Meet the Maker: Oskar Bynke, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards

A Finger Lakes icon.

This one's personal.

Dan chats with Oskar Bynke, owner of Hermann J. Wiemer, outside the winery, standing on the exact spot where he proposed to his wife... AND where, many moons earlier, Oskar gave him his first paid gig in wine as a brand ambassador for the winery.

So less an interview, more two old friends catching up.

Hermann J. Wiemer planted the estate's first vinifera vines back in the 1970s, at a time when plenty of people questioned whether European grape varieties could survive Finger Lakes winters. Those early plantings laid the foundations for what would become one of the region's most important wineries.

Decades later, under Oskar and Fred Merwarth, Wiemer is still writing new chapters. They're certified biodynamic, with a flock of sheep and a gaggle of geese helping out with pest control the old-fashioned way. They also run a nursery, propagating and supplying vines to other growers across the region.

And they're not done. Oskar gets into what's next for Wiemer, from new grape varieties in the ground to where the estate goes from here. Watch the full conversation above, then get to know the wines that started it all.

GET THE WINES:

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards, Field Blend - NV (Lot #7)

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards, Flower Day Biodynamic Riesling - 2019

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards, HJW BIO Riesling - 2021

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards, HJW BIO Riesling - 2017

Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards, Cabernet Franc - 2020