22 | theLAKER Cory Christie ’15, a full-time vineyardist in the Naples area, has expanded into the niche market of biodynamic grapes. Through his business, True Vine Grape Company, he has managed 12 acres of native and hybrid grapes since 2021. He runs the 10-acre Jerome U-Pick vineyard and leases two acres of Concord grapes that supply the thriving Naples grape pie trade. In addition, Cory cultivates a 1.5-acre biodynamic vineyard on his family property on Pompliano Road. Cory adheres to sustainable practices in all his work. This means doing as much as he can to reduce the chemicals he uses, for example, replacing broad-spectrum pesticides with those that target specific pests — and only when they are most needed. Biodynamic goes a step further. “Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach that seeks to treat a farm as an interconnected ecosystem, focusing on building soil, building ecosystems, and utilizing natural resources around the farm,” he explained. Cory chose to farm biodynamically to ensure he could pass the vineyard down to his children. Cory and his wife, Emma, now have three children, ages 5, 3 and 1. Erin Scherer, who took viticulture classes around the same time as Cory, caught up with him last summer at his home, where he grows Steuben, Sabrevois, and Marquette grapes. She wrote about his project for her Substack, “Back to Zero: A Finger Lakes Wine Adventure,” in which she documents low-intervention winemaking. “What I like about biodynamic farming is there’s so much incorporating of living things. I think it creates its own biome. You’re pretty much inoculating the vineyard with the labor of your hands . . . and what you put into it through your making of compost and preparations. And so all of those materials are very alive,” Cory said in his interview with Erin. Cory has sold his biodynamic grapes to Alex Alvarez-Perez, co-owner of Usonia in Ovid, Seneca County. Usonia’s Pompliano Pink and Pompliano Purple wines are named for the distinct characteristics that Cory’s land and processes leave on his grapes. “When I tasted Usonia’s wine, when I smelled their wines, my wife and I looked at each other, and we’re like, ‘This is so similar to the wines we’ve made,’” he told Erin. In just a few years, Cory has ushered the land his family initially bought for hunting into the Finger Lakes’ signature industry. A first-generation grower, he said he found his place in the close-knit wine community through his FLCC experience. “The College not only equipped me with essential technical skills but also kindled my passion for viticulture,” Cory said. “Just as importantly, the program connected me with a strong network of industry professionals, resources, and opportunities that continue to support my growth within the field.” Cory Christie ’15, a viticulture and wine technology graduate, cultivates a biodynamic vineyard on Pompliano Road in the town of Italy, Yates County. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORY CHRISTIE Cory holds a bunch of Marquette grapes. Sustainable and biodynamic vineyards: What’s the difference?
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