Saratoga Business Journal
By Jill Nagy
Keuka Spring Vineyard, a Finger Lakes winery, now has a tasting room and bottle shop in Saratoga Springs. Located in the Saratoga Marketplace at 454 Broadway, this is the first offsite tasting room and shop for the 39-year-old vineyard. There was a “soft opening” April 1 and an “awesome” formal ribbon-cutting on May 2.
The vineyard is family-run and owned by area growers. They produce and bottle a “diverse portfolio” of wines from grapes grown on more than 500 acres in Penn Yan, on Lake Keuka, according to marketing director Corinne Marriott. They grow most of their own grapes but also buy fruit from other growers, she said.
Samplers have a choice of three options: dry wines, including a dry Reisling; KSV Classic, a mixed variety; or sweet wines. Each flight consists of six wine samples. The price is $15. If people like what they taste, they can buy a bottle; wine is not sold by the glass. They also do not sell any food. Much of the wine is from the vinifera grape, an Old World variety that no longer does well in Europe but thrives in New York State, noted Autumn Manning, the manager of the Saratoga outlet. Wine samples include several gold award winners and blaufrankish, a dry red wine that was the best New York State red wine of 2021.
The Saratoga shop opened April 1. Early business has been “phenomenal,” according to Manning. They have attracted wine clubs and have already seen repeat customers. They also sell to area restaurants and plan to sell their wines at a Taste NY tent at the Saratoga Racetrack.
The tasting room has a 10-foot stand-up bar; no tables or chairs. They do not take reservations.
On opening day, the shop had five employees but were still in the process of hiring, Manning said.
The shop is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Further information is available at www.keukespringwinery.com.