SOUTHAMPTON — Black Birch Vineyard, which has produced and sold wine for five years, has effectively closed its doors in Southampton as its owners part ways and launch independent endeavors.
Edward Hamel, who with his wife, Mary, owns the 80-acre property on Glendale Road, said Wednesday that former business partners Ian Modestow and Michelle Kersbergen have purchased the vineyard and its assets. As a result, the original Black Birch in Southampton has ceased operation and will not reopen its doors this season. The sale was finalized in January, Hamel said.
Per the agreement, Modestow and Kersbergen will maintain the Black Birch name and assets, but will operate out of Hatfield. The new Black Birch will span 13 acres and is expected to open this summer, Kersbergen said. Those assets include, but are not limited to, rights to the business, farm and winery equipment, the name and any remaining wine, which totals about 25,000 bottles.
Hamel added that, as part of the agreement, he was not permitted to disclose the sum for which Black Birch was purchased.
“Suffice to say, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse,” Hamel said. “So we sold it to them.”
The agreement was the epilogue to a previous falling out between the Hamels and Modestow and Kersbergen. Court records show the conflict between the two parties emerged last May amid discussions in which the Hamels were aiming to buy out Modestow and Kersbergen’s membership in cash and a “portion” of the bulk wine. However, the parties were unable to reach an agreement at the time.
Then, in October, the Hamels asked a judge to dissolve the business and assign a third party to oversee “maintaining the bottled and bulk wine,” according to court records. The Hamels went to the judge, filing an application for dissolution, after they alleged Modestow and Kersbergen were not responsive to their efforts to buy their interests, according to the application.
It was this court action, Hamel said this week, that brought the owners back to the negotiating table. The owners reached a new deal in the winter and made the sale official in January.
“The past is the past,” Kersbergen said. “We just wanted to do different things. The Hamels have been very kind to us in how we dealt with it.”
Meanwhile, the Hamels will remain on the property that used to house Black Birch, but are essentially starting from scratch, Hamel said — purchasing all new farm and production equipment as well as seeking a new license from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a process Hamel said can take up to two and a half months. The name of the new vineyard has not yet been determined.
“The issue with us coming back is that we no longer have any wine,” Hamel said. “That all went with Black Birch.”
Hamel added that he expects to open the vineyard on the same property in one year’s time and is aiming to host special events and a concert series this summer, provided they’re permitted to sell wine there from other distributors.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.