Aunt Carol’s Sauce Heads to Food Lion Stores, Winemakers Reopen Tasting Rooms in Hampton Roads Wine Region: Local Entrepreneurship Thrives Despite Pandemic

Food Lion stores in Hampton Roads will carry a bottled red sauce produced by the company of Virginia Tech graduate Tahjere Lewis starting next month. A 2021 story described Lewis turning a family recipe into a commercially available product called Aunt Carol’s Sauce. His entrepreneurship has continued since. The largest retailer to agree to carry the item so far, said spokeswoman Maddie Peters. He is 24 and lives in Hampton Roads.

Meanwhile, region’s winemakers have reopened their tasting rooms for the season. AmRhein’s Wine Cellars in Bent Mountain announced its tasting room will open April 6. Villa Appalaccia Winery just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Patrick County “surpassed expectations” at the opening of its tasting room March 15, co-owner Julie Block said. “We set records,” she added, as people are eager to get back out after months of being indoors due to the pandemic.

In other wine news, Stanburn Winery in Stuart announced on social media March 18 that it will close after the upcoming season. It’s not clear what led to the closure, but it is a significant loss for the region’s wine industry and those who enjoy their products.