When Stephen Osborn stumbled onto property for sale in Marlboro in 2001, the winemaker knew it would be perfect for growing grapes. What he didn”™t know was that the 20-acre parcel he fell in love with was the site of a vineyard dating to the 1700s.
“It was a truly happy accident,” said Osborn, as he and his wife Kelly Wagner surveyed the property. Osborn, a native of Wisconsin who attended Cornell University, had planned to return from California”™s grape-growing country and buy property in the Finger Lakes to start his own vineyard.
“I liked the idea of growing grapes in a cool climate, where there would be less of a need for adding chemicals and sulfites to preserve it,” said Osborn. “But this Ulster County property was perfect, and when we learned its history and the history of Marlboro, it made it all the more appealing.” As a result, the Finger Lakes”™ loss has been the Hudson Valley”™s gain, and Stoutridge Vineyard was born.
Osborn and Wagner built their $1.5 million winery incorporating a rock wall from an original structure on the property into the 16,000-square-foot facility. “Don”™t be deceived by our façade ”“ while it has a three-dimensional quality, the winery is built into a hill to take advantage of the earth”™s natural cooling and heating,” said Osborn. “As a result, the wine is kept at a constant 55 degrees, which eliminates the need for using heat to keep the temperature constant.” A solar array on the south roof helps keep electricity costs to a minimum.
Osborn originally designed the property as a distillery, “which is a much more profitable endeavor. The wine was going to be a sidebar. Much to my surprise, our unfiltered wines were wonderful; because we don”™t use chemicals in the processing, we became a magnet for people looking for fresh and chemical-free products. I put aside the idea about the distillery to focus on winemaking for a while.”
Osborn”™s gravity-flow winemaking process permits him to operate the winery practically solo. Tanks are on pallets moved by hoists, allowing Osborn to reconfigure equipment around. An elevator brings wine to the tasting room, which the couple keeps open year-round.
In the basement below the tasting room, Osborn and Wagner do all the bottling by hand. “The wine sits in the casks for a year, then in the bottles for another year,” said Osborn. “Our first production was in 2006 and came on market in 2007. While our own vineyard is growing, we are currently buying almost three-fourths of locally grown grapes and some from other parts of the country.”
For Osborn, “The surprising thing about the whole endeavor is the wine has been so good; I”™m more than pleasantly surprised. I would have thought by this time half the wines would have failed, but I”™ve learned a lot about how to make unprocessed wines. A failed wine can become an excellent brandy, but I haven”™t had the need to start up the distillery.”
Stoutridge”™s wines are only sold at the winery because they are “fresh, and they must be maintained at a certain temperature level,” said Osborn. “If shipped by truck, the wine can degrade. Because we are so close to the New York City market, and because the Hudson Valley is such a magnet for agri-tourism, almost 85 percent of our customers live within five miles of Times Square. New Yorkers appreciate fresh and locally grown products and that”™s what we have to offer.”
Osborn and Wagner built Stoutridge primarily as a distillery with a small winery attached, and “I believe it will ultimately become that,” said Osborn. “Again, because the wine has been so extraordinarily successful, it has allowed me an unconstrained freedom to run our operation in a less financially demanding way. Come back in five years, and you”™ll probably wonder where the winery went. We”™ll be producing a lot of distillates by then ”“ brandy, whiskey, rye and vodkas ”“ which can be distributed without worry that they will degrade in quality. There is also more profit in the distillery business, which is important because of the cost of doing business in New York.
“Making wine without any chemical additives was a huge risk,” he said. “If you had told me four years ago that our distillery would not be opened yet, that things with the winery would go so well and people are willing to travel to get unprocessed products, I would have thought you crazy.”
Osborn has become so involved in Marlboro he”™s now deputy supervisor of the town and sits on its planning board. “Because of my experience in discovering the Hudson Valley, it”™s made me stop and realize what a wonderful place this is to put agritoursim roots down. Marlboro has such a rich history of agriculture and is such an incredible place, I have come to appreciate it and all its potential.”
The economy has not hit Stoutridge as hard as Osborn and Wagner thought it would. “We have been very lucky,” said Osborn. “People can”™t really afford to travel and have discovered the staycation ”“ the result is, it has sheltered us. We produce about 50,000 bottles of wine a year, which may sound like a lot, but with 3,000-4,000 steady customers who buy a case every year, it goes quickly.”
To honor his new community, Osborn created two new wines””Hudson Heritage red and Hudson Heritage white, made with grapes grown within a half-mile of the winery. “I can”™t take any credit for the blends,” says the vintner. “I do keep an eye on the fermentation, but the wine is simply made and has high antioxidants and low chemicals. For the most part, I let Mother Nature do her thing and she”™s been doing it quite well.”
