Lindsey Campagna grew up with this sprawling Champlain Valley view—her extended family has been living on Highland Road, in Keeseville, for decades. So when she and her husband, Ryan, moved back to the area after teaching in post-Katrina New Orleans, buying this spread was a no-brainer. They now live in Lindsey’s grandparents’ old house with their children, 14-year-old Jayden and 10-year-old Gianna.
Together with their parents, Kathy and Frank Campagna and Terry and Randy Ashline, Lindsey and Ryan have taken this legacy land and made it richer. In 2013 they began by planting 250 grapevines; five years later the operation had grown to 5,000 vines—12 different varietals—with a 1,200-square-foot timber-framed tasting room. Since last year, all Highlands Vineyard wines are made exclusively from grapes grown on the estate. “That was a big goal of ours,” says Lindsey.
Some of the vineyard’s best-selling wines are the Marquette Reserve, a full-bodied, dry red, and the Adalmiina, a dry white with light floral and citrusy notes. But Lindsey says the biggest draw is the semi-dry Maple, made with syrup produced on the property. For those who can’t pick a favorite, the vineyard offers flights of six two-ounce samples.
On summer Fridays, Highlands hosts local bands and food trucks, and during the season the venue is available for wedding ceremonies, birthday parties and other events. Every autumn the Campagnas invite their neighbors to a picking party, bartering food, wine and fun for help with the harvest. Lindsey says people often come back to sample the wines they helped create.
Highlands Vineyard is both a labor of love and a family affair—even Jayden and Gianna pitch in with everything from crushing grapes to bottling wines. “It’s amazing to have everyone involved, our parents, our kids, working hard together,” says Lindsey. “We can sit back from our house and see the grapevines and the beautiful thing that we created.”
If You Go
Highlands Vineyard (518-836-5355), at 1092 Highland Road, in Keeseville, is open from Memorial Day weekend to October, weather depending. Its Summer Concert Series happens every Friday from early July to the beginning of September. Find the band lineup and browse Highlands’ wines at www.highlandsvineyards.com.
