The short of it is that we are just a little brand in the Finger Lakes, open to all the ways we might evolve. Starting in 2022, a decade after meeting and working both together and separately in the wine industry, we made the move to start Vagabond as a way to share our passion as a family. Our five year old son and our dog are part of the team and we love making wine together, in our own way.

We are a growing, but bootstrap little winery. Jimmer has been working in vineyards and wineries since 2004 (with a few schooner sabbaticals in between) and currently manages Knapp Vineyards on Cayuga Lake. Alex has been making wine in the Finger Lakes for close to fifteen years and is the head vinifera winemaker for Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards in Hector as her day job while making and managing Vagabond on the side.

We aren’t dogmatic in our practices but choose to focus on a gentle approach, utilizing ancient techniques like foot stomping, ambient fermentations and lees stirring to achieve wines that are fresh and energetic, with just a light touch. We make Dry Riesling, a fun, low alcohol red sparkling called Farmer Fizz, Blaufrankisch and a red table blend called Little Sparrow. Our next releases will be a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Franc.

We thank you for following along on our journey as we grow and make Vagabond Wines.