A brief history
Owners Herm and Wilma Young’s love of farming paired with their appreciation for wine set the wheels in motion several years ago. Herm is a fourth generation fruit farmer; Wilma’s home is in Rhine River valley in Germany. Her relatives have always made their own wine, and wine is an integral part of family traditions. “Wine is revered as much as beer in Germany. There isn’t a family occasion that isn’t celebrated without the warmth of a glass of wine. Even as a child I was included with a tiny glass of my own to celebrate with everyone else…it was an all-inclusive family kind of thing,” Wilma notes. As they toured the wineries of the Finger Lakes region, their thoughts about starting a winery began to evolve. “We’d stop here and there and taste and listen to the winemaker and sales staff share how this wine tastes like cherries or apples…with a hint of pears. I thought if grape wines taste better because they have the spirit of another fruit, why don’t they make wine from these fruits. I was told people don’t want fruit wines…they are cheap and don’t compare to grape wines. H-m-m-m I thought…and I didn’t understand,” Wilma shared.
The tide turned in a major way when Herm and Wilma renewed an old friendship with Williamson’s Jan Klapetzky. They had met Jan years ago when he was their older sons’ Cub Scout leader. “ Jan has been an extremely successful and respected home wine maker for over three decades”. Wilma recalls, “Jan is a very congenial fellow and invited me down to see his cellar – an amazing place with an older stone foundation, dirt floors and a small stream running through. Jan was very proud of his winemaking ability and shared a sip of this one and a glass of that. It was a most enjoyable visit.” Not long thereafter Jan offered a winemaking course, Herm and Wilma attended. It was all about grapes, but Herm persisted and convinced Jan they should try to make apple wine.
