A Revenue-Generating Opportunity Could be Yours in Virginia Wine Country

The Savoy-Lee Winery is on the market. Because it produces wine in state-of-the art facilities, it is promoted, in the words of the owner David Wood, as a turnkey operation "for someone looking for a revenue generating lifestyle." Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on 117 acres, with a fully stocked 7 acre lake and a 3500 sq. ft. house, the winery is currently producing about 1200 cases but was built to support 5000 - 6000 cases per year.

Starting a winery is not an impulse decision, made by an impartial investor looking for a quick profit. Years of study and careful planning precede the first planting. Using digitized maps for grape growing suitability from Virginia Tech, David Woods spent 2 years searching the Eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains for a piece of property that met the requirements for growing grapes. In 2000, he bought the property in Huddleston and for first planting of grapes. Over the course of the next three years, he strategically planted a variety of grape, starting with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and small quantities of Merlot, Traminette, and Chardonel. Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chambourcin were planted over the next two years.

The growing seasons of 2003 and 2004 were very difficult due to the unusually large amount of rainfall, but in December, 2003, the winery won its first award - a bronze medal for their "homebrew" 2002 Woodstock Merlot. The winery building, to include the rough-in construction of the tasting room, was completed during the summer of 2004. The first crush took place in September, 2004 - right around the time the winery received its winery license from the Federal TTB and from Virginia's ABC Board. In 2005, Savoy-Lee Winery released their 2004 Chardonnay, 2004 Echo Forest Red, and 2004 Cabernet Franc.

In April, 2006, Bedford County Wine Trail was set to showcase the effort of several Bedford County wineries. This brought tourists to the wineries to taste the wine and spread the word. Savoy-Lee also attended their first wine festival, the James River Wine Festival in Richmond, Va. They won a bronze medal in the 2006 Virginia Governor's Cup Wine Competition for their 2006 - Johnson Mountain Picnic Series - Red.

By November, 2007, the tasting room in the winery was completed. This beautiful room accommodates wine tastings several times a week and for special occasions and is a great location for wedding and other events.

Wineries usually take about 10 years to make money from their production; Savoy-Lee is nearly at that point. Since it has been making prize winning wine from the beginning, the winery is on course to increase production to meet the growing demand. Sales currently come from the tasting room visits and events, festivals, and internet sales. At this point, the winery does not work through a distributor for commercial sales, but this is the next step.

Due to family reasons, Woods is selling the winery. This property offers a unique opportunity to an entrepreneur who seeks a lucrative and challenging future in a calm and beautiful environment. Vicki Millehan of Smith Mountain Lake can fill you in on how this winery could be yours before the fall crush.

Want to see more information about this property? See the website at www.savoy-lee.com and our previous posting at Savoy-Lee Winery.