This article first appeared in the December 2014 issue of Organic Hudson Valley.

New York is the third largest wine producing state in the country, and the Hudson Valley, in particular, is one of the oldest and best-known wine regions, with a focus on premium boutique farm wineries. Nostrano Vineyards is a new winery that continues in that tradition, located in a picturesque section of Ulster County. Arriving at the vineyard, complete with rolling hills, it’s easy to imagine why early settlers started planting grapes along the valley.

The Nostrano Vineyard is a fourth generation farm, transformed from a fruit farm to a functioning organic vineyard by Nicolas Bozzo, who has implemented his vision of a local, boutique winery beautifully. He is extremely knowledgeable about the different varieties of grapes and excited to open for tastings to share the wine with others.

“I developed a love of the land and of farming at a very early age when helping my grandfather, Joseph Trapani Sr., on his apple farm,” Bozzo said. “It seems that farming is in my blood.” Even facing some discouragement from his family due to the difficulty of farming didn’t deter Bozzo, who now has their help with the vineyard. “I graduated from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry and as my senior thesis, I traveled to New Zealand to study ecotourism and winery design,” Bozzo continued. “After graduation, I decided to enter the field of farming and began converting my family’s apple farm to grape vineyards.” Some of the fruit that was grown on the farm remains, such as Honey crisp apples and blackberries, though most of it now hosts grapes.

The winery produces both red and white varieties, with the production occurring on site. “I began planting one and a half acres of seedless table grapes in 2010 and began planting wine grapes in 2011,” Bozzo said. “We grow Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Baco and Pinot Noir.”

The climate of New York can be difficult, but Bozzo was lucky in that his grapes have done well due to the land and microclimate of the farm. A neighboring vineyard, only about five miles down, cannot grow pinot noir due to the soil and weather conditions, an example of the challenges of running a vineyard. “My favorite wine is Pinot Noir and that’s where everyone said you’re crazy for trying to grow it here,” Bozzo said. “We started small but everything is growing great so we’re going to plant more. I’m trying to stay relatively simple with the grapes that we’re growing and the wine we’re producing.” Bozzo’s goal is for all the wines they produce to be grown on the property. As a small, boutique winery, there is an appeal in, ‘Showing people, here’s your bottle of wine that came from right over there,” Bozzo said.

Bozzo is conscious of trying to be organic and have a low impact on the planet, something he brings to the vineyard and wine production process. He described the way he deals with pesticides as an example. Rather than spray all the plants, the different grapes are carefully watched to see if there are any bugs that are problematic. If so, they use the minimal pesticide necessary. However, with the Riesling grapes, the bugs were useful, as they were Japanese Beetles and ate the new growth on the plants, something Bozzo would have had to trim anyway, to prevent the older growth from getting too much shade, so in that instance, the relationship was symbiotic. “They did a lot of work for me,” Bozzo said. “They were eating the younger leaves, which I was going to have to cut off anyway.”

As part of the opening, Bozzo built a tasting room, which contains a lot of repurposed materials, such as the granite used for the bar, and the tables and chairs, which came from a cafe that was going out of business. “I’m into sustainability,” Bozzo said. Even the wood the bar is made out of was milled from trees on the property. Bozzo describes the tasting room as, “Designed for visitors to taste our wines and relax and enjoy the beautiful views that surround the vineyard.” There is a set-up of outdoor seating overlooking the hills of the vineyard allowing guests to enjoy the views and the wine at their leisure.

With the new tasting room, Bozzo looks forward to interacting with visitors at tastings. “I would love to be behind the bar,” Bozzo said, though as the farmer he knows that will not always be possible, but he has help from his wife, Kayleigh. “Either I or Kayleigh will be behind the bar and I feel that’s the best way to do it because I know the most about the wine I made and Kayleigh knows the most about the wine I made,” Bozzo said. “She’s my biggest critic, along with my father. They’re not too easy on me.”

Nostrano Vineyard will be opening the tasting room throughout the holiday season. Information on holiday specials and events will be listed on their Facebook page.