Owner of Cultured Urban Winery hopes her success opens doors for other African Americans

ANDERSON — What started as a simple hobby for Dr. Treva Bostic has now birthed bottles of greatness in central Indiana.

This Black History Month, we introduce you to Cultured Urban Winery. Bostic says she hopes her success as a minority business owner will open doors for other African Americans.

"I did a lot of traveling abroad from South Africa, Spain, Italy, and France and every trip I take I always go visit vineyards and wineries," Bostic, Owner, and winemaker of Cultured Urban Winery, told WRTV's Amber Grigley.

Her indescribable experiences abroad led Bostic to an experience she was able to bring home with her.

"I went to a small winery and not a big name and watching them make wine, and in this small little room. I'm telling my sister I can do that," Bostic said.

That small winery in France gave her all the hope she needed to come back home to Anderson in 2008 and start creating Cultured.

"I got so passionate about it, that's all I was doing on my free time on the weekends," Bostic said.

It took a lot of trial and error for Bostic to get to where she is today.

"This wine is all about patience, and it is trial and error. I've had a lot of wine that I think it's bad," Bostic said.

And then, she was able to finally blend the perfect recipes.

"I invited some friends over, you know, one day, and I said I want you all to taste this," she said.

That taste and more than a decade of work led to a cozy space on Meridian Street nestled in the heart of Downtown Anderson.

"Our industry is so small with minorities in this industry, and for me, I think it's important for other women and other minorities to see me in this position because they can do the same thing," Bostic said.

"She's one of our own and created such a neat and interesting environment here that we don't need somebody from out of town to come in and provide the next new amenity. We have a lot of homegrown talent here in Anderson, Madison County," said Clayton Whitson, President, and CEO of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

Whitson said it didn't take much for him to get on board with Bostic's vision for Cultured Urban Winery.

"I've known her for a long time, and so I knew that she wasn't going to do something that wasn't a classy establishment, so there was never a question of do you support this or not absolutely this is something that you have to put your full support behind," Whitson said.

Bostic has gained international attention for Cultured wine, winning a bronze medal for her signature Vino Blanco.

She also traveled to California to learn from the McBride sisters, who created Black Girl Magic Wine Collection—shattering glass ceilings for African Americans in the wine industry. Setting the stage for the next best-selling wine out of Anderson, Indiana.

"I tell people if it's a dream and you believe it and you can see yourself doing it stay at it the only part of failure if you don't try,” Bostic said. “I eventually want to open up two additional wineries in the state of Indiana but trying to get some foundation here first."

In its first year of business, Cultured Urban Winery has already caught the attention of two restaurants. Bostic says it's all about growing and taking her wine to the next level. This month, she's heading to Cincy to compete in the Cincinnati African American wine festival.

Cultured Urban Winery is the first black-owned Farmhouse winery in Indiana, meaning they can make, bottle, and sell wine on the premises. Bostic said when she was in the process of opening, she got some pushback because she wanted to open it in Anderson but was told that it may not be successful. But she said Anderson is home, and that location has opened so many doors, as she's working to soon open other locations.