About the Farmer

Ed and Sandra Carney are short on freezer space.

                The shelves of their many freezers are filled with stacks and stacks of gallon-sized bags of berries, mostly strawberries just purchased at the height of their season.  “We just bought 350 pounds,” Sandra said.  Shopping at the Abingdon Farmers Market, “I didn’t want to just buy one vendor out entirely, so we bought a bunch from several different vendors.  And now we’re going to need another freezer.”

                The Carneys’ strawberry stash needs to last; the family owns Abingdon’s Coltsfoot Winery, and their strawberry wine, which uses only locally-grown fruit, is a best-seller. 

                For other varieties they produce, like blackberry, blueberry, elderberry and plum wines, the Carneys grow the fruit themselves.  Their backyard is dotted with a few bushes, and they also lease a small plot of land just down the road on a hilltop now lined with carefully-pruned plants growing in neat rows of trellises.   

                Only Coltsfoot’s cranberry wine depends on fruit grown outside the region.  “But we make the cranberry to honor my mom,” Sandra said.  “It was her favorite.” 

                It is a fitting tribute, as Sandra’s roots have served, over the years, as the inspiration for much of the Carneys’ work.  

                “Dad made wine just as a hobby,” Sandra said.  “My son was getting married, and he asked him to make a batch for toasting at the reception.”  When Sandra’s father proudly presented what he’d produced, Ed and Sandra realized that it wouldn’t be enough.  “We didn’t want to hurt his feelings or put him to work, so Ed decided to ask Dad to show him how to do it.”

                Ed’s first batch supplemented his father-in-law’s at the 2005 wedding, and the hobby continued.  “At first, we made it really primitive, with bread yeast, a gallon jug, and a balloon,” Sandra explained.  “But Ed just really liked doing it, and he started to learn about more techniques—different types of yeast, more sophisticated equipment.”

                Soon, the family began considering opening a winery as a family business.  Their three children were grown, and though Ed was working (and still works) full-time for the power company, they knew they had the time the business would demand.   Ed could make the wine, and Sandra could handle the berry-picking and all the business operations.  Their son Andrew, who still lives in the area, offered to help with crop maintenance.

                Again, Sandra’s family legacy pushed them forward.  “My grandmother had been kind of an amateur botanist, and she knew the names of all the different trees and wildflowers,” said Sandra. “She always liked to point out when the earliest coltsfoot [flowers] came up.  It was like a harbinger of spring.”  When they saw the first coltsfoot that next spring, “We realized that would be a great name for a winery.” 

                Shortly thereafter, good land to expand their berry crop became available for lease, and to the Carneys, it felt like everything was falling into place for a reason.  Successful business-owning friends encouraged them to officially establish the winery, and a friend who created their logo even won a Tri-Cities Addy award for excellent design.

                “When Mom died, she knew we were working towards creating the business,” said Sandra.  “And then right before Dad died six months later, the license actually came through.  So we were able to tell him just before he passed, ‘Dad, the license came through!’”

                Since then, business has thrived.  Coltsfoot wines are available at several area retail shops, plus the Abingdon Farmers Market, with plans to expand to the Lebanon and Clinch River markets as well.  The family also just got the job of supplying the wine for the town of St. Paul’s centennial celebration. 

                “It’s really a full-time job for me,” said Sandra.  “We had thought about a storefront of our own, but I’m plenty busy and I still love doing it.  The goal is to keep it that way!”

                Visit Sandra at the Abingdon Farmers Market (www.abingdonfarmersmarket.net) on Tuesdays from 3-6 and Saturdays from 7-12 in the market pavilion on Remsburg Drive.  You can also learn more at www.colstfootwinery.com, or reach the Carneys at 888-685-8750.

Article and photo by Paige Campbell