After acquiring a winery or vineyard, when is the right time to change the name?
After they bought what is now Rose Hill Vineyards in Mattituck, New York from Barbara Shinn and David Page in 2017, Barbara and Randy Frankel took their time before making significant changes to the labeling, the product and the name.
“We were very strategic about making changes from the beginning,” said Chelsea Frankel, who runs the vineyard. “When we first purchased the vineyard, we didn’t make any changes for the first season — we wanted to talk to customers and hear what they liked about Shinn and what they wanted to see more of.
“By doing that, we were able to build off the positives that David and Barbara and further create a quaint, elevated experience that focuses on clean, sustainable winemaking.”
On the fourth anniversary of purchasing Rose Hill, the timing seemed right to complete the transition of making it their own. Running low on Shinn’s labels helped influence their decision to change the name as they were bottling their 2019 reds and 2020 whites and rosés.
“We had such a crazy season last year that we actually are down to about three wines out of our 15. It felt like the right time to phase Shinn out since we were printing all new labels,” Frankel said.
The new name pays homage to where the family first planted their roots in New York, and where they ultimately fell in love with the East End. The first wine they bottled after buying the winery was a Rosé, and they named that wine after Rose Hill, their family home.
And continuing in the tradition of the erstwhile Shinn Estate Vineyards, the family retained Shinn winemaker Patrick Caserta, who has been there since 2011.
“Patrick was one of the reasons we were drawn to Shinn,” Frankel said. “His winemaking is top notch and we’re incredibly lucky to have him.”
Since buying the winery and Bed and Breakfast, the family has worked to ensconce itself in the North Fork community.
“We purchased an additional 100 acres, which we plan to keep agricultural and plant more vines,” Frankel said. “We’re very much invested in the North Fork. We do our best to support local however we can.”
Photos courtesy of Rose Hill Vineyards
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