Your father Michael planted experimental vines back in 1979. What's your earliest memory of the vineyard?
The earliest memories for me are some of my earliest memories period. Being on the back of the tractor and planting vines, probably around age 3 or 4.
You grew up in the family business and now run it as GM. Was that always the plan, or did you take a detour?
I've always been involved to a degree, there's no way to grow up on the farm and not be involved. However I lived in NYC for 15 years or so and trained dogs for most of that time. Then in 2015 or so the then manager of tasting room left and they needed a replacement. Since then I've been full time and eventually came into my current role.
Whitecliff is a woman-owned winery. What has your mother Yancey's leadership meant for the business?
We always joke my mom is on the "make money" side of the business and my dad is on the "spend money" side of the business. Meaning my mom has always done the wholesale, advertising, retail, etc, and my dad has done production and agriculture. Without my moms example I wouldn't be able to do what I do today, and definitely the business wouldn't have been as durable as it's been.
What makes the Hudson Valley a serious wine region, and what do people still underestimate about it?
The Hudson Valley is the oldest wine growing region in the US and even so people still often overlook it. It's often assumed we don't have the right climate to grow great grapes which has never been true. For example this year our Cab Franc at our Hudson vineyard came in at 23 brix!
Which grapes are you most excited about right now, and why?
Not to be a broken record but our Cab Franc definitely for the mentioned quality (we also got great quantity this year). We also won best Hudson Valley grapes, best red grapes, but red wine, and best wine overall for our Cab Franc at this years Hudson Valley Wine Competition, making it officially the best wine in the valley!
You have a tasting room in Hudson as well as the vineyard in Gardiner. How do the two experiences differ?
I often describe them as cousins, not sisters. The spaces, vibes, vineyards, towns, and visitors are very different. Our Gardiner location is where we do all of our production and the older more established space, and Hudson is a smaller space but in a very popular town for weekend visitors.
How are you making Whitecliff appealing to younger drinkers who might grab a hard seltzer instead?
This is the question every alcohol producer is asking themselves! We're doing a lot more events and popups to bring in a wider range of people who may not have heard of us or been interested in wine before. We're also making sure to be un-pretentious in our approach with customers. We never want anyone to feel like they need to know something before coming in. We'll teach them if they want, or just point them to the wine they'll like if they don't want a whole production.
What does climate change look like on the ground in your vineyard?
It's the single biggest obstacle for us and it's not even close. The weather is more and more unpredictable and there's no way to totally prevent that. For example we didn't get any harvest from our Gardiner vineyard this year because of deep winter cold and late frost, and we had a banner year from our Hudson vineyard at the same time.
What's your favorite Whitecliff bottle to bring to a friend's dinner?
I'm a huge fan of our Pet Nats currently. Our Vidal Blanc specifically recently won best sparkling wine at the HV Wine Comp. and I'm very proud of it.
What's the hardest part of running a family business with family?
Imagine working with your mom and dad. I love them but it's often hard for all of us to separate one dynamic from another.
How do you see the Hudson Valley's drinks scene, with its wineries, distilleries and cideries, growing together?
We have made sure to always approach the industry and the region as a rising tide raising all ships. But I know we're all worried about the contracting alcohol market, so I worry that may change. But with the city so close the region will never lack for seasonal visitors, so hopefully it continues on an upward trend.
What would you tell someone in their twenties thinking about a career in wine?
There's a lot of different parts to the business so I'd tell them to think about which part they would be happiest in. Do you love people? Then get into the customer facing side. Do you love chemistry? Then production. Farming and the outdoors? then viticulture. It's a big complicated business so there's a lot of different places someone can fit in.
