Winegrapes in Vermont
The long summer days and cool nights of our northern location, along with the rocky soil of our hilltop, give us the perfect conditions to produce red wine grapes. The Marquette and Farnsworth grapes that we cultivate create wines unlike any others in the world.
Marquette wines have deep cherry and brambly flavors with notes of black pepper and spice. Farnsworth wines are rich with tannins and flavors of black fruits. We pick the grapes by hand and create wines in small batches. We process the grapes with a light touch to allow the full complexity of our terroir to express itself.
After aging in oak barrels, we carefully bottle the wine, then allow further aging in the bottle to allow the wines to get a good start on reaching their full maturity. In our wine library, we have Marquette wines going back to 2008. These older vintages develop a depth of flavor that demonstrate the rewards of patience and careful aging.
Our History — The Granstrom Family
“We began farming this land in 1981, when I started an apple tree nursery. I grafted and sold trees for 10 years, all the while getting a strawberry farm established. The strawberry enterprise took off; folks used to line theirs cars up in the morning waiting for us to open our gates. The strawberries were good to us for more than 20 years, but the promise of the new, cold-hardy grape varieties caught our attention.
For us, it all started back in 2001 with a shoebox full of grapevine cuttings from a fellow in Minnesota. I planted the cuttings; they grew, and then thrived. Within a few years, grapes took over our strawberry fields, and a new chapter in the life of this farm — and family — had begun.
In 2006 we made our first batch of commercial wine. Over more than a decade, we grew to make about 25,000 bottles of wine a year– all strictly from grapes grown on our farm. Our wines won a loyal following from Vermont to California, and won four best-in-show awards along with several gold and double-gold medals at International Cold-Climate Wine Competition.
Some folks may have thought we were crazy to start an enterprise like this, but with some good land, careful farming techniques, a great farm crew, and support from our neighbors, it’s all working out. We like to think that we’re helping to turn a new page in Vermont’s long and varied agricultural history.” — Chris Granstrom, Founder and Previous Owner
Our New Path in 2021 — Becoming a part of the Shelburne Vineyard Family
We have worked closely with Lincoln Peak's founders, the Granstroms, for many years. When Chris Granstrom recently decided it was time to retire, we were honored that he approached us to work with him, and that we could carry on the legacy he's built.
In the words of Ken, Owner and Founder of Shelburne Vineyard:
“Chris and I first met in 2001 when he wrote an article for Vermont Life Magazine about the first three pioneering vineyards in VT, and we at Shelburne Vineyard were one of those three. He caught the vineyard bug soon after that, and changed his New Haven farm from growing strawberries to a grape vine nursery. He was one of the first licensees for the University of Minnesota’s (U of MN) newly-developed cold climate hybrid grapes, and we were one of his first customers.
In the spring of 2006, we purchased our first vines of Marquette from Chris, which he had expertly propagated at the first moment the U of MN released them for general sale. Chris soon transitioned from vine nursery grower to winemaker, and he also chose to focus on Marquette.
As Chris has also said, we were in friendly competition while always communicating, sharing tastings, and learning from each other. We both focused on making the absolute best wines possible here in VT with the MN cold climate hybrid grapes. Both of us have submitted wines to the International Cold Climate Wine Competition, conducted by the U of MN, and both us have won, with our respective Marquette, more best in show reds than all the other cold-climate growers combined. We both treat our cold climate vines, the reds and the whites, with the same degree of care that a Napa winery gives their vines. Both of us have continuously explored our unique terroir to craft increasingly interesting and innovative, delicious wines with these exciting new grape varieties.
During the past two growing seasons, we at Shelburne Vineyard have taken over management of five acres of his Lincoln Peak vines, and we’ve learned a bit about the area and learned more about how Chris managed his vines. So when Chris decided it was time to retire, and sell what he had built, we knew that we had to be the ones to carry on the legacy.
So now we are taking on this awesome challenge: continuing the path that Chris started. It’s not just about making good wines; it's about continuing the warm and welcoming place the Granstroms created for the Middlebury/Addison community. We will do our darndest to continue that tradition, while also bringing our own spirit and sense of adventure to the vineyard and tasting room.
We will start taking a few steps at a time, until we regain the breadth of what Lincoln Peak has offered to visitors. Our team at Shelburne Vineyard - my business partner Sam, Ethan our Winegrower, Kate our Tasting Room Manager, Joe our Marketing & Events Manager, and Gail and I, look forward to getting to know the Middlebury / Addison community and continue the Lincoln Peak tradition, now as a part of the Shelburne Vineyard family.” — Ken Albert, Owner & Founder of Shelburne Vineyard
