Galway Rock Carves Out Wine in a Hard Place

When considering the great wine destinations of the world (Napa, the Yarra Valley, Bordeaux, Tuscany), Ballston Lake is hardly on the tip of the average oenophile’s tongue. But Galway Rock Vineyard isn’t necessarily interested in drawing accolades from Wine Spectator and hordes of grape aficionados from far and wide (at least at this point). For now Kate Taylor, president of Galway Rock Vineyard and Winery and sister company Saratoga Sparkling Co., and her team—mostly comprised of family members—are focused on planting their first estate vineyard behind their tasting room.

They want to see, in other words, where their hometown terroir will take them. For now, they plan to plant Cayuga White and Rougeon, both hybrid grapes that thrive in the Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley, two of the three regions most wine lovers are familiar with in New York (the other being Long Island).

Galway uses grapes from all three regions for its wines, until the backyard vineyard blooms. And waiting for vines to reach full maturity is an investment, analogous to having a child; the first few years are a chaotic output of energy, and only a few years later do you start receiving anything (beyond trifles like joy and love, of course) in return. After 10, 15, 20 years: That’s when you can expect masterpieces to emerge.

In other words, Taylor and her family are all in. It took a few years to get there, though.

After graduating from SUNY Albany with a degree in biology and working for a few years (a cancer foundation, then in fish farming), she decided to pursue her passion: wine. In 2009, Taylor made her first foray into winemaking at Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery, one of the most innovative and lauded wineries in the Hudson Valley (Wine Enthusiast gave their Reserve Gamay Noir a coveted 90 points), and became hooked on the notion of crafting a thing of beauty out of the rugged New York terroir that surrounds us.

In 2012, she persuaded her husband and parents into trying to create a product that could capture the flavors of Saratoga County. They started making wine in her parents’ garage in Galway, primarily from grapes grown in the Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley.

Last year, the family purchased 68 acres for a vineyard and built out a sleek tasting room—all polished-wood farm tables, floor-to-ceiling lights, gleaming steel and chalkboard menus—that looks out on what will be their vineyard in the foreground, and the Green Mountains of Vermont in the distance. On a typical weekend, the room is buzzing with singles and families, there to drink reds (macerated and fermented on the skins, oak-aged), whites (steel-aged) and rosés (still and sparkling, both magnificent, by far the most popular year-round), munch on local cheeses and soak up the old-world winery philosophy and atmosphere, filtered through a farm-to-table New York lens.

The scale-up of Galway has been steady, as Taylor worked to perfect her craft. This year, Galway is on track to sell between 2,500 and 3,000 cases.

After tasting the rosé (a highly unusual but lip-smackingly tasty blend of Cayuga white, merlot, malbec), we had to learn more. Can a world-class wine emerge from the Capital District? Below, our findings.

Edible Capital District: Did you grow up here, and how many family members are involved in the business?

Kate Taylor: I am 36 and grew up mostly in Latham, but now live in Ballston Lake. I have two daughters, Pepper, who’s seven, and Allison, who’s five. My husband, Ryan [Taylor], and I started the winery officially in 2013 in my parents’ garage. My dad [Vincent Soldani Jr.] remains on board as an owner in the winery and also helps out when we need him. My mom works Saturdays with me in the tasting room.

ECD: What inspired you to get into this industry? Can you tell me more about your work at Whitecliff?

KT: I wanted to get into the wine industry because I love wine. A few years after I graduated college I started drinking a lot of different types of wine and trying new things. Really getting into it. The more I tasted the more I wanted to know. So I started reading about winemaking and the whole process. It seems so whimsical and fantastic: the idea of grape farming and winemaking when you’re drinking a bottle of wine, but I always think, what are the mechanics of this? How does this get made and why is this bottle different than that one? So I read and read and the more I did that the more I thought about it, I realized not only does this really sound like fun, but I feel like it could be a great career. So I made it happen. I already had a science background all I needed was a place to learn the trade. I decided I would try the Hudson Valley and if I couldn’t get anywhere here (I was living in Glenmont at the time so some fantastic wineries were only an hour away), I would go out to Santa Rosa and stay on my uncle’s couch and try to get a cellar rat job out there. Luckily, I found Michael Migliore at Whitecliff.

ECD: What you did you learn there?

KT: Everything! Oh boy I learned the whole process and I’m still learning. There is so much to the winemaking process, it is really a lifelong quest. And I still call Michael and think of him as a mentor.

ECD: Does anyone else in your family have wine experience?

KT: My husband, Ryan, oversaw the vineyard at the winery I managed in Illinois. Once we started our own winery he did all of our distribution for the first four years before we involved a distributor. He is currently working on a new project.

ECD: How did you choose the growers you work with?

KT: Word of mouth every time. It is always a recommendation from a friend.

ECD: How are you deciding what to plant? Vinifera vs. hybrid?

KT: We consulted with Cornell, who have a great program for wine makers in New York. They come out and test and analyze soil, give you recommendations based on that and weather patterns. For us, we have to plant what grows and I haven’t seen evidence that vinifera will grow here, so we will plant hybrids.

ECD: Can you explain farming philosophy and approach?

KT: We believe in vine balance. This is the idea that you grow the vine so that it vigor and production are in balance from the beginning. Never letting one get out of step with the other.

ECD: This is our pizza issue. It’s our duty to ask: what’s your favorite pizza / wine pairing?

KT: Bacon, caramelized onion, goat cheese pizza with the Chardonnay-Riesling.