At Artemisia Farm and Vineyard, Kelly Allen and Andrew Napier let the land do the talking. The pair craft aromatic wines and bitters using the flora of Virginia’s Northern Piedmont region—from elderflower and wormwood, to clove, walnut, and rhubarb.
“We lead with plants that are native or acclimated to our micro-region,” Allen says of their vineyard in rural Bentonville. “We use only hybrid grapes, native grapes, or other climate-adapted sugar sources as the foundation for our wines.” Rather than growing the trendy grape-of-the-moment, an approach Allen calls a “short-sighted marketing accommodation;” she and Napier capitalize on “the incredible potential of what we already have in front of us.”
For a light and fresh cocktail, Napier combines Æstas Sumac bitters in sparkling water or juice. Allen goes for a structured mix of Junio bitters paired with sherry or lean spirits. New this summer, wine lovers will find a fresh batch of old favorites like Nocino Americano, Mentha, and Solstice Vermouth.
Whether in cocktails enjoyed at home or as al fresco aperitivo, Artemisia’s wines and bitters go beyond delighting the senses—they also tell a story. “What we eat and drink are cornerstones of our communal identity,” Allen says, adding, “we have a responsibility to maintain our ancestral knowledge, lest we forget ourselves together.” Artemisia.farm
