kate mccardel

Ensemble is a vineyard and winery in the Catskills, devoted to sharing New York State Terroirs. In 2024, I joined Calvin Griffin to plant a new vineyard of hybrid vines.

Over the course of one month, 2500 vines were planted in a field that had been sitting untreated and unplowed on a hillside for some time. Calvin rented a small auger to dig 9-inch-wide holes into the stunning deep red hematite-rich soils. From there, we cleared rocks and dirt by hand and packed the fragile shoots into the earth.

We planted Frontenac Blanc, Brianna, Cayuga, Delaware, and L'Acadie Blanc, all grapes from the north of North America. I particularly liked the local Delaware wine we drank after the day's work, with its pink skins and spicy aromatics.