Originally from Wisconsin, Tim and Julie are coming to Floyd from their most recent home in Lake Norman, just north of Charlotte, North Carolina.
In Wisconsin, the couple had grown up just twenty minutes from each other. They’d never met, however, until high school when they began working at the same restaurant. Tim stayed in the restaurant business for more than forty years. The last twenty-seven of those years were with Bloomin’ Brands, famous for Outback Steakhouse. But Tim was no mere waiter, chef, or manager. He spent nearly three years, heading up operations in Asia and, more recently, serving as a Regional Vice President.
Julie worked various administrative jobs while their children, Tim and Alicia, were young. Shortly after the kids left for college, Julie returned to college, herself, and achieved an RN degree. Before coming to Floyd, Julie worked at a pediatric surgical office in Charlotte.
When it came time to consider the next chapter of their lives, they discovered Villa Appalaccia. The thought of owning a winery had always intrigued them. As soon as they laid eyes on the property and tasted the wines, they were hooked.
Because Tim and Julie had limited prior experience with wine, they knew there would be a tremendous learning curve. Susanne and Stephen, however, agreed to help with the transition.

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Susanne worked closely with the Blocks; sharing her knowledge of both the science and art of winemaking, while Stephen introduced them to all aspects of the vineyard. To Tim and Julie, this generosity of knowledge represented what they had come to know as the friendliness and helpfulness that is typical of the people of Floyd. Between the charm of the city, the quality of the wines, and beauty of the land itself, the opportunity to live and work in Floyd seemed like a natural fit for them.
To Tim and Julie, however, family was also very important. Before making the commitment, they wanted their children and their children’s spouses to see the place. The kids were excited, but possibly a little skeptical when they heard the story of the winery. Once they visited Villa Appalaccia, however, they understood. “This place is totally you!” they all agreed. Not only did they accept the idea, they loved it. So much so that daughter Alicia and her husband also plan to move to the area.

During their first season, Tim and Julie met a lot of Villa Appalaccia’s long-time, regular patrons, and they loved hearing everyone’s comments and suggestions. Because the Blocks believe that communication with customers and community is very important, Julie has also begun sending out a monthly newsletter during the season; letting people know what’s going on at Villa Appalaccia.

Tim and Julie have also joined the Chambers of Commerce for both Floyd and Patrick counties, and provide even more opportunities to keep up to date through their Facebook page, Villa Appalaccia Winery, as well as their website.

For now, while continuing to make improvements to the winery’s various amenities, the Blocks plan to maintain Villa Appalaccia’s reputation for fine, high-quality wines. They will also keep the ambiance and the feel customers have come to love. They want the winery to remain a fresh, comfortable place to spend time.

For the longer term, Tim and Julie are updating the space so that they can host more special events and have live music more often. They also plan to participate in local wine festivals and community events.
Although Tim and Julie will inevitably make Villa Appalaccia their own, don’t worry about too many changes. They fell in love with that place for a reason, and they don’t plan to lose touch with its spirit. Between the patio, the outdoor pizza oven, the bocce ball court, the music garden, and of course, the wine, Villa Appalaccia’s new owners are ready for anything!

Villa Appalaccia is located at 752 Rock Castle Gorge in Floyd, Virginia: between mileposts 170 and 171 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They feature Italian style wines, and bread and cheese plates.
Call (540) 593-3100 or visit their website: www.villaappalaccia.com for more information.