Story by Amy Stock; Photos ©stockstudiosphotography.com

Blood Root, Hillbilly Mountain Mash, Saratoga Spitfire – no, these aren’t the names of race horses, they’re the names of some of Saratoga Winery’s new “micro” wines, and they’ve been selling fast since the winery opened in October 2009.

Since that time, owners Rich and Tara Nimmo have been kept busy.  Said Rich, “From day one the winery was a hit.”  Over 1,000 people came through the winery on their opening weekend.   “We’ve tripled the business that we projected.  Our opening day we sold 99 bottles of wine, and between October 1st and Christmas we sold 6,500 bottles.”

Starting a new small business during a major economic downturn was risky – but for Rich and Tara, it was an educated risk they were eager to take.  Said Tara, “You have to take smart risks, educate yourself.  We felt Saratoga needed something and we thought it was a winery.  We were willing to take an educated risk. “  Rich added, “Even during an economic downturn, people still buy and drink wine.  Worse case scenario – we’ll have a lot of wine.”

The winery is located in a former garden/farm stand on Rt 29, which they are leasing to own.  “We’ve always been opportunists,” said Tara.  They own two other service businesses in the area. 

“We want to run a good local business, provide a really good product and a great experience,” said Rich.  He added, “What makes us unique from other wine sellers is any wine we have on the shelf you can taste.  So, you’re guaranteed to like the bottle you buy.” 

A testament to their success, “The tasting bar is always full,” commented Rich. 

However, their success may stem from their willingness to follow their passion for making wine.

Rich and Tara learned the art of wine making from Rich’s Uncle, who lives in rural Pennsylvania and has been bottling wine since the 1970’s – he currently bottles around 50,000 per year.  Said Rich, “He really showed us start to finish working with grapes.”  His uncle passed down to them their signature melomel recipe – an all-natural sulfite-free wine made from grapes and honey.  His uncle received the recipe from an old Hungarian man.  According to Rich, they are the only winery in the region making this version of the centuries old wine.

“Making wine is something we’ve always enjoyed,” said Rich.  “We always made wine in our basement.  It got to the point where we were giving so much away people said to us, ‘why don’t you just open a winery?’”

The Nimmo’s thought opening a winery would be something they would do in their 40’s.  However, when Rich was diagnosed with cancer in 2008 they decided, “why wait until 40 – nothing’s a given.” 

Said Tara, “Rich’s cancer gave us more of a motivation to follow our dream and do what we enjoyed.”  She continued, “We always knew we were going to do it we just didn’t know it would be this fast.”

After his surgery, the first words Rich spoke to his wife Tara were, “I just want to make wine.”  And, so they are.  The couple has been triple blessed.  In addition to being cancer-free and following their dream to make wine, Tara recently gave birth to a new baby. 


Their Process:
They currently are making and bottling wine on site, as well as using Rich’s Uncle’s facility in Pennsylvania.  They are expanding their barrel room to eventually make all of the wine on site.

Since opening in October, they’ve bottled 22,000 bottles. Said Rich, “We are hoping we are going to make it through the season.  We bottle throughout the year and plan to bottle more each year.”

All their grapes come from farmers in the Finger Lakes.  “We deal directly with the farmers.  This gives us an opportunity to go out and see the grapes we’re buying.”   This also makes Saratoga Winery truly a regional winery, one of its kind in the Saratoga area.

The tasting room and storefront, decorated in a charming Adirondack style, provides a warm relaxed environment. “We cater to a broad spectrum of wine enthusiasts.  We want people to come and enjoy themselves. ”

They offer a variety of tasting opportunities, from single tasting to a full set of their red, whites and their signature melomels.  Said Rich, “Our melomels are really popular – especially with people who aren’t able to drink regular wine because of the sulfites.”  This all-natural wine, made from grapes and honey, carries a strong unique flavor, very popular among their clients. 

Their growing selection of wines ranges from dry reds to sweet whites.  They’ve bottled fourteen wines with plans to bottle four more.  

In addition to being the only regional Winery and Tasting room, Saratoga Winery also sells locally made food and crafts from other small local businesses, including: 
Little Bakery in Grove, selling all natural homemade baked goods,
Whalen’s Horseradish and a cheese spread made from their Blood Root wine,
Willow Marsh Farm cheese located in Ballston Spa,
AA Bees Honey based in Round Lake,
Maple Syrup from Tara’s family’s farm in Vermont, and

Post Modern Design custom-made iron works (wine racks, tables, etc).

They are in the process of working with other local vendors to sell their wares, such as Saratoga Sweets and Saratoga Salsa.

Said Tara, “We are big on all-natural, local, from family businesses.”

Their vision for the next five years is to keep expanding as demand increases.  “We’ve had local wine stores, distributors and restaurants approach us.”  Rich and Tara hope to eventually sell their wine through all three.  In addition to wine, they hope to eventually make and sell their own micro-brew.

Their tasting and barrel rooms provide a spacious location for events.  They have hosted several local fundraisers and plan to make the space available for more in the future.  They also hope to sponsor some of their own events this summer, such as a pig roast and a blues/jazz fest.

For a small upstart business in a downturn economy, business keeps looking up for Rich and Tara.

To get a taste of their melomel and other specialty wines, visit the winery located on Rt 29, just five minutes from downtown Saratoga Springs.

For more information contact:

Saratoga Winery & Tasting Room
462 Rt 29, Saratoga Springs, NY
tel: 518-584-WINE (9463)
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.thesaratogawinery.com

Hours:
March, April, May: Wed-Sat, 12-7 and Sun, 12-5
Starting June 1: Tues-Sun, 11-8