Wine aficionados who
uncork vintages local
to Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and New York
quickly discover they
are on the right trail
BY GWEN SHAFFER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVEN VOTE
Eric and Lee Miller were pioneers
in 1982 when they purchased a
converted 17th-century barn on
five acres in the historic town of
Chadds Ford, Pa. Eric, who had
lived in Burgundy as a child, dreamed of
making his own pinot noir. “We instinctively knew we could make great wines
here,” Lee says.
Twenty-five years later, it is obvious
the couple’s hunch turned out to be right
on. Last year, production at Chaddsford
Winery exceeded its 90,000-gallon capacity, forcing the Millers to get creative. “We
rented old milk tankers for extra space,”
Lee says, showing off the winery, which is
well-known for its award-winning barrels
of chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir.
Unlike West Coast wineries that sell
through distribution net works, small
East Coast vintners in Pennsylvania, New
Jersey and New York depend on tourists
for retail sales. (Chaddsford Winery sees
about 50,000 visitors annually.) “These
wineries depend on people coming to the
cellar door to taste their products,” says
David Schildknecht, a contributing writer
for The Wine Advocate. So it makes sense
that Northeast regional wineries have
opted to collaborate rather than compete.
