Tennessee Winery Offers a Slice of Napa Valley Life for a Fraction of the Price

When you think of a Tennessee mountain estate, a winery might not come to mind. But, maybe it should—particularly for those buyers seeking a slice of vineyard life for a fraction of the price they would find in California.

Perched on a beautiful 33.5-acre estate, with rolling fields, mature vineyards, and endless views, Villa Nove looks, at first glance, like a classic Napa Valley investment opportunity, one that would likely run you tens of millions of dollars.

However, delve into the listing a bit further and you will find that looks can be very deceiving. Because the expansive winery estate, which is on the market for $7.9 million, is located nowhere near California, but rather in the quiet lakeside community of Butler, TN.

“[This property] includes so much for the money. I really think it’s a great value. Something like this in California would be $50 to $100 million,” says listing agent Jessica Auten with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.

Auten notes that, while the property is perched in the mountains, it is far from your average cabin, instead offering a level of European-inspired luxury rarely found in this part of the world.

“It’s easy to get to, but it still feels kind of like it’s in its own world. It really is a Tuscan villa and everything that you would expect from something in Italy, but to be here in East Tennessee is very unique,” she says.

Built in 2005 with five bedrooms and four full bathrooms, the property features many distinctive Tuscan design elements, as well as a spread of high-end amenities.

“It just looks like it would be in Tuscany. It’s got the terracotta roof. It’s got an outdoor terraza, like a patio [with a ] very Italian style with an outdoor fireplace and a covered pavilion area,” she explains, adding it also has a gourmet kitchen and a beautiful fireplace inside.

Even though the home is large at 5,218 square feet, it doesn’t feel too big.

“The way it’s laid out, it’s very cozy. It’s elegant, but it’s very comfortable.” Auten says, adding the home is filled with curated furnishings, which could also be negotiated to be part of the sale.

There is also a 1,388-square-foot farmhouse with three bedrooms and one bath, which was recently renovated along with a large utility barn and several other buildings, including a restaurant space.

“It’s got a brand-new commercial kitchen and two bar areas,” she says. “What I love about it is you can open up the doors all the way, so it feels like you’re outside, but you’re actually in the restaurant. There’s outdoor seating and indoor seating and it just kind of flows seamlessly.”

The home is just one part of the 33.53-acre estate that includes eight acres of vineyards with 10 grape varietals.

“When I went there for the first time, I was completely blown away by the beauty. You not only have lake views from this spot, but you really have 360-degree views overlooking the pastureland, the vineyard,” she says.

“Just looking out over the grapes that are planted and seeing the mountains and the lake in the distance is beautiful.”

The production facility, the tasting room, and everything else related to the wine-making business conveys with the sale. It’s also a popular wedding venue.

“It truly is a residential commercial property. This could easily be a trophy property for someone that just wants to say they live on a vineyard and they don’t want anything to do with the business side of it, and let someone else handle that, or they can really take this and run with it,” Auten says.

“You can take right over. It includes all the business assets for that [list] price as well, all the equipment that you would need to keep the vineyard going.”

Using 10 varietals of grapes grown on site as well as California grapes, the winery produces 8,000 bottles each year.

“They have an amazing winemaker who sounds like he’s willing to stay on and help the next owner as well. He’s doing an amazing job. They’ve won a lot of awards with their wines.”

The estate is near Watauga Lake and not far from other destinations like Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Johnson City, and Asheville.

The seller is a developer who has many communities in the immediate surrounding area and has sold 350 home sites in a three-mile radius of Villa Nove, creating a cadre of potential customers for Villa Nove.

“He’s done a great job of getting this going, showing someone what the potential could be, and now it’s ready for the next owner to continue that legacy, whatever they want that to be,” Auten says.

“If they want to continue making wine, if they want to do a wedding event venue, or just have the beautiful home for their personal use, there’s no restrictions here, so they really can do whatever they want to with it.”

While the property is a large turnkey business enterprise, it doesn’t feel like it.

“It feels like you have escaped to Tuscany, that’s exactly the best way that I can describe it. You don’t feel like you’re in East Tennessee anymore, but it doesn’t feel like it’s been superimposed on the landscape. It just fits,” Auten explains.

“They’ve recreated this Tuscan villa, which is the centerpiece, but then have tastefully added outbuildings that just kind of fall into the scenery, so it doesn’t feel like you’re on a commercial property.”