New Charlottesville facility aims to reduce the costs of independent wine making

CHARLOTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Eastwood Farm and Winery says it is in the next steps of its project for a new downtown facility.

Co-founder Athena Eastwood says starting a winery from the ground up can be hard on the wallet. Now, she is trying to cut out steps to make winemaking attainable to others.

“What became apparent to us is this solution involves sharing resources,” Eastwood said. “Collaboration and working together, and that’s the idea of the incubator.”

That incubator will be Barrels and Tanks in downtown Charlottesville.

“Independent winemakers can anchor a license there and make wine in their suite, but also share the really expensive equipment, like the press, and have access to a tasting room,” Eastwood said.

Eastwood says four of the five suites in the new facility are already filled, and hopes to open by March 2024.

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