The Perfect Christmas Gift - Legends of the Chautauqua-Erie Grape Belt

This just-released, highly-illustrated 132-page book is a perfect Christmas gift from Western NY.  Most especially for those who have happy memories of living in this region, where September's grape aromas are an essential part of fall, and whose grape industry also created the beautiful agricultural vistas of vineyards and the historic villages that line Route 20, creating a special sense of place.

Why is Johnson Estate selling this newly-published book by John Thomas Slater?

Jennifer and Fred Johnson like to tell this "quick" story. They have been married for 41 one years and Fred's career working for international food companies including Frito-Lay and Chiquita Banana explains why their son was born in Sydney, their daughter in Toronto, and the children both learned Spanish on a banana plantation in Panama. Fred and Jennifer moved to the farm in 2013 and that was move number fourteen - and they have now lived in WNY longer than anywhere else. In her early thirties, Jennifer realized that she had a passion for historic buildings and landscape architecture, which together create a "sense of place". And so, of course, she discovered the WNY Heritage Magazine, which is dedicated to promoting and writing about the 8 counties of WNY.

Jennifer realized, when visiting and then moving to Western NY, that it has its own special and unique sense of place with unparallelled agricultural vistas of Concord vineyards and historic villages along Lake Erie. Created by the century-plus-old Concord grape industry - the largest in the world - there is, indeed, a special heritage in WNY and it was created by the ancestors of the current growers and business owners who are here. As a result, Jennifer happily joined author John Thomas Slater and editor/publisher, Doug DeCroix, to support the publication of this special book of this region's stories  (just released late October 2023).

The book is the result of over a decade of collaborative research by a network of dedicated historians and archivists working with author John Thomas Slater. This special publication, of 132 pages, shares the rich and evocative stories of the vineyards, farms, wineries and people that have made up this unique viticultural region since the early 1800s. 

Copies of the book ($25/book) are currently available at the Grape Discovery Center & Johnson Estate Winery (both in Westfield, NY) and at Tia Book Cellar and the North East Fruit Growers (both in North East, PA).  Online purchases may be made at WNYH. Johnson Estate also has copies of the book that can be purchased and shipped with wine purchases (we are working on pricing to mail the books via the USPO).


 

Nov 25, 2023 at 8:52 AM Permalink

Estate's Sparkling Traminette - Selected for 2023 Alumni Wine Collection - Cornell Alumni Affairs

Warm Regards,
Fred Johnson (Cornell '75 & MBA '77) & Jennifer (MBA '79)

The Johnson Family - Four Generations at Cornell

It's easy to write that title, but it's challenging to summarize a 100+ year old story that begins with an orphan from England who entered Cornell in the fall of 1895 after immigrating from Canada. The Cornell Alumni Magazine does it well in this article:  "It Began with a Cornellian".

Nov 9, 2023 at 1:49 PM Permalink

Johnson Estate - a New Harvest Host & A Small World Story

Yes, Johnson Estate has just become a Harvest Host for those traveling in RVs.
This was recommended by a customer this summer.  Signing up in late August was a simple and straightforward exercise and led to quick reservations by those traveling through Western NY.

And here's the Small World Story (I think that there must be many in the RV world):
Jennifer's brother, Skip Schroeder, has an RV and is now travelling with his wife, heading west from Virginia. Two days ago, they were parking their RV in Louisville, Kentucky and a neighboring RV pulled in from NYS. Naturally, the two RV owners began to talk. The NY couple was from the Buffalo area. And of course, my brother asked if they knew a small town called Westfield.And their answer:

"Of course we know Westfield. That's where our favorite winery, Johnson Estate Winery, is located.
In fact, we have some Johnson Estate wine in the RV - would you like to come and have a glass?"

Here's a toast to your small world stories as you travel!

Jennifer & Fred Johnson
 

Sep 15, 2023 at 5:58 AM Permalink

FLIGHT

FLIGHT, Outdoor Tasting Venue

  
Open in September and

Sep 15, 2023 at 5:51 AM Permalink

FLIGHT, the Estate's Outdoor Tasting Venue

FLIGHT


Here's a little information about the Boards prepared for our guests at Johnson Estate - the ones pictured above are intentionally created with some different foods to pair well with certain wines. Our goal is to provide guests with the opportunity to sample three different wines (one doesn't get that even at an elegant dinner party!) and pair them with a variety of different foods.

CHEESE:
This year, FLIGHT is featuring cheeses regionally made by Goot Essa, an Amish-owned cooperative located in Howard, PA. Their production of artisanal, small-batch cheeses using milk from the animals - cows, sheep, and goats - on their farms. The Boards also feature goat cheeses from Old Chatham Creamery, Groton, NY as well Lively Run.

LOCAL FRUIT & PRODUCE:
What better way to enjoy local produce from Western NY & PA. The Boards include seasonal fruits and vegetables - we had strawberries in June and cherries until mid-July. They were accompanied by sugar snap peas and sliced cucumbers. Now the blueberries are in full force - and a local delicious force that must be tried! Local peaches will soon join the board. Each plays a role in providing a palate cleanser or pairing with the selected wines and other foods on the Board.

PERFECT PAIRINGS:
Each cheese and charcuterie board is prepared depending on not only your choice of wines, as well as your preferences for food (we can make sure that the boards are gluten-free, for example). The Board that we prepare to pair with sparkling wines includes a Smoked White Fish Dip; a "perfect pairing" with our Sparkling Traminette. Rose wines might include goat cheese with Quince Paste, another "perfect pairing" from our perspective.

 

Jul 17, 2023 at 5:56 PM Permalink

What Sheila Said About Dry Rose of Pinot Noir

Jennifer has a dear friend from high school, Sheila M., who still lives in Virginia. Now retired, she and her husband have been able to visit the winery and farm. And she has discovered some favorites amongst our portfolio. Here's what she said when she  first ordered a case of Dry Rosé two years ago: 

Apr 27, 2023 at 3:08 PM Permalink

Erielicious - Jennie Geisler brings you a taste of food and drink around Erie. Here's her story about Johnson Estate's Maple Liqueur paired with French Crepes!

Mar 23, 2023 at 6:26 PM Permalink

Quelle Surprise: Our Trip to France + Pierre's Vision of LEWC

TABLE Magazine, Quelle Surprise
Winter 2022, Story by Pierre Brun w/ Photos by Jeff Swensen

Here's Pierre Brun at FLIGHT, fall 2022.

Piere and Jeff's article about their multiple visits to Lake Erie Wine Country during which they met with owners and winemakers of several wineries and sampled wines using their broad international perspective was a "deep dive" and recognized the potential and the "virtual rebirth" of the region. Their "Judgement of Lake Erie" was a clever way to analyze the wines in the area.

Since Fred and I had visited Reims and Epernay in May 2022,
Pierre's compliment for our Brut was especially appreciated!
Here we are in Epernay, France, on the Avenue de Champagne:

"An award for the sparkling wines (or méthode champenoise) was also given, by our tasters, as they were excellent....Johnson Estate Freelings Creek Reserve Brut distinguished themselves very clearly, suggesting that we might envision this region as an eventual "new Reims", with distinctive wines drawn from its own viticulture."

Jan 31, 2023 at 12:32 PM Permalink

FREE and Discounted Shipping Programs - Here's the Details

FREE & DISCOUNTED SHIPPING PROGRAMS:
These programs refer to ground shipment only.  Please also know that orders placed on the weekend are shipped out on the following Monday.  Questions? shipwine@johnsonwinery.com.
Here are the PROMOTION CODES:

OH, PA, & NY:
FREE shipping on multiples of SIX 750mL or 375mL bottles; does not apply to 1.5L bottles.
GOODNEIGHBOR6 ♦ GOODNEIGHBOR12 ♦ GOODNEIGHBOR18
GOODNEIGHBOR24 ♦ GOODNEIGHBOR36
 
EAST of the Mississippi:
FREE shipping on multiples of twelve 750 or 375mL bottles.
EOM12 ♦ EOM24 ♦ EOM36
 
WEST of the Mississippi:
50% OFF shipping on multiples of twelve 750 or 375mL bottles.
50SHIPWEST12 ♦ 50SHIPWEST24 ♦ 50SHIPWEST36

WE CAN SHIP WINES TO:
Alaska*, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii*, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, & Wyoming.

*Discounted shipping programs do not apply to Alaska & Hawaii.
If your state is not listed above, we are still able to ship non-alcoholic orders. Please take a look at our fine food products.

ORDER ONLINE OR CALL:
1-800-Drink-NY or 1-800-374-6569, 10AM - 5:30PM daily. Our tasting room team will be happy to speak with you. Please do share our shipping offers with your friends and family!

AND NOW, THE FINE PRINT:
Bottles must be 750mL or 375mL for free/discounted shipping programs.
Requires signature of someone over 21 years old.
We can ship to your home or work address.
Due to covid's impact on the shipping industry, transit times can vary from two days to seven days. For West Coast & Florida, we generally ship wines on Monday to attempt to avoid weekend delays.

Mar 25, 2022 at 3:32 PM Permalink

"The Empty Bottle Collection"

The "Empty Bottles" that traveled the world and ended up in Westfield, NY
On Display at the Patterson Library, Westfield, NY
Made in England or Holland and filled with wine or alcohol, traveled on sailing vessels to the New World and South America in the 1700s, were dumped into the river by sailors, and then collected 200+ years later by a Westfield man.... who was working in British Guyana and had them shipped by plane to NYC/Buffalo/Westfield in the 1970s.

In the 1950s through the 1970s, Frederick S. Johnson worked in many South American countries as an agricultural consultant.  He and his family lived in Venezuela for about ten years until his father died and they moved back to Western New York in 1961. He collected a wide assortment of wine and distilled beverage bottles while working in British Guiana and many may have come from Dutch Guiana (Surinam).  Here’s an excerpt from an article published in the Buffalo News in 1979:

Fred was intrigued to learn that the nets of native fishermen were bringing up old bottles from the Demerara River and the ocean channels where the river meets the Atlantic. Mr. Johnson learned that these bottles had contained wine shipped to colonists of British and Dutch Guiana/Suriname back in the 17th century. These early settlers built their settlements closest to the rivers and found it handy to toss empty bottles into the water. Sand and silt, swept downstream by the water, buried the bottles and then uncovered them as channels changed....They come from a time when bottles were hand-blown, when the size and thickness of the glass varied.......The color of the glass bottles from Surinam varies from dark-green to brown-green. Many of the bottles still contain dirt and gravel… Mr. Johnson shipped scores of bottles home to Westfield, NY from South America.

Nov 30, 2021 at 3:08 PM Permalink