A brief history
Frederick Spencer Johnson (1921-1998), grew up on the farm his father purchased. He served in World War II as a naval aviator, graduated from Cornell University in 1946, and then raised his family overseas while working for Nelson Rockefeller’s various agricultural endeavors. When Frederick Spencer returned to the farm in 1960 after his father died, he removed the aging fruit orchards and was first farmer or "pioneer" in Western New York to plant French-hybrid wine grapes in a region completely dominated by Concord and Labruscan juice grapes. His favorite French hybrid grape was Chancellor. Frederick Spencer opened the winery in 1961, receiving New York Farm Winery license No. 2.
