In the early 19th century, the first fruit farmers settled the areas east of Rochester and eventually made Wayne county the largest fruit-producing area in the nation. The property on Whitney Road was built in 1835 and included the house and back barn, both which are still in use today.
In 1875 the large front barn for which our company is named was constructed.
In the 1970s, owners Frank and Vera Fugmann, german-speaking immigrants of Hungarian and Croatian origins, raised their family on the Whitney Road farm, and it was Frank who planted the majority of Christmas trees, fruit trees and vineyards found on the land today.
In 2005, Christopher Staub, owner of the Ontario Barn Vineyards, purchased the farm and adjacent land from the Fugmanns. Just before closing on the property, Frank Fugmann passed on some secrets of old world wine and "champagne"-making to Chris, who previously learned about winemaking from time spent in the Napa and Sonoma regions of California and the Hudson Valley region of New York.
The property is called Ontario Barn after the prominent and beautiful, red barn that stands in the center of the property. Our vision for this wonderful place is to produce the very best wines imaginable at our farm winery, as well as, to host great music festivals, and to educate visitors about solar and other sustainable energy options. Ontario Barn Vineyards is a rare example of a residential property being returned to agricultural use.
We invite you to stop by this fall for the Ontario Barn Festival on September 4 and come to our grand opening of the winery's tasting room to enjoy this area treasure located right here in upstate New York.
We look forward to meeting you soon and sharing a glass of wine!