It all began with Michael and Marlene’s passion to travel to various vineyards and wineries along the east coast of the United States to taste and experience the wines and local cultures of the area. But the love of the Finger Lakes region in NY was the main inspiration for opening Vineyard Hill Cellars. During one of the trips, an amusing conversation was had that they can take what they learned and should open their own winery where Mike could be the winemaker and Marlene could be the tasting room manager. This ignited their desire to learn more and eventually open their own winery.
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The concept came to fruition in the basement of their home, crafting small batches of red and white wine varietals.
Glass carboys soon turned into stainless steel tanks and oak barrels where the boutique winery was born. Mike furthered his craft under the auspices of Penn State University receiving his certification in winemaking and Marlene received an MBA from the University of Valley Forge. The Vant Hoogt family specializes in hand-crafted artisanal wines that can be enjoyed with a meal or just relaxing by the firepit.
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A “Friends and wine: The older the Better" sign has been hanging in their kitchen since before the spark ignited. They genuinely believe in that motto and invite you to join their family and friends and experience the wines for yourselves from Vineyard Hill Cellars.