Vint Wine Podcast 5 Questions with a Winemaker: Nancy Irelan, Red Tail Ridge - Finger Lakes, NY
In this episode of Five Questions with a Winemaker, hosts Billy Galanko and Brady Weller sit down with Nancy Irelan, Winemaker and Owner of Red Tail Ridge Winery in New York’s Finger Lakes. Renowned for her cool-climate varietals and sparkling wines, Nancy has made Red Tail Ridge a Finger Lakes standout.
Nancy shares:
🌎 A snapshot of her 54-acre vineyard featuring Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Blaufränkisch, Dornfelder, and Cabernet Franc, all reflecting the Finger Lakes’ unique character.
🍾 Red Tail Ridge’s passion for sparkling wines, focusing on traditional methods and site expression.
🍷 Inspirations from Champagne, Austrian Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir from Baden, and emerging regions like Baja, Mexico, inspire Red Tail Ridge's style.
📆 Key takeaways from challenging vintages like 2009, 2013, 2018, and 2021, and how they’ve shaped her resilient winemaking philosophy.
🔭 Her vision for the region: positioning the Finger Lakes as America’s parallel to Crémant d’Alsace with expanded sparkling production and year-round tourism.
A must-listen for fans of cool-climate wines and those curious about the future of U.S. wine regions.
🎧 Listen to the full episode with Nancy Irelan, available now.
The Vint Wine Podcast is a production of the Vint Marketplace, your source for fine wines and rare spirits. Visit www.vintmarketplace.com.
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The Vint Wine Podcast is hosted and produced by Billy Galanko. For more content follow Billy on Instagram @BillyGalanko_wine_nerd and for partnerships and collaborations please email billy@sommeliermedia.com.
Cheers!