Despite hiccups, Whitebarrel Wine and Tapas Bar opened on Saturday in The Brownstone building at 301 South Main Street in Blacksburg.
“We want to thank the town of Blacksburg and the Brownstone for hitting a home-run in getting us open at the last minute – several town officials went the extra-mile to resolve last-minute hiccups so that we could open – true cooperation and team work in action,” co-owner Dr. Richard Obiso, said.
The winery and the Wine and Tapas Bar have created over 35 jobs in Montgomery County, catering to an upscale niche market, according to a press release from Attimo Group, LLC.
Whitebarrel Winery was Attimo Winery until 2015, Montgomery County’s first winery.
The restaurant’s 1,616-square-foot space features Whitebarrel’s own award winning wines as well as other wines from each of Virginia’s distinctive wine-growing regions, and ciders and meads from across Virginia.
The tapas bar will highlight Virginia produce and cheeses, with a rotating menu designed to introduce fresh, local flavors that complement the unique range of wines being poured the press release said.
Whitebarrel is one of the largest wineries in Southwest Virginia, producing several thousand cases each year from 50 acres in Montgomery and Floyd Counties. The winery will open a third location in Richmond in 2018.
More than 50,000 people visit Whitebarrel’s Childress Road Christiansburg location each year. The winery and vineyard promotes an environmentally thoughtful image.
“We are a green winery. We recycle 95% of our glass, plastic, cardboard, and paper. We compost all of our food scraps and put the environment ahead of other things,” Richard Obiso, said.
Whitebarrel Winery worked with Avila Scientific in Blacksburg to establish a honeybee sanctuary and research center in Floyd last year promoting tourism and education to support the farm.
For more information about the winery and its expansion, and to find out more about investment opportunities of its expansion across Virginia, please contact the winery at 540-382-7619 or visit www.whitebarrel.com
— Liz Kirchner