Greenwood Winery brings wine-country experience to DeWitt

DeWITT — Syracuse–area wine enthusiasts no longer have to travel to the Finger Lakes to get the wine-country experience since Greenwood Winery, LLC opened its tasting room in September.

The winery is located on a 65-acre farm at 6475 Collamer Road in DeWitt that includes a vineyard, an apple orchard, a berry patch, a vegetable and herb garden, and a tasting room. The property also has space for a bistro and reception area that Greenwood Winery is planning to open next spring.

Tom Greenwood, a real-estate developer from DeWitt and owner of the winery, says he has always been interested in agriculture, business, and wine. He purchased the farm six years ago and found that the conditions were suitable for a vineyard, so he decided to give it a try, he says. Greenwood invested $2 million to get the winery up and running and expects to invest $2 million more for the farm and the restaurant plans.

The winery produced just five gallons from its first harvest of grapes in 2012. The winery produced 7,000 gallons this year, including a full range of white, red, and blush wines, Greenwood says.

But that is not all Greenwood Winery will offer. It will use the fruits and vegetables harvested from the farm in its dishes at the bistro. The business has also launched a line of honey and mustard with the Greenwood brand.

“We have a farm-to-table concept,” Greenwood says.

In the 1,000-square-foot tasting room, consumers can try out 15 different Greenwood wines and the honey and mustard lines, as well as olives, pickles, cheese, and salami from local farms, according to Greenwood.

The tasting room’s regular operating hours are Wednesday through Friday, from noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, from noon to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

The tasting room also holds special events on Mondays and Tuesdays.

 Since its opening, groups ranging from 10 to 100 people — including neighbors, tourists, and businesses — have organized tasting parties, according to Greenwood.

The wine-tasting prices range from $3 to $7 per glass, and $10 to $20 per bottle.

Greenwood says the winery currently has nine employees, but with the opening of the bistro next year, it will require more staff.

The 4,000-square-feet bistro will seat 110 people in an area also able to host wedding receptions, corporate events, birthday parties, anniversaries and all types of celebrations, Greenwood says.

The events held at the tasting room — 15 special events are scheduled for the coming weeks — are a preview of the kind of proceedings that the bistro will accommodate, Greenwood says. “We’ve been doing so well with the tasting-room events that we are starting to book events for Fridays and Saturdays as well,” he said.

The wine brand has also received a lot of attention since its launch. The Greenwood Baco Noir selection won the gold medal at the New York Wine and Food Classic in August. The competition featured 842 New York wines this year, according to the Greenwood website (www.greenwoodwinery.com).

Greenwood plans to open another winery on a farm he purchased two years ago located at 7275 Collamer Road in the town of Manlius. “The bistro is going to hold small events, but we need to have a bigger space for larger parties,” he says. Greenwood also plans to offer tours of the second farm and winery facilities once it opens in the next two to three years. He expects to invest about $1.5 million in that project, he says.

Tom Greenwood is the founder and owner of Syracuse–based Greenwood Real Estate, LLC, which he launched in 1978. The firm employs 21 people and specializes in commercial and residential real-estate development and property management. Greenwood attended Jamesville DeWitt High School and Hamilton College in Clinton. He completed a master’s degree in information resource management from Syracuse University, and some wine-making courses at Cornell University and the University of California, Davis in the past 10 years.

Contact The Business Journal at news@cnybj.com