Why a vineyard? Well, we have 50 acres of land, loved making wine and decided why not a vineyard? Since Adam was still working as a police officer we were not able to produce alcohol for sale to the public. So we decided to start our vineyard first and progress into starting a winery down the road after he retired from the police force.
In 2004 we had our land and climate tested by Cornell University for growing grapes. We got 2 thumbs up that our property would grow good quality wine grapes. We decided to start with a hybrid grape called Cayuga White. Cayuga White is a mid-season ripening wine grape developed from crosses of the hybrids Schuyler and Seyval Blanc at Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York.
In 2005 we broke ground with out first acre of vineyard. I remember being out in the field with all of our children, family and friends. Digging in the dirt to plant our first vines, we laughed, we sweated and got really dirty. The job of our littlest was to take small buckets of water to each vine and give them a nice drink after they were lovingly planted in the soil. We called out "water boy" and their little legs would run with a pail of water, sometimes ending up with just a few drips for the plants. It was a teaching moment for our children, many hands make light work, hard work is rewarding and work can be fun.
After our days work and our new vines were in the ground, the legacy was started. We broke bread, ate, drank and enjoyed each other's company. I will never forget the beginning, calling out "water boy", the smell of dirt, the laughter of friends. No matter what has happened since these are beautiful memories that should not be forgotten.
Chase your dreams, make plans, go for it.
Aimee Mesiti & Adam Mesiti