ABOUT
Freedom Run
Winery
Welcome to New York Wine Country, home of five major wine regions covering nine officially recognized appellations blessed with fertile glacial soil and ideal grape-growing micro climates.
The third-largest wine-producing region in America, New York has 335 wineries that are making international waves with their award-winning Rieslings, Cabernet Francs, Chardonnays, and other varieties.
Like the famous European vineyards of Burgundy, Champagne and Germany, New York is considered a cool climate wine area, which produces fine wine.
Meet the Team at Freedom Run Winery
FREEDOM RUN WINERY
'We View Wine As Art'
LAURA JEAN & RICHARD 'SEAN' MANNING
Owners
Laura Jean and Sean work remotely for half the year, managing the operations of Freedom Run Winery, alongside an amazing team who have their feet on the ground year round, many of whom have worked there for many years.
They wear many hats in their effort to help create a business that brings patrons from far and wide to taste award winning wine, enjoy fun activities, and create memories to last a lifetime through events and weddings.
Being supporters of the arts, they ensure that they earn the words of their company logo..."We View Wine As Art."
Producing Award Winning Wine
RYAN SIDOTI
Winemaker
Ryan Sidoti is an experienced winemaker, oenologist, and general lover of the wine world. He has been making wine professionally for ten years, and has been the head of winemaking operations at Freedom Run Winery since 2015.
KURT GUBA
Vineyard Manager & Sommelier
Kurt Guba was the cellar master at Freedom Run Winery when the doors first opened in 2007. He is a certified Sommelier and wine educator and returned to Freedom Run Winery after a five year hiatus teaching a winery operations program at Niagara County Community College. He is now the Vineyard Manager at Freedom Run Winery.
Working Together to
Create Memories to Last a Lifetime
MARK GABIOUD
Retail Manager
Mark has many years of experience in the restaurant and bar business, and comes to us from the fast paced world of the Hard Rock Cafe. He is responsible for everything that happens in the 'front end' of Freedom Run Winery as the Retail Manager.
JOELLE GIAMBRA
Assistant Manager
Joelle is Mark Gabioud's "right hand woman" and lends her immense talents and passion for wine to both our Tasting Room guests and our social media channels.
World Class Wine Country
The receding glaciers of the Ice Age left New York with a unique combination of geography and climate. Bodies of water (lakes, rivers and ocean) act as natural air conditioning, cooling in the summer, warming in the winter, and sheltering the vines from temperature extremes.
The result is five major wine regions (each with its own unique micro climate) that grow more than 35 different varieties of grapes and make some of the finest wines in the world.
Latitude + Climate = Classic Wines
Tucked in the Northeast corner of the United States lies an exquisite wine lover’s paradise that’s on a similar latitude to Europe’s most cherished vineyards.
Folklore speaks of rootstock from France being disseminated here in New York State, to protect it from the ravages of World War II.
New World
Northern California (Napa): 38º
New York (Long Island): 41º
New York (Hudson River): 42º
New York (Lake Erie): 43º
New York (Finger Lakes): 43º
Old World
Bordeaux (France): 44º
Burgundy (France): 47º
Champagne (France): 49º
Rheingau (Germany): 49º
The Niagara Escarpment
Freedom Run Winery was one of the founding members on The Niagara Wine Trail. European vinifera wines, including Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, thrive in this region. In fact, the climate compares to that of the Alsace, a region of northeastern France, on the borders with Germany and Switzerland.
The Niagara Escarpment was officially recognized as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 2005 and the larger “Greater Niagara” region is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the nation. The geography of The Niagara Escarpment and surrounding area have a unique climate that is one of the warmest in New York State due to proximity to the Great Lakes and the glacial rip of the Escarpment itself, which traps warm air currents from Lake Ontario. The dolomitic limestone soil of the Escarpment and the gravel silts near the lakeshore, along with a moderate climate, sloping land and well-drained soils, are ideal for growing vinifera grapes and a wide variety of fruit, during a 205 day growing season.
Explains Why New York Wine Country is so Desirable!
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10,000 years ago, Ice Age glaciers sculpted a beautiful land where earth meets water to soften the air, creating ideal conditions for growing grapes.
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400 years ago, Dutch settlers planted vines on a small island in this new world, followed by Englishmen on a different island to the East, and French immigrants in a river valley to the North.
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180 years ago, a winery was established in that valley, followed by others further west in a region of spectacular lakes.
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35 years ago, the land carved by glaciers had 19 wineries. Today there are 335.