By Jennifer Farnsworth
Saratoga Springs will become home to a new wine and beer production facility that will include a tasting room.
Tony and Debreen Oliva said what was a Fedex warehouse at 250 Excelsior Ave. will soon be known as the Racing City Brewing Co.
The couple started in Fort Edward with a tasting room known as Oliva Vineyards. Debreen Oliva said over the last six years she and her husband talked about having a place in Saratoga where they could not only make beer and wine, but also have a tasting room. Oliva said she and her family have a passion for horses and track season, so when a Fedex small business grant was available, they knew it was time to make a move.
“The old Fedex building is at the perfect corridor and we are thrilled to be in Saratoga. It combines everything we love. Saratoga has always been our dream. We love everything about it,” said Oliva.
She said the property offers them 20,000 square feet, including space for a 4,000-square-foot tasting room. The couple plans to incorporate food. Initially, they will be relying on food trucks and light fare, but by next year they plan to have a kitchen and serve pub fare. Currently, they have five employees but plan to hire more as they grow.
Oliva said they were just given final approval in April, but plan to have the brewery open for business by the end of July, in time for track season.
The location will feature a bar area and tasting room with outdoor seating. In the meantime, their products can be found at farmer’s markets around the area. The wines are all centered around the Oliva’s love of horses, and are appropriately named things like Winner’s Circle and Post Time.
“Wine, horses and family, that’s what it’s all about,” said Oliva.
Oliva said it has been a step-by-step process of seeing what works, and then taking the next step.
“We really have taken it one thing at a time. We took in a lot of feedback before deciding we were ready to take the next step,” said Oliva.
The company website is www.olivavineyards.com.