Glendale Ridge Vineyard in Southampton is both a farm (vineyard) where grapes for winemaking are grown and a winery, which harvests, presses and ages wine for sale. The picturesque valley was originally a dairy farm. Mary and Ed Hamel, co-owners of Glendale Ridge, discovered the site around 1990, when they first rode their bicycles down Glendale Road from their home in Westhampton.
Ed Hamel grew up visiting his grandfather’s dairy farm in Vermont, where the desire to farm was planted. By trade, Ed Hamel was a contractor, and when he discovered the house was for sale, he first considered the property for building a few modest homes.
As the couple walked the land, “We realized we couldn’t bring ourselves to develop it,” said Mary Hamel. “Ed always wanted to farm, and we worked with Kestrel Land Trust to put half the property under a conservation restriction and the other half in Agricultural Preservation Restriction to ensure the land is protected.”
While maple leaves and apples are emblematic of New England, few locals suspect that the native grapes climbing along woodland edges connect our region to a long history of winemaking. Farmers planted the classic European grape varieties known as “Vitis vinifera” (common grapevine) as far back as the 17th century in Massachusetts, but the vines struggled here.
According to historical records, native Concord grapes discovered in the town by the same name were used for making a tart table wine. After a tussle with pest problems in the 1800s, winemakers started hybridizing grapes, pairing the European Vitis vinifera grapes with American “Vitis labrusca” (fox grape) varieties — the family to which the Concord grape belongs. Winemaking continued until Prohibition stopped all wine production in the state. After a long hiatus, it resurfaced in the 1980s with a limited number of vineyards.
To produce wine in our region, the varieties of the grapes matter. At Glendale Ridge, 40 acres of hillside supports the Vinifera grapes that soak in the sun while facing the Holyoke Range. Across the street, an almost equal amount of land supports hybrid grape varieties that derive from the American Vitis labrusca lineage.
By 2018, Glendale Ridge was open and operating both as a vineyard and a winery. Mary Hamel explains, “All the wines we produce are made with grapes that are grown here or with fruit that we can pick up ourselves, from Long Island or the Finger Lakes region.”
“You want to buy vines from similar growing zones that won’t be shocked by the climate,” she said.
There is an investment of time from planting to full harvest, as it can take up to five years for a vine to reach full fruit production.
The winemaking process is the alchemy that changes grapes into wine. Tim Beaudry is the winemaker at Glendale Ridge, who trained in Bordeaux and Napa Valley. When grapes are harvested, they are put in 30-pound lugs (a standardized crate). Farmer Ed brings the lugs from the vineyard into the winery, where the winemaker takes over.
Simple equipment crushes and destems the grapes, sending the juice into a vat. For white wines, there is another machine that pulls the skins off the grapes. Ed Hamel explains that there is no recipe for making wine.
“You take what the year gives you. There is no formula, and each year is different from last year,” Ed Hamel said.
He explains that Beaudry coaxes distinctive flavors out of the grapes by timing and monitoring levels of sugar, yeast, alcohol content and acid. When the wine contains more than 75% of a particular grape, the name of the wine matches its source. These are known as full varietal wines, like Riesling, Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Traminette, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Corot Noir. Following the industry standards, Glendale offers blended wines, with “fanciful names,” such as Tango, Crescent White, or Ridge Red.
The labels on Glendale Ridge bottles were designed by artist Mark Beard and reflect the Hamels and their farm.
“Wherever the sun is coming up, Eddie knows the date by looking at the sky. I love the cumulous clouds, so those represent me. Then we have the grapes. The drawings are a composite of us and this place,” Mary Hamel said.
Although the labels infer the sky, Glendale Ridge is firmly rooted in the land and in community. Mary Hamel said, “Community is a core value for us.” Throughout the year, the winery hosts bingo to benefit local nonprofits with Molly the Bingo Queen. Glendale Ridge is sponsoring a team to walk this year’s March for the Food Bank the week of Thanksgiving.
Sharing wine and their Southampton farm with community is important to Mary Hamel. “It is a joy to produce the kind of wines we produce,” she said. “We love sharing our property with other people who want to come here. We know they’re looking at the view; they’re feeling the peace and quiet, and relaxation of being here. We hope people always feel better when they leave than when they came.”
This season, the winery offers a holiday shop with hostess gifts and curated gift boxes of local treats. On Saturday, Nov. 22, Glendale will host a Holiday Maker’s Market from 1-6 p.m. The vineyard offers a Burning of the Canes event on Saturday, Dec. 20. A ticket includes a hike in the vineyard at dusk with headlamps, a bonfire, glass of wine and nibbles from a food truck.
On Saturday, Nov. 29, Small Business Saturday, the vineyard hosts their case sale in the barn. Mary Hamel said, “There are really good discounts on cases, with 20% of mixed cases, or 25% off cases (six bottles) of the same variety. Wine is great for entertaining and gift-giving.”
For more information on holiday events, wine sales or wine club membership at Glendale Ridge, visit glendaleridgevineyard.com.
Lisa Goodrich is a Communications Coordinator for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). To find wine and other specialty foods from our region, see CISA’s online guide at buylocalfood.org.