Wine-related gifts have local flavor
Anisa Ward of Robinson Township creates a variety of artistic designs out of empty wine bottles for her business, Bottle Designs.
The gift basket sold at J&D Cellars in South Strabane Township can hold three bottles of wine.
Mike Jones/Observer- Reporter
John Husk and Dot Harvison stand in J&D Cellars in Eighty Four in this 2013 file photo.
This artistic wine glass was hand-painted by Samantha Veltri of Houston and sold through her local business, Bella Vetro by Samantha.
A few bottles designed by Anisa Ward are on display at J&D Cellars in South Strabane Township.
Shopping local has a different buzz to it this holiday season now that wine-related Christmas gifts made by area wineries and artists are turning into big business.
The homemade gifts are finding an increasingly popular customer base, whether they are a variety of wines made from locally grown grapes, colorful hand-painted stemware or elaborately decorated bottles.
Dot Harvison and John Husk are finding that out after turning their small wine-making hobby into a full-blown vineyard. After opening J&D Cellars for business earlier this year and offering wine tastings or summer sippings on their 16-acre South Strabane Township property, the couple is now seeing customers returning to their winery to buy in bulk for Christmas gifts to family, friends and even coworkers.
One woman recently bought 20 bottles of wine and 10 wooden gift boxes with the J&D Cellars logo imprinted. But before getting their commercial license to sell wine, they used to give out bottles as Christmas gifts.
“It’s a hobby that got out of control,” Harvison said of their wine-making. “Of course, they have to buy it now. We’re not giving it away (as Christmas gifts) anymore.”
That entrepreneurial spirit also hit Anisa Ward of Robinson Township after people raved about her artistic designs on empty wine bottles. She had been painting them for 15 years and giving them out as gifts, but decided in recent years she could work at home making a small business out of her crafts.
She’s found a niche market with her Bottle Designs business that allows her to create personalized designs, with some even including sports teams.
“I do so many different ones so they can cater to so many different tastes,” she said.
Her business doubles during the holidays with craft shows and personal orders. One woman, who was too ill to fight the crowds at big box retailers last year, came to Ward’s home to finish her entire Christmas list.
“It was one-stop shopping for her,” Ward said. “She thought it was wonderful.”
It’s a similar story for Samantha Veltri of Houston as she painted clear wine glasses and family members started giving them out as wedding gifts. Her business, Bella Vetro by Samantha, is so busy during the holidays that she can take personalized orders only through the first week of December. However, she has plenty of inventory to continue selling her products through the holidays.
“This is always my busiest time of the year,” Veltri said. “There’s a lot of community support. I’m a small business and do things on a small scale, but the community is what keeps me going.”
Veltri isn’t surprised that the local wine and crafts market has boomed in recent years.
“There is definitely a solid group of people in the (wine) culture,” Veltri said. “Once you like wine, you’re a certain kind of person, so you’re into all of the accessories.”