
Shelburne Vineyard received the Sustainable Farm of the Year award on February 14th at the NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Winter Conference. Shown accepting the award, from left to right are Ethan Joseph, the Farm Manager, and Scott Prom, Gail Albert and Ken Albert, Shelburne Vineyard co-owners, with Linda Berlin, Director of the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture, which selected Shelburne Vineyard for the award. They were presented with a large plaque/sign which Scott and Ethan are displaying in the above photo. The award also honored Doe's Leap Farm in Bakersfield, a goat dairy and cheesemaker.
Awardees are selected to honor those farms that exemplify the Center's mission of cultivating understanding, innovative practices and policies to advance sustainable food and farming in Vermont and beyond. Shelburne Vineyard was selected for its plantings of new, northern grape varietals, that are hardy in Vermont's cold climate. Also for their sustainable and organic farming practices, and for their state-of-the-art Winery and Tasting Room and its surrounding site on Shelburne Road in Shelburne, which were designed to meet LEED standards for energy efficiency.
Shelburne Vineyard is also one of the few agricultural tourism enterprises accessible to staff and visitors by public transportation with its location on the regular commuter bus route. Gilbert also noted the Vineyard's work supporting community-based not-for-profit organizations. The most recent example of such support happened on February 13th, when their Vineyard Valentine event, in collaboration with Lake Champlain Chocolates, raised almost $400 for the Shelburne Food Shelf.
Shelburne Vineyard is located at 6308 Shelburne Road, in Shelburne, Vermont.