The Rivendell Winery is not one of the old venerable institutions like Benmarl or Brotherhood. Rivendell was established, just outside of New Paltz, in 1987 by the Ransom family. As such, they are a relative newcomer to the Hudson. Rivendell does not grow its own grapes at
present so they are not an example of a great grape farmer figuring out how to grow delicate vinifera grapes in the difficult Hudson River Valley. Rivendell sources its grapes from all over the state and vinifies good and sometimes exceptional wines. They were recognized by WinesNY.com in the 2008 Finger Lakes Riesling article as a top Riesling winemaker, placing two wines in the top fifteen of all labels considered.
The Rivendell Winery and its proprietor, Robert Ransom, are important to the region as evangelists for quality winemaking in New York. Critical components of their efforts were two "Vintage New York" retail stores in New York City which operated as farm wineries under the state's laws. These city based winery tasting rooms, located in Soho and the Upper West Side, sold only New York State wines and agricultural products. The Soho location was actually aging wine in barrels in the basement and, as such, was indeed a truly a winery. The establishment's had tasting rooms were not dissimilar to those found in wineries upstate or on Long Island. Unlike at most other tasting rooms customers could taste not just Rivendell's output but sample wines from producers from across the state. The selections were generally some of the best wine the New York had to offer. Vintage New York conducted classes, hosted winemaker dinners, and sponsored other events to further introduce the quality of the state's wine products to the citizens of the city. Unfortunately both establishments have recently closed and there is currently no "New York State only" wine presence in the Manhattan. This has been a hard blow to the efforts to fully break into the great wine market of New York City by the farmers of New York State.
For the wine tourist to the Hudson Valley the Rivendell winery provided an easy way to get a broad sampling of the local wares in a single location. Like their downstate locations, the tasting room offered 200 different wines to try and buy. A trip to Rivendell served as a gateway to the region, helping to insure that a visit to the Hudson River wine country would be a more successful experience than just a nice drive in the country. In many ways Ransom served a role as the state's sommelier identifying the best of what was being produced from the more mediocre efforts.
The Rivendell Winery is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the town of New Paltz which could well threaten the winery's existence. What is more disconcerting is the town's contention is that winemaking is not an agricultural activity and vineyards do not constitute farms. As part of this assult New Paltz has seized Rivendell's new winery and vineyards. If the town is successful it could knock the legal underpinnings out from under the 1976 Farm Winery Act. Every town, village, hamlet, or zip code in the state could independently determine what constitutes farming. Based very much on their own parochial point of view they could legally place unreasonable constraints their local "had been" farmers. If some local burg's council decided they didn't like , say broccoli, they could independently decide that growing this crop did not constitute an agricultural activity As a justification for their fiat they would cite New Paltz vs. Rivendell as a precedent. The concept that laws across the could be a baroque patchwork depending on where one farmed could well spell the end agriculture in the New York State.
The wine industry, which was just about dead prior to 1976, is now a vibrant and growing sector of New York State's agricultural business. It is estimated that the wine and grape industry contributes nearly $4 billion to the state's annual economy and is now a bright spot for upstate. The tremendous effort and success of the past thirty years could be well threatened by the stance that New Paltz has taken. The effect could well be the conversion of many of New York's wineries and other farms into suburban subdivisions, shopping malls, and parking lots making the mid Hudson resemble Levittown. Unless the land can be economically viable by means other than "development" that will be the eventual fate of the region.
It remains to be seen what will happen with Rivendell, but their contribution to the growth of winemaking in the Hudson and the State as a whole has been significant. Their downstate facilities introduced many New York City residents to the joys of local wine products where they could still take the subway home. New York State's farm wine industry will be poorer without the Ransom's. It is hoped that Rivendell will be able to survive its current tribulations and remake itself into the great establishment it had once been.
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