Randolph O'Neill Vineyard, Cayuga Lake

There are many small, artisan wineries in the Finger Lakes region, but perhaps none so small as Randolph O'Neill Vineyard, on the west side of Cayuga Lake. It is literally a one-man operation.

 

The winery is owned and operated by Kelley O'Neill (above) and his wife, Angela. Kelley grows the grapes, manages the vineyard, makes the wine, bottles the wine and brings the wine to market -- he's a multi-tasking solopreneur. Angela, a financial consultant, manages the business end of the winery and helps out with the harvest -- which is coming up quickly, early October, Kelley believes.

 

Randolph O'Neill Vineyard takes its name from Angela's maiden name and Kelley's last name. "I thought Kelley O'Neill sounded like an Irish pub,'' Kelley explained when we visited.

 

Like many in the wine business in the Finger Lakes, Kelley started down other career paths. He grew up in Western New York, studied music and sound recording at SUNY Fredonia and played in bands. He moved to Atlanta to work in the music industry and visited the Finger Lakes most summers, where his grandparents had a cottage. He loved visiting the area and its wineries and was at the point in his music career, he recalls, where it was time to either move up the company ladder or do something else. "I decided that something else to do was to come up here and work in the wine business,'' he says. 

 

The O'Neills found a place to rent in Lodi and Kelley joined the staff at Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, on the east side of Seneca Lake. He trained under and absorbed as much as he could from winemaker Rob Thomas, who went on to establish Shalestone Vineyards. He also spent a couple years at Silver Thread Vineyard, working with former owner Richard Figiel. 

 

The O'Neills eventually started looking for their own land and found it in Ovid, on the west side of Cayuga Lake. The 35-acre property slopes down to the lake and has three "active" acres, which are planted with Riesling and Cabernet Franc grapes. Good wine begins in the vineyard, Kelley says, so he is super attentive and hands-on there.

 

Randolph O'Neill Vineyard produces just 500 cases of wine a year. When we visited, we sampled a dry Riesling, an off-dry Riesling, a carbonated Riesling, Cabernet Franc and dry rose of Cabernet Franc. The dry rose has since sold out.

 

In COVID times, wine tasting has moved outside. There are just two picnic tables with umbrellas. We took a seat at one of the tables and Kelley poured us a sample of each wine. We like drier, European-style wines and liked everything we tasted -- I especially liked the dry rose and am glad we snagged a bottle. We also enjoyed chatting with Kelley. He's down-to-earth and personable and you don't often get the opportunity to converse with the winemaker, especially this time of year. We left with a bottle of each wine but the Cabernet Franc.

 

Kelley says the small size of the winery is off putting to some potential visitors. There's no live entertainment, no expansive tasting room and no gift shop. Some folks pull in off Route 89, see there are just two tables, turn around and leave. "The smallness scares some people away,'' O'Neill says. "And it attracts other people.''

 

We fall in the latter category. Drive away and you'll miss out on an intimate, truly one-of-a-kind tasting of limited-production wines with a person who is passionate about his craft and the Finger Lakes wine community.

 

Prior to COVID-19, Kelley had been getting together regularly with other winemakers from the area to talk shop, sample "works in progress'' and give each other advice. He hopes that can resume sometime soon.

 

"I've learned a lot through that,'' he says. "The better we all are, the better it is for the whole area. The more good wineries there are to visit, the better it is for all of us. My philosophy is do a few things well and concentrate on them.''

 

Randolph O'Neill Vineyard is at 6965 Route 89, Ovid, on the west side of Cayuga Lake (north of Hosmer Winery and south of Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery and Thirsty Owl Wine Company). Hours of operation are noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through September and by appointment after that. For information, call 607-351-8890. More information: Website Facebook

 

Can't get to the winery? Look for Randolph O'Neill wines in shops like The Underground Bottle Shop in Auburn and Red Feet Wine Market & Spirit Provisions in Ithaca.

 

                                                  (Courtesy of Facebook)
 
Photos by Margaret McCormick unless otherwise indicated