I don’t think you can ever be prepared to take on an 1800’s farmhouse, with 86 acres of land, over 200 feet of water frontage and a large 1890’s barn, no matter what condition it’s all in. Whatever you do though, you’d better be all in. And that’s what me and my wife, Jen, did. We bought this property in April of 2015 and immediately got to work by planting 300 grapevines. Since then we’ve cleaned out a workshop on top of the hill, got the 10 acres or so of lawn under control, learned how to run a tractor, made maple syrup, extracted honey, added more grapevines, restored the barn for our wedding, and got married. Oh yes, and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.

We’ve also been able to spend some time enjoying the property, kayaking, paddle boarding, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, hiking, sitting by the water, watching incredible sunsets and hanging out by the fire under countless stars. We’ve enjoyed these activities in the beautiful and peaceful setting that surrounds our home. These are the things that invigorate us after long hours of upkeep, maintenance and restoration. But it all inspires us. We have a lot of plans and dreams for Bonaventura Vineyards and we are just getting started.

-Chad

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