Two Up Wine Down Expands Fifth Annual Celebration into a Weekend of Virginia Wine, Food and Culture

With early bird and VIP tickets sold out, the November 5–7 celebration includes an Edna Lewis tribute dinner at Barboursville Vineyards, an evening with acclaimed chef Tanya Holland, the Two Up Wine Down Festival and an official afterparty in downtown Charlottesville.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Veraison Project and Oenoverse are bringing Two Up Wine Down back to Charlottesville for its fifth year on Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 2–5 p.m. on the lawn at Jefferson School City Center, with an expanded weekend of events celebrating Virginia wine, food, history and community.

Tickets are officially on sale, and excitement is already building: both the festival's limited early bird tickets and its new VIP experience have sold out.

Now in its fifth year, Two Up Wine Down brings together wine, food, music and community for an afternoon centered around Virginia wine and the people and stories behind it. Rather than a traditional wine festival format, Two Up Wine Down invites an all-star group of wine professionals to serve as curators, each sharing wines they love along with their own voices and perspectives on Virginia wine.

Guests can taste their way through an incredible lineup of Virginia wines while DJ Nobé provides the soundtrack for the afternoon. Chimm, Pearl Island, Florosa and Vegan Comfort Soul Food will be serving food throughout the festival.

"For too long wine has been perceived as elitist when it should be a tool for connection and community. We aim for this festival to do just that." — Carly Maher-Seward, Founder of The Veraison Project

Ridge to Root Kicks Off the Weekend

The celebration begins Thursday, November 5, with Ridge to Root: Honoring the Shared Legacies of Edna Lewis and Barboursville Vineyards, a special evening presented by the Edna Lewis Foundation in partnership with Barboursville Vineyards and Oenoverse.

The dinner marks a meaningful convergence of two Virginia legacies that began 50 years ago.

In 1976, Edna Lewis published her seminal book, The Taste of Country Cooking, celebrating the food traditions, seasons and agricultural rhythms of her native Virginia and helping establish the food of the American South as one of the world's great cuisines. That same year, Barboursville Vineyards began its own pursuit of expressing Virginia's landscape through wine, helping define what Virginia wine could become.

Lewis gave voice to place through food. Barboursville has given voice to place through wine. Ridge to Root brings those stories together at the table.

Held from 6–9 p.m. at Barboursville Vineyards, the intimate evening will welcome just 65 guests for wine tastings, storytelling and a family-style dinner inspired by Lewis's documented food traditions. Chef Leah Branch will prepare the evening's meal using The Taste of Country Cooking as a guide, with storytelling led by food historian Deb Freeman.

Proceeds from Ridge to Root will benefit the Edna Lewis Foundation's programming and scholarships supporting the next generation of Black foodways stewards working across culinary arts, agriculture, food studies and storytelling.

California Soul Meets Virginia Wine: An Evening with Chef Tanya Holland

On Friday, November 6, acclaimed chef, cookbook author and University of Virginia alumna Tanya Holland returns to Charlottesville for a special happy hour and meet-and-greet at The Doyle Hotel's Lobby Bar from 5–6:30 p.m.

Best known as the founder of Oakland's beloved Brown Sugar Kitchen, which received multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand awards, Holland is celebrated for her inventive approach to modern soul food and her work connecting food, culture and community. She is a former Top Chef contestant, a James Beard Foundation trustee and the author of several cookbooks, including California Soul: A Culinary Journey West.

Guests will enjoy a tasting featuring three Virginia wine producers alongside canapés inspired by California Soul. Holland will be on hand to meet guests and sign copies of her cookbook, available for purchase through Commerce Street Books.

The gathering offers a unique opportunity to connect with a nationally recognized chef whose culinary career has taken her from Virginia to California and around the world, bringing a little California soul back to Charlottesville for the weekend.

New VIP Experience at Two Up Wine Down Sells Out

The excitement surrounding this year's festival extends to its brand-new VIP experience, Vin Atelier, which has officially sold out.

Hosted in an exclusive courtyard lounge at Jefferson School City Center, Vin Atelier is curated by Oeno Camp alumni Brion Cephus and Kathline Chery, hosts of The Offering in Charlotte, North Carolina. The intimate, sensory-driven experience brings together thoughtfully selected Virginia wines, music, art and storytelling.

Sponsored by Crushpad and Boar's Head Resort, the sold-out experience reflects the growing enthusiasm for Two Up Wine Down's fresh approach to celebrating Virginia wine.

While VIP tickets are no longer available, general admission tickets remain on sale.

All festival ticket proceeds support Oeno Camp, an immersive program created by Oenoverse and The Veraison Project that provides emerging wine professionals with firsthand access to Virginia wine through education, mentorship and meaningful connections with the people shaping the region.

The Afters: The Official Two Up Wine Down Afterparty

When the festival ends, the celebration is just getting started.

On Saturday, November 7, The Afters, the official Two Up Wine Down afterparty, takes over ETHOS Wine + Tea on Main Street in downtown Charlottesville.

Hosted by Washington, D.C. wine personality and party curator Alexya Brown (@whoislexybrown) alongside Oenoverse's Tiffany Nguyen (@tiffany_ethos), the evening will feature wine specials, food and music celebrating the culture and community at the heart of Two Up Wine Down.

The afterparty is open to everyone, whether they attended the festival or simply want to be part of the celebration. Tickets are available now.

With four events across three days, Two Up Wine Down has grown beyond a single afternoon into a weekend that brings together Virginia's wine and culinary communities, visiting wine professionals and guests from across the country.

From honoring Edna Lewis's legacy at Barboursville to welcoming Tanya Holland back to Charlottesville, discovering Virginia wines on the Jefferson School lawn and keeping the celebration going on Main Street, the weekend offers visitors a chance to experience the people, places and stories that make this region special.

Event Details

Ridge to Root: Honoring the Shared Legacies of Edna Lewis and Barboursville Vineyards Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 6–9 p.m. Barboursville Vineyards 17655 Winery Road, Barboursville, Virginia Tickets

California Soul Meets Virginia Wine: An Evening with Chef Tanya Holland Friday, November 6, 2026 | 5–6:30 p.m. The Lobby Bar at The Doyle Hotel Charlottesville, Virginia

Two Up Wine Down Festival Saturday, November 7, 2026 | 2–5 p.m. Jefferson School City Center Charlottesville, Virginia General admission tickets and information

The Afters: Official Two Up Wine Down Afterparty Saturday, November 7, 2026 ETHOS Wine + Tea | Main Street, Charlottesville, Virginia Separate tickets available

Media Contact: Tracey Love

About Two Up Wine Down

Founded by Oenoverse and The Veraison Project, Two Up Wine Down is an annual Charlottesville wine festival celebrating Virginia wine through the perspectives of diverse wine professionals, producers and tastemakers. The event brings together wine, food, music and community while raising funds for Oeno Camp, an immersive educational experience designed to create greater access and opportunity for emerging wine professionals.