Ashton Creek Vineyards Q&A
Ashton Creek Vineyards is probably one of my favorite Richmond area wineries right now. I absolutely loved their grounds, their food, and most importantly…their Vidal Blanc. Besides the great wines and atmosphere, one of the biggest things that I was impressed by during my visit, was their socially distancing procedures.
We were greeted at the front by someone who was handing out paper menus and organizing the seating. Once we sat at our designated, socially distant table, looked at the menu, and went inside the tasting room to order our meal and drinks. We were then given a buzzer so we could wait outside, at our table for our food. My friend and I ordered their crab dip and chimichuri steak sliders.
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do a Q&A with them! Lori Thibault’s responses are super insightful and inspiring that with passion, dedication, and family support you can break into this business and be successful. Check it out below!
How did you guys start Ashton Creek Vineyards?
Ashton Creek was started from a dream, a necessity and a love for wine. We had purchased the land with commercial development in mind, but the economy had crashed and we decided to come up with a new plan. Kirk Thibault, our patriarch, had always wanted a business that his family would be a part of. He was making wine at home on a small scale, Virginia was doing a great job at promoting their wineries, and when he approached the rest of the family about planting a vineyard and opening a winery and event center, no one was against it.
How did you pick your location?
The location was originally picked for a different end use. Our vines have struggled because of that, but we've put a lot of TLC into them, and they are finally looking good.
How did you guys learn about wine production?
We are still learning new techniques every year! To start, however, we worked with a consultant and got a lot of advice from other wineries and vineyards. It took several years of accumulating information and finding out what works and what doesn't.
How do you select which grapes to grow?
This has been something we’ve learned the hard way. Originally, we planted varieties that didn’t match our Chester site well and have had to replant most of it with hybrids. Once you have a feel for the soil and micro climate picking varieties that best match, it is much easier.
What is the most challenging part of running a wine business?
Predicting the weather!
What advice do you have for someone wanting to start a winery/vineyard in Virginia?
Get information from other producers in VA, esp. from ones with similar growing conditions.
What is unique about the wine industry in Virginia?
VA wine industry is a really tight knit community, always willing to help out and promote one another for the betterment of the industry as a whole.
What would you say is your biggest differentiator from other wineries in the area?
Our approach to wine is a bit different than most, in that it is very non-traditional. Wine has a lot of stigmas surrounding it about how it has to be consumed, served, and made, which we tend to push against. When we were still in the construction phase, we were researching products and practices that were being used on the west coast. Something that caught our eye was wine on tap, and we implemented it in our Tasting room from the start. It makes great sense and we are happy to see the trend taking hold across the state. We feel that future wine connoisseurs start somewhere, and though we don't have a wide selection of sweet wines, we know that a large sector of wine drinkers prefer them, and that's okay. At the end of the day for us it’s all about making the best products and ensuring our visitors have the most enjoyable experience possible.
What is your most popular offering?
Willie's White is one of our most popular wines. It's a sweetened Traminette, named after one of our dogs, (Willie-nelson) $4.00 from every bottle sold is donated to an area animal rescue, so it's a sweet deal for the humans and the dogs and cats!
Can you give an inside look at how you guys planned your re-opening procedures during COVID-19?
COVID took us all by surprise! Most of our employees are retirees, or have full time jobs, so we focused on the ones that depended on us for an income and came up with a plan to keep them employed. We encouraged people to purchase our wine online, we did curbside and home delivery as well as offered shipping discounts. We came up with meal specials. One was a date night dinner that included a bottle of wine and a meal for two, another was a cheese board that included a locally made board and a bottle of wine. When VA went into phase one, we ordered picnic tables for the back lawn, and put as much seating outside as possible. For phase two we spaced tables apart. Luckily we have our event building that can normally seat close to 300, so keeping folks socially distanced has not been a problem. All of our staff are wearing masks, and we are diligent in sanitizing surfaces. Because of the spacing we are not able to do tastings, but we are offering flights and that's become very popular.
What does the rest of the year look like for ACV?
We wish we had a crystal ball, and we certainly hope that the worse of COVID is behind us! With that being said, we have some new 2019 wines to be introduced, and weddings and events on our calendar!