ABOUT HERON HILL WINERY | LOCATIONS | THE VINEYARDS | WINEMAKING | THE ARCHITECTURE | TASTING & ENTERTAINMENT | ABOUT JOHN & JO INGLE | ABOUT BERNARD CANNAC | SUSTAINABILITY | ABOUT THE FINGER LAKES
About Owners, John & Jo Ingle
It was during the late 1960’s that John and Josephine met on the first day of school at the University of
Denver. John studied to be an English teacher and graduated in 1971. By this time, however, he was
reading organic gardening magazines regularly and had been bitten by the “back to the earth” bug.
Photogallery rendered here.
After marrying in June 1971, John and Josephine went looking for their promised land. Colorado,
Wyoming, Montana, Alberta, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon all received consideration
but the two recent grads landed in John’s backyard – Seneca Point, Naples, New York.
There they lived in a two-room cabin with a woodstove while they lovingly helped their neighbors with the grape harvest. Something about chasing a wagon down a vineyard row, carrying a 40 pound box of grapes (which they had just finished hand-picking) struck the two budding oenophiles as the “good life.”
Spring of 1972 saw the Ingles plant 20 acres of grapes, including Chardonnay, Riesling, and Seyval Blanc. They cleared the land – a tangle of poison ivy – and planted some 12,000 vines. They pounded posts, strung wire and battled weeds and pests. After some four years of nurturing their vineyards, they were ready for harvest. Unfortunately, at that time, New York State was experiencing an excess of grapes and as a result, the Ingles could find little or no market for their crop.
To solve the problem, they built Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake. Being next door to Walter Taylor’s Bully Hill Winery and Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars (two prominent figures in the Finger Lakes) seemed like a good location. It has been, too. 2009 marks the 32nd anniversary of Heron Hill. There has been much learning, much fun and many people met on their odyssey through the winery-owner experience. Heron Hill has a superb winemaker, a dedicated team of helpers, and a strong reputation for quality products.
Heron Hill is committed to producing wines of the highest quality. John and Josephine follow the
ebb and flow of the seasons through the vineyard, and continue to build the reputation of the Finger
Lakes Region and its critically acclaimed wines.
Read more about Winemaker, Bernard Cannac here.
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