Write a commentTen years ago, when Dr. Chris and Mindy Colloca planted vines on their 103-acre Colloca Estate Winery they didn’t envision an event center ballroom taking precedence over constructing the winery building of their dreams.
“Sometimes the tail wags the dog,” said Dr. Colloca in describing their property development priorities.
Since they hosted the very first wedding on their one-of-a-kind waterfront venue – the owners own – over a hundred weddings have been hosted at Colloca Estate Winery. The venue has grown with the demand and just last year completing a 3,600 square foot commercial catering kitchen. Recognizing that their elegant white tent weddings limited the available weekends for weddings to May through October, the Colloca’s decided to construct a ballroom for year-round usage.
“We have been sold-out of every available Saturday over a year in advance,” said General Manager, Monica Canale, who doubles as the estate’s event planner. One visit to the property and its million-dollar views helps you understand why.
The Colloca’s made 5 separate purchases of adjacent parcels to piece together the current estate that includes 900 feet of pristine waterfront on Little Sodus Bay, a crystal clear inlet of Lake Ontario in the quaint resort Village of Fair Haven. Three football fields of waterfront goes a long way towards convincing engaged couples that it’s the perfect place to tie the knot. Less than an hour drive north from Syracuse and an hour drive east of Rochester the winery has become one of Central New York’s premiere wedding destinations.
Construction is underway on the new Grand Ballroom, an over 7,000 square foot masterpiece of post and beam construction to match the locations existing building theme. The venue will able to comfortably seat over 400 guests for weddings, and even more with different layout styles such as classroom seating for conferences or general admission during concerts and festivals according to co-owner, Mindy Colloca.
The inspiration behind the ballroom design is an odd connection between Hellman’s Mayonnaise and grapes growing along the bay in Fair Haven.
At age fifty, mayonnaise mogul Richard Hellmann was told by his doctor that he had only six months to live and the only chance of living slightly longer would be to retire and move to the country. So, in 1928 he built a summer home and hunting retreat in the Catskill Mountains about 100 miles north of New York City where he lived to the ripe old age of 94. Today it is known as the Onteora Mountain House and is a world-class wedding and event facility.
“While my doctor never told me to move to the country and start a winery, I was feeling the need to slow things down a bit after traveling 35 weekends a year for over a decade promoting the brand and medical device I invented,” said, Dr. Chris Colloca, owner and founder of Colloca Estate Winery.
Dr. Colloca’s device is currently in use by over 15,000 chiropractors in over 50 Countries throughout the World. In their travels, the Collocas have taken advantage of visiting winery regions of the World – ranging from Argentina, South Africa, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand to name a few – each time bringing back ideas inspiring the vision for the development of their own property in Fair Haven, New York.
Admiring the mountain house ballroom, the Colloca’s saw similarities to the post and beam construction that they had already utilized throughout their own property. Construction will be completed in time for the busy 2020 wedding season.
As for the ballroom getting the nod over a new winery building, don’t feel bad for the Colloca’s. Colloca Wines have rapidly gaining an international reputation for quality and they have won over 50 awards since their first vintage in 2013. This past year, they were named New York Riesling Riesling Winery of the year.
With over 13,000 vines planted to Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir grapes on 12-acres Colloca Estate Winery’s Lake Effect Vineyard® was their very first construction project. In the year’s that followed, garage and storage facilities were built, an addition for the Colloca’s residence was added, a stone crafted Tasting Room and post and beam outdoor Pavilion and Wine Bar sprung up in addition to its new events center.
The winery will host over 30 weddings and an additional 40 or so events and festivals in 2020 alone. The will mean a lot more visitors to Fair Haven in the coming seasons. All of this has made the winery a huge economic driver for Northern Cayuga County.
“More visitors to Fair Haven equates with more tourism and more traffic for the area businesses,” adds Dr. Colloca. “Fair Haven and surrounding area gift shops, restaurants, B&B’s, and area pubs all benefit from more weddings and events at the winery. “I think people like the solitude of the property. It’s not a hotel. It’s the wide-open spaces, the seclusion – it’s a getaway from it all with waterfront views, clear water, and fresh air. That’s what I think attracts people, he said.”
There are still dates available for booking in 2020 and 2021 and more information is available on the Colloca Estate Winery website, www.colloca.com or by calling the winery at 315.947.2069.
