Page 5 - BusinessWest July 24, 2023

Richard F. Burkhart, CPA and Salvatore J. Pizzanelli, CPA, JD, PFS
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This aerial view reveals the deep beauty of Glendale Ridge Vineyard and the surrounding mountains.
geous views of the Holyoke Range and Mount Tom thrown in free of charge.
Like the wines they make, the business itself has developed and matured, said the Hamels, noting that each aspect of the opera- tion is growing and, by all accounts, improving and becoming more smooth and even bold, to borrow some terms from the industry.
There is a wine club that now boasts more than 350 members, the vineyard’s wines are now available in several area retail outlets and restaurants, and the farm itself has become a destination — for wine enthusiasts, music lovers, visitors from across the country who focus their travels on winery tours, a growing number of volunteers who help pick grapes each October, and more.
Moving forward, Mary and Ed say their obvious goal is to grow each of the three businesses within the operation, which currently relies on a small core of employees, as well as that growing army of volunteers who pick grapes.
And to keep having fun.
“People tend to think it’s a great job to have a vineyard, and it is, but let me tell you, it’s a lot of hard work,” Ed said. “It’s farming — I don’t need to say anything else — but there’s a lot of joy in it, too.”
still don’t have one; she believes they do — have shaped a dream into a growing business, in every sense of that phrase.
Grape Expectations
Ed told BusinessWest that Glendale Ridge grows only about a third of the grapes needed for its growing portfolio of wines. The rest are bought from other vineyards, mostly in Long Island and the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Each fall, he’ll rent a large truck and go on grape-buying treks, which, in the case of those Long Island vineyards, from which he’ll come back with three to six tons of product, can be a bit of an adventure. At least they were early on.
“Have you ever driven a large Penske truck onto the ferry?” Ed asked rhetorically, referring to the way most people get to Long Island. “It’s fun. It’s a little nerve-wracking at first; you see other large trucks, so you know it can be done, but it will test your nerves. Now, it’s old hat; I don’t think too much of it.”
Mastering the art of driving such a large vehicle onto the ferry serves as an effective metaphor for this operation, which, for the most part, has involved a whole lot of learning by doing and simply becoming better at ... well, whatever it is you’re doing over time.
Our story begins in 1992, when Ed and Mary purchased the Sankey Farm with the goal of preserving the land through an active farming project.
“I’ve always had this thought that I wanted to grow something,” said Ed, adding that his maternal grandfather operated a small farm in Vermont, where he spent a good deal of time in his youth. “Once we were on this farm, I thought we would do the organic thing — carrots, lettuce, tomatoes — but I couldn’t wrap my head around
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For this issue, we learned a little about how to grow grapes, make wine, and fill a summer concert series.
We learned a lot more about how a couple with
an idea but no business plan — he says they
“We’re just following where this thing takes us, and we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”
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