Open:Â April-December
Brotherhood Winery's Greendale Farm is located in the town of Hudson, in the heart of the Hudson Valley Region. The area is famed for its sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains and the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. It is also home to Olana, a Persian-style dream castle belonging to Hudson River School painter, Frederic Church.
The farm is on a one hundred acre plot of land that gradually slopes down towards the Hudson River, which allows for ideal drainage and wind flow for grape production. The nearby river also creates a microclimate on the farm that tempers the harsh and varied climactic conditions in New York.
Soil also plays a decisive role in the quality of our wines, giving them their basic characteristics. The soil in the Hudson River region is largely formed from glacial deposits of shale, slate, schist and limestone. The quality of the fruit is better, although yields are usually lower, on soils like this, limited in depth by hardpan, rocks or clay substrata. Less fertile soil such as this is especially good for growing premium quality Varietal grapes whereas American grapes such as Concord and Niagara cannot tolerate the limestone.
Growing grapes in New York is a challenge for any viticulturist. Proper choice of grape variety matched to the right rootstock, planting, pruning, training, protecting the vines from animals (ex. deer), birds, insects (ex. Japanese Beetles), disease (ex. mildew), is just the beginning.
