OUR FAMILY
The Osmote family is Ben, Brittnie and Mia, plus all the friends and family who have helped us along the way. Ben Riccardi is both winemaker and business manager. Born in the Finger Lakes, he now lives on the southern end of Seneca Lake. His work experiences include notably Willams Selyem in California, Craggy Range in New Zealand, and City Winery New York in Manhattan.
OUR FARM
We live on a beautiful 31-acre farm in Burdett, NY overlooking the water on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. The site is 950’ above sea level with a slope running down west towards the lake. The soils are rich gravelly loams in the Howard Series and were formed during the last ice age as glacial outwash.
First vines will be planted in 2024, starting with modern disease resistant varieties. Our commitment is to regenerative viticulture, a holistic vineyard management program focused on soil building that favors diversity and sustainability with a minimum of inputs. As we prepare for vineyard establishment, we work with local farmers to grow diverse cover crops. Currently we manage a small orchard, several gardens, and pasture raised pigs.
OUR APPROACH TO WINE
Believing it better to trust nature and the process, Ben takes a relaxed approach in the winery. It’s not laziness or a recklessly cavalier attitude towards the craft, but instead Ben’s conviction in the potential of the Finger Lakes terroir. He has worked around the globe in France, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and California, collecting insights abroad, all to understand the unique greatness of these New York Finger Lakes.
Ben has a technical winemaking degree from Cornell University and understands the science of wine, but the raw material here begs for patience, not a technocratic winemaker. He seeks a gentler touch then, in order to develop texture alongside the bright acids of these light, ethereal wines.
OUR WINERY
Osmote began in 2014 as a tenant winery within a bigger facility. In 2020, we took the plunge and moved to our own facility in Ovid, NY. A former trucking garage, the space has been converted to a fully functioning winery full of tanks, wine presses, and barrels. During bottling season, we drive in our own bottling trailer and bottle on site.
The winery continues to develop and now serves a dual function of community building while it hosts smaller tenant wineries and helps other young families to foster their brands. Check out our friends at Usonia and Dew East
Winery Updates!
In June 2024, we planted our first vineyard blocks. To the gentle slope above our home, we’ve added 2 acres of Aromella and 2 acres of Marquette. This is a continuation of our commitment to furthering the growth of hybrid grape varieties and greater sustainability in the vineyard.
We’ve also planted 2 acres of Riesling for our friends Katie and Thijs of Onyare winery. We look forward to growing together as friends and family and benefiting from their deep knowledge as winemakers and accredited Demeter Biodynamic vineyard specialists.
