Brotherhood Winery
Encyclopedia
The Brotherhood Winery is commonly acknowledged to be the oldest operating winery
in the United States
. It is located in Washingtonville, New York
, a community in the Hudson Valley
, and produced its first commercial vintage in 1839. In 2000 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
. The winery uses the slogan "America's Oldest Winery."
The winery remained in operation during Prohibition
as it produced sacramental wine
for the Catholic Church. New ownership came in 1921 with Louis Farrell and his son Louis Jr. The Farrells owned the winery until 1947 when both the father and son died in close succession. Control of the winery passed to three Farrell cousins. Francis Farrell was the cousin that ran the vineyard through the World War II
era. An expansion included visitor tour facilities and recognition for award-winning wine
s in regional wine competitions.
The most recent change of ownership occurred in 1987 when Cesar Baeza purchased the winery. Baeza established vineyard
s on Long Island
during the 1990s. The Cabernet Sauvignon
and Merlot
planted there and produced into wine
are noted as standouts on their sales list.
-based wines, with some seasoned with fresh herbs and spices based on 19th century formulas. The spiced wine known as "holiday wine" has been a winery best seller for many years. The winery also produces various specialty wines, including one flavored with ginseng
and a May wine with sweet strawberry flavors. The winery also produces a version of wine similar to mead
made from wildflower honey
and an Ethiopian
style honey wine (Tej
) named "Sheba Te'j Honey Wine".
In the 1970s the winery began producing wines made from French hybrid grapes which the winery still sells. Under the ownership of Cesar Baeza the winery has begun creating wines from Vitis Vinifera
grapes. Wines include Cabernet Sauvignon
, Pinot Noir
, Merlot
, Chardonnay
, Riesling
and a White Zinfandel
.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in Washingtonville, New York
Washingtonville, New York
Washingtonville is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,851 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
, a community in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
, and produced its first commercial vintage in 1839. In 2000 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The winery uses the slogan "America's Oldest Winery."
History
Brotherhood Winery was started by a European immigrant named John Jaques, who deeded it in 1858 to his three sons, John Jr., Oren, and Charles, later renaming it "Jacques Brothers' Winery." In 1886, ownership of winery came under the father and son ownership of James M. and Edward R. Emerson, acquiring it from Charles, the last surviving Jaques brother. The Emersons renamed the operation "Brotherhood" and expanded its facilities to include the single remaining original building on the winery's property, as well as adding large underground winemaking facilities. Edward wrote the book The Story of the Vine while in ownership of Brotherhood.The winery remained in operation during Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
as it produced sacramental wine
Sacramental wine
Sacramental wine, Communion wine or altar wine is wine obtained from grapes and intended for use in celebration of the Eucharist...
for the Catholic Church. New ownership came in 1921 with Louis Farrell and his son Louis Jr. The Farrells owned the winery until 1947 when both the father and son died in close succession. Control of the winery passed to three Farrell cousins. Francis Farrell was the cousin that ran the vineyard through the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era. An expansion included visitor tour facilities and recognition for award-winning wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s in regional wine competitions.
The most recent change of ownership occurred in 1987 when Cesar Baeza purchased the winery. Baeza established vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
during the 1990s. The Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
and Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
planted there and produced into wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
are noted as standouts on their sales list.
Wines
Prior to the ownership of Cesar Baeza, the winery was known for its Vitis LabruscaVitis labrusca
Vitis labrusca is a species of grapevines belonging to the Vitis genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to the eastern United States and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba and Concord grapes, and many hybrid grape varieties such as Agawam,...
-based wines, with some seasoned with fresh herbs and spices based on 19th century formulas. The spiced wine known as "holiday wine" has been a winery best seller for many years. The winery also produces various specialty wines, including one flavored with ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
and a May wine with sweet strawberry flavors. The winery also produces a version of wine similar to mead
Mead
Mead , also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained immediately after fermentation...
made from wildflower honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
and an Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
style honey wine (Tej
Tej
Tej is a mead or honey wine that is brewed and consumed in Ethiopia. It is flavored with the powdered leaves and twigs of gesho , a hops-like bittering agent that is a species of buckthorn...
) named "Sheba Te'j Honey Wine".
In the 1970s the winery began producing wines made from French hybrid grapes which the winery still sells. Under the ownership of Cesar Baeza the winery has begun creating wines from Vitis Vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
grapes. Wines include Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
, Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
and a White Zinfandel
White Zinfandel
White Zinfandel, often abbreviated as White Zin, is an off-dry to sweet, pink-colored blush wine. White Zinfandel is made from the Zinfandel wine grape, which would otherwise produce a bold and spicy red wine. As such, it is not a grape variety but a method of processing Zinfandel grapes...
.
Further reading
Emerson, Edward R., The Story of the Vine. New York and London:G. P. Putnam's sons, 1902-
- Not in copyright, digital edition can be found at http://www.archive.org/details/storyofvine00emerrich
Works cited
- Brotherhood Winery, "History", Retrieved on April 6, 2007 from http://www.brotherhoodwinery.net/pages/history.asp
- Brotherhood Winery, "Shop", Retrieved on April 6, 2007 from http://www.brotherhoodwinery.net/pages/shop.asp
- Bruce Cass and Jancis Robinson, ed., The Oxford Companion to the Wine of North America, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
- Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections Cornell University Library. (2006) "Guide to the Brotherhood Wine Company Records,1822-2006 Collection Number: 6701" Retrieved on April 6, 2007 from http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/EAD/htmldocs/RMM06701.html
- National Register of Historical Place, "NEW YORK - Orange County". Retrieved on April 6, 2007 from http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/NY/Orange/state.html