Finger Lakes Wine and Agritourism: Insights from the 2025 Community Development Society Conference

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At the 2025 Community Development Society Conference in Geneva, New York, a panel of leaders in winemaking, viticulture, and beverage education explored how the region is shaping its future through talent development, economic sustainability, and authentic storytelling.

The Finger Lakes wine industry is not only rooted in rich soils and storied vineyards but also in collaboration, innovation, and a deep sense of community. 

Coming together in a special recording for the Spilled Salt podcast, the panel discussion featured:

Cultivating the Next Generation of Wine and Hospitality Professionals

Panelists agreed that creating pathways into the industry starts with breaking down barriers to entry. Wineries, educational programs, and hospitality organizations are actively welcoming individuals with little or no prior experience. From hands-on vineyard internships at Finger Lakes Community College to flexible harvest work arrangements, the goal is to meet aspiring professionals where they are.

This approach not only addresses seasonal labor shortages but also turns newcomers into ambassadors for the region. Many participants in harvest programs leave with a deeper appreciation for wine and often carry that enthusiasm into careers in marketing, hospitality, or production.

Leading the Way in a Traditionally Male-Dominated Field

While the wine industry has made progress in gender diversity, challenges remain. The panel highlighted the importance of creating inclusive workplaces, mentorship opportunities, and leadership roles for women. Positive cultural shifts—combined with intentional hiring practices—are helping ensure that talent, not tradition, determines who gets to thrive in winemaking and viticulture.

Programs like diversity-focused education events at New York Kitchen are helping broaden awareness of career opportunities beyond cellar and vineyard roles. Marketing, events, education, and brand building are all part of a more inclusive picture.

Economic Sustainability and the Price of Wine

One of the most pressing issues is balancing fair wages with bottle prices that local markets will support. While national and international buyers may pay a premium, local consumers often have price ceilings. Wineries are addressing this challenge through tiered pricing strategies, value-added experiences, and diversified tasting options.

Panelists emphasized that raising awareness of the true labor and craftsmanship behind each bottle is essential. Encouraging local restaurants and retailers to feature more New York wines can also strengthen the regional economy and support year-round employment.

Storytelling as a Driver of Agritourism and Regional Identity

The Finger Lakes region is known for its strong sense of community and collaborative spirit. This camaraderie is a competitive advantage, allowing wineries to share resources, co-market events, and collectively promote the region.

Storytelling plays a central role in attracting both tourists and locals. Whether through winery-hosted dinners, garden tastings, or art-inspired wine labels, panelists underscored that experiences anchored in genuine narratives resonate most with visitors. These stories deepen the connection between consumers and the people who make the wine.

Innovation in Wine Tourism and Outreach

To stay competitive, Finger Lakes wineries are expanding their reach through both digital and in-person channels. Social media is being used to educate consumers about vineyard life and seasonal changes, while in-market events connect with audiences in nearby cities like Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany.

Collaborative marketing initiatives, such as Riesling blind tastings in New York City or regional Cabernet Franc promotions, are helping the Finger Lakes stand out in national and international markets.

Bridging Wine with the Arts

Art and wine have long been natural partners, and local wineries are leaning into this synergy. From student-designed wine labels to annual art series bottlings, these collaborations showcase creativity both in the vineyard and beyond. Partnerships with local arts organizations and events, such as Sparkling Night at the Smith Opera House, help draw new audiences and strengthen cultural ties.

Emerging Opportunities for Growth

The panel closed with a look toward the future. Promising opportunities include cooperative groups like Wineries Without Walls, which give micro producers visibility without the overhead of a tasting room, and international harvest exchanges that bring new techniques and perspectives back to the region.

Export markets, while currently challenging, remain on the radar. Strategic relationship building, even at a small scale, is laying the groundwork for future sales abroad.

Transcript

This transcript has been edited from its original form to support readability.

Maureen Ballatori: I’m Maureen Ballatori and this is Spilled Salt, a podcast on the thrills and spills from the food, beverage and agriculture industries. 

This is a special episode of the podcast where this is a live output recording from the 2025 Community Development Society annual conference, which took place in Geneva, New York in July of 2025.

So this panel discussion includes myself plus four individuals:

Our discussion in this panel focuses on community engagement, economic development, and the intersection of young people, women, and the food and beverage industry that’s shaping the Finger Lakes region. But we really put a community spin on it because this being the Community Development Society Conference.

With that, today’s discussion focuses heavily on those topics with the unique perspectives from those very talented individuals. 

Enjoy the conversation!

Maureen: Good morning. I am so excited to be here with all of you and to facilitate this discussion and make sure that it is the coffee and energy that leads you into the rest of the conference.

I am a big believer in asking questions throughout the session. Typically in a panel discussion like this, questions are saved until the end. You are welcome to save them until then. We do have dedicated time at the end of this discussion to facilitate questions.

However, if you have a question while we are talking, please ask it. We are going to be sitting up here talking at you, hopefully with you, until eleven o’clock. So feel free to jump in with questions as they come up.

I am Maureen Ballatori. I am the founder and CEO of Agency 29, which is a brand building firm focused on food, beverage, and agriculture. I also host a podcast called Spilled Salt. Today, we are doing a live recording for the Spilled Salt podcast. This session will be recorded and released on the podcast in the next couple of months.

I am delighted to be here with my very talented panelists. I will have them introduce themselves, and maybe we can start with Maiah. 

Maiah Johnson Dunn: Hi, everybody. My name is Maiah Johnson Dunn. I am the beverage education manager at New York Kitchen. I also write about New York wine for Decanter magazine.

Gina Lee: Hello, my name is Gina Lee. I am the coordinator of Finger Lakes Community College’s Viticulture and Wine Technology programs here in Geneva. 

Sarah Gummoe: Hi, I’m Sarah Gummoe. I’m an HWS alum and I’m winemaker at Dr. Frank Family Winery. 

Julia Hoyle: I am Julia Hoyle, also an alum of William Smith. I wear a couple of different hats. I am the head winemaker at Hosmer Winery, which has been around for about fifty years. My spouse and I also own a fifty acre vineyard and launched our own winery, Apollo’s Praise, about two years ago.

In addition, due to my work in economic development, I serve as the agritourism representative for our regional Finger Lakes Economic Development Council, which operates through the state. 

Maureen: I am also a huge fan of agritourism, especially because of our work in agriculture. Who is doing anything related to agritourism in your community?

I thought I would see more hands! Big hello. All right, so we have a couple. If you are not familiar with it, agritourism is a really interesting sector to dive into.

I have split this discussion into a few different segments to help keep us focused in certain areas and to help facilitate the questions you may want to ask based on what you are hoping to gain from today’s panel discussion.

We will begin with building pathways for the next generation. This includes exploring how we nurture those who are coming up alongside us as we grow and support our communities.

With that, I would love to begin with some discussion around talent development. How are you creating entry points for young people who may not have traditional backgrounds in agriculture or hospitality? What barriers have you had to overcome?

Sarah: At Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, we are located in a more rural area compared to many other wineries. We are situated in a more remote corner, and one of our biggest challenges has been attracting talent and staff because of that distance.

This means we have had to bridge the gap by welcoming young people into roles in our tasting room or cellar, even when they have no previous experience. We have embraced this challenge and made a point to be forward thinking in both our training and outreach strategies.

Simple efforts like posting job openings everywhere, including on social media and traditional platforms, have been effective in attracting talent. For example, these strategies have helped us recruit for our cellar team. We have developed a robust training program that fosters a train the trainer approach, which we hope encourages seasonal staff to return year after year during our busy summer tasting room season.

All of these efforts have helped us address the challenge, but it definitely remains a unique hurdle for our location.

Gina: Being part of a higher education program in the heart of the Finger Lakes, which is first and foremost wine country, we support the industry even before our students graduate. Our students begin contributing immediately through vineyard internships. Right now, for example, our first year students are out working in vineyards across the Finger Lakes region.

They also complete a wine internship, giving them hands-on experience that serves the industry while they are still learning. This real time training in the field is essential, not only for their education, but also for supporting the continued growth and success of the wine industry.

Maiah: At New York Kitchen, we are located right on Canandaigua Lake. You should all come visit us sometime. We offer a lot of exciting beverage education, if I do say so myself.

One thing we have learned is that although I live in Rochester and commute to New York Kitchen daily, people often say to me, “I would come here all the time if I did not live in Rochester.” That always makes me laugh, since I make that trip every day.

We have found real value in going out to meet people where they are. Doing so builds comfort and familiarity, which then makes them more willing to come to us. This approach is especially effective in the Finger Lakes, which, for some people, still feels like a new adventure.

Maureen: Yes, so maybe it is about helping people understand that in many of the examples you just gave, it is not as far as they think. Or perhaps, more accurately, helping them see that it is worth the trip.

Julia: Additionally, when you are hiring, I think one of the most dangerous things an employer can do is look only for the exact skill sets they personally value. You need to leave room for people to have different experiences and to grow in different ways.

I know how my brain works. I am not a traditional learner, and when I was younger, that could be challenging depending on the teacher I had. As an employer, and as someone who works with harvest interns, I want to meet people where they are.

I have had interns with zero experience and interns coming to the Finger Lakes for the first time. Last year, I worked with a brand new mom who had child care responsibilities. I told her that was okay. I could work around her schedule, and I valued her desire to learn about winemaking at that time. I know a lot of wineries might not make space for that, but she had a great experience. She and her husband are now starting their own winery. They have a five acre vineyard, and she has hands-on experience she can take back home.

The danger of saying you only value skills X, Y, and Z and hiring exclusively based on that can actually hold your business back. 

Maureen: Yes, certainly there needs to be a willingness and an understanding that you are going to have to train. I have also come to understand that internships during harvest at wineries are quite common. It is a time when help is needed, and the attitude is often, come on in, we need all hands on deck.

Can you speak a bit more to that? Specifically, the idea of internships that take place during harvest at a winery? 

Julia: Yes, I think both of us can speak to that a bit. I personally like to have one or two people with some experience that I can rely on as a head winemaker, especially because there are always ten different things happening at once.

Some of my favorite hires come from the restaurant industry. They understand multitasking, they maintain a good attitude while doing it, and they do not get overwhelmed by a twelve hour day. They already have that mindset. However, it also means they often have no idea what a clamp is, what a gasket is, how a pump works, or what to do when a piece of equipment breaks. But they stay calm, and they say, do not worry about it, we will fix it, give me ten minutes. That attitude is incredibly valuable.

Harvest is a really fun and dynamic time of year. I also view it as an opportunity for people who may never work in wine production again. They come away understanding how wine is made and who the people are behind it, and that matters. They might go into marketing. They might return to the restaurant world and become a sommelier. You never know what direction they will go. If they had a positive experience during harvest, that perspective and appreciation for wine production will follow them into whatever they do next.

Sarah: Yes, I can speak to that as well. At Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery, we are considered a somewhat larger winery for this region. Because of that, we may have more staff than most wineries typically need during a season. Still, that usually means only about four or five people. Last year, we had just two. It was not enough, but we managed.

We use a combination of interns who are new and eager to enter the industry and more experienced individuals who can jump in and contribute immediately. I really value bringing in people who are just starting out because that is how I got my own start through my first harvest experience at Fox Run Vineyards. So we always try to have a few people like that. At the same time, we need skilled workers who can start immediately and help train the newer team members.

I really like that mix of experience levels because it creates a learning community. One thing I always remember from my own time as an intern is from my years living in New Zealand and working in the wine industry there. I spent most of that time at a winery in Marlborough called Saint Clair. The head of the company, a very old family owned winery, is now approaching ninety. He would always come out on the first day to greet the interns. There would be around thirty five of us, and he would say, “You are all now declared Saint Clair ambassadors to the world. After your time here, I hope you have a great experience and then go out and represent us wherever you are from.”

That sentiment always stuck with me. Like Julia mentioned, when people have a great experience, they go home and tell their friends, share the wine, and encourage others to work a harvest at the winery. They become ambassadors, and it creates a snowball effect that benefits everyone.

Maureen: Yes, the importance of a welcoming environment and shared experiences cannot be overstated. That is one of the reasons I love agritourism and why I brought it up when you mentioned it. Agritourism offers a unique way to have an immersive experience, which ties directly into what we are discussing here.

When Craig and I created this panel, we very intentionally designed it to feature women who are leaders in the regional craft beverage industry. Each of you has navigated a career path in a field that has been historically male dominated.

What is different about the opportunities available now compared to when you first started?

Julia: One of my first experiences was actually very positive. About two years in, I applied for a job and was asked if I wanted to work a harvest abroad during the winter. I said yes, that I was thinking about going to Australia in the future.

Then I was asked, who is going to take care of your house? I thought, “That is cute. I will never work for you”. And that question is also highly illegal.

That happened to me in 2012. I would like to think questions like that are no longer asked, but I am sure they still come up with certain employers. I took that moment as motivation to make sure that other women, and really anyone who does not fit the traditional image of who belongs in agriculture, has a welcoming place to work.

I think many of us are working toward that. Between places like Finger Lakes Community College offering wine education outside of just cellar work, and broader cultural shifts, we are building a community that says, you belong here.

Over the past five or six years, I have seen a big change in who is applying for jobs. And importantly, we have positions ready for those individuals to step into.

Gina: I was lucky to complete my internship under a female winemaker who valued my input. That experience gave me a strong foundation. However, in higher education, most of my staff are men. When we are out in public or at events, people often direct questions about our programming to one of them. Then they have to defer to me.

Of course, they are both taller than I am, so I have to make a conscious effort to stand tall and assert myself. I try to reach out and engage before they respond, so there is no confusion about who leads the program. It is still a struggle, but I believe that when we as women empower each other, we strengthen our ability to stand up and speak with a louder, more confident voice.

Maiah: I transitioned into wine in 2020. I visited my first winery in 2016, and at that time, as far as I knew, the wine industry was mostly made up of men. That was who I was meeting, unless it was someone working behind the tasting bar.

To your earlier point, I landed at New York Kitchen because the executive director invited me out for lunch. We had a really nice conversation. She knew I was writing about wine and had an interest in wine education. Her taking the time to show interest in what I cared about made a big difference in helping me feel comfortable entering the wine industry.

Now that I am a writer and an educator at New York Kitchen, I try to be very clear about all the different opportunities that exist in the wine world. It can be hard to discover what roles are out there if you think the only options are making wine or picking grapes. But there is so much more you can do.

Thanks to my experience at New York Kitchen, I realized that the skills I developed doing event marketing for large brands are completely transferable. That is exactly what we do when we create educational experiences for visitors, students, and even wineries that want to host classes at New York Kitchen. 

Maureen: I think one of the other things, before you pass the microphone, Maiah, that New York Kitchen does really well is offering diversity and inclusion programs across the board. These include everything from Cooking with Autism to DEI over Wine.

Maybe you could speak a bit about those initiatives. 

Maiah: Yes, it is incredible. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so the work we do at New York Kitchen is truly important. One of our programs includes cooking classes for kids with autism who want to work but cannot find a place to get the skills they need to pursue a job.

We worked with an amazing group of eleven students who went through an entire semester of what we called a cooking camp. They even had a graduation, and now they have real knife skills and cooking knowledge they can bring into the workforce. It was incredible to witness. 

Each student attended class with a parent, which helped ensure they felt comfortable and safe, not only from a staffing perspective but also through the presence of those who support them most. It is amazing to see an idea like that become reality.

Thank you for mentioning DEI Over Wine. It is a program I founded, and I am very grateful to New York Kitchen for serving as the incubator. I have since incorporated it as my own business.

DEI Over Wine is a series where we teach about diversity, equity, and inclusion over a glass of wine or a nonalcoholic spritz—whatever feels right for the group. The point is to remove the pressure from difficult conversations and create space to highlight beverage producers who are doing excellent work in creating more inclusive environments.

So far, we have educated over 150 people. My co facilitator, Sid Bell, who is based in Rochester, and I continue to grow the program and reach more communities. 

Maureen: Along that line of making everyone feel welcome, from a regional economic development perspective, I am curious about how we ensure that young talent and those going through training programs can actually afford to live and work in the Finger Lakes. I imagine this is true for many of your communities as well, especially in tourism driven regions where the workforce faces ebbs and flows.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the role that food and beverage plays in creating sustainable career pathways for individuals.

Sarah: I think it is a really challenging issue for young people. In this region, we tend to have a lower salary bracket compared to some competing industries in other states. That makes it difficult to attract talent, especially when many of the jobs are seasonal and not year round. It can be hard to both attract and retain the right people.

I am not sure what the exact solution is, but we definitely need more funding, more grants, more programs, and more ways for wineries to retain employees year round. That could mean grants for wineries or other forms of support. Regardless, I absolutely see this as a significant obstacle.

Maiah: I would also add that there is a need to support local more than we might realize, especially when it comes to New York wine. You do not see enough of it featured in our local restaurants, which is a missed opportunity.

I helped sort grapes for just one day and, my goodness, the amount of work that goes into winemaking is enormous. Wine is severely underpriced given the labor involved.

I do not think this is the complete solution, but I do believe that supporting wineries financially is a key part of the equation. Even if you hear that it was a bad year, in my opinion, there is no such thing. Every year has its challenges, and what winemakers are able to produce despite those challenges is worth supporting.

That kind of support can help wineries pay their staff better, keep them on longer, and hopefully contribute to a stronger local economy overall.

Gina: As our program has grown, we have expanded our outreach since starting in the fall of 2009. That outreach now includes surrounding states, and we are seeing more and more students travel to the Finger Lakes to learn about wine growing and winemaking.

Many of them end up staying here because of the number of wineries and vineyards offering the kinds of positions they are looking for. Some students do return home because they have jobs waiting for them, but quite a few stay and build careers in this region.

That said, as you mentioned, we still do not pay enough in the industry. A big part of that likely comes down to the fact that our bottle prices have not yet caught up to reflect the value of the work that goes into each product. 

Julia: I will speak to that briefly as well. When you own your own business and run a winery, and you are constantly managing the numbers, you realize there is another layer to this discussion.

On the business owner side, we are always walking a balancing line. There is sustainability in the vineyard, but there is also financial sustainability. What bottle price can your local market realistically support?

I cannot charge forty dollars for all of my wines. I would love to, but in Rochester, the response would be something like, no thank you, twenty five dollars is my limit. Your wine might be excellent, but they are not going to pay more. So you end up creating a portfolio. Maybe you include a few higher priced wines, but you also need a core lineup that fits your market.

Financial sustainability has to stay at the front of your mind at all times. We are already seeing certain regions on the West Coast hitting their pricing ceiling. They cannot charge more, and that creates a serious problem because it affects their ability to sustain their growing costs.

That is something I think about constantly.

Maureen: Before we move on to the next section of this discussion, does anyone have any questions? We have one over there. I encourage anyone else who has a question related to this concept of building pathways for the next generation to speak up. We can take a couple of those questions first.

Audience: This is in response to the earlier question about women in the industry. We are from the University of Kentucky, which is based in the heart of bourbon country. Kentucky is the bourbon capital, and we also have a growing number of breweries in the Lexington area. But similar to winemaking, it is still a male dominated industry.

At the University of Kentucky, we are fortunate to have programs through the James Beam Institute that allow students to study brewing and related fields, which is fantastic. But the question we keep returning to is how do we encourage more women to get involved from the beginning.

Many women feel discouraged before they even start. They look at the industry and think, I am not going to pursue that because it is dominated by men, and they feel defeated before they even take the first step.

So, just as you have done in the wine industry, what advice do you have for encouraging more women, especially younger women entering college, to consider these career paths. How do we bring them in and help them see there is a place for them in a field that still feels very male driven.

Julia: I was just going to say this is one of those instances where change really has to happen from the ground up. It is a cultural shift. It starts with having a few people who genuinely see the value of having women in their brewery or winery.

Sarah and I briefly overlapped, but we both worked at Fox Run. I would say that the head winemaker there, who has since retired, Peter Bell, valued anyone who wanted to work hard in his cellar. That was the standard.

We were both there for just a few years before moving on. You stayed longer than I did. But I think the key point is that cultural shift. It starts with having a supervisor or someone in a leadership role who recognizes and supports that value.

The real challenge is figuring out how to create that shift more widely. That is the heart of the issue. 

Sarah: Yes, I would agree. Unfortunately, I think it is something that takes time because it requires a cultural shift. I can echo what Julia said about the importance of finding safe havens where women can grow, feel supported, and be nurtured. That, in my mind, is probably the first step.

For us, that place was Fox Run, with Peter Bell and maybe a few other wineries that really embraced young people, women, and anyone who showed interest in the work. Over time, that kind of environment allowed a community to grow. Generations of people came up through that cellar, and they became just as numerous as the broader industry population.

That helped normalize the presence of female winemakers, and eventually, other smaller wineries saw it as standard practice. It became natural to have women in winemaking roles, and people stopped questioning it.

One idea I have, based on my time in Marlborough, is something that could help speed up that shift. They have a Women in Wine Mentorship Program there. As a quick note, women in leadership positions in winemaking in Marlborough is not much of a discussion because the gender split is close to fifty-fifty. Still, there is always work to be done to ensure equality.

Their program pairs women at the highest levels of winemaking with younger professionals who want to grow in the industry. Mentors and mentees are matched, and they meet throughout the year. Often, these relationships continue well beyond the program and become long term connections in the industry.

Something like that could be a great fit for the bourbon industry. Even if there are only two or three women in senior roles, maybe they would be interested in launching something similar. Each year, the community could grow stronger and more connected. 

Maureen: Yes, I think there are a couple of other points to add, especially from the perspective of higher education and for those in the community who work in municipalities, economic development, or similar roles.

One thing that can make a real difference is highlighting the good things that are already happening. You can spotlight people like Peter Bell, who are strong champions for the changes we want to see in the industry. Sharing those stories and elevating examples of people who are doing the work well helps reinforce what good leadership looks like and encourages others to follow that path.

Audience: Good morning. My name is Brent Hales, and I work for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. One of the trends we are seeing in California is a rise in women owned businesses. These entrepreneurs are introducing value added concepts that have not traditionally existed in male dominated growing operations.

Additionally, we are seeing a decline in the number of vineyards. Some are being pulled out entirely, both for winemaking and for table grapes. A major reason for this is the lack of vision for how to adapt beyond the traditional model. As you mentioned earlier, bottle prices have reached their ceiling, and that limitation is very real.

I would be interested to learn from you. What are you doing, or what ideas do you have, to create value added opportunities beyond simply putting wine in the bottle and selling it?

Sarah: I can speak for Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery. I am not sure how many of you are familiar with it, but it is one of the most historic and well known wineries in the region. A big part of that reputation comes from its history and the story that goes along with the winery.

Recently, the management team has leaned into that history very successfully as a marketing tool, and importantly, in a very genuine way. They have worked the story of the family into the wines themselves, the bottle design, and the tasting room experience.

Dr. Konstantin Frank came over from Ukraine in the 1950s and started the winery. The first vintage was in 1962. The winery remains family owned to this day. The current owner is Megan Frank, the great granddaughter of Dr. Konstantin Frank. She has done a great deal to incorporate that story into every part of the winery.

For example, we updated our tasting room experience to focus on Eugenia, who was Dr. Konstantin’s wife. We created a series of offerings centered around the women in the family. There is now an outdoor space called Eugenia’s Garden where we offer curated tasting flights as an alternative to the traditional tasting experience.

Megan also created the Helm Series of wines, which is a high end, single vineyard wine collection that honors the women in the family. The back of each bottle includes Megan’s own voice telling her grandmother’s story.

We have the unique advantage of being a family owned business with a rich history, which gives us a powerful story to share. But I believe that any winery can add value by connecting to personal stories. Wherever that personal connection exists, there is an opportunity to build value into the experience.

Julia: Our wine brand is two years old. We are both first generation farmers. I am from outside of Philadelphia. Kelby grew up around here. So we do not have the luxury of history. We love this region, and what has always been important to us, as partners in life and now in business, is the joy of it all. The joy of traveling, the joy of a good meal, the joy of wine.

That is what we have built our brand around. We focus on bringing people together. Every six weeks or so, we host dinners. We cap attendance at eighteen people. The idea is to come be at our family table with us. We collaborate with different local restaurants and chefs. So far, we have not had a single repeat chef.

We host these events at our farmhouse and call them Country Mouse Dinners. We also have City Mouse Dinners, which take place in cities like New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Rochester.

We have leaned into what makes this all fun for us. I think people can tell that it is genuine. When you love what you do, the long days do not feel nearly as long. At the end of the day, we just want to share the joy of this life and this work with anyone who wants to join us. 

Maureen: Anything else to add before we move on?

Gina: I think the smaller wineries here in the Finger Lakes have done an incredible job using their creativity to attract people and move away from the traditional wine tasting model. They have added events and created more inclusive experiences, whether that means welcoming children or allowing pets.

It has been amazing to see the growth and the level of creativity. It is truly wonderful.

Maureen: It really comes down to premium experience and storytelling, right? Did you have another question over there? Okay.

It really comes down to the experiential element and the story. I speak at an international agritourism conference each year called NAFDAMA. It was held in Kentucky earlier this year. A major theme of the conference is the importance of storytelling, because that is what sets one business apart from another.

You just heard an example of that—the difference between one winery and another often comes down to the story behind the product.

With respect to value added products, I think it is important to acknowledge that change can be intimidating. It is unsettling to think about vineyards being torn out. However, value-added strategies are incredibly important for farmers because they can offer longer shelf life, access to different market sectors, and increased financial resilience.

At the end of the day, it really is about the story and the experience. That is the core of what we are discussing.

Now, I believe there was a question over here.

Audience: Just to continue on the theme of diversity and inclusion in the wine industry, I want to raise a question. I am not very familiar with the New York wine industry, but in California and Oregon, harvest crews tend to be heavily concentrated within one ethnic group.

I am curious how the industry in New York is working to bring greater visibility to the people who do the groundwork, particularly the harvest crews. Is there a pathway for these workers to participate more fully in the industry, to be seen, and to be recognized for the hard work they contribute?

In case you are wondering, I am specifically referring to Latino workers.

Maureen: Okay, great. That is a great question. I think it is an especially important one given the changing landscape right now. 

Julia: Yes, that is a great question, and there is a lot packed into it. My spouse and I have our own vineyard crew. We have year round workers, and we also have seasonal workers. There are employees we have had for three years, but because of how the paperwork appears, it looks like a different person each year. In reality, it is the same individual returning. That is something you deal with as a farm owner.

As we have developed our value added product, we have been slowly working to build up things like base pay. Now that I have employees, which I never thought I would be saying at thirty five, I truly care about their well being. I want them to have a comfortable and good life.

One of our full time team members, Forlan, is our assistant vineyard manager. He loves tractors. He always says, I do not know what you all do in the cellar, but I like this new air conditioned tractor. And that is great. That is what he loves.

But there are other dynamics in the background. We are always thinking about what our employees are comfortable with when it comes to being visible or highlighted publicly. Some of our farm workers are not comfortable being in the spotlight, especially given the current political climate. That is something we are constantly trying to balance.

Forlan has had a few cousins who did not have proper documentation and were picked up by immigration enforcement in this region. That is incredibly hard, and it is something I carry with me.

Sarah: Yes, I think right now it is a very frightening climate for this kind of work to be done. And yet, it is work that is absolutely essential. Personally, I do not think we are doing enough.

There are some visa programs, such as the H-2A program, which Julia may know more about. When I worked at Sheldrake Point, they used that particular visa, which is more long term and allows workers to eventually settle and move up within a company. They are a great example of what that can look like with some of their long term team members.

However, many companies choose not to use the H-2A program because it is a long process, it requires more paperwork, and it is more expensive. I do not know what the full solution is either. Once again, we probably return to the need for more funding, whether from the federal government, the state, or regional alliances. We do have some support networks, but there are not nearly enough.

Maiah: Like my friends have said, it is a really challenging time for many people right now, especially if you have brown skin. That is the reality, and it is unfortunate. I appreciate your question because I believe there is real value in giving visibility to the individuals doing this work.

If you are featuring your tasting room manager on social media because she loves your Chardonnay, then why not also feature the person working in the vineyard who likely also enjoys that same wine and has just as much reason to be proud of it.

The question is, how do we give those voices a true face, if they are comfortable with that right now, and treat them the same way we treat the rest of our staff. Why would we not do that?

There are a few wineries in the region that are beginning to do this by including their vineyard team on the company website alongside everyone else. I think, at the end of the day, that may seem like a small gesture, but it is a powerful one. It is an important step in recognizing and honoring the people who are truly doing the work. 

Maureen: We build websites for clients, and that is a sticking point for us. It is something we always bring up when we are building team pages. That exact point about representation.

You have four senior leadership team members shown here who all look a certain way, in many cases. What do you think about including other members of the team on this page to reflect the full and well rounded group of people behind the work?

It is a great point. We will take one more question and then we will return to the panel.

Audience: Yes, just very quickly. As a Cornellian, I have to ask. We are here next to one of the most well known agricultural experiment stations in the world, right here in Geneva.

So the question is twofold. First, in terms of creating pathways into the wine industry, what is the role of your land grant institution here in New York, particularly in relation to the success happening across the region and just over at Cayuga Lake?

And second, I had the pleasure of being in Salambos, South Africa, in 1995, right as South Africa was beginning to open up. We visited Fairview in Salambos. Wine can often feel stuffy, but the winemaker came out and said, you have to try this white. We call it Bird Shit in Afrikaans. The name came from tasting notes during a wine judging where someone said it tasted like bird droppings. The winemakers thought it was funny, and they actually thought the wine was great. They even put a bird pooping on the label. I have never forgotten that. I think it was brilliant because it brought humor into the experience and made wine more approachable for everyone.

You also see this kind of playful approach with winemakers who do wines like Goats Do Roam.

So my question is, what role does the land grant play, and what role can humor play in making the wine industry more inclusive and accessible? 

Maiah: I am going to pass this down to my friends to speak about the role of the land grant institution. But I do want to say that I really appreciate the value of humor.

As the person writing tasting notes for the back of the bottle or writing wine reviews for magazines, I can tell you that most of it is a complete crock. Excuse my language, but it is just some random person sitting in their house going through tasting panels, deciding what they think the wine tastes like. Then suddenly, that is what everyone else is supposed to taste. It is quite silly when you think about it.

We should feel free to have fun with wine. Maybe that means putting bird droppings on a label. That kind of playfulness could actually bring more people into the world of wine. It would make it feel less intimidating and more approachable. Wine should not feel like something you do not know how to talk about. Why not make it subjective? Because that is exactly what it is at the end of the day.

Maureen: Yes, and as you are passing the microphone down, one of the things I have heard as a marketer who writes content for websites and social media is that some wineries are very particular about not providing tasting notes.

They intentionally choose not to include them because they want people to experience whatever they experience, without being influenced. It is a deliberate policy for some wineries we have worked with. 

Julia: Yes, having Cornell in our backyard is fantastic. Across New York State, we have several regional research stations, and there is a lot of strong work happening in grape research, microbiology, and craft beverages. Right here in Geneva, there is an entire area dedicated to craft beverage research.

We are fortunate to have access to experts like Chris Gerling, whom many of us know well. We email Chris frequently. I still reach out to Anna Catherine too, even though she is probably thinking, I am past this now, Julia. But I still send questions. I will say, I have this strange fermentation happening, what do you know? And they will respond with, I do not know either, but let us look into it.

On the wine side, there is also a smaller committee that helps steer some of the research efforts. I know viticulture has something similar. On the viticulture side, they host in person meetings around the region. These often include barbecue and beer, because that is how you get vineyard folks to show up.

During these gatherings, they discuss current challenges in the vineyard, like how to manage during a wet season, which sprays are working, and which are not. In agriculture, certain sprays become less effective over time. Having twenty people in a room saying, I have used this for fifteen years and it did not work last year, helps others recognize that maybe their vineyard is also no longer responding to that product. That is when newer technologies and more effective treatments come into play.

Sarah: I am not sure if I can speak specifically to the land grant structure, but I am certain that it is all tied into Cornell’s funding and the many ways they support the industry.

As Julia said, Cornell plays a central and vital role through their vineyard initiatives and their extension programs, which support both viticulture and winemaking. It is a huge asset to have highly professional researchers doing that foundational work for us, sharing their findings, and delivering them in a way that is directly applicable to the challenges we face.

I remember our tasting group, which was first organized by Peter Bell, where winemakers from around the lakes would gather in a professional setting to taste wines together. It was about mutual support and helping each other refine our palates. Cornell professionals would often join us for those tastings, contributing their insights from a scientific perspective.

They also host many of our industry events. Most recently, all the winemakers gathered at Cornell for a session to build out a vintage report. That panel was again led by Peter Bell and Maiah. These are perfect examples of how Cornell remains deeply involved in our professional development and community engagement.

Maureen: How many individuals do we have in the room who are part of higher education? A lot, yes. Your role is also about convening, bringing the right people together. Science, as you mentioned, and research are essential for the health of the vineyards.

Julia: I have a quick side note, and then I will pass it over to Gina. There is a conference we hold annually called BEV, which stands for Business, Enology, and Viticulture. In relation to the land grant question, a couple of years ago there was a push to merge BEV with a different conference called the Eastern Winery Expo, which is a for profit event.

It was very important to the team at Cornell that BEV remain a conference focused on research and that it stays financially accessible to everyone, because Cornell is a land grant institution. Merging with the other conference would likely have quadrupled the cost of attendance and created barriers to access.

Cornell said no, we are not going to do that. I thought that was a smart, forward thinking, and long term decision that truly reflects their commitment to accessibility and public service.

Gina: Thanks for bringing up BEV. As a college, our small teaching winery literally leases land from the Cornell station here in Geneva, and that has been a huge feather in our cap. We are a feeder system to Cornell, so our students who want to continue their education have a pathway forward. I would not call it seamless, but for students who have the grades and the work ethic, it is achievable. It takes hard work.

Without Cornell doing the research they do within the food and beverage industry, the farmers in this region would not have the support they need. They would be forced to reinvent the wheel on their own. We are just fancy farmers. That is the reality. When students come in and see the wine, they think it is going to be romantic. But the truth is, we are farmers. We get dirty. We have dirt under our nails.

But we love what we do. That passion sustains the industry here, even if the pay has not quite caught up. We are also fortunate to attract visitors through tourism, not just for wine but also for our food and other beverages. We have found a way to bring in people from the surrounding major cities and show them the value of visiting this beautiful region, with all its natural beauty and stunning water. 

Maureen: Yes, that is a great segue into our next section, which will focus on community engagement and regional identity. We will spend some time discussing that.

You all play a very important role in tourism and in attracting people to this region. How do you balance celebrating local pride while also bringing in outside investment and visitors?

What role does authentic storytelling play in economic development for the region?

Maiah: I think the story is everything. Part of how I fell in love with the wine industry was by learning the stories of the people who were making the wine. It was never just about the wine itself, because if it were, I could go buy Yellowtail for six dollars.

What drew me in was the people behind these incredible products. It was their passion, their resilience, and the ingenuity they showed in difficult years to still create something stunning.

I do not think we tell those stories enough, and that is a missed opportunity. They are truly important.

When I write for any of my bylines, I focus on the heart and humanity behind the product. That perspective resonates differently with readers. The number of times a human hand touches each bottle on the shelf at your local liquor store is striking, and most consumers do not realize it.

There is a big gap between the mindset of the consumer and the experience of the person creating the product. One of the best ways to close that gap is by telling the stories of the people behind the wine.

Gina: If you have not read Summer in a Glass by Evan Dawson, you will fall in love with the Finger Lakes. He is a wonderful storyteller who brings to light the struggles and perseverance of the winemakers, wineries, and vineyards in this region. It is a beautiful book.

Sarah: It is definitely a very personal region, and one that naturally lends itself to community building. That is partly because we do not yet have a lot of large corporations involved in winemaking. Even the biggest wineries here, including the one I work for, are still family owned and considered small by global standards.

That is one of the reasons I decided to move back to this region. I absolutely loved working in Marlborough, but being a more advanced and mature wine region, it did not have that same sense of camaraderie. You do not feel surrounded by underdogs the way you do in the Finger Lakes.

Here, winemakers help each other out. If you are out of something, you call your neighbor. The classic cup of sugar analogy truly applies. There is a strong sense of belonging.

I think Maiah is right, we should lean more into that sense of community in our marketing and regional storytelling.

At the same time, because we are a small region, we also need to rely on support from our neighboring regions. We often straddle the line between promoting ourselves as the Finger Lakes and positioning ourselves as part of the broader New York wine identity. That includes Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and other areas. It is all about balance, and depending on the goal, we work alongside or in partnership with those other regions.

Maureen: No. Unless you want to add anything more about that idea. It is a balance, right? Supporting locals and making sure they feel welcome, while also attracting tourists to the region.

How do you make your winery a place where both groups feel like they belong? Is there anything in particular you do to strike that balance when people visit from outside the region? 

Julia: Sure. I think there are a few different ways we try to strike that balance.

The most obvious example in my life is that I am also a landlord. Because why not take on something else, right? We have a four unit apartment house. Two of those are long term tenants, both of whom are quirky and wonderful. The other two are short term rentals on Airbnb.

The house itself was built in the 1870s and definitely needs work. So this model has worked well for us. We have two below market rate units that serve local residents, and we use the income from the short term rentals to reinvest in fixing up the house. That corner is a really central spot in downtown Geneva, and we are trying to restore and preserve it.

On the winery side, it is about creating different price points. We have visitors in the summer who show up ready to spend five hundred dollars, and we want to make sure they have options that meet that level of interest.

At the same time, we also have local guests who are budgeting carefully and planning to buy one or two bottles for around twenty five dollars from each of the four wineries they plan to visit that day. We want to make sure they feel just as welcome.

For us, it is about building tiered systems where everyone can tap in and out as they wish. No matter who they are, we want them to feel like they have a place.

Sarah: Yes, well said. That is a really well thought out model, and it is one we have also applied in terms of our tasting experiences.

Just as Julia is doing with her range of bottle prices, we are diversifying our tasting room offerings. We have our traditional experience where guests can show up, sit down, and enjoy an educated, guided tasting. A server walks them through the wines and provides background and insights. That is perfect for people who want that structured approach.

We also have Eugenia’s Garden, which I mentioned earlier. It is more casual. Guests can walk up to the bar, order a glass of wine or a flight, then find a picnic table, maybe grab a flatbread, and just enjoy the scenery. It is a relaxed, informal option.

Then we have our 1886 Experience, which is more of a half day visit. A guide walks guests through the history of the winery and the winemaking process. The experience includes individually curated small tapas pairings, as well as a tour of the vineyard and cellar.

So we really do offer everything in between. Each experience comes at a different price point. If you are visiting from New York City and want a full day experience, we have that. If you live down the street and just want to come by for a glass of wine in the garden, we have that too.

Maureen: I think that is a critical takeaway. The idea of varied price points allows for something for everyone. You can offer something more simple and accessible, and then also create a more robust experience where people can have a premium level of engagement with your winery.

This approach is not limited to wine. We are here to talk about community development, and this concept applies broadly. While we are focusing on craft beverages in this conversation, the idea of creating offerings at different levels is relevant across many industries. It supports access and inclusion and ensures there is something for everyone.

Many of you have seen the beverage industry evolve from different vantage points. What innovations are you seeing in winemaking, business models, or community engagement that are specifically helping the Finger Lakes compete nationally and internationally?

Gina: I think the New York Wine and Grape Foundation is doing a wonderful job supporting the industry. They are making small grants available to wineries, which help with education efforts and getting wines noticed both within the region and internationally. 

Maureen: As you are thinking about that, I will just elaborate. She is referring to the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, which is currently offering one thousand dollar grants.

You can apply for funding to support a variety of initiatives. For example, if you want to run an advertising campaign, try something new and creative, or roll out updated signage, you can pitch your idea and request one of these grants.

Gina: We, as a higher education program, have struggled with traditional marketing. If we do not get out of our own way, we risk the decline or closure of certain programs. Adapting to social media and maintaining a strong online presence is essential.

Our viticulture certificate is an intensely hands-on program. All of our classes require students to be out in the field, getting dirty and experiencing what it really means to be a wine grower and a winemaker.

To help us move forward, we developed a partnership with an outside marketing group to support our social media efforts. That support is helping us launch our viticulture offerings online, which is a major step for us.

I personally could not figure out how to teach a hands-on program online. It took a complete shift in thinking. We had to be like water, finding a way to flow and move around obstacles, instead of being the rock that was in our own way.

Julia: I believe strongly in the organic growth of things. When something good happens, grab on and run with it.

For us, that moment was 2020. The East Coast discovered the Finger Lakes. People came up from New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia. They were looking for green space and the ability to be outside. In the process, they discovered a wine region.

None of us saw that coming, but it happened. That first summer, and then the summer of 2021, all of the regional wineries saw a huge uptick in sales. Things have settled now, but we are on a different level than what the West Coast is currently dealing with, where some of the large brands are falling off. We are all still pretty small.

Now it is about sustaining relationships. The buyers and sommeliers who came up from New York City for the first time in 2020 and loved it, we need to bring them back or connect with them in their own space. I love going to New York City for a couple of nights. It is great.

They came up here, and now it is about keeping those relationships alive. These are the people in big cities who will tell their story and yours.

Maureen: Any questions from the audience before we move on to the next section?

Audience: Connecting to a point that was brought up earlier about local cities not being as engaged with the Finger Lakes region, can you speak on how you are doing outreach to places like the City of Rochester, the City of Buffalo, Albany, or other prominent cities? Even smaller cities like Geneva or Canandaigua. What efforts are being made to spread awareness of the Finger Lakes and build the region from within?

New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and even the West Coast are wonderful markets, and it is great that they are interested in New York State wines. But I have friends who have never heard of any Finger Lakes wineries. What are you doing to build those connections at a more micro regional level?

Julia: Should I start? Sure, I can jump in.

I live in Geneva, and I have had people who have lived here their entire lives ask me where Cayuga Lake is. It is twenty minutes away, and they really should know that. So to some degree, you run into those moments and think, I do not know how to help these people. But that being said, you try.

Whether it is in store tastings that people can attend, events at your local farmers market, or restaurant setups where you do a glass takeover, these are great ways to engage. We just started advertising in the ROC Magazine, which is a major Rochester based print publication. I have heard of other wineries doing radio spots, like on NPR during Morning Edition. I will be listening and hear something like, Billsboro has an event this weekend, and that is nice.

I think it is about trying different outlets. Some are very traditional, and those tap into one segment of the market. Then there is Instagram. I am not great at Instagram, but my spouse is excellent with it. I do not know how he does it, but people love connecting with him on that platform.

So the key is finding both traditional and nontraditional ways to connect with people.

Sarah: I want to share something that ties together our Finger Lakes community mindedness with those outreach goals. I can think of a few examples where we come together as a community to collectively reach a city or a market.

One example involves Julia’s spouse, Kelby, who is also a fantastic winemaker. He has done a lot of that outreach work both personally and professionally, often alongside Julia. Recently, he organized a large tasting in New York City where he featured a wide selection of Rieslings from the Finger Lakes. The event was a blind tasting that paired Finger Lakes wines against some of the best Rieslings from Germany.

The goal was to see how our wines stack up against world class standards. The outcome was excellent. Kelby did all of this on his own, representing eight to ten wineries by himself. He did not have to do it. It was not a committee project. It was something he believed in and wanted to do to promote the region.

Another example is a group that formed in the past five years or so called Cab Franc Forward. It is a membership based group with about six to eight core wineries. However, other wineries can pay into specific events and join in as well.

This group works in partnership with producers in the Hudson Valley and Long Island to promote the idea that Cabernet Franc is the premier red wine of New York State, not just the Finger Lakes. We all have the right climate and terroir for this grape.

Recently, we hosted several events in New York City as part of this effort, where we met with internationally recognized wine writers and journalists. We are starting to hear people at Riesling focused tastings asking about Cabernet Franc from the Finger Lakes.

These kinds of community efforts, where we band together to amplify the region, have absolutely made a difference.

Gina: I think you nailed it, Sarah, when you talked about community. When I came into this industry, what truly shocked me and completely blew my socks off was the amount of sharing that happens here.

You can go to your neighbor and say, my tractor broke down and I cannot get it fixed for a week. And they will say, no problem. This is your competitor, someone selling wine right alongside you. Of course, we would all love to outperform our neighbors. But if we do not help our neighbors succeed, then the industry as a whole begins to fail.

That is something I really noticed when I traveled to promote our programs in other states. I come back thinking, the wine growers here in the Finger Lakes really have it together. They work side by side. They meet often. They help one another. I do not see that same level of collaboration in nearby states.

New Jersey is starting to move in that direction. Pennsylvania has a few areas that show promise. But overall, it is not the same.

The partnerships formed here are incredible. Take Johannes, who was at Anthony Road Wine Company for years. He bought land across the road, and instead of being met with competition or resentment, they were happy for him. He stayed on to help them and then went off to start his own venture.

That is powerful. It is like watching your child grow and succeed. The better he does, the better everyone around him does. That is what it means to lift each other up. 

Maureen: Yes, I was just going to mention the phrase, a rising tide lifts all boats, right? I think what higher education institutions can do, and what anyone working in community development can do, is help facilitate and nurture that kind of collaborative mentality.

You are absolutely right. The Finger Lakes, and I would say agriculture in general, tends to have a naturally collaborative spirit. I grew up on a dairy farm, so I was raised with the idea that when a farmer is in trouble, the neighbor helps, and vice versa. The borrow a cup of sugar mentality is very common in agriculture, but it is also a hallmark of healthy communities.

What we can do in this industry is help create space for that collaboration. In your own community, think about how you can bring people together to share information and ideas like we are doing here. It is something that is entirely doable at the local level.

Any other questions before we move on? I see one over here.

Audience: Hi, my question is kind of a two parter. I would really like to know how you go about teaching and sharing an appreciation for wine and for the stories behind it with younger people.

What would draw my eyes away from buying the six dollar bottle and make me want to splurge on the twenty five dollar bottle because of the story and the care that went into it? I do think younger people crave that kind of connection, but it is not very popular or widely promoted.

The second part of my question is this. How do you think our broader social and cultural relationship with alcohol in the United States affects wine appreciation? There are definitely people who just want to drink to get drunk.

What do you do to help foster a sense of real appreciation among younger generations?. 

Maiah: Thank you for your question. At New York Kitchen, I teach a class called Wine for Normals. It was originally inspired by the podcast Wine for Normal People and the book that goes along with it. Later, I started teaching the class at RIT in Rochester, and the students there told me I should rename it Wine for Normies. So that is what it is called now.

In this class, we go through five wines, all from New York State. I pull them directly from our tasting room at New York Kitchen, which features only New York wines. We talk about why you taste certain things the way you do, how to hold your wine glass, how to smell wine, and what sensations and thoughts come up when you do.

I make everyone talk about the wine. At first, there are awkward silences, usually until the third wine. After that, people cannot stop talking. The goal of the class is to help people feel more comfortable with wine. There is no wrong answer.

When I was learning how to talk about wine, it started with my husband and me sitting on the porch and just talking about why something tasted the way it did. What I said in those early days probably sounded very unpolished, but the point was to become comfortable expressing myself and discussing the product.

I have now taught Wine for Normies at RIT for three years in a row. The course is part of a program called After RIT, which is designed to teach students the unwritten curriculum of life. Believe it or not, that includes knowing how to order wine at a bar.

In that setting, I can explain to students why a twenty five dollar Riesling from Apollo’s Praise is worth every penny compared to a six dollar bottle of Yellowtail. And do not get me wrong, it is a feat in itself that Yellowtail always tastes the same. That consistency is impressive. But there is something really special about what winemakers in New York are doing. They are working with what each year gives them and making the best of it.

That is why we are so proud of our sense of place here in the Finger Lakes. Wine reflects the year, the land, and the people behind it. That is what makes it beautiful.

This is one of my favorite classes to teach. I offer it a few times a year at New York Kitchen, not just for students but also for adults who want to feel confident asking for help at the liquor store or choosing a bottle of wine.

It is really all about practice. The more you do it, the more comfortable and natural it becomes. 

Maureen: As you continue, I just want to add something to that because we keep mentioning Yellowtail.

Yellowtail is a very inexpensive bottle of wine produced by Gallo. There is actually a winemaking facility right here in the region that makes it. I interviewed that winemaker, Matt Schrader, on the Spilled Salt podcast. If you are curious, you can look up the episode by searching his name.

One of the things Matt talked about was how that six dollar bottle of Yellowtail also plays an important role in the industry. It is approachable. It makes it easy for someone to choose wine. That affordability creates access.

So going back to your question about how we nurture different types of consumers in the industry and create something for everyone, this is part of that answer. People who are just starting to understand wine may begin with something like Yellowtail. And that is okay.

It gives them a place to start, something to experience. From there, they can grow and explore more premium bottles when they are ready.

Maiah: Yes, and I do not want anyone to feel judged. If you love Yellowtail, go for it. I love that for you. It is a fantastic wine. You are right. Everyone has to start somewhere.

I started with a wine called Honeymoon that you could buy at Trader Joe’s for four dollars and ninety nine cents a bottle. I mentioned it to my mom the other day and she said, do not even say the name. But the point is, we all start somewhere.

In the RIT classes, students will say, I do not like this dry wine and I cannot figure out why. My follow up question is, do you drink coffee? Then I ask, how do you take your coffee? Do you add sugar? Do you add milk? Did you start with a lot of sugar and milk, and now you drink it black?

That is the same idea. You start in one place, and your taste evolves over time. You learn what you like, and what you like can change.

So I never want anyone to think they cannot drink Yellowtail. Please do. Enjoy it. But then maybe try something else too. Explore and experiment. That is part of the experience.

Julia: I will also add the importance of wine over centuries and centuries as having a place at the table when people come together. Whether that is a family celebration, a funeral, a barbecue, or meeting someone from out of town, wine has long been part of those shared moments.

I am talking about a glass or two, not chugging three bottles in a night. Just one or two glasses. It takes the edge off. Maybe you do not know the people around you. Then suddenly, you are part of a shared experience. The same kind of experience the Romans sat around a table and had. And that is really cool, at least for me. I like thinking about it that way.

Wine has been traded for centuries. It has been part of human culture for a very long time. I do not think it is going anywhere, even if we are in a period of retraction.

For me, wine carries the importance of being part of a meal, of getting to know new people. I have met so many people I never would have crossed paths with otherwise, and suddenly we are sitting across from each other, a glass of wine in hand, and I am listening to their life story.

Audience: All right, thank you. We live in a digital age where technology is all about breaking down geographical barriers and making the world feel smaller. But when we talk about something like wineries, we are talking about place making. In this case, geography really matters.

So how do you use a tool that is designed to erase geography in support of something that is so geographically specific?

Julia: It is less about the geography itself, but like everything else, it is a balancing act.

On one hand, we are always online. We are on our phones, on our screens, constantly connected. But at the same time, I think there is a real hunger for people to have genuine, in person experiences with someone sitting right across from them. That connection matters. You are right there, face to face. And I think that is important.

Wine brings that kind of connection back into focus. It is something you physically taste, something you talk about with someone next to you. It is a real, tangible moment.

That being said, new technologies also help get new people through your door. So again, it is a balance. For me, though, I believe in the value of the physical, real experience. That is the heart of it.

Maiah: You are absolutely right about the geography being so important, especially for us in New York wine. It really is a balance between figuring out how to be present in front of someone and how to communicate these things through a small cell phone screen.

Six Eighty Cellars on Cayuga Lake is doing a great job with this. They are posting really interesting informational videos about what is happening in the vineyard right now. You will see their winemaker, Ian, standing in the vineyard, looking at a grapevine and explaining what is going on. He will say things like, we have had a lot of rain this year and here is how we are feeling about it.

Being able to provide that kind of visual, even when someone is not physically there, opens up an entirely new level of understanding for the consumer. That was not something we had access to before.

Because it is on social media, someone can watch it from any city. They might even use it to plan their Finger Lakes vacation. So I think it is an incredible tool, not just for marketing but for sharing real information.

As an educator, I am obviously biased, but I believe there is so much value in educating consumers about where our products come from. I once sat on a panel where someone said we should not even waste our time educating consumers, and I could not believe it. I thought, are you serious?

There is so much to learn about what we are creating. It does not have to be overly technical or overwhelming, but that background adds real appreciation. It helps people understand why things are priced the way they are and how many people are working behind the scenes to make it all happen.

That kind of awareness is invaluable. And social media, newsletters, emails, or even printed mailers with a photo can help communicate a sense of place. That is powerful. 

Maureen: There is a concept called edutainment, which means educational entertainment. It is really gaining traction right now, especially with the rise of social media and storytelling. The idea is to educate in a way that does not feel like dry toast. You can make it engaging and entertaining.

Any other questions for now?

Audience: You probably already know this, but wine and the arts go very well together. We have not really talked about that yet. I have not heard anyone mention the connection between the arts and wine.

Do you see those two as a natural complement to one another, and what are you doing to bring them together? 

Gina: What comes to mind is that we are a licensed micro farm winery operating within higher education, which is a unique concept to think about.

From our very first vintage in 2010, we have had a partnership with our graphic arts program. Our student winemakers share their ideas with the graphic art students about what they envision for a wine label. The artists then take that information and go off to create designs.

In many cases, these students may not have even had a drop of wine. They might not know the difference between red and white. They may not even realize that Riesling is a white wine. But they still come back with beautiful label designs that end up on the bottles for that vintage.

It has been amazing to watch how the students and the art program have influenced the evolution of our wine labels over the years. It is a wonderful partnership.

The arts are everywhere, and wine is deeply connected to the arts in so many ways. 

Sarah: Yes, I would agree. We have taken a similar approach by pairing our wines with local artists and their work.

You are absolutely right that wine is a creative force. That is one of the things I love most about winemaking. To celebrate that, we created a special tradition. Each year, if we make something that feels especially creative or unique for us as winemakers, we do a smaller bottling of it and call it our art series.

It is not something that will be the same every year. We never know what it will be. It is meant to be a space for free expression for the winemakers.

For the label art, we partner with local artists around Cayuga Lake. We once worked with a potter who created a mosaic using shards of pottery, which we then had photographed for the label. We have worked with painters and continue to collaborate with different artists each year.

This results in a three piece art series that reflects the creative spirit of both the wine and the artwork behind it.

Julia: I should also mention the Smith Opera House, which you should all check out. It is located right in Geneva. Local breweries and wineries partner with the opera house to host events, and one of those is Sparkling Night.

It takes place in February, which means the weather can be pretty unpleasant around here. But for those of us who live here, we love it. It might be snowy and cold. It is a masquerade event, and it is a great example of how we collaborate with local arts organizations to support each other.

These partnerships are very symbiotic. The arts organizations support us, and we support them in return. I know you served on the board a couple of years ago, right? It is a great way to bring energy and creativity into these arts spaces, especially since they are surrounded by so many wineries, breweries, and cideries. 

Maureen: I think the industry itself is also a form of art. It is the art of winemaking.

Everyone approaches that process a little differently, and that variation is part of what makes it so creative and expressive.

Maiah:  Yes, I agree with you. It is the art of winemaking in the same way we talk about culinary arts. Wine is art in that sense as well.

I feel like a broken record because I keep saying the same thing, so I am sorry for the repetition. But what someone is able to do in a challenging year and still produce a bottle you are willing to buy is no small feat. That is art in and of itself.

There is an Instagram account called FLXbevculture. The most recent takeover was by Wes Andrew, who is the winemaker at Atwater Vineyards. He shared how he once thought he might become an artist one day, and then realized he actually is one through the act of making wine.

It is a really beautiful series of eight posts about the work he is doing in the cellar. And I think it reflects the beautiful work that all of you are doing. 

Maureen: Yes, that is great. Now for the last question for our panelists. After this, we may have a couple of minutes for one or two more questions from the audience, depending on our timing.

So here is the final question for all of my friends up on stage. What emerging opportunities do you see, whether that is new markets, new products, new ways of doing business, or new partnerships, that could further strengthen a community’s position as a leader in food and beverage innovation?

Maiah: On the idea of partnership, we were actually talking about this earlier today. There is a new group that has formed called Wineries Without Walls. It is made up of micro producers who are just starting out and figuring out how to make things work. They do not have tasting rooms.

You may have seen that these wineries will occasionally do pop up events at different locations, such as the Welcome Center, Apollo’s Praise, or Dr. Frank’s Winery. There was an event that brought several of these wineries together. Instead of doing one off pop ups, about eight of them participated in a single event. That led to the creation of Wineries Without Walls.

Since then, the group has grown and held a few more events. There is even a cidery involved now called Cidery Without Ceilings.

My point is that we often talk about the collegiality of this region. What is happening now is that we are starting to formalize it. Programs like Wineries Without Walls are providing real opportunities for new producers who might not have the resources to do as much on their own.

But when you bring eight of them into one space, suddenly you have something people want to show up for. People want to support and learn about the products being made.

We even talked about how not every producer offers the same thing. One woman focuses entirely on sparkling wine. So when a customer asks her for a red, she can point them to her neighbor.

Having a community like this and formalizing it in this way is an important step in creating new opportunities in the industry.

Sarah: I think something I have seen that has helped promote growth in this region and open up new frontiers is the idea of winemakers working abroad. I am a prime example of that, so I am a bit biased. But it was something I was encouraged to do early on as a young winemaker. I was pushed out the door and told, go experience a harvest in another part of the world, learn something new, and bring those ideas back.

I ended up falling in love with it and lived abroad for a while. But even just doing one or two vintages abroad can make a huge difference. Julia has done this as well. It has become much more common, if not the norm, for winemakers to travel and gain that international experience.

This kind of movement brings new ideas, innovation, and winemaking techniques back to the region. It also builds friendships and networks with other winemakers and professionals around the world.

From these experiences, I now have friends literally across the globe. If I run into a challenge in the cellar, I can call someone and ask, have you ever seen fruit like this, and what did you do? That kind of support is invaluable.

By creating these global connections, we are able to accelerate the pace of growth and innovation. And I think we will continue to see this trend grow among young people entering the industry. Traveling winemaking is making a real impact.

Julia: To piggyback on that, there is the value of traveling for work, but as we have launched our winery, something that has become very important to us is not just selling our wines in New York State. We are actively looking at other states, and every state has different compliance rules, which can be a real headache.

We are also looking at opportunities abroad. Right now is not the easiest time for exporting, but we are working with a really great importer in the United Kingdom. London has become a strong market for us. We also have relationships with importers in Denmark and Sweden. They are a bit hesitant at the moment because of tariffs, but those are relationships we plan to maintain.

We have all seen how quickly the world can change. Things move in cycles, and we hope that four or five years from now, we will be able to pursue those connections more actively again.

There is also a small tradition I have kept for about eight years now. Every time we travel, we pack a case of wine. No matter where we are going, it comes with us. If we have a great meal at a restaurant, we leave a bottle of wine with our tip. It is a small gesture, but it has helped us connect with so many people.

We even connected with a quirky winery in Tuscany that now orders some of our wine through London. In return, we order a case of their wine every year. We look forward to it, and we always send them photos when it arrives.

That is what organic growth looks like for me. It may only be twelve bottles once or twice a year, but the connections we have made through that practice have been meaningful and lasting.

Maureen: Lovely. We are out of time, so I want to thank everyone, my panelists, for their great contributions to today’s discussion, and the audience as well for asking such thoughtful questions.

Please give a round of applause for our panelists.

I am not sure who is coming up next to talk about what is ahead, but it is not me. Thank you so much! We appreciate you.