Alumni Wine by Cornell Alumni Affairs

Ruby Vineyard & Winery

Steve Hendricks ’76 and his wife Flora Habibi had a lifelong dream of owning a vineyard and making their own wine. The dream started in the Hotel School class, Introduction to Wines, spring term senior year. This dream became a reality when they purchased Beran Vineyards in 2012, one of the oldest intact original plantings in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, in the exclusive Laurelwood District sub-AVA.

Together, Steve and Flora now work on every aspect of the winemaking process at Ruby Vineyard, from driving the tractor to pouring flights for guests in the tasting room. They practice solely organic farming making wine with intent, vigilance, and as natural as possible hoping to carry forward the legacy of the Willamette Valley.

Ruby Vineyard makes naturally crafted wines from some of the oldest vines in Oregon wine country. Under the direction of veteran winemaker, Andrew Kirkland, our winemaking style pays homage to ancient techniques while continuing to delicately balance the flavors of traditional and natural wine. We take great care to ensure each bottle is expressive of place and the great depth and natural character imparted by the unique Laurelwood soils in our vineyard.

Located in the world-famous Willamette Valley, the winery’s fruit comes from mostly organic sites, including their estate vineyard, ensuring not only superb quality but minimal environmental impact.

Trestle Thirty One

Trestle Thirty One was established in 2015 by Cornell Alumnus Nova Cadamatre MW, ’06 and her husband, Brian Cadamatre. A winemaker with a wide and diverse background, Cadamatre started in wine on the East Coast as a winemaking apprentice with Stargazers Vineyard in 2003. After graduating from Cornell University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s in Viticulture, Nova moved to California. During her time in California, she worked with fruit from all over the state eventually settling in Napa and focusing on Bordeaux and Burgundian varieties from some of the top vineyards in the area including To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch, MacDonald, Detert, and Hyde Vineyard. In 2015, she started her brand Trestle Thirty One in the Finger Lakes of NY and currently goes back and forth between Napa and the Finger Lakes to manage both her CA projects and her projects in NY.

In 2017, Nova was the first female winemaker in the US to achieve the title of Master of Wine. She has been named to Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 under 40 list and has numerous 90+ scoring wines to her credit from both coasts.