The Vineyard

Our Vineyard is an endless source of inspiration. Each dawn we thank God for the wonders of another miraculous day to watch our vines grow, witness nature’s bounty, and bask in the joy of being  the temporary caretakers of this little piece of earth we call Villa Milagro.

An Organic Vineyard

In early 2001, we purchased a 104 acre corn field, built our homestead, planted a vineyard of 10 acres, and created a winery, all while keeping it simple, and doing it almost all ourselves. We are a true family-farm.
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We originally set out to grow our grapes organically – against the advice of the University Extension Agents and other growers who said it couldn’t be done on the east coast. But we live at the vineyard and our grandchildren come to run through the rows, so we decided to take a shot at it.

Vinifera are highly susceptible to a wide range of fungal infections, one of which cannot be controlled organically. After two years of almost complete crop loss to “Black Rot”, we were forced to use a couple of non-organic fungicides to save our vineyard.

Sustainable Farming

Our dreams of an organic vineyard are still very much alive. We are successfully growing ten acres of organic grains that we sell to local artisan bakers. We also have a large organic kitchen garden in which we grow food for our table – which includes our “farm table” lunch served daily to all who work here. One day we will crack the fungus riddle and grow organic grapes as well.