On Site

The Vtipil Family legacy in Virginia can be traced back to 1845 with the birth of Joseph Vtipil in Rcychnov, Czechoslovakia. Joseph grew up on a farm there and later married Frances Sodomka. In 1905 their first born child, Joseph Vtipil, Jr., was sent to the United States to join the growing Czech community in Prince George, Virginia. Two years later the Vtipil family acquired 292 1/2 acres along Prince George Drive. Their investment would become their lifeblood, rooting their immigrant family in a community which they still call home five generations later. On the farm, the Vtipils worked hard to make a living growing peanuts, corn, wheat, soybeans and raising livestock. 

Through the years family traditions included Brunswick stews and church picnics at the First Czechoslovakian Presbyterian Church, built on land donated by Joseph. The most cherished event, which lives on to this day, is the making of the wine. For over sixty-five years, the Vtipils have worked hard to perfect the taste of this unique wine. The family has kept the tradition of their Czechoslovakian ancestors alive and their wine making process virtually the same. The hand-picked Concord grapes are carefully prepared and put through a vinification process passed down from generation to generation. From picking to stomping to bottling - the process is full of tradition and love. Na Zdraví! 

For years the original acreage was an operating farm, but slowly parceled off and passed through several hands.  Ultimately a 65 acre lot with the original and aging farmhouse was all that was left.  Having been sold to a developer, this last remaining portion of land was slated to become a 117 home subdivision. But the great-grandson of Joseph Vtipil, Sr., Don Vtipil and his wife Debby, had other ideas of bringing the farm back into the family and revitalizing the remnants of their family history.  In 2015 they began to work with Prince George County to make the dream of their home and future business a reality.  While the fields have not been planted with crops for years, the latest two generations of Vtipils now call the old farm their home. 

Now the Vtipil Family is opening the remaining farm for others to enjoy.  

Even while living around the world during Don’s twenty-two years in the U.S. Army, Prince George County and the surrounding area remained home for the Vtipil family.  Don, a Prince George High School and James Madison University alumnus, and Debby, a Hopewell High School alumna, raised their two girls at duty stations from Alabama to South Korea to Germany.  After many moves, they were stationed back at the home of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps - Fort Lee, Virginia.  Don Vtipil retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2006.  By that time the family had established firm roots back in PG.   Debby owned and operated Royal Cuts, a local salon from which she recently retired after 30 years of taking care of her many customers. Amanda and Andrea, their two daughters, graduated from Prince George High School and attended Virginia colleges.   

Amanda has spent her career learning and sharing local and national history and currently works with the Lamb Center for Arts and Healing in Hopewell, Virginia.  She and her husband CeJae, who works in advocacy for Virginia credit unions, built a home on the old farm property.  

Andrea and her husband William teach in Prince George  and Matoaca respectively, making a true impact on the county’s next generations.  They have two children.  

Don currently serves as President of Red Cloud Food Services, Inc. based out of Nashville, Tennessee and enjoys supporting the foundation he created, the Military Assistance Program, which provides direct financial support to our Wounded Veterans.  Debby is working hard to spoil the grandchildren and spend time with her mother.

Together the entire family is working on the Stodola to make it a successful business.