Quartz Rock Vineyard has events on tap

By Mark Reynolds

In 2020 Dan and Jacqui Ferrari Heavens purchased their own little slice of heaven when they bought the former Glorie Farm that for decades was lovingly cared for by Doug and MaryEllen Glorie. The 52 acre vineyard is located at 40 Mountain Road in Marlboro and commands a magnificent view of the beautiful Hudson Valley. They are open on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and expect to add Fridays in May.  

The couple sat down with the Southern Ulster Times for an interview to let people know they have weathered the travails of the pandemic and to promote events they are hosting in the near future.

Jacqui described their events as peaceful and low-key.

“The feeling we always want here is for you to feel at home in the backyard while being served,” she said.

Jacqui said they offer individual glasses or bottles of wine so customers can get to know their varied offerings, such as Sparkling Valvin Muscat; Chardonnay Oaked, a dry white wine; Vidal Blanc Semi-Dry; and new dry red wine releases Chambourcin Nouveau 2023, Noiret 2021 Estate and a dessert wine named Cabernet Franc Iced Wine 2021 Estate.

Jacqui said on March 2nd at 5:30 p.m. they are holding a speed dating event for the LGBTQ+ community and on April 13 the fourth Stand-Up Comedy Night will be hosted by Danit Sibs, who will be introducing four comedians and headliner Molly Kornfeld. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for wine and food and the show starts at 7 p.m.

Of their past comedy nights, Jacqui said “They’ve all been very funny and she brings some big names who have done HBO or Netflix Specials. It’s pretty cool to get them to come up here.”

Since buying the property, Jacqui said she and her husband Dan have worked to make Quartz Rock a welcoming place for the community.

“We have loved getting to know a lot of our customers and many have told us they feel very comfortable here. That is really important to us and we want to create more opportunities to get together to do that,” she said.

The couple first visited the property in 2006 while touring the town’s wine trail on Dan’s birthday.

“Every winery on the trail did a wine tasting and served a pasta dish and when we came here we turned around and saw that view; we knew we would want to own a place like this one day,” she recalled.

In 2019 Jacqui saw that the winery was for sale, “on Facebook of all places. I sent it to Dan, half joking and said look at this, Glorie is for sale.” The couple returned to the winery and spent hours talking with Doug and MaryEllen. At that meeting Jacqui thought, “we can either do everything we can to make this work now or we’re going to miss our chance; someone else is going to buy it and it’s not the kind of thing that’s going to be for sale 5 or 10 years down the road or it could be never.” The couple’s collective skills and talents have made the newest iteration of the vineyard a success; Jacqui has a background in accounting and Dan holds a degree in brewing beer from the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago. Dan also works in sales and project management for a company in New York City but does not have to commute on a daily basis.  

“We knew we would be learning a lot the hard way and making a lot of mistakes, but we’re definitely happy we did it,” Jacqui said.

Dan said recently they have planted English apple trees and soon some Spanish and French trees will be added; all to be used to make cider.

“This year is the first year that we’re going to use true cider apples in a limited release,” he said.

Dan tipped his hat to his wife, “for getting musicians and food trucks up here to the winery for special events and staying organized. We want people to enjoy themselves and sit back and relax here.”