Bedell Cultivates Sustainability, Creativity and Success

When Kip Bedell founded Bedell Cellars on the North Fork, he was an amateur winemaker who gave up a fuel oil business in Nassau County to turn his hobby into a profession.

After buying a 32-acre potato farm in Cutchogue in 1979, he planted some chardonnay and merlot vines and, in 1986, began making his own wine in a converted 1919-era hay barn. On a limited budget, with cats and dogs for company, he soon gained a reputation as Long Island’s “Mr. Merlot.”

Today’s visitors to Bedell Cellars may still be greeted by a friendly dog, but otherwise, the winery has gone from the barefoot league to being a modern, corporate business that leads the industry in sustainability, creative marketing and reputation. In 1999, movie mogul Michael Lynne bought Bedell Cellars, keeping Kip Bedell on as “founding winemaker.”

Lynne, a collector of both wine and contemporary American art, had searched France, Italy and California for vineyard property before deciding that Long Island offered better value, plus proximity to the New York market. He also bought Corey Creek and, later, Wells Road vineyards. In a comprehensive renovation, he turned that old Bedell barn into a state-of-the-art winery and sleek visitors’ center.

Reflecting Lynne’s personal collection, the tasting room and bottle designs showcase such famous East End artists as Chuck Close, Cindy Sherman, April Gornik, Barbara Kruger, Eric Fischl and Ross Bleckner.

The new Bedell Cellars retains a comfortable North Fork style and sensibility. Dave Thompson, who has managed Bedell’s vineyard since 1985, is one of the pioneers of sustainable viticulture on Long Island. He implemented many field practices in the 1980s that, considered revolutionary at that time, are now widely practiced. These include the use of high biological species diversity in cover crops, leaf-pulling to increase crop sunlight exposure and returning natural by-products of grape processing to the soil. Working with Cornell Extension Agent extraordinaire Alice Wise, Mr. Thompson also helped write the Long Island sustainability “best practices” guidelines for Cornell University’s Vine Balance Initiative.

In 2010, Richard Olsen-Harbich, who has been a key player as a viticultural leader, consultant and winemaker in the Long Island wine industry since 1981, became Bedell Cellars’ winemaker. Mr. Olsen-Harbich authored and successfully applied for federal recognition of three Long Island American Viticultural Areas—“The Hamptons,” “The North Fork” and later, “Long Island”—giving legal accreditation to these distinct regions. Side note: “Long Island” was added as a region because wineries in the Hamptons area bought fruit from the North Fork and needed an inclusive designation.

Bedell Cellars also benefits from the global wine making experiences of its consulting enologist, Pascal Marty, formerly of Château Mouton Rothschild and Opus One. Together, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Olsen-Harbich, Mr. Bedell and Mr. Marty approach the creation of Bedell Cellars’ wines with a holistic sensibility that targets a quintessential North Fork style: minimal oak, moderate alcohol and refreshing acidity. Mr. Olsen-Harbich finds indigenous aromas and flavors like chamomile, violet, honeysuckle or wild rose reflected in his white wines and beach plum, wild blackberry, cedar and sassafras in the reds.

In the 1980s, marketing consisted of waiting by the barn door, with the cats, for customers to come. Today’s Bedell Cellars is far more proactive, with a marketing team that has an international reach, plus event planning, wholesale, retail, and VIP services. Orchestrating it all is Bedell’s Chief Executive Officer. Trent Preszler.

At 33, Mr. Preszler has come far from the South Dakota cattle ranch where he grew up. With multiple academic degrees (including a pending Ph.D. from Cornell), he combines scholarship with hands-on experience. Seeing a trend away from varietal wines, he has re-branded Bedell Cellars as a producer of premium blended wines.

Although the traditional chardonnay, cab franc and merlot are still on the list, the winery’s greatest success has come from its new blends such as the simple “First Crush” house wines, the exotic “Taste White” and “Taste Red,” and the seriously classy white “Gallery” and red meritage “Museé.”

With a special commissioned label art by Chuck Close, Museé 2007 was recently awarded 91 points by Wine Spectator magazine. That’s the highest Wine Spectator score given a Long Island wine.

With its long-established roots and its innovative practices, Bedell Cellars’ success elevates the reputation of the entire Long Island industry.