Russian Chapel Hills Production Winery
$850,000
“A unique, well-established high production winery & small vineyard in the Carolina Foothills”
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$850,000
Russian Chapel Hills Production Winery
“A unique, well-established vineyard-winery & events venue in the Carolina Foothills”
The Location:
The Russian Chapel Hills (RCH) production winery is well-located within the growing and vibrant Carolina Foothills region of the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina—anchored by the charming small towns of Tryon, Columbus, and Saluda in NC, and Landrum in SC.
This overall area offers an appealing “town and country” lifestyle, combining pleasant, rolling country-side with sweeping vistas of the distant mountains—yet a small town or outdoor recreational opportunities are never far away. RCH is a mere 8 miles from the Tryon Resort and the world-renowned Tryon International Equestrian Center, which hosted the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (attracting tens of thousands of visitors from across the nation and world). While the equestrian events calendar remains strong at Tryon, the combined amenities of the Tryon Resort and the Equestrian Center make for a world of its own—with many varied opportunities for lodging, dining, shopping, recreating, and permanent residential living. Here is the link to the Tryon website which provides a good overview of what Tryon is all about:
Apart from the resort and equestrian center, the actual town of Tryon is the largest town in Polk County and is known as “The Friendliest Town in the South”. It is also quite famous as being one of the select retirement communities in the United States.
All of the above factors make the Carolina Foothills area a very attractive place to visit and it is within easy driving distances of some of the most vibrant combined MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) in the mid-Atlantic region as follows:
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- Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson (SC) 30-40 Miles 1,442,000 in Population
- Asheville-Brevard-Hendersonville (NC) 35-60 Miles 543,000 in Population
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (NC) 80-90 Miles 2,386,000 in Population
Each of these MSAs have strong, dynamic growth and employment profiles and relatively high education and earnings levels—all of which combine to drive significant discretionary spending on recreation, dining out and, of course, drinking outstanding estate wines like those produced at the Russian Chapel Hills winery.
The Land and the Vineyards:
The small vineyard and production winery site is situated on a parcel of 8.20 acres directly off of Green Creek Drive. The vineyard is at a very desirable average elevation of 975 feet. There is a one-acre site (not included in the sale) which has been dedicated to “Saint Anna Chapel” an authentic Russian Orthodox chapel, which lends much beauty and solemn ambiance to the overall site and experience at Russian Chapel Hills. Visitors to RCH are encouraged to make the short walk to the Chapel to spend some quiet, and reflective time there during their visit.
Overall, there are approximately 5 acres under vine, with these desirable varietals:
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- ~1.5 AC Sauvignon Blanc
- ~1.5 AC Cabernet Sauvignon
- ~1.5 AC Merlot
- ~1.0 AC Muscadine
There is also a vineyard equipment building (metal shed type) on the site.
(See the accompanying Aerial–Ortho Boundary Map for Parcel P118-178 with Production Winery label)
The Facilities and Amenities:
Production Winery Building:
The world-class production winery at RCH is within a custom-designed and built 3,500 square foot structure designed from the ground-up to accommodate everything needed for an efficient and productive winery structure. The heavy steel span beams provide much desirable open space within the winery, and there is ample lighting, well-located floor drain arrangements, well insulated storage facilities, and more than adequate overall insulation for temperature control. Also, 230V Single Phase Power has been provided for all the major winery production equipment. (Please see the accompanying Winery Floor Plan for a more detailed view of the design)
Production Winery Equipment:
Again, the production equipment planning and provisioning was carried out in a world-class manner by the Vintner Vault of Paso Robles, California and provides for a production capability of up to 5,000 cases annually.
The high quality production equipment includes the following (with attachments):
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- Imma Model DPO-SPD Crusher/Destemmer
- Imma 10” x 16’ Lift Conveyor
- Imma 24” x 13’ Horizontal Sorting Table
- ATI-HL 24 Softpress
- Five 8K Liter (2113 Gal.) Variable Capacity, Fully Optioned SS Tanks (for Reds)
- Four 8K Liter (2113 Gal.) Variable Capacity, Fully Optioned SS Tanks (for Whites)
- Two 4K Liter (1056 Gal.) Variable Capacity, Fully Optioned SS Tanks (for Whites)
- Vigor 200 Flexible Impeller Pump
- Rotary Lobe Must Pump
- Full package of fittings, valves, hoses, and accessories for all the above equipment
- Two 5-Ton WPI Air Cooled Modular Chillers (Total 10-Ton Capacity)
- Chilled Water Pump Tank (Model C150) with Circulation and Supply Pumps
- Full Thermostat Controls, Air Handler, and Remote Panel Options w/Chiller Package
In the fall of 2012, the full installed cost of the complete winery production equipment package was $332,000 (not including building construction).
SUMMARY:
This offering represents a unique opportunity for owners of producing “vineyard only” properties in the nearby areas to quickly take advantage of producing their own wine and not sell their production to others or enter into custom crush arrangements with other existing wineries.
Within this world-class production winery, a small tasting area is likely very possible to set up,and it could be augmented with an outdoor patio or pergola arrangement for expanded tasting facilities just outside the winery structure.
While all of this is in a pleasant country setting, it’s still relatively close to a vibrant and growing area with many recreational amenities that attract visitors from large population centers only a short drive away. It just awaits your vision and commitment to put this winery’s equipment and winemaking capacities to full use, while also establishing a winery anchored tasting room experience.
ASKING PRICE:
$850,000 (Exclusive of Wine Inventory)
