Virginia Wine Collective
Winemakers
Jake Busching
Jake Busching is the Head Winemaker for both Eastwood and the Virginia Wine Collective. He is also known for his highly praised private brand of small batch vineyard-sourced wines, Jake Busching Wines, which he launched in 2015 and will be producing at the incubator. He has worked in Virginia wine country for 26 years planting, growing, and developing industry-leading wineries. He has worked both in small batch and commercial production operations, custom crush, and vineyard and winery consulting across the state of Virginia and beyond.
Jake served as a board member of the Monticello Wine Trail for 13 years, has chaired the Research and Education Committee for the Virginia Wine Board for 5 years and has taught Viticulture and Enology classes at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville since 2012.
Joy Ting
Joy Ting is the Research Enologist for the Winemakers Research Exchange and owner/winemaker for Joy Ting Wine. Joy began her wine career working in the lab at Michael Shaps Wineworks, eventually serving in the roles of enologist, production manager, and winemaker there. In 2018, Joy took the helm of the Virginia Winemakers Research Exchange, a non-profit organization funded by the Virginia Wine Board with the mission of promoting innovation through experimentation and education in the wine industry. As the Research Enologist, she works with winemakers all over Virginia to test new winemaking approaches and share promising results, cultivating a community of curiosity and collaboration. Joy was named the Virginia Wine Person of the Year in 2023 by the Virginia Wineries Association.
Erin & Sandy Robertson
While living in Napa Valley, Sandy and Erin Robertson started Dogwood & Thistle in 2017 after both spending almost twenty years in the wine industry – Sandy in winemaking and Erin in sales and marketing. They relocated to Charlottesville in 2021, and began making wine in Virginia in 2022, using small lots of fruit from hand-selected vineyards to craft wines that are approachable and structured, and designed to accompany a meal.
Born in Hong Kong, bred in England, Sandy started his career working at wineries in France and England and graduated from Plumpton College, the University of Brighton, with honors in Viticulture and Oenology. He came to Sonoma County in 2007 to work in the cellar at Merry Edwards Winery and stayed on after harvest, eventually moving up the ranks to become Assistant Winemaker for the prestigious brand. In late 2014 he struck out on his own, forming Hally Wine Company, a full-service winemaking consulting company. He is now the Vineyard Manager at Blenheim Vineyards.
Erin started in the wine industry after graduating from Virginia Tech in 2001, moving to New York City and working for the B.R. Guest restaurant group in Manhattan. She made her way out to California in 2008 after working in her home state of Virginia at a bottle shop and for a local distributor. After five years as the National Sales Manager at Laird Family Estate in Napa, and four years at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates as the Marketing Manager for their luxury California wineries – Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Conn Creek Napa Valley, and Patz & Hall, she was most recently the Director of Marketing at Round Pond Estate. In late 2020 Erin joined Sandy as a Partner at Hally Wine Company, where she helps small wineries achieve growth through their sales and marketing initiatives. Erin holds an Executive MBA in the Wine Industry from Sonoma State University.
Dogwood & Thistle wines have been featured in Wine Enthusiast, Tasting Panel Magazine, Vinography, and VinePair, where they have twice been featured on the Top 50 Wines of the Year, most recently with their 2022 Shenandoah Valley Cabernet Franc.
Virginia Wine Collective
Seed Stage Projects
Julie Linker
Julie Linker’s journey into wine making is a blend of passion and dedication. While maintaining a rewarding career as a psychologist, Julie established Colombe Vineyards in Nelson County in 2022. Named after her grandparents, the vineyard spans five acres and includes Roussanne, Cabernet Franc, Albarino, and Petit Verdot varietals.
This release of her first vintages this year (including her 2023 Cabernet Franc and 2023 Roussanne) marks an exciting milestone in Julie’s winemaking venture. Being a part of the Virginia Wine Collective incubator provides her with invaluable opportunities to collaborate with industry leaders in Virginia’s wine community, allowing her to hone her skills and knowledge in crafting estate-grown, boutique wines.
Tasha Durrett
Tasha Durrett is a wine enthusiast and educator born and raised in Virginia wine country. She founded Black Women Who Wine LLC in 2019 as an organization focused on increasing the visibility and participation of Black women in the wine industry and agritourism throughout the state. She is a WSET Level 1, studying for Level 2, and has a special interest in sparkling wine and grape growing in Southern climates. She contributes to various publications, including Wine & Country Life and is a 2024 Association of African American Vintners scholarship recipient.
A writer and communicator, Tasha is currently a senior communications manager at the Southern Environmental Law Center.