Pine Bush, NY

 

Richard Eldridge and his late wife, Valerie Eldridge were home winemakers and had been growing grapes for some time. Almost 40 years ago, in 1979, the two decided to start up, part-time, a winery. The winery that is now known today as, Brimstone Hill Vineyard and Winery.

“A little bit of insanity,” Richard told us about their new venture, “a lot of insanity.”

10 years prior to the beginnings of Brimstone Winery, the couple moved to upstate from The City after Richard landed a job teaching at Orange Community College, where he taught Political Science for 31 years. Before this Richard was in media research, buying, and planning for ad agencies, but he knew that wasn’t the place for him.

Valerie had been the inspiration for the beginning of their new business endeavor. Valerie was French, and her family had been making wine for years.  Because of this, the couple often traveled to France to visit family. Valerie’s appreciation for wine and winemaking began to rub off on Richard. In their travels, they learned a lot about the French style.

Richard’s background in winemaking stemmed from the Cornell cooperative extension, trips to France, and workshops that Cornell put on in Geneva, which he attended for 15 years, every spring. Although the couple planned to keep their operation small, they were interested in the intricacies of winemaking, which is why Richard sought out many different avenues to learn more about its production. As an academic himself, this seemed to be his nature.

In 1979, The Farm Winery Act gave grape growers the ability to sell to retailers and the general public. Beforehand most could not afford to use distributors, which made it harder to get their wine to customers. This gave Valerie and Richard the extra boost they needed to start their own winery. They wanted to make wine strictly from grapes, as opposed to fruit, to make sure their hand-crafted product had a narrow focus. Having changed quite a bit over the years, purchasing other properties, and working with different systems, they now have about thirteen acres of vines.

Retired now, Richard has more time to spend making wine. The winery has some part-time help during their harvest season, the second week in September, but most of the work he does himself. Admittedly, Richard told us he didn’t think their wines were very good in their early days. When they began making wine, there were probably about 35 wineries in all of New York State. But as the wine industry in New York has come a long way, so has Brimstone, winning multiple medals for their wine today.

“I mean, when I walk into a liquor store nowadays they don’t throw me out first thing”

Through festivals and events, Brimstone Hill Winery’s wine has gotten a lot more recognition over the years that they are very proud of. Their wine is sold about fourteen retail stores in the Hudson Valley and is identified as a “local wine with a French touch”. They are best known for their dry reds and sweeter white wines.

“It is a combination of art and science,” Richard told us, and he has come a long way to perfect it. Their tasting room is open Friday through Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or by appointment, where you can stop by, taste their wine, and speak to the man who made it himself. They are also part of the Shawangunk Wine Trail for those looking to visit multiple wineries throughout the Valley.

 

 

 

 

 

CONTACT

Phone: (845) 744 – 2231
Email: brimstonehillwinery@gmail.com
Click Here to visit the Brimstone Hill Vineyard and Winery website
Location: 61 Brimstone Hill Rd, Pine Bush, NY 12566