A Message From The Winemaker
Welcome,
Whether you are visiting the winery for the first time or are already familiar with our wines, I sincerely want to thank you for visiting today and welcome you to our home, vineyard and winery. For the past 19 years, we have been making wine and sharing it with our family and friends. Additionally, it has become an annual Christmas tradition to bless the family and the Nouveau wines made from the most recent harvest, while all are gathered for the holiday meal.
Our journey from home wine making to opening a small farm winery began in 2004. My wife Barbara and I enrolled in a wine making course at the local community college. In 2005, we planted the first two grape varietals, Cayuga and St. Croix, with the help of local high school students in the VOAG Program. On July 6, 2013, we opened to the public offering two wines: Cayuga White and Santa's Helper. In 2014, we introduced four additional wines: Crèche, Holiday Cheer, Rosé, and TLC. In 2016, a 7th wine was added to our wine list, Old St. Nicholas, a white wine made from estate grown Traminette grapes.
We are proud to be the first small farm winery in the town of Bethlehem, CT (aka The Christmas Town). This Christmas Town theme is central to our identity. In addition to growing our own grapes, Cayuga, St Croix, Traminette, Arandell and Muscat, we source apple cider from a Bethlehem orchard. Our goal is to continue to craft wines from our vineyard grapes, a local orchard and grapes from California to make our Santa’s Helper and Holiday Cheer wines.
Now, we are excited to share our vineyard and welcome you as part of our extended family, to enjoy our wine, the ancient symbol of community, prosperity and well-being. Come and enjoy a friendly, warm, charming, delicious winery experience.
Thanks,
Joe Riordan