Windsor farmer loses access road to winery

[Sara S]

BY CLARK MASON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
August 5, 2015, 6:05PM

Standoff with winery forces Windsor egg seller, Wise Acre Farms, to close farm stand

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In a sort In a sort of grapes versus eggs story,grapes versus eggs story, a small-time Windsor farmer this week decided to shut down his drive-up business rather than fight a neighboring winery’s insistence that he no longer use a small stretch of their access road.

After almost four years of selling fresh eggs from a stand just off Arata Lane, Wise Acre Farms closed down its direct-to-consumer operation, rather than get into a court battle with Windsor Oaks Vineyards & Winery, which owns the road to the farm.

“I kind of have no choice,” said Wise Acre owner Bryan Boyd, explaining that the winery denied him the use of their road and he would need to build a new driveway to Arata Lane — estimated to cost $7,000 to $10,000 — if he wants to stay in business there.

His predicament provoked some backlash against the winery on social media as well as some loyal customers who arrived at the farmstand only to find it closed.

“Oh my God, I’m so upset. Where will we be able to buy our eggs?” said Carrie Marvin, as she drove up to the closed farmstand on Monday.

Considering the small number of vehicles that pull up to the stand — Boyd estimates about eight per day— she expressed dismay that the winery couldn’t accommodate the egg-laying operation.

“That’s a pretty un-neighborly, un-Windsor type of thing,” she said. “I’m so sad. This is an agricultural area.”
On Wise Acre’s Facebook page, some of the egg-buying public suggested picketing the winery or boycotting its wines.

Road restrictions

But winery officials lay the blame at the feet of Boyd’s landlords, who agreed a decade ago to restrict their use of the winery road to residential access. The winery says that precludes an egg-selling business.
Douglas Lumgair, general manager of Windsor Oaks, said the winery has been put in a difficult situation, but the easement they worked out about 10 years ago with Boyd’s landlords, Bob and Edna Honsa, clearly stated they could only use the winery’s driveway for residential use, to access the two houses on the Honsas’ property.

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