Alumni Wine by Cornell Alumni Affairs

County Line Vineyards

County Line owner and winemaker, Eric Sussman ’90 (CALS) developed his passion for wine growing while studying agriculture at Cornell. After spending several years in Washington’s Yakima Valley, he immersed himself in the old-world culture and traditions of France over two exceptional vintages – 1995 in Bordeaux at Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Pauillac, and 1996 in Burgundy at Domaine Comte Armand of Pommard and Domaine Jacques Prieur of Meursault. Apprenticing alongside men and women who have tended the same vineyards and wines through countless seasons reinforced Eric’s respect for the intrinsic connection between land, people, and the wine they produce.

Upon returning to the United States, and after a year of collaborating on the wines at Bonny Doon in Santa Cruz, Eric settled in Western Sonoma County and spent four years as the associate winemaker for Dehlinger. Working with one of the area’s finest estate producers enhanced his appreciation for the world-class wine grown in this region.

County Line favors traditional winemaking techniques and a shorter élevage in neutral French oak barrels or stainless steel. Each wine is made to provide a cool-climate appellation snapshot of the Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast, Russian River, or the North Coast.

Hosmer Winery

Cameron Hosmer ’76 (CALS) and wife Maren founded Hosmer Winery in Ovid, New York in 1985 on the principle that great wine starts in the vineyard. They already had the vineyard part down with over fifteen years cultivating 70 acres overlooking Cayuga Lake.

The estate's terroir is rich with not only the elements necessary for premium wine grapes, but also with the dreams of generations of Hosmers. Cameron's father, a Syracuse textile manufacturer, first envisioned growing grapes on the gentle slopes of Cayuga Lake at the family's summer home during the 1950’s. Later, Cameron headed to Cornell where he majored in Pomology (in addition to playing a lot of lacrosse) and poured everything he learned back into the Hosmer soil. And today, Cameron and Maren's son, Timothy Hosmer, works closely with winemaker, Julia Hoyle to produce consistent quality wines in the European tradition.

Hosmer wines focus on traditional Vinifera, but acknowledge their roots in the Finger Lakes wine industry with a handful of French-American hybrid varieties. Hosmer Winery produces just ten thousand cases annually because within this boutique niche, the team is able to assure the excellence of the entire process, from the fruit to the finished wine.

Hosmer wines have been recognized consistently over the years at both regional and international competitions, as well as by leading industry publications including Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits, USA Today, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.