La garagista
Location: Hunger Mountain Rd. Barnard, Vermont
Established: 2008 (first vines planted)
Website: www.lagaragista.com
Ownership: Deirdre Heekin, Caleb Barber
Total acres in vine: 1
Total cases produced in 2011: 800 bottles
Red varieties planted: marquette, blaufrankisch, frontenac noir
White varieties planted: la crescent, riesling, frontenac gris, frontenac blanc, muscadet
Satellite image: http://goo.gl/5lM1V
Current releases: 2011 Vinu Jancu (an orange-style wine made from the la crescent hybrid variety), 2011 Vergennes-Rouge, 2011 Cybele (dry , lightly sparkling white from la crescent).
Coming up: 2011 Cervidae (Lambrusco-style red mousseux, marquette), Bouleverser (vintage blend cidre mousseux), 2011 Chateauguay Rosato Home Farm Field Blend.
Heekin and Barber are the proprietors of Osteria Pane e Salute, a tiny (22 seat), stylish restaurant in Woodstock Village presenting authentic regional dishes from Italy where the couple spend time each year. They purchased and occupied their Barnard property in January of 1998. They garden extensively, providing much of the fresh vegetables and herbs used in the resto. In 2008, they planted their first vines. In 2010, Deirdre made two negociant bottlings from fruit grown in Vergennes, Vt. by Panton Hills Vineyard. The first grapes from the Barnard vineyard were harvested in 2011.