New Winery in New York

Filed in archive Wineries on January 27, 2007

Spring Lake Winery, a new winery in Lockport, New York, has recently opened its doors. The long-time dream of three generations of Varallos, who immigrated from Italy in 1955, the winery is the result of the work of three generations. It is now a dream come true according to this article in the Varallo's local paper, NEW WINERY: Varallo family hopes new winery becomes destination:

Tamre Varallo has a slogan for her family's new undertaking: "Three generations, one dream."

That dream - which has been in the making for almost 50 years - is finally beginning to bear fruit.

On Dec. 23, the Varallo family opened the Spring Lake Winery, 7373 Rochester Road. Though the 78 acres of vines won't be ready for harvest for over a year, the winery is already selling wine under its own label, and the family has many plans for the future of the land.

Tamre's husband, Dr. Nicholas Varallo, and his brother, Dr. Mark Varallo, are the owners of the winery. It is managed by Nicholas and Tamre's sons, Dominic and Americo.

Nicholas' father brought the family to America in 1955 from Casa Bordino, Italy, where the wine-making tradition began.

"We carried on the tradition with our children, and it's nice to see the boys take over," Tamre said.

"We've always been a close family," Dominic said. "Everyone's helping out."

Dominic said the wine for sale at Spring Lake now is made from grapes and juice imported from California. Spring Lake is selling six different kinds of wine: Syrah, White Syrah, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The grapes planted on the Spring Lake land will be used for Riesling and Pinot Noir, Dominic said.

The plans for the winery include a gazebo stage next to the pond on the property, where live music can be played. Dominic said they are also planning to have a gift shop and are hoping to bottle their own water from their Artesian well.

Dominic said the family hopes people will use the winery as a place for wedding receptions and other special events.

In the fall, the winery received a $100,000 federal grant, which Dominic said has helped immensely.

It's alwasy inspiring to read article like this.