Wild Arc Farm

Checking All the Boxes

Quick Facts

Location: Pine Bush, Hudson Valley, New York

Owner & winemaker: Todd Cavallo & Crystal Cornish

Vineyard area: 1 acre estate-owned, 3 acres personally and contract-farmed + purchases of grapes

Management: regenerative organic on their own sites, organic to conventional on purchases

Main varietals: Marquette, Traminette and other hybrids; Cabernet Franc, Riesling

Annual production (approx.): 24,000 bottles (wine, Piquette, and cider combined)

 

 

Fun Facts:

  • Todd and Crystal are lifetime New Yorkers, having been born in central New York and spending most of their adult lives in Brooklyn. After finding the farmhouse of their dreams on a former perennial nursery in the upstate New York town of Pine Bush, they gradually shifted to a full-time farming mode.
  • The cool, wet climate of the area calls for resistant hybrid grapes like Traminette or Marquette and yields wines with distinct acidity
  • The word Farm plays a proud and important role in the winery’s name—they pursue a holistic regenerative approach, growing their own vegetables and fruits.
  • In addition to wine, Wild Arc also experiments with cider, beer, kombucha…
  • … and the skins left after pressing! Wild Arc has kicked off a whole new era for piquette, the traditional rural French practice of up-cycling the grape pomace.

 

Jump to wines | Wild Arc Farm Website

 

“Yeah, most of my wines are now not getting scoffed at tastings,” Todd Cavallo comments on his boutique production as we follow him from a small shed filled with tanks and barrels to a couple of newly planted rows of vine on his Hudson Valley property. What an understatement: Wild Arc’s stuff has become so popular that, unless you jump on a bottle with the characteristic minimalist white labels right when you see one, you’ll probably risk waiting until the next vintage. 

All this happened very quickly — the former Brooklyn IT specialist and his wife Crystal moved upstate in 2016 without any previous agricultural experience. A couple of years later, they’re growing their own fruit & veg in biodynamic permaculture, looking forward to the first vintages from their recently planted two acres of Cabernet Franc, Pinot, and Chardonnay, all while getting mad props for their current produce.

Their low-sulfur, often carbonic macerated wines offer a generously fruity character with lively acidity, definitely checking all the boxes of drinkability and current tastes. Being a small farm at the beginning of its journey, Wild Arc sources fruit from other people in the area: “Our hope is to establish relationships with growers and help them move towards organic production, which we feel is “greener” and more sustainable than continuing to replace the native habitat with more vineyard plantings. We are also sneaking codes onto all our labels now that delineate growing practices and sulfur usage, so the consumer can know exactly what the differences are in our bottlings,” Todd explains.

But the one thing that has created the buzz around Wild Arc Farm is not exactly wine: it’s Piquette. By adding his own touch to the centuries-old French practice of making a “second wine” for the vineyard workers from the already pressed skins, Todd has hit that soft spot that many of us have for drinks that are light on alcohol but strong in fun, fizz and freshness.

“Rather than a watered-down wine, it’s actually a boozed-up piquette,” Todd explains what has made his endeavor so different and successful. In his method, the skins (called pomace) are soaked in water for a couple of days, pressed, left to ferment, and then blended with some of their original wine. Bottled at about 7% ABV with some local honey that acts as a re-fermentation starter in the bottle, the resulting beverage bears the aromatic profile of the grape but in a lighter version, all accompanied by a pleasant sparkle and an exotic flavor-kick from the honey. It’s the wine cooler that’s actually cool, as the Piquettes’ own labels state. 

Given their instant success,zero-waste, and low-ABV appeal, it’s no wonder that Piquette has become ubiquitous over the last couple of years, with winemakers around the globe willing to put their own skins into the trend. As for the one who (re)started it all, he seems to have his eyes on new horizons again: be it arak, wine’s role in climate change, or PiWis, you can be sure that Todd Cavallo won’t be resting on his laurels. 

 

 Wines

 

FLX Petillant Naturel 2020 — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “A fun new Pet Nat from the Fingerlakes area. A white blend of hybrid and vinifera grapes including the NY81 – the grape so good it hasn’t even gotten a name yet.”

Grapes: NY81, Aromella, Riesling

Vineyard: Folts Farm, FLX. Sustainable (no herbicide)

Making of: All varieties were vinified separately, with the Aromella and NY81 getting some skin contact. They were then aged in neutral French Oak barrels for 7 months before being blended and bottled under crown cap before they fully woke up and finished fermenting this Spring. Unfiltered and undisgorged, S02: 20ppm added at crush.

Personality: Ripe muscat and melon notes from the Aromella, an herbaceous backbone, and great acidity from the NY81 and Riesling.

FLX Cabernet Franc 2019 — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: A fun take on Finger Lakes Cab Franc aged for 18 months in puncheon. It took on some bright tropical notes on top of the usual cherry fruit and peppery finish of NY Cab Franc.”

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Vineyard: At Last Farm, Finger Lakes. Sustainable (no herbicide)

Vinification: hand-harvested, 50% whole-cluster and 50% destemmed fruit macerated for 4 weeks with daily hand punch-downs. It was pressed directly to a neutral French Oak puncheon and aged for 18 months without racking or stirring before being racked to tank for bottling. SO2: 20ppm at crush.

Personality: Bright red raspberry and black cherry fruit with some tropical fruit interwoven with peppery and herbal undertones.

FLX Chardonnay — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “For fans of the Jura! We gave this one a little more time to do its thing in barrel again, and we ended up with a beautifully expressive chardonnay that is textured and slightly oxidative.”

Vineyard: At Last Farm, Finger Lakes. Sustainable (no herbicide)

Making of: Destemmed directly into the press for some additional skin extraction. It was then pressed directly into neutral French Oak barrels and aged for 18 months without racking or stirring before being racked to tank for bottling. SO2: 20ppm at crush

Personality: Both oxidative and reductive, pineapple and green apple skin with a lactic roundness from the extended barrel aging and full malolactic fermentation.

Riesling barrel 1 — Back to the top

Vineyard: Nostrano Vineyards
Region: Hudson River Region
Farming: Conventional
ABV: 10.7%
SO2: Minimal

Vinification: The fruit was foot-tread and whole-cluster macerated for
48 hours with a 20ppm S02 dose. It was then pressed directly into
neutral oak barrels where the native fermentation completed fairly
rapidly. Slight reduction issues arose in barrel which were alleviated
by occasional stirring with a copper rod. Malolactic fermentation
began naturally in the Spring. Barrel 1 was bottled after 12 months in
barrel, a few months before barrel 2.

Notes: These are fairly atypical rieslings due to the elevage in
neutral oak and completed malolactic fermentation. Both bring a
roundness and fatness to the palate that belies the low alcohol. It’s
as if someone was able to make a 10.7% riesling in Alsace. Think key
lime pie with extra whipped cream followed by a glug of mineral water.

Checking all the Boxes Pet Nat — Back to the top

This Marquette/Traminette pet nat really does check all the boxes, the
most important of which is that is was grown without any herbicides,
pesticides, or synthetic fungicides, and it was vinified without any
added SO2.

Vineyard: Amorici Vineyards
Region: New York Capital Region (Outside of AVA)
Farming: Practicing Organic
ABV: 11.5%
S02: Zero

Vinification: 2 day carbonic maceration, then direct pressed into
tank. Native fermentation, bottled at .8 brix. Manually riddled by
driving upside down cases around in a golf cart. Disgorged by hand in
March 2019.

Notes: Summertime strawberry gin fizz garnished with tarragon.

Marquette — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “The whole cluster version of our Marquette from the KFF (formerly Amorici) Vineyard. We have combined our two vinification styles from the past and settled on a partial carbonic maceration combined with 2 weeks whole-cluster maceration.”

Grape: Marquette

Vineyard: KFF Vineyard, Washington County, NY (Outside of AVA). Practicing Organic

Making of: Carbonically macerated for 3 days, then whole-cluster macerated for 2 weeks with hand punch-downs daily. Pressed into a combination of neutral French oak barrels and one chestnut barrel for 10 months of aging, no racking or stirring, bottled with a small 10ppm SO2 dose.

Notes: Bright red and blue fruit knit together with some spice and light herbal notes on the nose.

Sweetheart — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “A fun, continuing experiment in blending apples and grapes.” Named after one of Todd’s old bands that never played more than a couple of shows, which felt appropriate for this originally experimental endeavor.

The 2021 edition has a new cider base, with Golden Russet, Ben Davis, and Idared, all aged on a combination of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Gamay skins.

Fruit: Apples from an IPM-farmed orchard in Ontario County, North Fork + pomace from Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Gamay

Making of: The cider was pressed directly into tanks containing spent red grape pomace that had already been pressed for wine and then soaked and pressed again for Piquette. After 4 weeks in tanks, we pressed the juice into neutral French oak barrels where it aged for 4 months. Bottled with local wildflower honey to referment in bottle. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added.

Personality: Like pink Hawaiian Punch: tart, refreshing, and tropical.

Cabernet Franc Rosé — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note on the current vintage: “A long, slow ferment of the 2020 rosé means that we have a rosé for the fall table!” Only 30 Cases made.

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Vineyard: At Last Farm, Finger Lakes. Sustainable

Making of: Direct pressed with some foot-treading right in the press basket. The must didn’t finish fermenting before the barn cooled down for winter, started up again slowly in late spring with some help – Todd poured a few bottles of their re-fermenting pet-nat in. Unfined, unfiltered, SO2: 20ppm at crush, 10ppm at bottling.

Personality: Bright and boisterous red fruit for such little color extraction. Strawberry and cherry juice with a long finish of pear and marzipan.

Piquette! Cans — Back to the top

Piquette has become quite a phenomenon recently, with many wineries bottling something similar, often using the name Piquette on the label, but Todd should really be credited with bringing this French tradition back into the spotlight. Originally, Piquette was something wineries would serve to their harvest workers. Something pleasant they could drink that wasn’t so high in alcohol they wouldn’t be able to work hard in the vines. The basic concept–to use the cast-offs from winemaking including the leftover must, stems, and seeds–is wonderfully zero-waste, and Todd’s version is zhuzhed up with a bit of the original wine and some local honey for a fine sparkle. 

Depending on release, the Wild Arc piquettes are sold in bottles or cans, offering a more compact, transportable, and environmentally friendly container. 

Making of: The pomace is soaked in water and ferments to a low alcohol fizzy beverage thanks to the addition of something sweet (local honey in Todd’s case). Blended with a bit of wine to reach 7% ABV. No additional SO2 additions beyond what was residual in the must.

Personality: always delicious and refreshing! The Rosato is a raspberry soda on the first day of summer, the Skin Contact version is a sparkling zesty lemonade beside a bonfire on a hot summer night.

Piquette! Bottles  — Back to the top

Making of: Standard Piquette 50% water addition to pomace after pressing. Once fermented, a bit of the press wine from the same grape material as the pomace is added when the piquette itself is pressed. 10 months on lees in tank, refermented with honey at bottling. SO2: Zero Added

Cabernet Franc Piquette 2020
“Always our favorite varietal red piquette, with tons of bright cherry and raspberry fruit and a touch of grassy greenness to keep things interesting.”

Vineyard: Folts Farm, Finger Lakes
Farming: Sustainable
Notes: Red fruit, exceptionally light on its feet.

Gamay Piquette 2020

“Our first vintage working with Gamay! The piquette was one of our new favorites so we kept it out of the blends for another varietal bottling perfect for Fall.”

Vineyard: Whitecliff, Hudson River Region
Farming: Conventional
Notes: Slightly reductive red and blue fruit, French tarragon, light finish.

Traminette Piquette 2020
“One of our first varietal piquettes, and we keep making it because of the delicious lychee and elderflower flavors it produces every year.”
Vineyard: Folts Farm, Finger Lakes
Farming: Sustainable
Notes: Elderflower lemonade with lychee syrup.

Bi-Sekt — Back to the top

We’ve been sitting on this one for a bit, letting it get some time in bottle to develop. It is our take on the German Sekt style, for which we’ve blended Riesling and Traminette and sparkled it up with a tirage of local wildflower honey.

Vineyard: Folts Farm / Bruynswick Vineyard
Region: New York State
Farming: Sustainable / In Transition
S02: 20ppm at Crush

Vinification: Both wines were barrel fermented to dryness with 20ppm SO2 added at crush, then 75% Riesling and 25% Traminette were blended in a tank with 12g/L of wildflower honey and bottled under crown cap. Unfiltered and undisgorged.

Amorici Field Blend Rosé — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “We’ve been working with the beautiful fruit from this vineyard, now moved to fully organic practices, since a couple of vintages now. In 2021, the bulk of the white grapes in this field blend suffered from low yields, so the wine is decidedly darker in color, but still as bright and beautiful as ever. This wine was also our first trial bottling to use Reusable/Returnable glass bottles from thegoodgoods.co! Details on return logistics and deposits via QR code / their website.”

Grapes: a dozen red, white, and pink hybrid varieties grown together

Vineyard: Amorici Vineyard, Washington County, NY. Practicing Organic

Making of: The grapes were all harvested together, and the fruit was carbonically macerated for 2 days, then foot-tread and macerated for 2 additional days before being pressed off to stainless steel tank. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added.

Personality: The foxiness or “grapeyness” of hybrid grapes disappears in this blend into a candied fruit character that puts this wine squarely in the Glou Glou camp, with tart strawberry, cranberry, and cherry all poking through on the nose, and a similar red-fruit salad across the broad but focused palate. 

Hudson River Region Chardonnay — Back to the top


Our 2017 Chardonnay was the sleeper hit of the vintage, and the few remaining bottles are showing better and better. Don’t sleep on this one, Jura meets NY as oxidative and reductive tendencies meet, and fruit and mineral notes clash to make a Chardonnay that is a joy to drink.

Vineyard: Bruynswick Vineyard
Region: Hudson River Region
Farming: Sustainable
S02: 20ppm at Crush

Vinification: Half was whole-cluster macerated for 48 hours and half was direct pressed, all into neutral French oak barrels. No racking or stirring. Bottled without any additional Sulfur.

Notes: Peach, apricot, and a whisper of tropicalia with some wet stone backing up the nose. Broad and mouth-filling with some richness and texture, but still an acid streak to make you want another sip immediately.

 

Cider! — Back to the top

Todd on this bev: “We have a number of Callery Pear trees on our farm and have always wanted to do something with the tiny, tart, tannin-packed fruits.”

Fruit: apples from an IPM-farmed orchard in Ontario County, North Fork + Callery Pears from Todd’s own farm

Making of: a couple of buckets of pears were macerated in the cider, then racked into neutral French oak 500L puncheons and left undisturbed for 6 months before canning.

Personality: bright and fruity cider flavors mingled with a deeper spicy oomph of the pears.

 

Dabinett / Greening Cider! — Back to the top

Todd on this bev: “Our second vintage working with this blend. From the same source as our Northern Spy cider, this blend of Dabinett and Rhode Island Greening apples has a bit more texture and some of the richness that comes from the bittersweet Dabinett. Lightly carbonated by can conditioning with local wildflower honey, this one is perfect for the Fall table.”

Orchard: Ontario Orchards, New York State, IPM-farmed 

Making of: The apples were pressed and blended before being racked to 3 neutral
French Oak and 1 Chestnut barrel, where it sat undisturbed for 10 months until being
racked and blended with local wildflower honey for canning. SO2: 20ppm at press

Personality: White flowers, stone fruits, and a touch of butterscotch.

 

Riesling CDC 2020 — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “Our first time working with fruit from this small vineyard on Cayuga Lake farmed organically by Joe Sepe. The small “Clos de Cochon” was a former pig pasture and manure dumping ground that sat fallow for years before eventually being planted to Riesling, all Geisenheim Clone 239.”

Grape: Riesling

Vineyard: Clos de Cochon, Cayuga Lake, Practicing Organic

Making of: Whole-cluster macerated for 24 hours. Pressed into Neutral French oak puncheon, not fined, filtered, or racked. SO2: 20ppm at crush, 15ppm at bottling

Notes: “The most exciting and expressive Riesling we have made. Bright stone fruit and lemon curd, slightly softened acid from full malolactic fermentation,” Todd says.

Luca Skin-contact — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: ” Not quite orange but leaning in that direction. A week of skin contact brings out the floral and lychee notes.”

Grape: Traminette

Vineyard: Folts Farm, Finger Lakes. Sustainable

Vinification: Whole cluster foot-tread and macerated for one week with daily hand punch-downs. Pressed directly into 1 older French oak puncheon and 1 stainless tank. SO2: 20ppm at Crush

Notes: Lychee, white flowers, and citrus peel.

 

 

 

Blackbird — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “An evolution of our Noiret coferment from 2019, with equal amounts of Riesling and Noiret. Still a fun experiment in tempering the peppery notes of Noiret with some white grapes.”

Grapes: 50% Riesling, 50% Noiret (American red hybrid developed by Cornell University) 

Vineyard: Folts Farm, Finger Lakes. Sustainable

Vinification: Whole cluster Noiret was foot tread, then Riesling was crushed and destemmed on top and maceration continued for 2 additional weeks. Pressed directly into neutral French oak barrels. SO2: 20ppm at crush

Notes: Bright red cherry fruit with some tropical notes, white and black pepper, and well-integrated acidity.

 

Gamay 2020 — Back to the top

Todd on this wine: “Our first time working with Gamay! We were lucky enough to get some of the only fruit planted in the Hudson River Region.”

Reusable/Returnable glass bottles from thegoodgoods.co. Details on return logistics and deposits via QR code / the website.

Grape: Gamay

Vineyard: Whitecliff, Hudson River Region. Conventional farming

Vinification: 1 Week Carbonic maceration followed by foot-treading and 2 weeks of whole cluster maceration. Pressed into a neutral 500L French oak puncheon. SO2: 20ppm at crush

Notes: Candied cherries, dusty granite, herbs and iron on the finish.

White Vermouth — Back to the top

Todd on this Vermouth: “We made white vermouth from our wines in 2019, using botanicals grown here on the farm – great neat, over ice, or in your favorite cocktails.”

Ingredients: Riesling and Traminette wines (grapes grown Upstate NY) and medicinal herbs and flowers grown by Todd and Crystal on the Wild Arc farm

Making of: The botanicals were extracted into the grape spirit (a distillate of Wild Arc’s Merlot 2019) which was then used to fortify the base wines. The blend aged all together in a stainless tank for over a year.

Personality: starts with floral and grassy notes of the base wines, with spicy, aromatic botanical undertones. 17% ABV, 375ml

 

The Lemon of Pink — Back to the top

Wild Arc’s first Botanical Spritzer! Piquette and Riesling as the base, fortified with a bit of grape spirit and infused with Lemon Basil grown on the farm and foraged Sumac.

Vineyard: Folts Farm, Finger Lakes. Sustainable (No Herbicide)

Making of: The botanicals were infused directly into two tanks of the base wine for 3 months before being strained out and blended. The wine was then bottled with organic wildflower honey and bottled to referment. S02: 20ppm at crush

Personality: Lemonheads candy with some stonefruit and a little green herbaceousness.

Little Sweetie — Back to the top

A new experiment in the same vein as Sweetheart (see above). This beverage is a blend of one barrel of Sweetheart, fermented and aged for one year on red wine lees, with one barrel of our Piquette. It was refermented in the bottle to add bubbles.

Orchard/Vineyard: Ontario / Anna and Colin’s Vineyard, New York State. Farming: IPM / Sustainable

Making of: The cider was pressed directly into a barrel containing Merlot lees. After 1 year in barrel, we blended it with a barrel of Merlot Piquette. Bottled with organic wildflower honey to referment in bottles. No sulfur added.

Notes: More red-fruited and textured than Sweetheart, still with great acidity.

 

 

Concord! — Back to the top

Todd on this beverage: “We have added a new color/flavor to our can rainbow this
year, with some beautiful carbonically macerated Certified Organic Concord grapes!”

Grapes: Concord, certified organic

Making of: the grapes are whole-bunch carbonic macerated. Refermented in the cans with local wildflower honey.

Personality: a summer sparkler that tastes just like your favorite grape soda from childhood. 9% ABV

 

 

Merlot — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “Our attempt to make a more structured red wine from an amazing site. Extended maceration and aging have led to beautifully integrated tannins and some more density than you may be used to in our wines.”

Vineyard: Colin and Anna’s Vineyard, North Fork of Long Island. Farming: Sustainable (No Herbicide)

Vinification: 50% whole-cluster and 50% destemmed fruit were macerated for 4 weeks with daily hand punch-downs. It was pressed directly to a neutral French Oak puncheon and aged for 18 months without racking or stirring before being racked to tank for bottling. SO2: 20ppm at crush

Notes: Red and blue fruit with fine herbs and well-integrated tannins.

 

 

Itasca — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “Itasca is the newest white hybrid grape released by the University of Minnesota. Our home vineyard should be producing its first crop of Itasca for 2022, but we bought a ton of fruit from the Finger Lakes in 2021 to get some ideas.”

Vineyard: Yates Cellars, Finger Lakes. Farming: Conventional

Making of: Macerated whole-cluster for 24 hours, then pressed, settled, and racked into one neutral French oak puncheon. Racked only for bottling after 6 months, zero sulfur added.

Notes: Orchard fruits and white flowers with texture and acidity in full balance.

AURORA — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “A lightly sparkling Aurore [resistant white hybrid grape] from the same certified organic vineyard source as our Carbonic Concord cans from the spring. We threw in a splash of Traminette from the same source for some floral notes.”

Grapes: Aurore, Traminette

Vineyard: Buzzard Crest Vineyard, Finger Lakes. Certified Organic

Making of: 24-hour maceration before being pressed to stainless tank. No racking until dosing for bottling. Bottled with 9g/L wildflower honey to add bubbles. SO2: 10ppm at bottling

Notes: Peaches and Sweet Tarts.

 

 

MARS — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “This is a textured and richer sparkling Merlot Rosato made with 3-days of whole-cluster maceration. A fall rosé sparkler, if you will.”

Grape: Merlot

Vineyard: North Cliff, North Fork of Long Island. Sustainable

Making of: Whole-cluster macerated for 3 days, then pressed into a stainless tank. Aged for 10 months, no racking or stirring, bottled with a small 10ppm SO2 dose and
12g/L wildflower honey to add bubbles.

Notes: Cherry, raspberry, and granite.

 

 

To Eris (Golden Apple and Quince Cider) — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “A return to one of our favorite early cider blends, made this time in collaboration with our friends at Rose Hill Farm in Red Hook, NY. Golden Russet, Golden Delicious, and Mutsu apples are blended with a small amount of quince and lightly sparkled in bottle. Named after Eris, the Goddess of Discord who threw a golden apple into a wedding, inciting the Trojan War.”

Fruit: Golden Russet, Golden Delicious, and Mutsu apples, quince

Orchard: Rose Hill Farm, New York State. IPM-farmed

Making of: The apples and quinces were crushed together and macerated for 24 hours before being pressed and racked to neutral French oak barrels, where it sat undisturbed for 10 months until being racked and blended. Bottled with local wildflower honey for refermentation. SO2: None

Notes: White flowers, apricot, citrus pith. Bright floral notes from the Quince temper a sharp acidity akin to some Basque ciders.

Dabinett and Ben Davis Cider — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “Our third vintage working with Dabinett, this time bottled in 750ml glass rather than cans. This blend has a bit more texture and some of the richness that comes from the bittersweet Dabinett. Lightly carbonated by bottle conditioning with local wildflower honey, this one is perfect for the Fall table.”

Fruit: Dabinett and Ben Davis apples

Orchard: Ontario Orchards, New York State. IPM-farmed

Making of: The apples were pressed and blended before being racked to 3 neutral
French Oak and 1 Chestnut barrel, where it sat undisturbed for 10 months until being
racked and blended for bottling. Bottled with local wildflower honey to add bubbles. SO2: None

Notes: White flowers, stone fruits, and a touch of butterscotch.

Concord Piquette — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “Another fun (and weird) Concord experiment after our canned sparkler for the 2022 Spring Release. This one sat on its lees in tank for 10 months before bottling, so it took on a bit of leesy funk we don’t often see in piquette, perhaps boosted by the foxiness of Concord. Tastes like Kool-Aid without the sugar and Trolli Gummi Worms.”

Grapes: Concord

Vineyard: Buzzard Crest Vineyard, Finger Lakes. Certified Organic

Making of: Standard Piquette 50% water addition to pomace after pressing. Once fermented, a bit of the press wine from the same grape material as the pomace is added when the piquette itself is pressed. 10 months on lees in tank, refermented with honey at bottling. SO2: Zero Added

Notes: Purple fruit, lactic funk, exceptionally light on its feet.

 

Florescence — Back to the top

Winemaker’s note: “A new botanical spritzer for 2023! We try to use as much of what grows on our farm as
possible in crafting new and interesting beverages. For this wine, we used chamomile grown right on the farm to add a new dimension to the very specific and captivating flavor of Concord grapes. It’s both intense and calming, a taste of full bloom in bottle.”

Grapes: Concord, plus chamomile 

Vineyard: Buzzard Crest Vineyard, Finger Lakes. Certified Organic.

Making of: Half of the chamomile was infused directly into base wine for 3 months before being strained out and blended with grape spirits that had the rest of the chamomile infused for 2 weeks. The wine was then dosed with organic wildflower honey and bottled to referment. Zero SO2 added.

Personality: Waxy honeycomb, white flowers, and a subtle undertone of Concord.

Pink Luca — Back to the top

Grape: Dechaunac and Traminette

Vineyard: Buzzard Crest Vineyard, Finger Lakes. Certified Organic. 

Making of: Grapes were brought in together and foot-stomped. Co-macerated for 1
week before being pressed to stainless tank for 10-months before bottling. Zero SO2 added. A one-off blend sourced from the same growers behind their Concord and Aurora cuvées. 

Personality: Bright red cherry fruit behind the usual elderflower and lychee of the Traminette.