La Garagista Farm & Winery

About

Our wines are an expression of the season. Each vintage may herald slightly different bottlings, and even wines that we tend to make every year will show variation from vintage to vintage.

Location Description

Located on Mount Hunger at the edge of the Chateauguay and in the Piedmont chain of hills in Barnard, Vermont.

Features

  • We grow natural alpine wine and ciders.

Additional Information

  • Meeting / Conference Facilities:
  • Caves:
  • Wedding Facilities:
  • Picnic Facilities:
  • Dog Friendly:
  • Winery Tours:
  • Wine Tasting:
  • Art or Architecture:
  • Organic / Biodynamic:
  • Awards:
  • Wine Club:
  • Lodging / Bed & Breakfast:

History

We began creating la garagista farm + winery, this farmstead landscape, in 1999 with first efforts at restaurant gardens, the sister and backbone to our long-standing osteria; the winery opened its doors in 2010 with the first vintage.

The Team

Deirdre is winegrower, organizer, writer, photographer, flower farmer and designer. Caleb is gardener, cook, designer, builder, mechanic, factotum, philosopher. Our crew is comprised of energetic and creative young farmers and cooks who wear many hats and have many talents. Andrew manages the gardens and livestock at the farm, works in both the homefarm and Champlain Valley vines as well as hitting the kitchen and the floor at the osteria in the winter season. He also brings skills in photography, filmmaking and brand development. Austin and Will lift heavy objects, dig holes, cultivate soil, prune vines, press wine, and while Will has a passion for keeping the farmyard neat and tidy, Austin offers a creative flair at the table and on the plate. Katie is the official 2014 la garagista intern and brings enthusiasm and curious palate to the field and the glass as well as the photographer's eye. Suzanna continues her work in the vines and helps keep our harvests moving along. Andrew's farm dog Sola keeps watch, as do the farm cats Janvier and Arlette.

These are the hands and hearts that make la garagista.

Practices & Techniques

We are a practicing organic and biodynamic farm. The word practicing is not used lightly here as it takes a lifetime to learn and understand a plot of land and the plants that grow there. Good farming takes time, and it takes awhile to strengthen roots and resistance to pathogens and pests who have no local predators. While our vineyards are not certified, our ground level philosophy centers on classic naturalistic farming practices focusing on the health of the soil and the vines relationship to the landscape and environment. We use composts, cover crops, and plant teas in addition to minerals to help manage the balance of the ecology in each of the vineyards, responding to the needs of each parcel, each vineyard creating its own world. And while our approach is naturalistic, our vineyards are a bit Fauvist in nature, a bit wild with a variety of native flowers, bees, and fauna.

Estate Vineyards / AVA

All three vineyards have very different personalities drawn by their soils, microclimates and the varieties growing there: clay, limestone, schist, loam. Hot days, cool nights. Lake or mountain breezes. We have planted a selection of red and white cold-hardy vines that suit our terrain: La Crescent, Marquette, Frontenac Gris, Frontenac Blanc, and Frontenac, as well as Brianna and St. Croix. In the homefarm vineyard we have a bit of Riesling and Blaufrankisch as well. Each of these varietals tells the stories of the season and turn into sparkling and still wines steeped in an alpine spirit.

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Hours

Monday-Wednesday by appointment during the summer months of June-August

Address

61 Central St
Woodstock, Vermont 05091
United States

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