#MIDDLEBURY
By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE
The Middlebury Economic and Industrial Development Commission (EIDC) at its July 26 meeting heard a business proposal for a winery on town-owned land at Nichols Road. An architectural review for a car wash on Straits Turnpike did not occur because the applicant failed to appear.
The winery, registered as Connecticut Yankee Winery LLP, is a partnership between Jon Bosman of 236 Shadduck Road in Middlebury and his sister, Lise Bosman of Canton. Jon’s wife, Ana, told commissioners the concept of a winery had been her husband’s dream for several years. More recently, he thought about building it on the property that adjoins theirs and runs alongside the historic Peck Homestead.
Jon and Ana Bosman own three acres on Shadduck Road that have already been turned into initial vineyards for a farm winery permit. He said the historic property provided an attractive environmental and aesthetic setting for a winery.
The Nichols Road house has been preserved by the Middlebury Historical Society (MHS) since 2011, when it was saved from being burned for firefighter training. The 133-acre property it sits on was given to the town of Middlebury in 2001 by the Connecticut Water Company with a conservation easement to the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT). Bosman said his family owned his Shadduck Road property since 1938, and his grandfather was friends with the Nichols family.
Jon Bosman narrated a slide presentation of his business proposal, pointing out that the Connecticut flag shown on the first page contained three grape clusters that symbolize the uniting of three Connecticut colonies with wine making, an important part of early colonization.
“The mission of this is to offer customers an enjoyable experience sampling quality wines in a natural setting while bringing awareness to the historic homestead of Revolutionary War soldier Augustus Peck,” said Bosman. He said he would reconstruct the smaller of two barns originally on the property for wine tastings, etc., and construct a second, larger barn if the business was profitable. He told commissioners it would take 3 to 5 years to have estate grapes, and the winery would initially produce wine from California grapes with the objective of having more than 50 percent of the wine made from estate grapes within seven years.
In his revenue estimate, Bosman said it would be a three-season business, May through December, open primarily on weekends with an average of four couples per hour spending about $50 each for $200 per hour in revenue. He said the wines would be named and labeled to reflect the history of the property, so would bear names such as Augustus Peck White and Liberty Red.
The benefit to the town, Bosman said, would be a raised awareness of the history of the property and the need to save and restore the house. He said fundraisers such as a summer jazz event, vineyard 5K runs, and donations at the vineyard would benefit the restoration.
Commissioner Todd Annelli asked whether there were restrictions on the use of the property and whether open bidding and a town meeting were required for a lease. Commissioner Armando Paolino said the 6.5-acre core property containing the house and barns was owned by the town, but the remainder of the surrounding 133 acres had easements assigned to the MLT, which MHS President Robert Rafford said were iron-clad against commercial development.
Paolino and Commissioner Ted Manello asked whether the MLT would be agreeable to having the property reconstituted as a farm. Rafford said he thought there were provisions for limited use, but not necessarily commercial. Chairman Terry McAuliffe said the MHS and MLT had discussed possibilities for restoring the Peck House, but had not reached any conclusion.
After more discussion on possibilities, Bosman was encouraged to contact Dr. W. Scott Peterson, MLT president, and arrange for a meeting.
The next regular EIDC meeting will be Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room.
