I’ve always been a fan of the Sparkling Rosé from Galway Rock Winery and recently they opened a beautiful tasting room in Ballston Lake. I spoke with the owner about how the current situation is affecting them and why they love doing what they do. If you’re in need of some wine and want to support a local business, they are still taking orders for pickup, delivery and shipping.
When were you bitten by the entrepreneurial bug?
I have always thought I might open a business. I’ve worked for a lot of small businesses and saw what it takes. When I was young I thought my dad and I would open a greenhouse, or garden center.
Is there one product you sell that represents you or “started it all”?
I would say the Saratoga Sparkling Rosé. It wasn’t the first wine we started with, but it was the brand that I wanted to create from the start. Because sparkling wine is harder to make and more technical we started the Galway Rock brand first.
Any advice for someone thinking about starting their own business?
It’s going to take more work and time and money than you actually planned for, but if you really want to do it then you should. Plan, plan, plan and save, save, save. But definitely do it because it’s a lot of fun too.
What makes you passionate about what you do?
Wine. Also science. I geek out on both. If I didn’t have the winery to channel my passion into I’m sure I would drive my friends and family nuts.
If you had it to do over again, is there anything you would do differently?
I’m sure I would do A LOT differently! I’ve made a bunch of mistakes, but learned from each one. We don’t have time machines yet though, so all you can do is take that hard won knowledge and do better in the future.
How has COVID-19 affected you?
We have had to partially close our tasting room. Right now we are only open for bottle sales. You can also buy online for local pickup, delivery, or shipping. We had a cool list of events happening in the tasting room this year and I’m bummed that we didn’t have a chance to do them. But people are still buying wine and we are grateful.
