Azure Hill Winery was established in 2006, by Leslie Knipe and Joseph Sheehy, a farm winery, located on the west side of Keuka Lake, Hammondsport, NY. Produced at the winery: Rieslings, blends, and red and sparkling wines; the first Riesling vintages were released in 2012. The site was chosen for the beautiful view of Keuka Lake and its bluff; the rolling hills, & excellent soil content. In 2006, Riesling vines were planted by hand; there are now five acres of vinifera vines: At this time, no oak is ever used to produce the wine.

RIESLING:

Riesling (pronounced reece-ling), is a white grape variety originated in the Rhine region, Germany. We chose to plant this varietal for its cold climate heartiness and popularity. We produce three styles of Riesling annually; Riesling Dry, Sweet Riesling, and Sparkling Riesling Brut. All of our grapes are handpicked, usually around mid-October. The dry and sweet Rieslings are hand-harvested from estate-grown grapes and local growers. Azure Hill Sparkling Brut Riesling is made in the traditional méthode champenoise (a production method whereby wine undergoes a second fermentation process in the bottle). Several vintages of only estate-grown and produced on site. Riesling grapes are used to produce a dry wine with elegant bubbles.

SAPERAVI:

Saperavi is a dark-skinned, pink-fleshed grape variety originally from the Georgian Republic. Late ripening, cool climate variety. Saperavi's meaning is "dye" also described as an inky berry. In 2017,  1500 vines were panted. The growth rate was so rapid, that in 2019 we released our first vintage of estate-grown and bottled, full-body, dry, red, Saperavi wine. Handpicked by the owners who also sorted each grape at the winery production area to use only the best quality grapes. Although 2021 was a very wet year, more rows were picked but the yield was lower than expected. We have plans to release additional styles of our Saperavi wine in 2025 including a Sparkling Saperavi Rosé 2021. Delicate bubbles, using the traditional Méthode Champenoise, a Brut (dry) wine with delicate bubbles, notes of light red fruits, cranberry, raspberry, and bright acidity on the palate. Production of our sparkling wines is created on-site from start to finish using estate-grown grapes. 

ZWEIGELT:
A red vinifera wine grape widely planted in Austria, a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. The first vines were planted in 2010 near Gallagher Road. More were planted in 2018; due to a wet summer and minus seven degrees in late November, most of them did not survive and are being removed. New vines were planted in 2024 in the vineyard closer to the lake. We produced medium-body red wines with cherry notes, aroma, and flavor. 

NOIRET:

Noiret is a hybrid cold-climate grape variety developed and named by Cornell University researchers working at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, it was officially released in 2006. It is a very dark grape almost black (noir) in appearance. Our first vintage released in November 2024, produced a dry full-bodied red wine with classic traits of black pepper, and raspberry. Red fruit is driven on the palate, with soft tannins.