Preview – The Story of Brotherhood, America's Oldest Winery

• T H E S T OR Y OF •

With Special Messages By U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney &

Lt. Governor Robert J. Duffy NEW YORK STATE

ROBERT BEDFORD

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THE STORY OF BROTHERHOOD, AMERICA’S OLDEST WINERY ROBERT BEDFORD Foreword by Adam Strum New York’s Hudson Valley has long been recognized as the birthplace of American viticulture. In 1609, when explorer Henry Hudson discovered the river now bearing his name, he reported an abundance of native grapes dotting its banks, and early regional settlers established vineyards along its shore.

Through the 1800s, viticulturists began discovering and creating new grape varieties.

Vineyards began to thrive, establishing an agricultural tradition that continues today.

The Hudson Valley can also claim another viticultural first—a grape growing and winemaking enterprise that would ultimately become the oldest, continuously operated winery in America. In The Story of Brotherhood, America’s Oldest Winery its history, as well as many other winemaking firsts that originated there, is revealed.

The story begins in 1839, when Jean Jaques, a farmer and a cobbler by trade, founded what would become Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, New York. Today, this Orange County institution continues its mission of producing premium wines that can be found all over the world, while winery visitors tour the same cellars built by Jaques himself.

A common thread runs through all 175 rich and colorful years of Brotherhood Winery history: embellishment, hearsay and exaggeration. The storied past of this New York State winery has been told in many different ways, and in many different fashions. The true story, however, is just as fascinating as the tales that have been creatively woven over the past two centuries.

T H E S T OR Y OF

FLINT MINE PRESS NEW YORK

T H E S T OR Y OF

ROBERT BEDFORD

FLINT MINE PRESS NEW YORK

Copyright Š 2014 Robert Bedford and Flint Mine Press

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-0-9825208-5-7 (softcover) ISBN: 978-0-9825208-8-8 (hardcover) Library of Congress Control Number: 2014931642 Design by Linda Pierro/Flint Media Published by Flint Mine Press PO Box 353, Coxsackie, NY 12051 www.flintminepress.com

CONTENTS

7

Letter From Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy, New York State

8

Special Messages From U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney

9

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

11

FOREWORd

By Adam Strum

13

INTRODUCTION

19

ORIGINS THE JAQUES FAMILY: 1839–1886

31

INNOVATION & EXPANSION THE EMERSON YEARS: 1886–1920

55

PROHIBITION & RECOVERY THE LOUIS L. FARRELL YEARS: 1920–1947

77

TOURISM & AMERICA’S OLDEST WINERY THE FARRELL FAMILY: 1947–1987

99

PREMIUM WINE DEVELOPMENT A NEW BROTHERHOOD PARTNERSHIP: 1987–2005

107

MODERNIZATION, RESTORATION & EXPANSION CASTRO–CHADWICK–BAEZA PARTNERSHIP: 2005–TODAY

114

TIMELINE

116

INDEX

120

PHOTO CREDITS

MAP OF WASHINGTONVILLE Washingtonville, in the town of Blooming Grove, Orange County, New York, circa 1875. First established as Little York, and renamed Washingtonville in 1818, the village was officially incorporated in 1895 with a population of 691. By 1940 the population had increased to 801, reaching 1,887 by 1970, and 4,906 by 1990. As of the 2010 census, Washingtonville had a population of 5,899. The location of the Jaques’ family estate including the winery and vineyard is visible in the upper right, bearing the name of Mrs. J. Jaques, widow of John Jaques Jr.

ORIGINS

THE JAQUES FAMILY 1839 –1886

“The purity of our wines was our pride and first consideration.”

– Charles Jaques

hen John Jaques arrived in Little York—a small hamlet in the town of Blooming Grove, NY—in early 1810, he was a cordwainer, or cobbler, by trade. Born in 1790 in Plainfield, New Jersey of Scotch parentage, John Jaques (pronounced “jakes”) arrived with his recently widowed mother. He established himself with a local shoe- and boot-making business, renting a section of Moses Ely’s tannery building, one of only nine buildings in the hamlet.

At the time, Little York was at the hub of Orange County, named for the 17th century British sovereign William III, Prince of Orange. The tiny hamlet grew, following the construction of turnpikes linking Blooming Grove to New Windsor and Goshen. Jaques, along with other prominent tradesmen, decided on a formal name for their growing settlement, and in 1818, Little York officially became Washingtonville, named in honor of the late General and President George Washington. It was local legend that Washington had briefly visited the settlement, and watered his horse at the trough located under the big elm tree.

John Jaques married Ruth Curtis and the couple had five children: sons Oren, John Jr., and Charles, and daughters Mary and Sarah.

Jaques’ business became prosperous enough for him to build his own establishment, so he added a general store at the corner of the Blooming Grove Turnpike and the North Road, where he sold shoes, groceries and general merchandise. Jaques would travel as far as neighboring Sullivan County peddling his wares, often bartering for lumber and other goods which he would sell in his store.

John Jaques Sr. (1790–1876) “Cordwainer,” Freemason, church elder, winemaker, and founder of Orange County’s first commercial winery in Washingtonville.

Pure, Old, Reliable!

Opposite: 1883 price list for Jaques Brothers wines.

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AVAILABLE AT flintminepress.com and AMAZON

10 | INNOVATION & EXPANSION

10 | ORIGINS