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- Lauren Droege and David Keck of Stella14 Wines with their dogs, Leaf and Pesto
It's a busy time of year in the vineyard for Vermont's winemakers, and David Keck and Lauren Droege are about to be even busier. The couple will open a tasting room for their Stella14 Wines in Jeffersonville on Friday, July 8.
The 105 Main Street address was previously home to Red Leaf Gluten Free Brewing, which moved to a larger taproom at 208 Main Street in May.
"It's a small space inside — 400 square feet — but it has a whole back patio area and a nice lawn," Keck said. "It will be a good place to hang out, drink some wine and enjoy Vermont summer."
Keck and Droege returned to Vermont from Houston in 2020 and began leasing frontenac noir, frontenac blanc and marquette vines from Boyden Valley Winery & Spirits, which they have converted to organic farming practices.
The tasting room will feature flights of the full Stella14 lineup, including its "intense and mischievous" Wild Child sparkling rosé; semi-carbonic, slightly effervescent Uncle Mark'ette; and Birches pét-nat.
The winery's new limited releases, Nostos and Initium Novum, will also be available, along with beer from Winooski's Four Quarters Brewing and grab-and-go picnic snacks.
Eventually, Keck hopes to offer flights pairing Stella14 with wines made by other local producers such as La Garagista Farm + Winery, Ellison Estate Vineyard and Iapetus.
"We'll do some comparison tastings and a little bit of a showcase of Vermont," Keck said.
The tasting room's opening weekend — Friday, July 8, and Saturday, July 9, from 2 to 7 p.m. — will be "really gentle," Keck said, and may be outside-only if construction is still ongoing in the space. When it's ready, the Vermont farmhouse-style interior will feature a copper counter and wood furniture befitting the early 19th-century building.