OUR STORY
Deer Run Winery is a family owned farm winery whose humble beginnings grew from one man's love of making wine. Wine making has long been a passion of owner, George Kuyon, who built Deer Run Winery in 2003 on a 20 acre parcel of farmland after retirement from Kodak. Upon hearing the news that his father was planning to open a winery, his son, Scott, who was working as a marine mechanic in Florida at the time, decided to move home & help his Father fulfill his dream.
Over a decade later, Deer Run has established itself as an award-winning winery at the north end of Conesus Lake that is here to stay.
Over a decade later, Deer Run has established itself as an award-winning winery at the north end of Conesus Lake that is here to stay.
WHAT WE DO
Deer Run Winery grows about 30 percent of the grapes used to make our wines, the remainder of the grapes needed are purchased from other Finger Lakes vineyards. In our 5 acre vineyard we grow Vidal, Valvin Muscat, Noiret, Corot Noir, Traminette, Marechal Foch & Frontenac varieties. In the winter months while the vines are dormant each of the vines are hand pruned by Scott (and anyone else he can coax into helping him) and tied in early Spring before the vines begin to bud. Throughout the growing season, the vines are thinned so the energy from the vine goes into growing the grapes, not into growing the leaves. Shoot thinning also helps to allow the sunlight to penetrate the canopy which will help keep the grapes dry and free from mildew. When Fall arrives we test the sugar and acid levels of the grapes and wait for optimum sugar percentages before we harvest. Row after row, we snip the grape bunches from the vines and we abide by two simple rules: don't cut your own fingers & don't cut your neighbor's fingers!
Once a variety is picked, we bring the filled pick bins to the "press pad". This is where we record the weight of the grapes before they meet their fate at the crusher de-stemmer!
Once a variety is picked, we bring the filled pick bins to the "press pad". This is where we record the weight of the grapes before they meet their fate at the crusher de-stemmer!
Filled pick bins ready to be weighed
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The grape crusher & de-stemmer
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HOT OFF THE BLADDER PRESS...
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Once we have the grape must, we need to separate the juices from the skins and depending on whether the must is red or white grapes, we press the varieties within a week of being picked. White wines will be pressed the same day they are picked while red wines will be fermented on the skins for one to two weeks to add depth of color and body to the wine.
After pressing, the rough wine heads into a tank for cold stabilization & finishing! 
Wines being bottled at Deer Run Winery
Many folks say that great wine is made in the vineyard, meaning that the care and treatment of the grapes while they grow is the best way to guarantee a delicious wine, and we have to say that we agree to an extent. Sometimes the summers aren't exactly ideal for growing a pristine grape crop, but we have learned that care for our wines in the tank room can turn a good product into a fantastic finished wine. Scott has experimented with different techniques over the years and enjoys the challenges that come annually at harvest time. Since we opened in 2003, there has been much learned by both father and son in regards to commercial wine making and that can only mean one thing: better wines. And our commitment is unwavering: to bring the community quality, approachable hand crafted wines. Cheers!
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The bladder press
French oak & American oak barrels
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Watch this short video clip taken by Wine Forecaster, David Valvo, as he samples our 2015 Riesling and talks a little bit with Scott about the wine.
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