Old 502 Winery building new tasting room next door to Falls City Beer Garden

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Old 502 Winery is in the process of building its new tasting room in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood, with the intention to open this fall.

It started in 2012 and remains the only urban winery in Kentucky. The company’s sales have grown significantly, with the Bourbon Barrel Red as the most popular wine.

“The expansion is awesome,” said Matt Hall, the winery’s director of wholesale operations. “We’re getting better every day. Every batch is better than the batch before, which is almost impossible to do. So we’re getting great at our craft down here, and we’re having a blast while we do it.”

The winery moved from its original facility — on South 10th Street — to a new spot at Foundry Commons on East Liberty Street last February.

“And then COVID hit,” said Baily Buren, the winery’s brand development coordinator. “And so right when we were about to build, we had to stop.”

However, wine production never stopped. In fact, wine sales spiked nationwide during the pandemic. In Kentucky, tax revenue grew year over year in wine wholesale, according to data from the Kentucky Office of State Budget Director.

Hall said 502 wines were in high demand through 2020 and that they were extremely busy on the retail side. Buren said 502 wines were often selling out before they could restock them quickly enough all across Kentucky last year.

The company decided a few months ago to kick the original plans into gear and build the new tasting room. The old location also had a tasting room, but Hall said this new space will be specially designed to accommodate what they need. There will be a long bar, lounge seating and, eventually, a patio. Buren said there are hopes to add a glass garage door to the winery so that customers can mingle around the patio and see what’s happening inside.

“We’re going to be able to do some one-off wines and have available just in our tasting room, which is very exciting," Hall said. "We’re going to be able to get really creative back there."

Hall said, while they loved their neighbors when they were in Portland, they’re excited to be located in Phoenix Hill and within walking distance of NuLu.

“There’s just more to do down here,” he said.

The winery is also right next door to its sister-company, Falls City Beer, as well as Bandido and 78 Coffee Company.

“We’re super excited for it to open and everyone to start coming back," Buren said. "It’s kind of going to be like a block party. Between Falls City, you have Bandidos with their margaritas, and then you’ll have our wine."

As part of the tasting room constructions, the winery is taking over part of the back of 78 Coffee Company for more space. The winery will also be offering their coffee in the tasting room, which should open sometime in October.