Hunt Country Vineyards

Hunt Country Vineyards is a vineyard and winery located approximately one mile west of Branchport, New York, near Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area. The business was established in 1981 by Arthur C. Hunt and Joyce H. Hunt, continuing a much older family farming tradition on land acquired by Arthur Hunt's great-great-grandfather, Ambrose Hunt, in 1852. The property has remained in cultivation across successive generations of the Hunt family. The farm's viticultural history predates the winery by many decades. Its oldest surviving vines were planted in 1904 and include Concord and Niagara, two varieties associated with the agricultural heritage of the eastern United States and the Finger Lakes. When the current generation assumed responsibility for the farm in 1973, approximately 18 acres were planted with those grapes. By 2008, the operation was harvesting about 50 acres of grapes. Hunt Country's vineyard sits on glacially deposited gravelly loam with a moderate five-to-seven-percent slope. Its production reflects the Finger Lakes' cool-climate conditions and includes French-American hybrids, Cornell-developed varieties, Vitis vinifera grapes, and native North American grapes. Reported plantings include Seyval blanc, Vignoles, Vidal blanc, De Chaunac, Cayuga White, Horizon, Valvin Muscat, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Concord, Niagara, and Delaware. The winery has been described as producing roughly 12,000 cases annually across 21 wines, with a stated production capacity of 70,000 gallons. The winery is particularly associated with Vidal Ice Wine, a concentrated dessert wine made by leaving Vidal blanc grapes on the vine until they freeze naturally. The frozen grapes are hand harvested and pressed while frozen, separating ice from concentrated juice before fermentation. This technique produces a richly sweet wine suited to cold-climate wine regions. The product received national exposure when it was featured on NBC's Today Show in 2006. Sustainability and agricultural experimentation are central elements of Hunt Country's operating identity. The vineyard has used compost made from grape pomace combined with manure from a neighboring farm to return organic matter to the soil. Other reported initiatives include planting English ground ivy beneath and between vine rows to reduce herbicide use and mowing, using biodiesel produced from waste grease for tractors, operating a small wind turbine for electricity, and maintaining bat houses to support natural insect control. In 2020, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation recognized the winery with its Sustainability Award for environmental stewardship, resource conservation, and contributions to the state's wine economy. The vineyard also participated in research and practical experimentation involving field grafting. Between 1984 and 1988, the Hunts worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension grape specialist Dr. Tom Zabadal to replace less suitable grape varieties with more promising varieties for the region. The method shortened vineyard conversion from a process that could take approximately seven years to one that could be completed in about two years. Together, the winery's family continuity, Finger Lakes location, broad varietal portfolio, ice-wine specialization, and sustainability efforts define its brand identity.

Hunt Country Vineyards forms part of a farming lineage that extends back to 1852, when Ambrose Hunt acquired the property in the Branchport area of New York's Finger Lakes. The land was cultivated by Hunt descendants for generations before it became a winery. Arthur C. Hunt and Joyce H. Hunt founded Hunt Country Vineyards in 1981, while the family had already been managing the farm since 1973. This continuity allowed the winery to build on established agricultural knowledge and long-lived vineyard plantings rather than beginning with a newly cleared site. The oldest vines identified at the property were planted in 1904. They included Concord and Niagara, varieties that reflect the region's long history of growing grapes for fresh consumption, juice, and wine. In 1973, approximately 18 acres of these grapes were being cultivated. The vineyard later expanded its acreage and varietal range; by 2008, the farm was harvesting approximately 50 acres of grapes. During the 1980s, the Hunts worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension grape specialist Dr. Tom Zabadal on a field-grafting program. The objective was to convert unsuitable or less desirable grape plantings into varieties better adapted to wine production in a cold-climate vineyard. Conventional vineyard conversion could require removal of old vines, soil-restoration crops, replanting, and several years of maturation. Field grafting reduced the reported conversion period from roughly seven years to approximately two years, allowing the vineyard to change its mix more efficiently. Hunt Country's plantings came to include French-American hybrids such as Seyval blanc, Vignoles, Vidal blanc, and De Chaunac; Cornell varieties including Cayuga White, Horizon, and Valvin Muscat; the Vitis vinifera grapes Riesling and Cabernet Franc; and native varieties including Concord, Niagara, and Delaware. The vineyard's glacially deposited gravelly loam and moderate slope provide the physical setting for these plantings. Average reported yields are approximately four to six tons per acre. The winery developed a portfolio suited to the Finger Lakes climate and became especially associated with Vidal Ice Wine. This dessert wine is made by retaining grapes on the vine until winter freezing concentrates the juice. The grapes are hand picked and pressed while frozen, leaving much of the water as ice and producing a smaller volume of concentrated juice for fermentation. The wine was featured on NBC's Today Show in 2006, giving the regional producer broader public visibility. Sustainable farming has remained an important part of the winery's identity. Hunt Country has used compost made from grape pomace and neighboring-farm manure, experimented with English ground ivy as a living ground cover, used biodiesel made from waste grease for tractors, generated some electricity with a small wind turbine, and installed bat houses to encourage natural insect predation. In 2020, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation presented the winery with a Sustainability Award. The recognition cited its conservation work, environmental practices, and contribution to the New York wine industry. The winery has been reported to produce about 12,000 cases of 21 different wines per year, with capacity of approximately 70,000 gallons. Its history therefore combines inherited farmland, varietal experimentation, Cornell-linked viticultural research, distinctive ice-wine production, and sustainability-oriented operations within the Finger Lakes wine region.

• 2020

  New York Wine & Grape Foundation Sustainability Award

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  The winery received the foundation's Sustainability Award for environmental stewardship and sustainable practices.

• 2008

  Approximately 50 acres are harvested

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  The vineyard harvested roughly 50 acres of grapes, according to the cited reference.

• 2006

  Vidal Ice Wine receives national television exposure

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  Hunt Country's Vidal Ice Wine was featured on NBC's Today Show.

• 1988

  Field-grafting research period concludes

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  The reported collaboration period ended after demonstrating a faster approach to replacing unsuitable grape varieties in a cold-climate vineyard.

• 1984

  Field-grafting collaboration begins

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  The Hunts began a collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension grape specialist Dr. Tom Zabadal to convert vineyard plantings more rapidly through field grafting.

• 1981

  Hunt Country Vineyards is founded

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  Arthur C. Hunt and Joyce H. Hunt established the vineyard and winery as a commercial wine business.

• 1973

  The current Hunt generation takes over the farm

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  The current generation of Hunts assumed responsibility for the farm, which then had approximately 18 acres of Concord and Niagara grapes.

• 1904

  Oldest documented grapevines are planted

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  The property's oldest cited vines, Concord and Niagara, were planted and remained part of its agricultural heritage.

• 1852

  Ambrose Hunt acquires the family farm

  [1]Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org

  Ambrose Hunt purchased the property that later became the base of the Hunt family vineyard and winery.

A family-operated Finger Lakes winery combining multigenerational farming, regional grape varieties, distinctive cold-climate wines, and visible sustainability practices.

• Dessert wine

  Vidal Ice Wine

  Hunt Country's best-known offering is a cold-climate ice wine made from Vidal blanc. Grapes remain on the vine into winter and are harvested and pressed while naturally frozen. The process leaves water behind as ice and concentrates the remaining juice, which is fermented into an intensely sweet dessert wine. The product gained wider public attention after appearing on NBC's Today Show in 2006.

• Wine

  Hunt Country wine portfolio

  The winery produces a broad Finger Lakes portfolio reported to include approximately 21 wines and roughly 12,000 cases annually. Its grapes span French-American hybrids, Cornell-developed varieties, Vitis vinifera, and native North American grapes, allowing the portfolio to cover dry, aromatic, varietal, and dessert styles suited to the region's cool climate.

• 2020

  Sustainability practices receive formal recognitionStrategy

  Background

  The winery had implemented practices involving compost, reduced herbicide and mowing needs, alternative tractor fuel, wind-generated electricity, and habitat for natural insect predators.

  Action taken

  The New York Wine & Grape Foundation awarded Hunt Country Vineyards its Sustainability Award.

  Aftermath

  The award publicly recognized the winery's environmental work and its role in New York's wine economy.

  Source

• 1984

  Adoption of field grafting to change vineyard varietiesStrategy

  Background

  Replacing an established vineyard through conventional removal, soil restoration, replanting, and maturation could take approximately seven years.

  Action taken

  Hunt Country collaborated with Cornell Cooperative Extension specialist Dr. Tom Zabadal to use field grafting for conversion to more suitable wine-grape varieties.

  Aftermath

  The approach reportedly reduced the conversion period to about two years and supported the vineyard's shift toward a wider wine-grape portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Hunt Country Vineyardsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hunt Country Vineyards official websitehuntcountryvineyards.com