Overview: Veritas Vineyard & Winery in Afton has been sold to a new Charlottesville-backed company. Operations remain unchanged for members and visitors, with key leadership staying on board.
The Full Story
Veritas Vineyard & Winery, the Nelson County estate that helped build Virginia’s reputation for serious wine, has been sold to Veritas Legacy Partners LLC. The company was formed by two Charlottesville businessmen, architect Kurt Wassenaar and real estate investor Eric Trebour. The buyers announced the closing Monday, months after the two sides first said they had reached an agreement.
The property sits at 151 Veritas Lane in Afton, roughly 135 miles southwest of Alexandria — about two and a half hours by car, or about 20 minutes past Charlottesville on the Route 151 corridor. For anyone with a wine club membership, a wedding on the books or a fall tasting reservation, the message is that nothing is changing. The tasting room, wine club, weddings, private events and the on-site inn all continue without interruption, according to the new owners.
The property also includes The Farmhouse at Veritas, an eight-bedroom bed-and-breakfast set in the estate vineyards that serves a fine-dining dinner — a reasonable overnight anchor if you’d rather not drive back up I-64 the same day. The winery is represented by Janine Aquino, president of Aquino Baron Consulting and an agent with Washington International Service Executives LLC in Berryville. Aquino’s firm says it is the largest Virginia winery sale ever brokered by a real estate agent.
Brand & Industry History
Patricia and Andrew Hodson founded Veritas in 1999 on a bet that the foothills of the Blue Ridge could produce world-class wine. The winery is now an anchor of the Monticello American Viticultural Area and the Nelson 151 Craft Beverage Trail, and it draws steady traffic from Northern Virginia for tastings, live music and events.
What This Means
The new owners intend to build on the Hodson family’s foundation and push Veritas toward “the next level of regional and national prominence.” Andy Murphy is the new chief executive officer. He had been consulting for the buyers on hospitality before the sale closed and comes from a luxury hospitality background.
Consumer Takeaway
The stated goal is to build on the 27 years that founders Dr. Andrew and Patricia Hodson spent turning a Blue Ridge farm into a destination. Emily Hodson stays on as head winemaker, becoming chief production officer and overseeing still wines, sparkling wines, new products and production services. George Hodson, who had been CEO, shifts to a strategic advisory role.
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