Jerod Thurber
Lyndonville, NY
The Winery
Leonard Oakes Estate Winery produces wines from grapes grown on land owned by the Oakes Family for over 90 years, and now farmed by the fourth generation. The family planted their first 14 varieties of wine grape vines in 2003 on six acres.
Products
The Winery produces a variety of white, red, rose, and dessert wines, as well as sparkling cider and sparkling cherry wine. Leonard Oakes grows, produces, bottles, and sells all of its own product.
Growing Practices
The Winery uses conventional growing methods in its vineyards: “When it comes to our vineyards we use a lot of preventative measures as opposed to reactive measures that are usually more harmful to the air and soils. We keep our sprays to a minimum and document them extensively. We use an IPM (integrated pest management) program in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension. We are also moving towards a more reproductive disruption model by use of pheromones instead of sprays.”