Courtesy Adirondack Winery
Ground was broken Oct. 7 on the Adirondack Winery project that will result in a $2.6 million, 14,100-square-foot winemaking facility and tasting room at the site of its current Queensbury headquarters.
Company officials said the new building will provide the family run winery with the space it needs to triple its wine production over the next 10 years.
The new building will house an all-new tasting room, where the winery plans to offer new services customers have long desired, such as wine by the glass, outdoor seating, and light dining.
The winery will introduce classes and launch tours of the new facility. There are also plans to rent event space for private events and conferences.
The goal is to complete the construction by April, in time for the winery’s 14th anniversary celebration.
“This groundbreaking is the start of a new chapter for Adirondack Winery,” said Adirondack Winery president and co-owner Sasha Pardy. “This company started as a small family business, making wine in the back room of our Lake George tasting room almost 14 years ago. Now we’ve grown to the point where this new building is the only way we are going to keep up with demand.
“Beyond that, we are very excited for all the new opportunities this new building is going to provide for us. We’re going to create a facility that is unlike anything else in Warren County. We want to be a destination for craft beverage lovers from across the Northeast, and this groundbreaking is the first step toward making that happen.”
The new building will be constructed behind the winery’s current headquarters building on a two-acre lot at 395 Big Bay Road in Queensbury. About 8,500 square feet will be used for winemaking (more than twice its size now); 2,600 square feet for the new tasting room and another 2,600 square feet for a dedicated event space, Pardy said.
The project has created 12 new construction jobs already and will create an additional 13 more at the winery over the next two years.
The JAG Group LLC of Wilton designed and is building the new facility.
An estimated 3,000 square feet of usable green space will surround the new building, and the winery plans to install outdoor seating and firepits in time for summer 2022. The winery will also plant grapevines and apple trees on the property. Solar panels will be installed on the roof, generating enough power to cover the electricity usage at its Big Bay property and its Lake George tasting room.
With its winemaking operation moving to the new building, the winery plans to remodel its existing headquarters building to expand its office space and shipping area, Pardy said.
With the new building, Adirondack Winery estimates it will increase its wine production from 17,000 cases per year (in 2020) to 50,000 cases by 2031, according to the company.
Its event space on the second floor of the new building will be used for bachelorette parties, birthday parties, private events, club member events, wine release parties, wine education classes, crafting nights and more, Pardy said.
The winery also plans to serve craft beverage products other than wine at the new Queensbury Tasting Room. They plan to exclusively serve locally made New York beer, cider, and spirits.
In addition to its Queensbury winemaking facility, Adirondack Winery has tasting rooms at 285 Canada St. in Lake George at 4971 Lake Shore Drive in Bolton Landing.
Adirondack Winery currently produces more than 35 fruit-infused and traditional varietal wines made almost entirely with New York grapes. Its wines have won over 200 medals at regional and national wine competitions, including a recent Double Gold medal win in June for its Moonlight Lemberger rosé and a Best of Class win for its Stargazer Lemberger red wine at the 2020 New York Wine Classic.
Adirondack Winery wines are available for purchase 24/7 on the Adirondack Winery website at adkwinery.com. The winery ships to 36 states, including Connecticut which it added earlier this year.