Located in New York’s Finger Lakes region, Red Tail Ridge Winery is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Mike Schnelle and Nancy Irelan who moved to Seneca Lake from California to create a winery from scratch. As a former executive in charge of viticulture and oenology R&D at a large winery, Nancy strongly believes in sustainability. Not only is Red Tail Ridge farmed in a sustainable manner it is also the first LEED certified winery in New York. The bulk of Red Tail Ridge’s production is Riesling, but Nancy and Mike have also planted several clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir alongside small experimental plots of Teroldego and Dornfelder. They plan to remain a limited production winery, crafting premium dry wines that faithfully reflect their origins. The winery attracted attention for its early releases with some very positive press and several Gold and Silver medals in competitions on the East and West coasts. Wine Business Monthly named Red Tail Ridge one of its Hot Small Brands of 2008 and Eric Asimov of the New York Times has lauded them for their efforts.