Wine Bottled Alive

Andrew Scott and Jennifer Clark did not grow up in wine. They worked corporate jobs in Manhattan for a long, long time — the kind of jobs that pay well but leave you wondering what you're actually making. [^102^] Along the way, they married each other, bought a tiny house in suburban New Jersey, and developed an interest in French wine. In 1996, Andrew received a winemaking kit as a gift from his brother with a note that read: "If you really want to learn about wine why don't you make some?" [^102^]

That first batch — from a grape concentrate of unknown origin — came out pretty terrible. But the process was fascinating. Soon, fall centred around grape runs to the Finger Lakes and stomping fruit in the driveway. [^102^] Each year the home winemaking grew a little more: from the basement to the garage, and finally to a barn in rural upstate New York. In 2001, they purchased a former dairy farm in Long Eddy — a weekend retreat with a cow barn, a silo, and 45 acres of land that had been in agricultural use since the 1940s. [^102^]

The dairy had shut down in the mid-1970s, and the farm changed hands several times before Andrew and Jennifer found it. [^102^] The winery is set up in what was originally the cow barn — low ceilings, little to no insulation, rough concrete floors. "A less than ideal space for winemaking," they admit, "but at least it has floor drains." [^102^] In 2008, inspired by the need for a good bottle of wine at the local farmers' market, they crushed their first grapes under the Eminence Road Farm Winery label. The name comes from the actual road — Eminence Road — named by settlers who arrived in the 1850s from the hamlet of Eminence in Schoharie County. [^102^]

Today, the proprietors include Andrew Scott, Jennifer Clark, Brigette Federline-Spears, Barry Boy, and Otto "Ozzy" Osbourne — the last three being the dogs, all adopted from the Rock Hill Animal Shelter. [^102^] The farm has extensive vegetable gardens, a half-acre hobby vineyard planted to cold-climate hybrids (Landot Noir, Petit Pearl, Louise Swenson, Itasca), and a 45-panel solar installation that covers all power needs for the house and business, with surplus energy going back into the grid. [^102^] Andrew also has a thing for giant pumpkins — the photo of Jennifer, Andrew, and the dearly departed Lester sitting on a massive pumpkin has become something of an Eminence Road signature. [^102^]

Eminence Road is refreshingly honest about the environmental paradox of making wine. "It's difficult to make any claims about being ecologically friendly when your business is producing wine, something the planet ultimately does not need," they write. "But here we are." [^102^] Rather than greenwashing, they have taken concrete, measurable steps to reduce their impact — starting with the 45-panel solar installation in 2018 that generates more power than the farm and business consume, feeding surplus back into the grid. [^102^]

In the winery, packaging is kept deliberately low-impact: lightweight bottles to reduce shipping emissions, natural corks made from sustainably harvested tree bark, kraft paper labels that they print and cut themselves and attach with non-toxic, water-soluble adhesive. [^102^] They strive to generate as little waste as possible — especially plastic — reuse everything they can, and compost everything else. The half-acre hobby vineyard is planted to cold-climate hybrids (Landot Noir, Petit Pearl, Louise Swenson, Itasca) that are self-rooted and require minimal intervention. [^102^] The east-facing slope is fairly well drained, but the surrounding mountains limit sunlight, and poor soil, short summers, and extreme winter cold create a difficult growing situation even for the hardiest varieties. Raspberries and blueberries fare better. [^102^]

The winery is open to the public by appointment only — a deliberate choice that keeps the experience intimate and personal. [^96^] Visitors who make the trek to Long Eddy find a working farm, not a tasting room with a view. There are dogs to pet, vegetables to admire, giant pumpkins to marvel at, and wine that tastes like the place it came from — the Finger Lakes grapes, the Catskills air, the cow barn cellar, and the hands that made it.

Andrew and Jennifer's advice for drinking their wine is characteristically unpretentious: "Because the wine is bottled without fining or filtration and only a minimal amount of sulfite it is important it be kept cool at all times. High temperatures can greatly diminish flavor, aroma and quality. Just a brief amount of time in a hot car can ruin a bottle of wine. Ideal storage conditions are a temperature of fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit with seventy percent humidity and complete darkness. Cork finished bottles should be stored on their side. An unfiltered wine will often have some amount of sediment in the bottle. This is a natural, harmless deposit that can be easily removed by decanting. Serve cool but never cold. For best results drink wine outside with good food and people you love." [^102^]