The Roanoker March/April 2022 - 94

Elevating the Experience
written by Shari Dragovich
photographed by John Park
Well Hung Vineyard is far more than just a witty name - the award-winning wines and imaginative seasonal menus are a great draw, too.
W
hen Anthony Herring decided
to buy into Virginia's wine
landscape, he assumed he was
buying a quirky trademark name
he could turn into a tasting room experience.
Little did he know he was diving headlong
into the ever-exciting, ever-turbulent waters
of restaurant ownership.
In 2016, Amy Steers and Kathy Rash, prior
creators and owners of Well Hung Vineyard,
were ready to pass on their witty and attentiongrabbing
brand. Herring, an entrepreneur and
multiple business owner, bought the trademark
and kept it in his back pocket for several years
while life churned and he thought through how
to best realize Well Hung as a business. Finally,
he hired a retired Virginia Alcoholic Beverage
Control agent and heard the last thing he
wanted to hear: You have to own a restaurant.
" I never wanted to own a restaurant in my
entire life, " says Herring and chuckles. " I never
did. "
And yet, Herring went searching. He found
a location in the small, picturesque town of
Gordonsville, Virginia, near Charlottesville
where Herring resides. He opened his first
Well Hung Vineyard restaurant on August
22, 2019. It did well. Then, within months
of opening, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Herring shuttered the restaurant for the next
two months and went to work. He hired
Chef Rob Szydlowski to help highlight Well
Hung wines through elevating the food-wine
SHARI DRAGOVICH is a freelance writer whose work appears in regional magazines throughout the Southeast. Her favorite pursuits include all things story, all things community and all
things wine. She, along with her husband and five teenaged kids, think it's a beautiful gift to call Roanoke home.
94 MARCH/APRIL 2022
TheRoanoker.com
experience. When Herring re-opened with
Szydlowski at the culinary helm, Well Hung
Vineyard's success exploded. So much so, that
in February of 2022, Herring was able to open
his second restaurant in Roanoke. He is slated
to open his third location in Charleston, South
Carolina early in 2022.
" I have opened three restaurants in the last
two-and-a-half years during this pandemic. We
are very humbled, and thankful, and grateful.
And it has not been easy, " says Herring, who
also owns a healthcare consulting business,
another industry heavily impacted by the
continuing effects of COVID-19.
Yet, Herring considers himself incredibly
fortunate to have a restaurant model that
has thrived despite all the obstacles. He
credits his team who works for him and the
generous support of Roanokers who have been
instrumental in propelling Well Hung into
near-overnight success.
" Roanokers are such genuine and good
people, " says Herring. " People come into the
restaurant. They laugh and joke, but they are
skeptical. Then they try our food and wine and
they are surprised by the quality. "
Case in point: Well Hung Vineyard carries
12 wine varietals. Of these, five have won
medals in the last three months. Additionally,
every wine Herring has submitted for
competition has won a medal.
There are some misnomers surrounding Well

http://www.TheRoanoker.com

The Roanoker March/April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker March/April 2022