our roots

Good friends, good food, good wine - not necessarily in that order. I’ve always loved hosting a great meal.

Often when I host, I prepare my favorite Crab Cake recipe. You can't have a great crab cake without a great wine. I realized that along with everything else I have tinkered with and created in my years as a chemist and carpenter, I could, I hoped, also create an excellent wine.

A year and a half into this project, after locating winery space, grape sources and equipment, I had wine in the bottle.  I was ready to start selling my first wines except for one thing: I couldn’t come up with a name to save my life.

I lay awake for many sleepless nights as my heart pounded so hard I thought it would leap right out of my chest. I lamented this feeling to good friends over a dinner of Crab Cakes and my as yet unlabeled Chardonnay. One of them  looked at me and said, "I'd buy that wine. Heart’s Leap." And, suddenly with a little help from my friends, it made perfect sense.

Heart's Leap captures the fear and excitement of starting a new business with just the help of family and friends. What started as two barrels in my garage is now a production of more than thirty-five barrels a year of over ten varietals, operation of a weekend tasting room and award-winning wines being sold in more than a dozen local groceries, liquor stores, and restaurants – from Wildberries to Tomo.

I'm not done perfecting, but I now have many wines that I am proud to share with my friends and family. And I still would love to get some sleep!