Back to the Roots of Finger Lakes Wine
Chëpìka is the project of Finger Lakes native winemaker Nathan Kendall and Pascaline Lepeltier — a collaboration that began with the 2016 vintage and has since become one of the most distinctive natural wine projects in North America. [^360^] [^369^] The name comes from the Lenape language spoken by the Native American tribe of the Delaware, and means "root" — a tribute to the history of northeastern America, the presence of the Native Americans, and the wild American grapes growing in this region. [^372^] Chëpìka's goal is to go back to the roots of the wine history of the Finger Lakes region, crafting with care wines made from the original hybrid varieties — Catawba and Delaware — that have grown around the lakes since the early 18th century. [^372^] These hybrids, a cross between native American Vitis Labrusca and European Vitis Vinifera, were among the very first varieties used for quality wine production in the northeastern United States. [^372^] They were major components of an industry of world-renowned sparkling and fortified wines until Prohibition hit — after which they became mostly table grapes, juice, and mass-market sweet wines. [^360^] Chëpìka aims to pay tribute to this history, working respectfully with the land and the inner qualities of these varieties. [^372^]
From Prohibition Ruins to Ancestral Revival
The Finger Lakes wine industry began around 1820, when native North American grape varieties thrived in the region's cool climate and glacial soils. [^360^] By 1860, the first bonded winery in America was founded in the village of Hammondsport on Keuka Lake. [^360^] The sparkling and fortified wines made from these native varieties commanded great respect throughout the world — wines that were celebrated in Europe and beyond for their unique character and quality. [^360^]
Then came Prohibition — along with changing tastes and the introduction of European grape varieties. [^360^] The wines produced from native, or "Vitis Labrusca," grapes soon became a distant memory. After the repeal, Catawba, Delaware, Concord, Niagara and their kin were relegated to table grapes, juice, and mass-market sweet wines. [^372^] Yet these hybrids still represent more than 70% of the planted acreage of the Finger Lakes region — capable of growing with little to no need for chemical products, hardy and resilient, but largely ignored by the modern wine industry. [^372^]
Nathan Kendall, a Finger Lakes native and accomplished winemaker, had long been fascinated by this forgotten history. In 2016, he found a vineyard on Keuka Lake growing Delaware and Catawba — organically since 1971. [^372^] He partnered with Pascaline Lepeltier, a respected sommelier and wine professional with deep roots in the natural wine community, to create a project that would honour this heritage. The name chëpìka — "root" in Lenape — was chosen as a tribute to the Native American presence, the wild American grapes, and the deep history of the region. [^372^]
The first vintage came out in 2016. Two cuvées — sparkling Catawba and sparkling Delaware — were released in 2016 and 2017 as pétillant naturel, crafted using the ancestral method with natural yeasts and no additives. [^372^] The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Wine lovers, sommeliers, and critics recognised that something genuinely new — and yet deeply old — was happening in the Finger Lakes. [^365^]
"The goal of the project is to work diligently and respectfully with the land, using the native varieties to recreate the traditional wines of the Finger Lakes, and to produce a delicious, affordable, local wine made from the natural and historical resources of the region."
— Chëpìka Mission Statement
Keuka Lake, Organic Since 1971 & The Resilience of Hybrids
The Delaware and Catawba grapes for chëpìka are grown organically in a certified vineyard near Keuka Lake — a Y-shaped body of water that is one of the most distinctive of the Finger Lakes. [^360^] The vineyard has been farmed organically since 1971, long before organic certification became fashionable or even widely understood. [^372^] This is not a new commitment to sustainability; it is a decades-old practice that has preserved the health of the soil, the biodiversity of the site, and the integrity of the vines.
Catawba and Delaware are hybrid varieties — crosses between native American Vitis Labrusca and European Vitis Vinifera. [^372^] They were developed through years of trial and error to create grapes that could survive the harsh northeastern climate while producing palatable wine with decent yields. [^372^] Unlike pure vinifera varieties, which require significant chemical intervention to thrive in humid, cold conditions, these hybrids are naturally resistant to disease and pests. They can grow with little to no need for chemical products — a fact that makes them ideally suited to organic and natural wine production. [^372^]
The profile of these grapes is unique. When picked early, they display bright flavours and high acidity — characteristics that make them perfect for sparkling wine production. [^372^] The Catawba brings floral, fruity notes and a distinctive "grapey" character; the Delaware is more delicate, with higher acidity and a finer structure. Together, they form the basis of chëpìka's sparkling and still wines — wines that taste like nowhere else on earth because they are made from varieties that exist nowhere else on earth.
The label design reflects this connection to place. Created by Wendy Wilmoth, the 7 horizontal lines on the sparkling bottles represent the main lakes where viticulture is practised in the Finger Lakes region. [^360^] The still Catawba has a distinctive rose-grape symbol — a nod to the variety's floral character and its historical use in rosé-style wines. [^360^] It is a modern, minimalist aesthetic that honours tradition without being bound by it.
A hybrid of native American and European grapes, Catawba brings bright, floral, and fruity notes with a distinctive "grapey" character. [^372^] When picked early, it displays high acidity perfect for sparkling wine. The still rosé version shows delicate notes of fresh watermelon, rhubarb and damask rose. [^372^]
More delicate than Catawba, with higher acidity and a finer structure. [^372^] The sparkling Delaware is elegant, mineral, and refreshing — a wine that proves hybrid varieties can achieve genuine finesse. Best enjoyed young, with seafood or on its own.
The certified organic vineyard near Keuka Lake has been farmed without chemicals for over 50 years. [^372^] This is not a new experiment in sustainability — it is a legacy of care that predates the modern natural wine movement by decades.
Hybrids like Catawba, Delaware, Concord and Niagara still represent more than 70% of the planted acreage in the Finger Lakes. [^372^] Yet they are largely ignored by the premium wine industry. Chëpìka is changing that — one bottle at a time.
Ancestral Method, Nothing Added & Handcrafted Everything
Chëpìka's sparkling wines are crafted in the ancestral method — the oldest form of sparkling wine production, predating Champagne's méthode champenoise by centuries. [^360^] The process is simple and uncompromising: grapes are hand-harvested, gently pressed, and fermented with natural yeasts. [^372^] No commercial yeasts, no enzymes, no tannins, no sugar, no sulfur — nothing added, nothing taken away. [^360^] The wines ferment in the bottle, creating their own bubbles through the natural sugars present in the grapes. [^361^]
Everything is done by hand, from picking to sorting to riddling to disgorging. [^372^] This is not a mechanised operation — it is a labour of love, a commitment to craft that is increasingly rare in an industry dominated by technology and scale. The total sulfur is kept under 10ppm — a fraction of what is permitted in conventional sparkling wine production. [^361^] The result is wine that is alive, unpredictable, and utterly honest.
Since 2018, chëpìka has also made a still version of the Catawba — a rosé with no additives, macerated for two weeks, vinified and aged in older barrels with malolactic fermentation completed without any sulfite. [^372^] The 2018 vintage was particularly challenging — one of the most difficult in modern Finger Lakes history — and Nathan and Pascaline decided not to produce any Delaware that year, instead releasing the Catawba as a still rosé. [^372^] "When wine is produced without additives, the climate, the terroir, the variety rule!" they declared. [^372^]
In 2019, thanks to the beautiful quality of the grapes, they made three versions: Still Rosé Catawba, Sparkling Rosé Catawba, and Sparkling Delaware. [^372^] The still Catawba preserves all the bright, tonic, low-alcohol profile of the variety — highly quaffable yet highly unique and layered. [^372^] It is a wine that challenges preconceptions about what American wine can be, and what native varieties are capable of.
Chëpìka Catawba — "Very Interesting and Uncommon"
"4.3 stars. Very interesting and uncommon. Nice acidity and balance, lots of fruits, unlike any rosé." [^367^] — Leshrink, Vivino. This is chëpìka in a nutshell: a wine that defies categorisation, that surprises even experienced tasters, that carries the imprint of a place and a history that most wine drinkers have never encountered. The Catawba is not trying to be Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. It is trying to be Catawba — and in doing so, it opens a door to an entirely new world of flavour. The bright acidity, the floral notes, the unmistakable "grapey" character that sommeliers often dismiss — all of it comes together in a wine that is refreshing, complex, and genuinely original. At around $25, it is one of the most affordable entry points into the world of natural sparkling wine — and one of the most rewarding.
Nathan Kendall Wines, RAW WINE & The Global Stage
Nathan Kendall is not just the winemaker behind chëpìka — he is also the founder of Nathan Kendall Wines, a broader project that produces natural wines from Riesling, Pinot Noir, and other varieties in the Finger Lakes. [^363^] His wines have gained recognition nationally and internationally, appearing on lists at top restaurants and in shops from New York to Montreal to Tokyo. [^372^] Pascaline Lepeltier brings her own formidable reputation — a Master Sommelier candidate, former wine director at Rouge Tomate in New York, and a leading voice in the natural wine community. [^363^]
Chëpìka is distributed in New York by Avant-Garde Wine & Spirits and in Montreal by Le Vin dans les Voiles. [^372^] In the Finger Lakes, the wines can be enjoyed at Hickory Hollow Wine Cellar, alongside Nathan's full range. [^372^] The project is also expanding globally — availability in the UK, France, and Japan is planned. [^372^] This is not a local curiosity; it is a wine with genuine international appeal, proof that the Finger Lakes can produce wines that stand alongside the best from any region.
The chëpìka community extends through the natural wine world. The project has been featured by RAW WINE, the leading natural wine fair founded by Isabelle Legeron MW. [^363^] It has appeared in shops like Flatiron Wines in New York, Thirst Merchants, and avant-garde wine retailers across North America. [^368^] [^371^] Wine writers and critics have embraced the project, recognising that chëpìka is not just making wine — it is making an argument for the value of native varieties, organic farming, and ancestral methods in a region that has too often looked to Europe for validation.
The future of chëpìka is rooted in the same principles that have defined it since 2016: working respectfully with the land, using native varieties, crafting wines with natural yeasts and no additives, and paying tribute to the deep history of the Finger Lakes. As Nathan and Pascaline's understanding of Catawba and Delaware deepens, and as they explore new expressions of these varieties, the wines will only become more distinctive. The goal is not to imitate European styles but to create something unmistakably American — wines that could only come from the Finger Lakes, from these grapes, from this history.
"Chëpìka aims to pay tribute to this history, by working respectfully with the land and the inner qualities of these varieties."
— Pascaline Lepeltier & Nathan Kendall
The Chëpìka Range
Chëpìka produces a focused portfolio of natural wines from organically grown Catawba and Delaware grapes near Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes. [^360^] The range centres on ancestral method sparkling wines — the project's original focus — alongside still rosé expressions that have emerged since 2018. [^372^] All wines are made with native yeasts, no additives, and minimal sulfur (under 10ppm total). [^361^] Everything is done by hand, from harvest to disgorgement. [^372^] These are wines of genuine originality — affordable, delicious, and deeply connected to the history of American winemaking. Prices are approximate and in USD.
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Chëpika Address
Chëpika does not have a public tasting room or a physical winery address for visitors. The project is a collaboration between Nathan Kendall and Pascaline Lepeltier, who source their grapes from an organically-certified vineyard near Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes.
Retailers & Distributors with Links
Due to the project's small scale, their wines are primarily sold through a network of specialized wine shops.
Finger Lakes, NY
Hickory Hollow Wine Cellar: https://www.hhwc.com/
New York City, NY
Brooklyn Wine Exchange: https://brooklynwineexchange.com/
Chambers Street Wines: https://chambersstwines.com/
Flatiron Wines & Spirits: https://nyc.flatiron-wines.com/collections/chepika
Parcelle Wine: https://parcellewine.com/
Urban Wines and Spirits: https://urbanwinesnyc.com/
Official Website
Website: https://www.chepikawine.com/