Our vineyards
Heron Hill cultivates its grapes from three different vineyard sites encompassing a total of 43 acres including 16 acres of grapevines at our home-site, sloping down from the winery towards the edge of Keuka Lake, along with 23.5 acres of vinifera grapevines from our owner’s Ingle Vineyard, located on a number of specific blocks on the west side of Canandaigua Lake
At Heron Hill, we leave boot prints—not tire tracks—in our vineyards, practicing sustainable, nature-friendly viticulture. We are not certified organic (very few wineries in the country have this certification), however we only use organic fertilizers.
Ingle Vineyard
Located on Seneca Point, on the west side of Canandaigua Lake, Ingle Vineyard is the largest vinifera vineyard on the lake. We hand-harvest Ingle Vineyard grapes, carefully selecting only the best fruit. Varieties grown include Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Blaufrankisch and Pinot Noir. The vineyard is located on the home property of the Ingles, who maintain the vines themselves along with their staff. We have been using sustainable methods for over 50 years.
Every wine labeled Ingle Vineyard comes exclusively from our estate vineyards. We sustainably farm and hand-pick the grapes, keeping them separate from all other vineyards to showcase their unique characteristics.
2022 marked an exciting 50 years of our Ingle Vineyard on Canandaigua Lake.
The terrain of the Finger Lakes Region makes it a unique location for yielding superb wines. The lakeside hills, the gravelly loam soil, and the exceptional growing climate of warm days and cool evenings all add to the quality of the wines produced here. In addition, the low yield of the vineyards – an average of two tons per acre – contributes to a high concentration of flavor and quality. People call the Finger Lakes Region ‘Riesling Country’ because its German-style climate and landscape produce top-notch Rieslings—77 percent of the state’s Riesling comes from this region.