Most people don’t generally think of Vermont as wine country. What does the state do very well when it comes to winemaking, and where is it still a challenge?

“What Vermont does well is work with hybrid grapes in a serious way. Much of the traditional wine world works with vinifera (the classic European grape species most wines are made from)…that's what the world expects in terms of quality. In regions like the Finger Lakes or parts of the Midwest, where they're bordering between zones where hybrids or vinifera are hardy enough to grow, the vinifera tend to take priority and the hybrids become the higher yields/lower price line.

“In Vermont, we really don't have the opportunity to grow vinifera without extreme measures. So from the beginning, we've taken hybrids seriously…grown them, for lack of a better way to explain it, as you would high-quality vinifera, really growing for optimal fruit quality and taking all the necessary steps in the vineyard to get there.

“What remains challenging is the climate. We're already a marginal grape-growing region because of the winters and the amount of rain we get in the growing season, and that's only become more challenging. Agriculture at large has become more challenging as the climate continues to be less predictable and more extreme.”

You hear the term "natural wine" thrown around a lot, and that means different things depending on who you ask. What does it mean to you?

“It's not a question I love, mainly because I don't like boxes. I don't like ambiguous terms. Natural, sustainable, regenerative…some of these are defined, but a lot of times they just get thrown around for marketing reasons and the meaning gets lost.

“In its truest sense, I think it's responsible farming, followed by really showcasing the fruit in the winery without additives and manipulation. Again, these terms are vague…I mean, what does ‘manipulating’ actually mean? Every decision I make is an intervention, from the vineyard to the bottle. ‘Low intervention,’ ‘natural’…these terms all require a conversation to have any real meaning.

“The purists would say ‘natural wine’ is grapes grown organically with no additives or filtering or any of those processes in the winery. I take a similar approach…in the winery, aside from a judicious use of sulfur, there aren't other additives, and you're not processing the wine in any other way.

“For the Iapetus wines, there was a time when we referred to them as natural because there wasn't a great way to describe them otherwise. I generally refrain from that term now. But at the consumer level it is somewhat helpful, even though it's very ambiguous… it was really just this kind of pendulum swing away from industrial wine and big brands.

“Unfortunately, I think the pendulum swung too far. A lot of people entered this space quite naively and assumed ‘natural’ meant they didn't have to do anything. That is absolutely not the case.”

What part of winemaking is a lot less romantic than people think? Are there things you would tell a younger winemaker not to repeat?

“The easy answer would be, ‘The whole thing.’ It's easy to romanticize farming…being outside, amongst nature. That is still a lovely part of the job, but it’s also the most brutal…being out there in negative windchill temperatures all day in the winter, or a scorching, humid day in the summer. It's a tremendous amount of work and it's physical labor, and I don’t know how romantic I find that. That said, when things are going well and the weather is cooperative, you really can't beat it.

“There are definitely lots of lessons learned. Don't get into this with rose-colored glasses. I've seen very few successful vineyards operate as a fun side project…this is a commitment. I've talked to a lot of small grape growers and winemakers over the years. I've seen a lot of hobbyists enter the space, and I've seen many of them exit the space as well. People do not understand what it actually takes to do this successfully.”

Bonus Question: Not counting your own wine, what do you drink at like to drink at the end of a long day?

“Typically, it's a cold light beer. I've got two kids under five and had a couple of minor health issues over the last year or18 months, so my alcohol consumption is at an all-time low since I turned 21. I used to drink a lot more wine than I do, and a lot less beer and hard liquor…but now I’m looking for something that’s just the lowest alcohol I can find.

“But it's made me realize something over the past several years…wine has been made so complicated. At the end of the day, it really doesn't need to be complicated. It’s just something you can sip and enjoy, be around other people, relax…you don't want to have to think about it too much. I mean, there are times when thinking about it is great…I work in this industry, and I find myself thinking about wine even when I'd rather not. Your average consumer just wants something they can enjoy.”