BASHAKILL VINEYARDS

BASHAKILL VINEYARDS is Sullivan County’s first licensed farm winery, which opened its tasting room doors in December 2007. BashaKill Vineyards is an eco-friendly vineyard that produces “certified naturally grown” grapes. The vineyard lies on a slight slope that flows down to the 2,000 acre BashaKill wetlands. This marsh provides an ideal micro-climate to grow world class organic grapes, and the loose sandy soil offers excellent farming conditions. The land around the wetlands has a long history of farming dating back to the 1700s. It was initially inhabited by Native Americans and by the mid-1700s European settlers migrated to the area. Old clay drainage pipes can still be found in some of the fields.

The northern fields of the vineyard, planted in 2005, are home to both our Cayuga White vines as well as a red variety named Noiret. We use the Cayuga White grapes to produce our Estate White Tail varietal white wine. Our Estate White Tail is a Germanicstyle, balanced, semi-sweet wine with hints of melon, peach, apple, and an earthy overtone. In 2006, we took a chance planting a newly-released red hybrid out of Minnesota named Marquette, which has Pinot Noir as one of its grandparents. Marquette was promised to be a hardy, disease-resistant grape while still producing a high-quality wine. In 2010, we harvested enough grapes for two barrels of our first Estate red wine. We are blending our Marquette with our Noiret and calling it “Bald Eagle.” This wine is a full-bodied, heavy red wine with spice, oak and hints of black pepper, made from organicallygrown grapes.

We are now implementing several biodynamic practices in our vineyard. In 2009, we introduced chickens into our vineyard to help control pests and provide us with organic fertilizer, which is composted with our grape pressings and reapplied to our soil. In 2010, we introduced nine Babydoll Southdown sheep to manage our weeds and fertilize at the same time. We want to build an environment that will allow us to grow the most flavorful grapes, which will reflect in our wines. We also started construction on our wine cave, which will be completed by the end of the summer. This will allow us to expand our wine capacity and give us the perfect temperature and humidity for aging our reds in the most natural environment. Another acreand- a-half has been cleared for 600 more vines in 2012.

This is our first Chardonnay which is aged, half in American oak and half in stainless steel, and then blended together for a very smooth dry white wine. It has a full body and a beautiful finish!

Made from the noble Gewurztraminer grape, Barn Owl is a semi-dry, highly aromatic wine with spice and honey on the palate and nose.

Our Estate White Tail is a Germanic-style, balanced, semi-sweet wine with hints of melon, peach, apple and an earthy overtone. This wine pairs well with sushi, salads, antipasto, and desserts.

One of our most popular whites, this Germanic-style semi-sweet wine has flavors and aromas of honeysuckle, pineapple and grapefruit. Enjoy with light pasta dishes and desserts.

Made from 100% Chancellor grapes grown on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York, this bold wine has notes of cedar, anise, and spice, and is great on a crisp autumn day. Pairs well with spicy foods.

Our first estate red wine made from a blend of our Noiret and Marquette organically- grown grapes. We only produced enough grapes for two barrels, but the wine is outstanding. We plan to age this wine a second year in our cave and release it in the summer of 2012.