The Story of Keuka Lake Vineyards begins in 1992, when Mel Goldman and his wife Dorothee fell for the Finger Lakes on a family camping trip. This affection, paired with a long-standing dream to plant a vineyard, led them to purchase a few acres of former Taylor Wine Co. vineyard in 1993. Mel retired early, in 1997, to focus totally on the vineyard, and the Riesling and Pinot Noir vines that he and Dorothee would plant soon after still stand on the estate to this day.
Mel sold his crop in the early years, but as the vines matured, he saw the quality in KLV grapes. So, Mel asked neighboring winemakers to assist in making a test vintage. He and Dorothee then carried a few bottles to France, where the wines excelled in blind tastings amidst bottlings from premier European appellations. On the heels of this praise, KLV made its first official vintage in 2005 with the winemaking skills of Ravines Wine Cellar’s Morten Hallgren.
Today, KLV’s estate vineyards have grown to include 40 acres on the east and west slopes of Keuka Lake’s southern end. Six varietals grow in the glacial soils, both vinifera and hybrid. Every vintage that we produce is rooted in the original passion that brought us to the Finger Lakes, and in honoring what our spectacular vineyards provide.
Mel started Keuka Lake Vineyards after a diverse career in economic development in developing countries. After serving in the Peace Corps, he got his start with farming while in college on a two-month stint on a vineyard focused on table grapes at a kibbutz in Israel, a short experience on a friend’s Michigan grain farm and working with small farmers in Colombia.
Mel developed a taste for fine wine from experiences with Burgundy, Napa and Chilean wine, and discovered the Finger Lakes in 1992. After tasting the products of Finger Lakes vineyards, Mel was sold on the potential of the region to make fine wine. Starting in 1998, he planted Riesling and a bit of Pinot Noir, initially with the help of his wife Dorothee. Vignoles and Cabernet Franc followed when he realized their potential to thrive and make excellent wines in the Finger Lakes. He farmed the westside vineyards himself until 2008 when he was overwhelmed by an ever-growing list of responsibilities.
Today, Mel is still very much involved in the day-to-day operations at KLV, from hauling trays on pick days to sharing his passion for the wine quality and vineyards with visitors.
A Finger Lakes native, Carla Luta’s passion for wine comes to her as naturally as her love of Keuka Lake and surrounding small town area.
Before working in the wine industry, Carla worked for years as a paralegal. She moved to Hammondsport in 2016 from her nearby hometown of Campbell and took up part-time work in the Keuka Lake tasting room of Ravines Wine Cellars. In 2017, Carla joined our tasting room team and quickly became a fixture at the winery. In the summer of 2021, craving a change of pace, she decided to take the leap away from private practice law firms and full-time into wine and hospitality as our tasting room and Wine Club manager (among many other roles).
In 2006, Will moved to New Zealand to help his family develop their vineyard and wine label after graduating with a degree in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After completing a master’s, studying agroecological impacts of organic and conventional vineyards, Will worked in production in Napa and then jumped into viticulture research management in New Zealand at the national level with emphasis in soil, organic and regenerative agroecological research. Will is passionate about ethical land stewardship and crafting small lot wines that best express the place and people that bring them to life.
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