As seen in the February 2009 - Angelica Booster News: Written by David Haggstrom

Angelica Winery awaits go-ahead from state to start production

Who among us hasn’t thought about turning a hobby—woodworking, sewing, fly-tying—into something more? A side business maybe, that might at least pay for itself, or even a full-time venture? Michael Burke is at step one, working to turn his home winemaking hobby into a commercial winery.

Burke expected final review in early February of his application to the NYS Liquor Authority to manufacture and distribute wine at the wholesale level. He has had his federal license from almost a year, but the state process (no surprise here) has been complicated and fraught with delay. Once his state license does come through—and he’s confident that it will eventually—Burke’s Angelica Winery is good to go.

At this level of licensing Burke can manufacture and sell wine to retail establishments. The next step would be to apply for a retail license for sales at his location, and after that obtain a permit to sell offsite, at a farmers’ market or other such venue.

Burke’s interest in winemaking began when he lived in California some 15 years ago. It was revived when he returned to New York and took several tours of the Finger Lakes wine country. He bought a home kit three years ago, and then another. The first batch of wine was horrible, the second a little better, and so forth.

Home vintners can produce a limited amount of wine per year for their personal use, up to 200 gallons. Burke quickly discovered that winemaking can be an expensive hobby, and began to investigate what it would take to have it pay for itself. Moving in this direction has its own level of expenses, not the least of which is the $1250 annual license fee. There is also the cost of bottles, corks, labels, and of course, the juice.

The Angelica Winery production and bottling operation is located in the cellar of Burke’s home at 15 South Street, where he lives with his wife Marika and six-year-old son Ethan. The area for fermentation, bottling, and storage is completely separate from the rest of the residence, per licensing requirements. Entrance is from the outside, and Burke even had to block off access to the cellar from the main floor of the house.

Once his license comes through, Burke says he can have wine ready for market in nine months to a year. Right now he has on hand 270 gallons of grape juice, which he gets from a vineyard in Forestville, Chautauqua County. He has a stock of 1700 bottles, and room for storage of 1300 filled bottles.

The Angelica Winery will produce five or six varieties. “I make what I like to drink,” Burke says, “riesling, chardonnay, wines like that. The reds are more difficult than the whites, which are more forgiving.”

If his winemaking venture proves profitable, Burke says he may look into moving his operation out of the cellar and into an offsite location. But right now he’s just waiting to get started. For that to happen, he’s at the mercy of the state.