Above Ground Winery

The Barbagallos humbly opened the doors to Above Ground Winery (formerly 29 Vines) in Summer 2011 with five wines and quickly outgrew the demand.   Cost benefit analysis proved that managing a vineyard and winery operation would be better suited in the Shenandoah Valley where the overhead costs were drastically reduced.

With the need for expansion and dedication to providing estate grown grapes, Above Ground winery moved operations to Augusta County, VA. In  October 2015, soil evaluation was conducted by Virginia Tech and the six varietal vineyard were planted in Spring 2016—Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Barbera, Riesling, and Chardonnay.

Equipping the farm’s machine shed into the wine production facility has been the focus since Fall 2017.  In addition to general winery operations, educational seminars will be provided to those interested in starting a winery.  From funding and location, to suppliers, resources and management, attendees will be able to successfully learn the basics of being a part of the Virginia wine industry.