Battle of Cold Harbor:
On May 31, 1864 an important battle was fought at Cold Harbor, in the town that is now called Mechanicsville. In 1864 it consisted of two rural crossroads named for the Cold Harbor Tavern. General Ulysses S. Grant ordered an attack against Lee’s troops. Lee was greatly in need of fresh troops at this time. His troops managed to construct earthworks for protection along the Chickahominy River in Hanover County. The Battle of Cold Harbor resulted in 12,000 casualties for the Federal troops and 2,500 casualties for the Confederate troops. The Battle of Cold Harbor was Lee’s last victory during the Civil War. He then moved his beleaguered troops south to Petersburg. Southern defeat became inevitable. Today, Cold Harbor Battlefield is managed by the National Park Service. However, this battlefield is an endangered historic battlefield due to residential development in the area. We will be giving a donation to the Civil War Trust for every bottle we sell to save and protect our Hanover County treasured battlefield. Our Cold Harbor label is on 2011 Vidal Blanc.

Adam Rodriguez - art

Adam is an artist who lives with his wife, Beth, and five children in East Stroudsburg Pennsylvania, while also working full-time in NYC for Success Apparel. There, his responsibilities include creating original graphics and illustrations for various licenses such as John Deere Apparel, Dickies, and Yo Gabba Gabba, among others. Being raised by artists, his creative capabilities were nurtured by them starting at a very young age. Many of his younger days were spent working in his father's New York City design studios-- learning the craft first-hand, which he would later put to good use when his own artistic career began to take root. After graduation from high school, Adam attended the Rhode Island School of Design for two years. He left due to financial constraints, and began working in the industry. Although this path was not a straight one, the many twists and turns on the road to success provided him with the necessary material for building his own career as a respected artist, along with his strong reputation. He initially found work in the advertising field and later, the screen printing industry. Adam currently lends his talents to a wide variety of clients in various fields. Further examples of his versatile capabilities can be found at his on-line portfolio, www.rockysdesignshop.com.

Adam's love of history, especially US history, is evident in much of this work. For example, the James River Cellar's wine label series offered him a unique opportunity to create a small line of illustrations based on the history of a specific region of the Civil War, namely, the James River and Hanover County areas. Becoming a part of their commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War was truly an honor for him. Adam contends that the tragedy of this war, among all others, reflects the inner struggle of our nation. This struggle is implied in his work.

Sallie Eggleston Xiradis - label design

Sallie resides in Hanover County, Virginia with her husband, George. She has three children and two grandchildren. A native of Newport News, Sallie attended Virginia Commonwealth University and received a B.A. in Communication Arts and Design. Upon graduating, she moved to New York City to pursue her art. She got a freelance job with a small studio owned by Joe Rodriguez, the father of her current creative partner, Adam. Joe became an amazing mentor to Sallie and she worked with Joe and his wife, Linda, in their studio for eleven years. The Idaho Potato Commission, The Florida Department of Citrus and West Glen Communications were on their client list, among others.

In 1989, Sallie decided it was time to head back South to her roots. She moved in with her parents on her grandfather’s farm in Hanover County and began her freelance career in Virginia. Many years later, Joe and Linda moved to Ashland as well and they worked together in harmony until Joe’s passing in 2008.

Sallie continues to freelance today and has skills both pre- and post-computers. She has experience using a drawing board as well as with Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Quark. She offers an infinite variety of Graphic Art services. Sallie works primarily in the Richmond Metropolitan area and her designs are especially prominent in Ashland where she is well loved and respected in her local market.

One of Sallie’s favorite local projects was with the James River Cellars Winery. She has designed their wine labels since 2005. The design for one of their newest Civil War labels, “Monitor vs CSS Virginia”, will be displayed in the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, where Sallie grew up.