Sweet Briar College Farm launches Meritage 125 for 125th anniversary

By AI, Created 6:46 PM UTC, May 21, 2026, /AGP/ – Sweet Briar College Farm has released its first meritage wine, Meritage 125, to mark the college’s 125th anniversary and its agricultural heritage. The wine also spotlights Sweet Briar’s vineyard, greenhouse, apiary and student learning programs tied to sustainability.

Why it matters: - Meritage 125 gives Sweet Briar College a new campus-made product tied to its quasquicentennial celebration. - The release highlights how the college is using agriculture, sustainability and student learning as part of its identity.

What happened: - Sweet Briar College Farm released Meritage 125, the farm’s first meritage wine, on May 23, 2026. - The wine was created to honor Sweet Briar College’s 125th anniversary and agricultural roots. - The wine is being made in collaboration with Michael Shaps Wineworks and bottled in Charlottesville, Va.

The details: - Sweet Briar’s wines come from grapes planted in 2019 on nearly 18 acres of vineyard tracts in two campus locations. - The vineyards include merlot, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. - Meritage 125 blends all of the red grape varieties grown at Sweet Briar. - The blend includes merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. - The college describes the wine as smooth and earthy, with a flavor profile meant to reflect the land on which the campus sits. - A meritage wine must include at least two classic Bordeaux grape varieties. - Sweet Briar College Farm also operates a 20-hive apiary and a 26,000-square-foot greenhouse. - The farm’s footprint supports stewardship of the college’s 2,847 acres. - These facilities support the curriculum, the annual Willits Food Systems Fellows program, the Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Certificate and student research. - Environmental science courses and other academic programs use the vineyard. - The vineyard has inspired several honors research projects. - Students help care for the vineyard by scouting for pests and collecting representative grape samples for testing. - Sweet Briar College Farm, LLC handles wholesale produce, honey production and wine making for the college. - The farm is led by CFO and Vice President of Administration Belinda Burke, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, Chief Sustainability Officer Dr. Lisa Powell, and Director of Physical Plant & Project Management John Thomas.

Between the lines: - The wine release is both a commemorative product and a branding tool for Sweet Briar’s broader sustainability message. - The college is tying anniversary events to its academic mission, which suggests the celebration is meant to reinforce enrollment and institutional identity as much as tradition. - The campus agriculture program appears built to serve multiple goals at once: production, teaching, research and stewardship. - More information is available through Sweet Briar College Farm.

What’s next: - Sweet Briar says more anniversary events are planned, including a June display of the college’s copy of the Declaration of Independence at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture through July 4, 2026. - The college is directing people to anniversary event updates for upcoming programs and recordings. - Sweet Briar is also directing people to admissions information and admissions@sbc.edu for more on the college. - The farm says wine purchase information is available through its website.

The bottom line: - Meritage 125 is a commemorative wine, but it also serves as a showcase for Sweet Briar’s farm-based learning model and long-running sustainability efforts.