The Brotherhood Winery Turns 175 Years Old

Brotherhood Winery, America’s Oldest Winery, celebrates its 175th year of harvest this fall.

Since its first vintage release in 1839, the Hudson Valley institution has maintained uninterrupted production of its wines each year—surviving the Civil War, two World Wars and even Prohibition—making it the oldest continuously operating winery in the United States.

“This milestone not only holds significance for Brotherhood Winery, but also for New York State and the entire U.S. wine industry as a whole,” commented Jim Trezise, President of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “America is a New World wine producing region, and to be home to an institution that has been making wine for 175 years is of tremendous importance with historical consequence. New York is proud to be the home state of such an organization.”

Brotherhood Winery—whose origins can be traced back to the first grape vines to have been planted in Orange County—began as a small, family-run operation with wines produced primarily for Sacramental and medicinal purposes. Over the decades, the winery has constantly adapted to meet the shifts in the American palate that has favored a myriad of wine styles over the last 175 years. Today, the winery offers more than 100 wine brands and produces ciders, Ports and customer-favorite seasonal specialty wines.

“What makes Brotherhood so unique for a New York State winery is the wide range of varietal wines it produces including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling and Sparkling,” comments Hernan Donoso, President, Brotherhood Winery. “For decades, we have maintained close relationships with grape growers throughout the state, working with them to cultivate and harvest the highest quality fruit. This allows Brotherhood to work with grapes that best represent the terroir from which they are collected.”

Bob Barrow, one of the company’s head winemakers, followed his passion for wine and took up post at Brotherhood where he has been an essential part of the winemaking team throughout his decade-long tenure. Mark Daigle, Production Manager, has been with the company for 35 years, and has applied his international winemaking experience to implement many of the improvements that have brought Brotherhood wines to the global stage.

“It is an incredible feat for Brotherhood to have made it through countless economic, cultural and political barriers to get to this point, thus credit must be given to the people who started this historic winery and those who have carried the responsibility of keeping it moving ever since,” remarks Donoso. “A large part of our success comes from the tremendous support of the community in which we reside, and we thank the Village of Washingtonville, the Shawangunk Wine Trail of the Hudson Valley, and the state of New York for helping us to achieve all that we have done in our 175 years.”

To commemorate the 175th Anniversary, Brotherhood Winery will be releasing three new wines, hosting special on-site events and participating in a myriad of statewide wine and food festivals throughout the season. For media inquiries, please contact Cassandra Bianco at Brand Action Team (c.bianco@bevgroup.net). For trade inquiries, please contact Stephanie Wagner at Brotherhood (bhw.stephaniew@gmail.com). For more information, please visit www.brotherhood-winery.com.