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WineEast Wine East HIGHLIGHTS: • While looking for a site to start Bar- rel Oak Winery, Brian and sharon Roeder focused on properties in northern Virginia, noting that the proximity to Washington, D.C., would be good for business. • • The Delaplane, Va., winery had $2.5 million in sales and 100,000 visitors during its first two years. Today the couple grows nine grape varieties and recently purchased land to expand their vineyard acreage. $2.5 million in sales from their tasting room. How did they accomplish this in an economy that has been teetering between recession and depression? According to Roeder, Virginia is a great place to open a winery. The governor supports the wine and grape industry, millions of people live within a two-hour drive of many Virginia wineries, and many of those customers have plenty of disposable income for wine purchases. Wine Packaging by Naylor Naylor is the premier supplier to over 2000 wineries, wine shops and distributors in the US and Ca. WPN's products are biodegradable and recyclable.Our shipping boxes have been approved by Fed Ex & UPS and our in-stock items include wine carriers, gift boxes and wine shippers.Our design team can assist you with specialized packaging and custom imprinting. In addition, he credits the success of Barrel Oak Winery to three "big pillars": finding an excellent location, creating a place where the community can gather and utilizing social media to share the couple's dream and give people a reason to visit the winery. Location, location, location The Roeders' first priority was to find a site with good winery potential. Although Sharon Roeder's dream was to plant a vineyard she could stroll through with her morning cup of coffee, the Roeders wanted to be able to grow quality grapes and have a winery location where they could attract visitors. When the Roeders started their WinePkgingNaylor_Dir11.qxp 11/24/10 4:0 vineyard project, they were living in Arlington, Va., and began their search in northern Virginia. Working with Chris Hill, a Virginia-based vineyard consultant, they superimposed a soils map onto a topographic map to help find an appropriate hillside. They looked as far south as Charlottesville and westward into the foothills of the Appalachians, but preferred a location closer to Washington, D.C. WV KY TN It took several months of searching and some compromises to find a home for Barrel Oak Winery. In 2006 they purchased 70 acres of land with a view onto Route 66, a major four-lane highway that heads west from Washington, an hour away. In 2006, 48,000 cars per day drove past that farm on Route 66. The winery building, high on the hillside, is a landmark visible to passers-by between exits 23 and 27. While the land was attractive from an access point of view, at 650 feet it was not as high in altitude as the Roeders would EAST OH Barrel Oak Winery Charlottesville Richmond VIRGINIA NC MD DE Washington www.naylorpackaging.com (800) 292-3370 or (717) 993-2431 Fax (717) 993-9460 4138 Vineyard Rd. Stewartstown, PA 17363 sales@naylorwine.com is a lifetime member of Wine America and the PA Wine Association. a winery for over thirty-five years & Naylor Wine Cellars has been Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012 155