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W i n e s & V i n e s A U G U s T 2 0 1 4 49 W hen Art and Joyce Hunt moved back to the Hunt family farm west of Branchport, N.Y., in 1973, the Finger Lakes region was a very differ- ent place than it is today. While small family farms had prospered for many years, and the towns of Geneva and Canandaigua had become centers for pro- cessing locally produced foods, by the early 1970s it was much cheaper to grow and process food in California than in upstate New York. Processing plants closed and both farmers and food proces- sors went broke. At that time, "sustain- ability" for a farmer meant only the farm's survival for another year; most farmers had little concern for the impact of farming or building practices on the environment. The Finger Lakes has changed in many ways during the past 40 years. Vineyards that used to grow grapes for jelly, jams and juice now either sell grapes to winer- ies or have added winemaking facilities of their own. In 1975 the state had a total of 19 wineries; today New York state has 319 wineries, with 131 of those wineries located in the Finger Lakes region. The wine industry has had a major economic impact on tourism and economic growth in the region, and along with that growth has come an increasing concern with the environmental impact of both grapegrowing and winemaking. Art Hunt and Hunt Country Vineyards have become leaders in the move towards sustainable practices, in the current sense of those practices that are environmen- tally responsible, employee-friendly, eco- nomically viable and practical, as well as safe for the long term. How did the Hunts make the change from dairy farm to a 10,000-case winery with a focus on sustainability? Lots of hard work and the desire to take better care of their land—and the planet in gen- eral—than had happened in the past. First steps In the late 1960s, Art Hunt's father saw an opportunity for growing grapes on the family farm and planted two acres of Niagara and 16 acres of Concord. After Art and Joyce Hunt moved to the farm, they planted Delaware, Aurore, De Chaunac and more Concord in 1974 and 1975, all with the expectation that they would be able to sell the entire crop to Taylor Wine Co. By the time their vine- yard was producing four years later, Coca-Cola had acquired Taylor and Growing Sustainably How Hunt Country Vineyards expanded and succeeded in the Finger Lakes By Linda Jones McKee Highlights • Since starting Hunt Country Vineyards, Art Hunt has become a leader of sus- tainable growing in New York. • When the time came to move the winery from an 1880s barn, Hunt explored ways to use the layout of the property to his advantage. • Changes made during the past eight years have reduced total energy costs by 30%, and the winery's carbon foot- print is down 40%. An 1880s barn was the original wine-production facility for Hunt Country Vineyards. G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G TECHNICAL REVIEW