The Bostwick Family has been involved
in the grape and wine industry for over 
150 years. Harvey Hall purchased the
original 100 acre fruit farm back in 1805.
There he and grew an assortment of
fruits including grapes.


George Bostwick and D.C. Bostwick  at the Packing House with harvest workers

Harvey Hall

His daughter, Attila Hall, married D.C. Bostwick.
He was a farmer and builder who construct bridges in
the late 1880's. D.C.'s great love of wine inspirited
him to found the Great Lakes Wine Company
With the onset of prohibition, this and the other
wineries in our area were closed.

Attila Hall at the old well

 

In 1910, his son, George Bostwick, married
 Gertrude McCord and continued the 
family tradition of farming.

Old fashion, horse pulled sprayer
 operated by George Bostwick

 

George and Gertrude had two children,
  Kenneth and Catherine. Kenneth Bostwick,
 following in his father's footsteps, inherited the
 farm in 1946. Using the advanced techniques of
farming that he learned while studying at Rutgers
University for his masters in Agricultural Engineering,
 he took the farm in a new direction by converting
 the farm for grape production. Prior to this, there
were mainly fruit trees and very few grapes.
In addition to this, he later became a professor at
Rutgers where he taught Agricultural Engineering.
Kenneth married Julia Nemeth and had four boys,
George, William, Michael and Robert.

 
Kenneth & Julia Bostwick

Kenneth and Julia ran the farm until 1978 with
the help of their four boys. From 1978 to 1981
 Kenneth leased the farm to his eldest son,
George. In 1982, George left to open
up a computer store and the remaining
three sons, William, Michael and Robert
ran the farm. In 1985, the youngest son, 
Robert C. Bostwick began managing the farm.   
 With the help of his father, Robert founded 
Heritage Wine Cellars in 1976. Robert 
continued the family tradition by teaching 
his sons, Matthew and Joshua, the family
 tradition of winemaking and farming. 

Robert C. Bostwick

Today,  Matthew and Joshua Bostwick
manage the winery.  In addition to the
winery, Matthew took over tending his
 grandmother, Julia's vineyards in 1999. He 
is currently looking forward to planting
many new varieties worthy of wine production.
 Currently, much of the farm is Concord grapes
which can be used for wine,  but are a common
 and popular juice grape.

  
Matthew Bostwick      &         Joshua Bostwick 



 

Heritage Wine Cellars finds its home
 in a restored 18th century barn, nestled in
the heart of the Lake Erie grape country.
We produce over 50 different varieties of wine,
all of which are fermented and bottled in house.
We strive to meet the taste of every wine lover.

 
In this wine region, it is easy to see that Lake
Erie plays a major role in the wine industry.  It
creates a natural phenomenon that makes this
area perfect for grape growing.

In the spring, cold winds off the thawing
lake discourage early budding at a time
when the buds run the risk of being killed
by frost. During the summer months, gentle
 breezes generated by the lake provide
air circulation throughout the vines and inhibit
disease. In the autumn, the lake, having been
warmed by the summer sun, postpones the
first frost and allows the grapes to ripen to
maturity. It is notable to mention, Lake Erie
bestows along its shore line a frost free growing
season up to 30 days longer than that of inland
areas that are just a few miles south.