Rivendell Winery

Rivendell Winery is a bit unusual amongst the selection of vintners that are being highlighted for this article. Most of the other wines are estate bottled, meaning that the winemaker was also the grape grower. Also, all of the other wines were made by winemakers that were located in the Finger Lakes . Rivendell is located in the Hudson Valley near New Paltz so its Finger Lakes Riesling grapes are purchased from vineyards in the Finger Lakes and made outside of the region in the Hudson Valley. Hence the wines are not estate bottled nor are they made in the Lakes region. They are, however, exceptional wines. When asked why they purchased grapes for their wine, Robert Ransom, the owner of the winery, said that he couldn’t grow good Riesling in the Hudson Valley so he had to acquire the grapes from a region that did grow great Riesling grapes.

The winery was started in 1987 by the Ransom Family in New Paltz on the west bank of the Hudson. The location had been previously established as a winery in the '70's. Rivendell's approach is to purchase grapes from where they grow best throughout the state and focus on making exceptional wine. The strategy has certainly worked well for their Rieslings as they have won many awards for their products.

Rivendell and Robert Ransom are more than winemakers. They are evangelists for New York vinifera wines and New York State wines in general. They opened two tasting rooms and retail outlets in New York City that feature only New York wines. Customers may taste any of the wines prior to purchasing thereby helping to break down a common hesitance of buying unknown labels from an area that they are not familiar with. The Soho store is also a bonded winery and the home of the Soho Cellars label. They have classes and guided tasting to help educated the wine drinking public of the quality and variety of the state's local wines.