Arterra Wines & Hawkmoth Arts

Written by Heidi Baumstark | Photos by Shannon Ayres

“Arterra,” translating to “art of the land,” has more than one meaning at Arterra Wine, located in Delaplane and owned by Jason Murray and Sandy Gray-Murray. 

For Jason, his craft is wine, and for Sandy, it’s working with clay, molding the earthy medium into nature-themed works of art in her on-site Hawkmoth Arts Studio and Gallery. 

“I make the wine; Sandy does the art. We’re the classic mom-and-pop business where we do everything,” Jason says. The couple’s two sons, 18-year-old Grayson Murray and 15-year-old Caolan Murray, are on staff, too. Grayson just started at Virginia Commonwealth University in media production and has worked at the vineyard on and off for the past four years. Caolan is in his second year working at the winery. Both sons have tended the vines and helped in the tasting room. 

I make the wine; Sandy does the art. We’re the classic mom-and-pop business where we do everything. –Murray

Arterra opened in February 2015, though Seven Oaks in nearby Philomont has been producing grapes for the business since 2005. At their winery, Murray and Gray-Murray embrace the principles of Wabi-sabi, a traditional Japanese worldview centered on accepting transience, imperfection, and natural processes. Those ideas are mounted in calligraphy above the three glass doors inside the tasting room: “Reverence for authenticity and earthiness”; “Appreciation of the genuine integrity of natural objects and processes”; and “Seeing beauty in impermanence, transience, and non-perfection.”

Visiting Arterra

Located on the east slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia’s northern Piedmont, Arterra offers visitors tranquil views and an escape from the chaos of life. The property is part of the Crooked Run Valley Rural Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. A small bridge over the babbling waters of Crooked Run can be seen as visitors drive up the winding road to the winery. 

Rolling hills of vines unfold before guests as they walk up the hill to the tasting room, with seating inside, on the patio, or under a canopy of trees where dappled sunlight peeks through. Nature is skillfully woven into the entire experience, from the bar’s tabletop of river stones under glass to tables with leaf impressions pressed into the concrete surface.

Nature inspires Gray-Murray’s art pieces, too. Leaves from the property are pressed into mediums like clay or concrete, or handcrafted into bowls, trays, vases, and hanging pieces, all of which are available for purchase. 

Clean Wine Producer

Rather than try to replicate wines from other regions, Arterra celebrates local practices and produces wine that is distinctly Virginian. Making progressive clean wine means that grapes are fermented with native yeast that naturally occurs on their skins without additives. “I use a minimalistic approach. We want to capture the character of the grapes as they grow here — a true Virginia-style wine,” Murray says. “The process is based on perception and intuition as opposed to lab work.” Only grapes grown at Arterra and Seven Oaks are picked for their wines.

Dry reds and Chardonnay age in older French oak barrels while other dry whites may be produced entirely in stainless steel. Arterra also makes amphora wines in clay vessels, an ancient winemaking method dating from 650 BCE.   

Jason and Sandy — Their Story

“Life’s journey led us here. Sandy’s and my story are so intertwined,” Murray says. Both are from Howard County, Maryland, and went to middle school and high school together. “We never really spoke until junior year. That’s when her boyfriend at the time introduced us,” he adds. “We got together during our senior year of high school.”

Murray grew up in an agricultural area raising sheep, doing farm work, and taking care of livestock. “I went to the University of Maryland, worked at a garden center, and discovered I was more interested in plants than animals.” He went on to earn a master’s in horticulture.

Following graduate school, Murray worked for Loudoun County as a commercial horticulturist from 2001 to 2005. “I learned about grape-growing on the job at another Virginia winery, and from 2005 to 2014, I became a full-time winemaker and learned every aspect of how to start a winery,” he says. “I developed my own approach to winemaking, creating natural, clean wine, sticking to a minimalistic approach.”

We want to capture the character of the grapes as they grow here — a true Virginia-style wine. –Murray 

Gray-Murray studied art at Carnegie Mellon and then attended the Maryland Institute College of Art, a private art and design college in Baltimore where she trained as an oil painter. After school she worked in Baltimore writing curriculum and collaborating with teachers. She then got a job in Washington County, Maryland, initiating an arts integration program for the school system. 

In 2009 she left the classroom and started developing her unique art style, selling pieces at wine festivals and other events. She developed a following, and soon Hawkmoth Arts was born. 

Wine Events & Clay Creation Classes

From May through October, Arterra offers “Wine Until 9” on the first Fridays and second Saturdays of the month. And, throughout the year, other seasonal events are planned, including special dinners, live music, vineyard tours, and themed wine tastings with culinary treats. 

Guests can also connect with their own creativity by signing up for clay classes taught by Gray-Murray, which include crafting platters, trays, vases, or bowls. As Gray-Murray does, participants are encouraged to incorporate elements from the property into their clay pieces. Classes begin with a vineyard tour to learn about grape-growing and winemaking, followed by a walk to gather natural materials for their artwork. There are also couples’ classes for two people to share the art experience together. Of course, a glass of wine is included.

What Patrons Are Saying

Jeff and Dawn Jenkins, from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, have been wine club members since the pandemic. Jeff shares, “This was the first winery that turned us on to good wine. We’ve gone to other wineries, but we always come back here.” 

Dawn says, “I’m sensitive to wines with additives and was [experiencing] negative effects. Drinking Jason’s wines, I don’t have any bad reactions. It’s the clean wine that attracted us. This is by far the most peaceful place with beautiful views — the whole package is perfect.” 

Jeff adds, “We were just here last night at the Friday ‘Wine Until 9’ and decided to come back again today.”

We create things that connect beauty and nature. With so much negativity in the world, natural beauty brings you back to the positive side of the human experience. –Murray 

Rebecca Pedrosa, of Linden, Virginia, says, “Coming here is like a piece of heaven. I work in Reston, so this is my escape. There are so many wineries, but here, it’s all about the experience. Jason and Sandy are very humble and sweet people; that expresses itself through their wines. I did a pottery class with my teenage daughter and made a bowl with leaves. It was such a nice, shared experience making memories with her.”

For Murray and Gray-Murray, the winery is all about making people happy through nature, wine, and art. Murray concludes, “We create things that connect beauty and nature. With so much negativity in the world, natural beauty brings you back to the positive side of the human experience.” ML

Arterra Wines & Hawkmoth Arts
1808 Leeds Manor Road
Delaplane, VA 20144
(540) 422-3443
arterrawines.com
hawkmotharts.com

Published in the October 2024 issue of Middleburg Life.