ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – On Saturday, July 27, from 12-6 p.m., Stacy and Chuck Harriman welcomed a steady influx of boisterous visitors to the official grand opening of the new tasting room at their vineyard, Vermont Vines in Rockingham. A perfect summer day in Vermont, sunny with a light breeze, invited people to gather outside on the deck, or under a large tent where tables and chairs were set up.
Music from John Sullivan complimented the peaceful setting, as he performed mellow classics from Tom Petty, Paul Simon, and other crowd-pleasers.
In addition to the Harriman’s variety of red and white wines and farm-fresh charcuterie boards offered inside the tasting room, Craig and Jess Goodman from Goodman’s American Pie in Ludlow were set up outside, serving pizza from their famous wood-burning beehive oven truck. Their signature honey apple pizza seemed to pair well with Vermont Vines’ St. Pepin medium-bodied white wine.
The beautiful, 34-acre property, three acres planted, is located at 275 Williams Road, between Rockingham Road and the Williams River. The Harrimans purchased the place in 2008, after Stacy saw that the property was for sale. In 2010, they planted 1,200 grapevines.
Their two boys were young at the time, recalled Stacy. “I was taking a back road bringing the kids to daycare, and I saw the for-sale sign and called Chuck to tell him. We were the first to make an offer.”
Now, their sons, – Reese, 18, and Cameron, almost 21 – have grown up helping around the vineyard, and continue to be part of the family business. Cameron was with his father behind the bar on Saturday during the wine tasting, dispensing information about the varieties of wine they make.
As the name suggests, the wine is 100% grown and produced in Vermont. Stacy expressed her gratitude for Northeastern Vine Supply, a nursery in Pawlet, owned by Andy and India Farmer. The Farmers are some of the leaders in the relatively new industry of cold climate grape growing, a market that didn’t exist 20 years ago.
Viticulture, the science of growing grapevines, has developed new technology to produce cold-hardy grape varieties that can survive and thrive in Vermont’s climate. The Farmers began Northeastern Vine Supply to help winemakers get started and teach them how to continue to see success. They have been working with the Harrimans since they started making wine in their basement at home.
Long-time residents of the area, Chuck grew up in Chester, and Stacy was born and raised in Springfield. They feel excited about continuing to expand their vineyard operations, providing a welcoming place for locals and visitors alike to visit, relax, catch up with friends, and enjoy the gorgeous Vermont vistas and Vermont-grown wines. The vineyard can also be booked for weddings and other events, and Stacy said they plan to add a section of regional and Vermont products for sale. Seems the local family is just getting started.