LANCASTER, S.C. — Lancaster County will soon be home to a unique and diverse collection of local wines for people to enjoy on special occasions.
Laurel Haven Estate Vineyard and Winery will hold its grand opening from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and will be open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Sunday following the event.
The winery has a 2-acre vineyard with 1,500 grapevines, and will offer a selection of eight dry wines, wine cocktails and slushies, an indoor tasting room, poolside outdoor seating with a wine bar and a new 3,200-square-foot covered pavilion.
Jenna Bice, CEO of Laurel Haven Estate, bought the property in 2018 after it had been run as a wedding venue. Since then, her long-term goal has been to establish a vineyard.
“In 2022, I planted the first acre of grape vines and last year, I planted another acre of grape vines. We had a small harvest last year, but we’re also sourcing juice from neighboring states to get our wine going,” Bice said.
“We hope to plant up to 10 acres in the coming years, which would be about 60,000 bottles of wine,” she said.
Growing up on 50 acres of land in Blythewood, Bice said that she always had a strong passion for the outdoors, with her vision of having a winery beginning when her parents took her to California’s vineyards in Napa Valley when she was 13.
The dream was solidified further when Bice saw numerous vineyards across Europe when working as a flight attendant for U.S. Airways in her early 20s.
“I completely fell in love with the idea of having these very beautiful grapevines,” she said.
Laurel Haven Estate Vineyard and Winery plans to specialize in European and American varietals that thrive in South Carolina’s climate, with notable products including Crimson Cabernet and muscadine wines.
Bice said that her wine products will come from grapevines that can survive diseases such as Pierce’s disease caused by South Carolina’s climate, while adding a strong taste.
“There’s only less than a dozen vineyards in South Carolina just because of the diseases that grapevines get in the area that are insect-transmitted. All the vines I have are hybrid grapevines, so they have taken grapevines that are grown in Europe and bred them with American grapevines,” Bice said.
About 450 people have already signed up to attend the grand opening of Laurel Haven, Bice said. While the event is capped at capacity, she does encourage all to stop by the winery’s operating hours to support her local business.
“I would love to continue planting and growing the grapevines that we have. I would love this to be a destination location for Lancaster County. We have a lot of visitors from North and South Carolina just for our wedding venue and our bed and breakfast, but I would really like this to be a continual attraction and destination for people in Lancaster and outside of it,” Bice said.
Laurel Haven Estate Vineyard and Winery is located at 3341 Taxahaw Road in Lancaster. For details, visit www.laurelhavenestate.com.
