Beachaven Vineyards & Winery

Licensed in 1986, Beachaven was started by Judge William O. Beach, his daughter Louisa, and his son-in-law Ed Cooke.  Having been award-winning home winemakers since the seventies, these three decided to take their knowledge and skills in grape growing and winemaking to the next level… a commercial winery. This was a novel idea in Tennessee at that time. There were no wineries in the “Bible belt of the South” until the early eighties, and Beachaven was one of the first licensed in Tennessee. Judge Beach and his winemaking friends lobbied hard in the Tennessee legislature to advance laws to make wineries in the state legal, thus opening the way for the booming growth of what is now the craft beverage industry.

​Beachaven quickly gained a reputation for great wines, winning Gold medals in every competition they entered. The passing of Judge Beach in 1991 was a definite milestone in the history of the winery. His presence is still missed by all, but his hard work and determination to create a winery and a wine industry in Tennessee and prove that grape growing and winemaking was not just for California and Europe has left a legacy that thirty years later is continuing to fulfill “Judge’s Dream.”

In addition, family friendly fun evenings at “Jazz on the Lawn“ concerts in the vineyard became the “go to “ events in the Clarksville area. Now, over thirty years later, the Jazz concerts (The name “Jazz” has been used very loosely. The concerts are mostly popular music dance parties!) are still going strong and are the longest running live music events in Clarksville, with over 3000 attendees at each concert.

​In 2018, the Cooke’s son, Wilson, moved to Clarksville after working in the wine industry in both Michigan and New Zealand. He has become the third generation of the family to work in the business. He and his wife, Becca, became the proud parents of a baby girl in June, 2018, making her the fourth generation of the Beachaven family! Congratulations!

​Please come and take our tour and see the family history on display!