Melvin Goldman, Owner

Mel Goldman has a profound respect for farming and a passion for wine. Unlike many vineyardists in the Finger Lakes, Mel does not have a family history of grape growing. Only decades ago, he was firmly established in his career of agricultural and industrial innovation for developing countries. It was while on a visit to Cornell University with their son, a prospective college student, that Mel and his wife, Dorothee, fell in love with the beauty of the Finger Lakes landscape and the warmth of the local people. These observations on life in the Finger Lakes became the inspiration for Mel to put into action his longtime desire to run a farm. Soon after, they purchased the old Taylor vineyard land on which Keuka Lake Vineyards is now established.

Mel quickly recognized after sampling the products of local wineries that Riesling grapes made wines of superior quality. He tested his judgment by hosting a blind tasting for his wine-savvy friends in Washington DC, “When the group raved about the Rieslings, even preferring them over the Alsatian wines, I knew Riesling was the right grape for this area.”

In 1997, he took early retirement and was finally able to move to the Finger Lakes and officially start Keuka Lake Vineyards. Mel’s first plantings were Riesling and Pinot Noir vines, “I planted my favorite red, Pinot Noir, based on information from Cornell on the similarities between the temperature profiles over the growing season in Burgundy and the Finger Lakes - I didn’t realize then how fickle Pinot Noir is to grow.”

The vineyards served as his stand alone business for many years until Mel realized that the only way to be financially successful was to make wines from his own grapes, “The bug was always there, it just took some time to build confidence as well as learn the art and science of winemaking.” He started with a couple of small batches for family and friends; by the fall of 2005, the first vintage was made for the winery under the skilled guidance of Morten Hallgren, winemaker and owner of Ravines Wine Cellars.

It was a series of experiences that led Mel, a relative urbanite, into his current role as vineyard and winery owner. From time spent on a friend’s grain farm in Michigan and a kibbutz in Israel, to work through the Peace Corps in Nepal and a family vacation on a small vineyard in Burgundy – Mel came to appreciate the work and beautiful environment intrinsic to a rural lifestyle. “I was inspired to discover that with a small acreage and hard work, it was possible for a family grower to succeed.”

Now Mel enjoys the constant activity inherent in managing Keuka Lake Vineyards. When visiting the winery for a tasting, people are apt to run into Mel as he tends to too many tasks at once. Regardless, he always seems to make the time to talk with people enthusiastically about his wines.