Small-Scale Finger Lakes Winery Offers Historic Charm

Maegan Crandall
Central N.Y. Correspondent

BLUFF POINT, N.Y. — While there are an abundance of large, ultramodern wineries nestled throughout the Finger Lakes region, Yates Cellars invites visitors to experience something a little different - historic charm and a glimpse into what makes a successful, limited-production, boutique winery.

Yates Cellars - singularly owned and operated by Alan Hunt - is located in Yates County near the shores of Keuka Lake, where growing grapes has been a tradition since 1829. This rich history is evident at Yates Cellars where some of the grape vines date back to 1860, and the tasting room is in the parlor of the historic Hampstead Mansion built in 1838 by farmer Henry Rose. Even the packing house still stands on the property where turn-of-the-century laborers packed grape crops for cargo boats that crossed Keuka Lake.

With the official opening of Yates Cellars in 2002, Hunt has continued on with this long tradition, relying on his background in agriculture and his love for producing quality wines.

Although Hunt has been employed in various different careers outside of wine-making, he was exposed at an early age to viniculture. As a native of the area, Hunt worked during his high-school years in local vineyards and later worked as the manager of a vineyard for five years. When Hunt’s previous job ended, he purchased the Hampstead Mansion property, began to restore the dwelling, and planted several additional acres of grapes.

Hunt’s initial plan was to wholesale his grapes to local wineries, but his idea soon evolved.

“I guess I’m more of a gambler than some of the other people around here. When I started growing grapes I was satisfied with that for a little while, but not for long,” said Hunt.

Hunt made the decision to begin producing his own wine and learned as much as possible by educating himself with books and information.

I learned on my own and read a lot of books. It’s not rocket science. There are a lot of things that can happen but normally don’t. The hard part is getting licensing. I also didn’t take any business courses in college and I should have,” said Hunt.

Today, Yates Cellars successfully produces 2000 gallons of wine a year with 27 varieties using native, french hybrid, and vinifera grapes grown from its own 20 acres of vineyards. The tasting room is open seven days a week and Hunt admits that visitor traffic can be quite high.

“I sell most everything directly out of the house, with a few sales to local stores. I have been getting really good feedback from customers, and several stores have asked to carry my wine,” said Hunt.

Because Yates Cellar is small-scale, this has allowed Hunt to really focus on producing quality wines.

“This is a small operation and I do most of everything, with some seasonal help. My daughter helps in the summer. I work in the tasting room, I make the wine, and I work the vineyard as much as possible,” said Hunt.

Hunt also believes in hand-picking his grapes to produce a higher-quality product, and bottling and labeling his own wine.

“I love working in the vineyard more than I like working behind the counter. Pruning is a fun job because every vine is different and you get to create what you want. It’s like art. But, it’s also interesting meeting people from all over the country— you get the best of both worlds doing this. You are outside by yourself in the winter pruning and it gives you time to think and plan what you are doing. I planted a lot of the vines myself. So from actually planting vines to selling a bottle of wine, it’s very rewarding. You did the whole procedure, not just part of it,” said Hunt.

Yates Cellars also offers grapes for purchase and pressing including concord, niagara, baco noir, vignoles, traminette, riesling, chambourcin, pinot noir, merlot, and cabernet franc. Visitors are also welcome to pick their own grapes directly from the vineyard.

Although Hunt has been successful as a one-man team and wishes to stay small-scale so he can continue focusing on high-quality wines, he admits that there are always considerations to keep in mind.

“It’s tough competing in a world market. We have minimum wage requirements where other countries pay cents to their workers. I pay my seasonal workers what they want. This isn’t a big money making business. You have to love it. There are a lot of easier ways to make money,” said Hunt.

For more information visit
www.yatescellars.com.