Raising Their Wine Glass for The Final Time: Irvin~House Vineyards Sold To New Family
It’s with bittersweet emotions that Jim and Ann Irvin announce that their property and Charleston’s only winery, Irvin~House Vineyards, has been sold to the Freiwald family. Tastings and gatherings at the winery and Firefly Distillery will continue as normal. The Irvin family wish to thank everyone from around the world who made a special trip to their “little piece of heaven” and became a part of the vineyard family. They wish the Freiwald family well as they carry on the legacy of being Charleston’s only estate winery. 
Purchased in 2001 by newlyweds, Jim and Ann Irvin, the original land that would become Irvin~House Vineyards was a boarding area for a local carriage company. Together, they had a dream to create a vineyard growing muscadine grapes. Muscadines are the only grapes that will grow in the humid climate of the Lowcountry. So combined with the muscle of Ann’s son, Jay MacMurphy, who is currently the Firefly Master Distiller, the intricacy of Jim’s chemical and engineering intellect and Ann’s warm heart and hardworking-farm-girl past, they planted 2,700 muscadine vines. They converted the barns into a winery with a tasting room and created a unique attraction that would become one of the most popular destinations to visit in the Lowcountry. 
“We were just newlyweds so she didn’t tell me no back then.”, laughs Jim when asked how Ann agreed to all the arduous work to get the vineyard to flourish. 
The first few years the harvest was weak, but as the years continued and 14 years of blessing the vines with Father Greg Snyder, the fruits of their labor began to show. They bottled five varieties of wine during their time at the vineyard. They also added a gift shop and created special events such as Blessing of the Vines, Cork Shuckin’ Festival, Winestock and the famous Grape Stomping Festival, which brings thousands to the vineyard each year. 
“It grew from this small vineyard and winery just for our family and friends, into a place visitors felt comfortable to picnic outside and bring their families and dogs to just relax. I always wanted them to feel like they were at home,” says Ann. “Both of us being retired and on our second marriages, we wanted to show people there is life after retirement. And boy, did we have fun doing it! We will miss our little piece of heaven.”
They also used those muscadine grapes to create the world’s first vodka made from muscadines. This spirit then went on to become the catalyst for Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka created by Jim and Scott Newitt, aka “The Firefly Guy” and co-founder of Firefly.
“Without this vineyard, we may have never been able to create Firefly vodka and all the other spirits we’ve crafted since 2008. It led us to where we were supposed to be.” says Jim. “It’s been a special place for us.”
The 50 acres were listed for sale in the summer of 2015 and included the Irvin’s home, outbuildings and pastures.
As stated by Ann Irvin in the Charleston’s Post and Courier in July 2015, “We did everything,” she said. “So when I look back over it, it’s bittersweet. I would hope somebody would love it as much as we have.”
Irvin added, “It’s been fun. But you know what? It can be fun for someone else.”
But don't worry, Jim and Ann aren’t retiring from the spirits business. Jim and Scott are working to find a new, convenient location for Firefly Distillery so even more visitors can enjoy the creations of Charleston’s first and largest distillery. Stay tuned for details in the future by following them on Instagram, twitter and Facebook. They'll also continue to run their successful Firefly Sunset Resort in Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas. 
The new winery owned by the Freiwald family is named Deep Water Vineyard.They will continue Sippin’ Saturdays, which will now be known as “Weekend Wine Downs”. To see the upcoming Saturday schedule for food vendors, live music and more, follow them on Facebook. All inquiries regarding the new winery should contact them directly.
