harrisonand tonyFans who have attended our first two shows of the season (and if you haven’t … shame on you!) know we have a new segment on fine wines this year.

Our thanks to Harrison Lebowitz of Snow Farm Vineyard in South Hero for joining us on the show.

After years of research, Harrison and his wife Molly started Snow Farm Vineyard, Vermont’s first commercial vineyard and grape winery in 1996 as a way to keep land in Vermont open and working.

Harrison has an extensive background as a lawyer. From December, 1991 until Snow Farm became his full-time occupation in 1996, he was an assistant attorney general with the State of Vermont.

In his three years of research into the feasibility of starting a vineyard in Vermont, Harrison consulted extensively with leading experts in cold climate growing of grapes, including those from Michigan State University, Southwest Michigan Research Center, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (Cornell University Extension) and University of Minnesota, traveled to Minnesota at the invitation of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, and studied at the University of California, Davis.

Through his research, he met Patrick Barrelet, Snow Farm’s winemaker and vineyard manager. Patrick, an international award-winning winemaker, received his education in France with a degree in viticulture from CFPPA de Beaune and a Diplome Technicien Oenolgue from the Universite de Dijon and studied under Michel Roucher-Sarrazin of Puligny-Montrachet, considered one of the top five winemakers in Burgundy.

Harrison and Molly live with their two children, Tess and Jared, and their two semi-worthless dogs in South Hero.

In the picture above, Harrison and Tony discuss appropriate wines to pair with the soups prepared by Chef Curtiss Hemm on a recent show.

Also, notice the wine chime toasting bar on the table. You can learn more about the wine chime here.

Cheers!

Tony