Wine Tree winery opens in Vienna
By ROGER ADKINS, radkins@newsandsentinel.comVIENNA - The Bandy family is enjoying the fruits of their labor with The Wine Tree, West Virginia's newest farm winery in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
The winery at 772 Jesterville Road has been open since June 30, said Craig and Candice "Candy" Bandy, owners and operators. The winery is located less than a mile down Jesterville Road, which is across from Emerson Commons on West Virginia 2.
The winery has been eight years in the making for Craig Bandy, who has been an active winemaker since he was a teenager.
"I've been making wine since I was very young," he said. "I've been making wine for more than 30 years. Eight years ago, after more and more success in the quality of the wine made as a hobby, we decided to plant a vineyard and see how that worked out. I dug up a half an acre in my front yard."
The first two attempts at a vineyard were a learning experience, the Bandys said. The couple said they visited many wineries, contacted several experts and conducted a great amount of research to become up to date on modern techniques and technology used in the growing of grapes.
"We have a very new vineyard with modern techniques. We've learned a lot about vineyard care and success in growing vines," Craig said.
Craig said he also purchased the property on Jesterville Road to create a facility dedicated to the endeavor. Armed with data and the latest information, the Bandys were able to improve their grape-growing methods. Still, like most wineries, they use a mixture of the grapes they grow and carefully selected grapes and grape juice from other wineries and grape farmers.
A farmhouse on the property was the perfect location for a guest reception center and retail area, the couple said. The structure was remodeled and features woodwork done using trees harvested from the property. The woodwork includes custom floors, window sills and other fixtures.
An adjacent building was redone for the winery. The huge wooden doors of the winery were constructed using wood from the property, the Bandys said. The winery, which houses large tanks, kegs and all the implements used in wine making, has tiled floors and a large mural at one end of the room. This is where Bandy spends countless hours tweaking PH levels in grape juice and completing the meticulous process of creating wine.
Amid the seemingly endless hours of work involved in finishing the reception center and winery and the exacting process of growing grapes and making wine, the Bandys were also able to complete the year's worth of paperwork it took to properly register the business with the state and federal government. That's not counting the fine details like ordering custom engraved wine glasses, specialty wine bottles and developing a wine label with custom logo. Luckily, the couple had the help of their five grown children throughout the start of the endeavor.
The Wine Tree features a number of varieties of wine. Whites include Riesling, Cayuga White, MainSail, Traminette, Lighthouse and Catawba. The Angel Blush is a mix of Catawba and Fredonia. Reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Noiret and Fredonia.
The tasting room is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. An opening celebration is being held from July 25-Aug. 29 with extended hours until 8 p.m.
