Johnson Estate bottle label for Pink Delaware, 1977

Item

Title
Johnson Estate bottle label for Pink Delaware, 1977
Identifier
4004.115a
Description
Bottle label from Pink Delaware Wine of 1977, Johnson Estate Winery label.

Label is rectangular with rounded edges and a gold tone border. Label is printed in black, red, and gold. Text centered near top "Johnson ESTATE New York State, Pink Delaware Wine, Alcohol 12% by volume." Below that is a printed red and black line drawing of a farm with several buildings in the background with rows of vines angled toward the back of the image. Below is text "Grown, Produced, and Bottled by, Frederick S. Johnson Vineyards, Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York."

Frederick Johnson (1877-1960). He immigrated to Canada in the late 1800s and later to NYS to study entomology at Cornell. In 1908, Johnson purchased a farm near Freelings Creek in Westfield, NY, planting fruit orchards and Concord vineyards, naming the farm Sunnyslope Fruit Farm. Johnson worked as an entomologist with the Department of Agriculture in both Washington, D.C. and in North East, PA. In 1920, he built an apple cold storage facility using timber from an 1860's dairy barn found on the farm. According to family lore, Johnson started making wine in the basement of the farmhouse during Prohibition.

The founder's son Frederick Spencer Johnson grew up on the family farm and following service in WWII, graduated from Cornell University in 1946. He worked in agriculture overseas until 1960 when he returned to the farm after his father died. He removed the aging fruit orchards and claims to have been first farmer in Western New York to plant French-hybrid wine grapes in a region completely dominated by Concord and Labruscan juice grapes. His favorite French hybrid grape was Chancellor. Frederick Spencer officially opened the winery in 1961, receiving New York Farm Winery license No. 2.

As of 2023, this winery is still in operation.
Corresponds with 4004.115b
Abstract
Johnson Estate bottle label for Pink Delaware, 1977
Date
1977
Subject
Johnson Estate Winery
Johnson, Frederick S.
Johnson, Frederick
Westfield, NY
Format
TIF
Creator
John T. Slater
Access Rights
Open Access