ASHEVILLE – A group of craft beverage pioneers are being hailed for shaking up traditions to create a better industry and, in turn, a better world.
This month, Wine Enthusiast named the “Future 40 Tastemakers” of 2024, which include leading figures in the industry across the country.
Lyndon Smith, co-founder and chief operations officer of cider and apple winery Botanist & Barrel, is one of 40 honorees who are “changing the wine, spirits, beer, cider and cannabis industries for the better.”
Botanist & Barrel’s farm is located in Cedar Grove and features a tasting garden in Cedar Grove and a tasting bar and liquor store in downtown Asheville with retail distribution in the Carolinas, the West and Washington DC.
“It’s pretty damn cool to be named to the Wine Enthusiast Future 40 list,” Smith said in an email. “But this isn’t just about me – it’s a call to arms for anyone who believes in raw, unadulterated flavors that defy the norm and push the boundaries of what wine and cider can be here in the South. We named our wine brand DeFi because, frankly, people told us we couldn’t make authentic, wild wines in North Carolina.”
Wine Enthusiast editors found that challenges facing the industry range from climate change to the impact of artificial intelligence.
Smith comes from a family that has been small-scale farmers for several generations, and since it was founded in 2017 by him, his wife/sales manager Amie Fields and his sister/head cider brewer Kether Smith, sustainable environmental practices have been a core part of Botanist & Barrel’s approach to farming and craft beverage production.
Lyndon Smith, a farmer, cider maker and winemaker, was described by Wine Enthusiast as “more of a mad fermentation scientist, playing a never-ending game of ‘Will it ferment?'”
Lyndon Smith said he is working to transform native and locally grown fruits into wild, co-fermented products, redefining Southern cider and wine. Botanist & Barrel has taken the lead in commercially produced pét nat wine – pétillant naturel, or naturally sparkling wine – in the South.
Smith said Europeans are drinking hyperlocal wine and he hopes more consumers will appreciate the strong sense of place and community that American wines embody. Likewise, he would like to see more U.S. restaurants expand and diversify their regional cider lists.
“While we understand the concept of terroir, what we often lack in America is the same pride in our local wine regions. It’s time to change that,” Smith said. “All across the United States, local producers are producing outstanding wines that deserve the same appreciation, respect and attention.”
He said local wine can become the standard, as the craft beer industry proves, but the wine industry needs to rethink its assumptions.
He said the work begins with label transparency, so that every bottle of cider and wine lists the ingredients in detail.
“It’s time for consumers to demand this so they know what they’re putting in their bodies and for lawmakers to wake up,” Smith said. “This isn’t just about equity; it’s about leveling the playing field for the little people who pour their soul into every glass.”
Botanist & Barrel Tasting Bar
Where: 32 Broadway St., Suite 110, Downtown Asheville.
Info: For Wine Enthusiast’s full list, visit wineenthusiast.com/future-40/.
For more information about Botanist & Barrel, visit botanistandbarrelasheville.com/ and follow @botanistandbarrelasheville.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a Citizen Times subscription.
