Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / Kelli White
Over the course of his life, Scott Burton has enjoyed several careers. He began as an attorney before transitioning to commercial real estate investment. Next, he opened a business that ran youth sports leagues and tournaments. When he retired seven years ago, only a few weeks had passed before his wife Laura lovingly told him, “You need to find something to do. You’re driving me crazy.” After contemplating what might be a good fit, the couple thought about how much they enjoyed wine tasting trips to Napa, California. “We wanted to do something fun and different,” Scott Burton says. “We thought, ‘Why not create the Napa experience back here at home?’” When they first mentioned the idea to friends, they were met with skepticism.
“A lot of people thought we were crazy, but we kind of swam upstream with the idea,” Burton recalls.
says. “That area of Fishers is so unique, full of restaurants and entertainment destinations.”
In 2015 the Burtons opened Peace Water Winery in Carmel, Indiana’s only locallyowned California winery - meaning the owners handcraft wines in Napa Valley and bring them to Indiana. They followed up on that venture by opening another location in downtown Indianapolis in 2017. Around that time a property developer approached them to ask if they would be interested in some real estate in Fishers District. The Burtons didn’t want to bite off more than they could chew so they passed at the time. They revisited the idea this year and were thrilled that there was space available.
Earlier this year the pair had been plugging along in the building process when the governor issued the lockdown order, forcing Burton to do the majority of the construction himself in order to get it done on time. Though some people may have been scared of committing to a new business venture during a pandemic, the Burtons weren’t fazed.
“It’s a perfect fit for what we do,” Burton NOVEMBER 2020
“We were committed to this,” Burton says. “Someday this pandemic will go away and we’ll get back to normal.” In the meantime, the owners are happy to see people with masks social distancing.
