KLV Wines

While studying English Literature at SUNY New Paltz in 1997, Ian answered a help wanted ad place by Adair Vineyards, a Hudson Valley winery that was looking for summer help. “It started as a summer job but soon blossomed into a career when I realized I was spending as much time independently studying winemaking as I was on my coursework. To top it all off my career as a Rock Star/Great American Novelist hadn't really been going as well as I'd hoped,” he explains.

"I'd just dedicated four years to higher learning so I made a vow to dedicate the next four years to learning all things wine," Ian tells us. He took on a job as a wine buyer for a small wine shop, giving him the opportunity to taste wines from great estates worldwide. Though attending wine tastings at some of the nicer restaurants in the metro New York area had it's appeal, Ian missed the long hours, sore muscles and wet feet that a career in winemaking provides. In 2001 he decided to refocus his career path on winemaking and began an internship at a small Oregon winery focusing on premium Pinot Noir, which lead to a winemaking position at a mid-sized Washington winery focusing on small lot premium wines. However, Ian soon heard his home state calling. According to Ian; "While this expreince was great and my knowledge base was expanding, I had always kept tabs on what was going on in the Finger Lakes and was really excited by the progress being made there. I really saw (and still see) the Finger Lakes as one of the last great frontiers of world-class winemaking. A place still discovering itself and finding it's voice. I wanted to be a part of that."

A careful job search eventually led him to Heron Hill where he was the Assistant Winemaker from the spring of 2003 until the fall of 2006. In 2006 he joined the team at Swedish Hill and was soon promoted to Head Winemaker, collecting many high ratings, gold medals and “Best of Show” awards for his wines, most notably earning the winery the coveted “Governor’s Cup” at the New York Wine and Food Classic in two out of his four years in that position.

While very proud of his previous accomplishments, Ian was looking to return to a small winery setting which would allow him to be more directly involved with all aspects of the grape growing and winemaking processes. This opportunity presented itself when his good friend Staci Nugent decided to retire from winemaking and encouraged him to meet Mel and consider the opportunity to be her successor. Having been a key player in building Keuka Lake Vineyards into a well respected and critically acclaimed winery with a loyal following, Staci left Ian with the challenge of keeping up quality and building upon her successes.

Ian met his wife Tricia in the spring of 2005, just a week after she had relocated to the Finger Lakes from San Francisco. They were married in July 2007 and their son Declan was born in June of 2009. The happy family lives in Burdett NY with a Chihuahua named Abe and three cats. In his spare time he likes traveling with his family, seeing live music, reading and working on the family's house which was built in 1836 and needs an endless amount of attention.