It was July of 2025 when I published my first interview with Alfredo “Alfie” Alcantara on the eve of the grand opening of his and co-owner Deanna Urciuoli’s winery, dear native grapes Interview: Alfredo “Alfie” Alcantara, Winemaker, Vigneron, Emmy Award-Winning Producer, Director & Cinematographer. I checked in with him again in December to get an update on how the first few months had gone. Interview: Alfredo “Alfie” Alcantara, dear native grapes Winery & Vineyard. As his operation enters its second year of welcoming guests to the Western Catskill location, I was curious to hear what he has planned for the upcoming season and beyond.
The following is my third interview with Alfredo “Alfie” Alcántara published verbatim and unedited for length.
Rich wpawinepirate:
Hello Alfie. I’m happy to hear that dear native grapes is an overwhelming success, not only for you but also for the community. Please tell us what has been happening since we last talked in December and what new and exciting plans you have for the upcoming season.
Alfie Alcántara:
“Rich, it’s great to chat with you again as this brutal winter finally seems to be subsiding (albeit a little too slowly!). It’s currently snowing in the Catskills, and I’m debating whether or not to brave the cold for a few hours to catch up on our pruning.
When we last spoke, we discussed the experience of opening our tasting room to the public. We’ve had such a heartwarming response from the community; even in frigid temperatures, people come out to enjoy the wine, the snowy mountain views, and the general coziness of the season. Of course, winter has posed its own challenges. I’ve spent countless hours on the tractor plowing snow so folks can access the parking lot, and the natural ebb and flow of visitors has taught us valuable lessons in cash flow and managing a business during the slower months.
On the production side, we’ve been hard at work. We have some exciting new wines in the bottle, including a sparkling Delaware made from organic grapes and carbonated with local honey; a Lambrusco-style dry red made from Vincent, an incredibly inky and fruit-forward Canadian grape; and a Catawba Rosé that tastes like refreshing pink lemonade.
I can also give you a preview of a special collaboration we’re doing with Strickland Hollow, a local distillery in Delhi, NY. We are producing a vintage port-style wine using native varieties. Jerry Pellegrino, the distillery’s co-owner, distilled three barrels of Concord wine from our cellar into a base spirit. We then added that spirit to the freshly fermenting Vincent must just as it reached 10 Brix. We’ve been tasting it over the past few months, and it is delicious and warming. We plan to age it for another year and release it next fall.
As I look out the window, I still see snowflakes in the wind, but signs of spring are appearing. Our hills, dotted with maple trees, are beginning to turn red as the buds swell. The grapevines, however, are still dormant—which is lucky for us, as we’re always playing catch-up with vineyard management. The altitude here slows the warming of the soil, so April essentially acts as an extension of March for dormant pruning. Since it’s just Deanna and me, it takes about a month to finish the vineyard, but it’s truly one of my favorite times to be outside. We get to see the results of last year’s pruning decisions—our successes as well as our mistakes. It’s a quiet time, save for the robins singing as they hunt for worms in the thawing soil.
This year, we look forward to planting several heritage varieties from our nursery. These cuttings came from our friend and mentor, Steve Casscles, who maintains a repository of heritage varieties at his vineyard in Athens, NY. Over the last few years, we’ve been slowly propagating his cuttings, and this season we’ll be planting Cottage, Leon Millot, Bacchus, Palmer, and Empire State. We are particularly excited about Cottage; it’s a sister to the Concord but is much more balanced in flavor and aroma. We sampled some of Steve’s Cottage wine, and it was lovely, with distinct cherry notes, nice minerality, and the same extreme resilience as its sister variety.
To make room for the Cottage, we’ll actually be removing our Itasca vines. This was a tough decision—the first time we’ve had to pull vines—but after six years of observation, we decided they weren’t suited for our regenerative management practices. We use Neem oil and plant-based ferments from the farm, only turning to Cueva (a light copper fungicide) during extremely wet periods. The Itasca vines have struggled with fungal issues like Phomopsis and black rot. Meanwhile, in the very next row, our Petite Pearl is showing incredible disease resistance. This is the heart of our experiment: as farmers, we have to select what actually thrives on our specific site.
We are so looking forward to warmer days when the tasting room and outdoor picnic areas come fully alive again. We have a great lineup of events in the works, including workshops on plant medicine, foraging, and watercolor landscapes, as well as birding walks and a rotating cast of food vendors. This is our sixth year farming in the Catskills; more and more, we feel woven into this community and in tune with the rhythms of Mother Nature. She always makes it an exciting ride!
Please check out the Dear Native Grapes website for upcoming events and wine releases. We’ve got several events lined up for the summer, including an Appalachian musical performance and a special tasting and talk by the heritage grape maestro himself, Steve Casscles.”
We’d love to host you and your readers soon!
Photo Credit: Heaven McArthur
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