of the nation’s Black-owned wineries has historical and agricultural significance in Mecklenburg County

BY NICOLE ZEMA

One family’s fascinating history in Mecklenburg County has roots in commercial winemaking traditions unique to Black families in the U.S.

The Lewis family’s heritage blends stories of enslaved Virginians, Black farmland ownership and the legacy of a small winemaking empire called Woburn Winery—likely the earliest known Black-owned and -operated winery in Virginia, and possibly the U.S.

Winemaker John June Lewis Sr. was listed on the 1910 census as a 17-year-old farm laborer and servant, living in the household of

70-year-old Armistead Burwell, a confederate veteran, later determined to be his father. Lewis was exposed to viticulture and viniculture in 1919 during World War I while serving in the Rhine Valley of Europe. Burwell eventually deeded 300 acres to Lewis, who founded Woburn Winery, which operated between the 1940s and 1970s.

According to Southern Virginia Homefront’s online history resource, Woburn is thought to have been the only Virginia winery to produce wine solely from its own grapes, and the only U.S. winery to be owned by an African American. About 10 acres of vines grew Concord grapes for the “Virginia-Carolina Brand,” listed as table and dessert wine in the 1960 Wines & Vines Annual Directory

Lewis’ son, John June “Duckie” Lewis Jr., took over the operation, shuttering it in the ‘70s to focus on his burial vault business. Winemaking equipment with storage capacity of 5,000 gallons was sold in 2008. Duckie Lewis died in 2022.

Though the site is not operating as a winery now, the Lewises want to uncork their family history and let it breathe.

“This was his dream, to preserve this place and have his story told,” said daughter-in-law Ayana Lewis. “He would be so happy to know that’s what we’re trying to do.”

‘So many stories’

June Lewis III, Ayana’s husband, remembers finding a half-bottle of Virginia-Carolina Brand wine stashed and forgotten under garage steps on the family property.

“My dad said when they were making wine, my grandfather would take missing for a few minutes, and when he came back, he felt pretty nice,” Lewis recalled. “My oldest brother talked about how he would get in the barrel and step on the grapes. So many people have stories!”

Mecklenburg County Farm Bureau President Mark Moody remembers hearing about the vineyard.

“My grandfather would buy some wine from Mr. Lewis and put it in the lemonade for a refreshing drink after working tobacco fields all day,” he said. “Or have something to sip on Saturdays while listening to a ballgame.”

Moody said the winery was likely named for the “Woburn Community” at what is now Island Creek Park.

Woburn’s resilient vintage

Historians from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources are excited about the opportunity to document this uniquely significant property. It may be eligible for the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

“There’s significance to the continuity of generational property ownership that is historically unusual for African American families,” said Timothy Roberts, DHR community outreach coordinator.

The 1920s were the height of Black U.S. land ownership, at about 15 million acres. Between then and early 2000, up to 97% of those land assets were lost due to systemic discriminatory practices and heirs’ property—informal generational property transfers that occur without wills or estate plans, resulting in fractional ownership.

“It’s all about keeping it in the family,” Roberts continued. “At this site, we see themes of resilience and achievement salient to Black families.”

The descendants of this pioneering viticulturalist are ready to share their story through commercial enterprise or heritage tourism.

“We’d like to make this a place people can come and see the historical value—visit, learn, have a glass of wine,” Ayana said. “Maybe it will be a venue of some kind. There are lots of possibilities.”