We are  Susan Salter Reynolds and Douglas Harp. Inspired by a few hardy wine and cider makers in this valley, and by our love for the region, the soil, and the community we decided to grow grapes on Susan’s land in Barnard.

When we began planting, all across Vermont vineyards were being planted. A few people were finding great success with cold-hardy alpine varieties—Marquette, Frontenac, La Crescent, Brianna, and others. Each year, the wines they were making grew more complex, vivid, and delicious.

Something else was also happening globally. There was a growing desire to drink wines with no chemicals, wines that had been allowed to grow and express the soil and climate they came from, without the addition of artificial yeasts, flavors, or preservatives. 

We discovered one model for such an agricultural process, biodynamics — a philosophy developed by Rudolf Steiner. Not only did it resonate with our desire to contribute something worthy to the community, but to do so in a way that attended to the importance of the natural landscape in which we live. 

Our goal is to keep learning, stay true to the principles of biodynamics, help build a wine region in Vermont that honors the land and celebrates the future of this organic movement for coming generations. We are in it for the long haul. With the help of family and friends we harvested 500 pounds of grapes in September 2018, many more than we expected that first year. It is impossible to express the joy of drinking a wine that we put our hearts, minds, and bodies into creating. 

In October 2019, we had our first real harvest, which yielded 1,500 pounds of grapes, and after stomping and pressing we ended up with 115 gallons of beautiful juice. In 2020, the robins ate much of our crop, so we purchased grapes from another Vermont vineyard. This year, we will use nets! The learning curve is steep, and like the vines, we are climbing.