Brotherhood Winery (est. 1839) : Washingtonville, NY - Oldest Winery In America

Brotherhood Winery is located in Washingtonville, New York. With its first commercial vintage produced in 1839, it is commonly acknowledged to be the oldest winery in America. In 2000 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The winery's slogan is "America's Oldest Winery".  John Jaques, a cobbler by trade, began growing native grapes in the backyard of his Washingtonville, NY store as early as 1824. By 1835, he had established a large vineyard, selling his grapes in the New York City market. As prices dropped, Jaques turned instead toward making wine, releasing his first commercial vintage in 1839, under the label “Blooming Grove Winery.”  The Jaques Brothers Winery continued to prosper until, in 1886, ill health forced Charles Jaques, the last surviving Jaques brother, to sell the entire winery and vineyards to New York City wine merchants J. M. Emerson & Son. The winery is made up of stone buildings, an award winning restaurant, modern and comfortable tasting and sales room, and the longest man made under ground cellars in the United States. It usually gets more than 100,000 visitors a year. All the winery equipment is dated 2010 or newer, using solar energy, state of the art water treatment plant and a barrel program that grows every year.