The Beardslee Homestead is home to the Masseria Distillery and Winery, one of the most unique Tasting Rooms in Upstate New York. Experience authentic farm-to-bottle-to-glass Italian-inspired Made-in-America liqueurs distilled and mixed right in our Hop House distillery and winery. Sip our farm-made liqueurs and other New York label wines, ciders, beers, and whiskeys, all the while enjoying brick-oven pizza, antipasto, a stroll in the hop field or vineyard, and maybe even a game of Bocce. Enjoy the unique history of our farm and Upstate New York, too, as you enter and explore the only fully functional pyramidal Hop House still standing in New York State, built in 1865 and now serving as our Masseria Distillery & Winery, and unique Tasting Room. Stop at Masseria as part of your New York State Wine Trails.
The Italian word Masseria means homestead. In southern Italy, especially Sicily and Puglia, Masseria evokes images of centuries old buildings restored with modern, even luxury features that now serve as agritourism farm resorts. What better name for The Beardslee Homestead's Distillery and Winery than Masseria!
Masseria Distillery and Winery is licensed to produce wines, spirits, and Italian-inspired liqueurs like basil, sage, hops bergamot, horseradish, hot pepper, lavender, Nocino, Absinthe, maple syrup, and many other aromatic spirits all made with our own farm-grown herbs. We try to make everything in a sustainable way: all our ingredients are grown on the farm without any treatment; the water used is well water filtered with a military-grade water purifier; and our electricity needs are provided by solar panels.
The Masseria Tasting Room is housed in the Great Pyramid of the Hop House with a 30-foot Cathedral-vaulted ceiling, making it one of the most unique tasting rooms and spaces in New York State, with majestic views of the beautiful Unadilla Valley hills, distinctly Central New York but reminiscent of Italy. A second Tasting Room is located in our Wedding Hall for larger groups.
Lovers of Italian liqueurs, spritzes, and wines can come and taste New York's finest and freshest alcoholic beverages as well as hops tea and other herbal teas made at the farm, along with Italian espresso and cappuccino. While you are experiencing these unique beverages, you can enjoy some home-made soft pretzels and focaccia from our brick oven, along with some local cheeses and charcuterie meats from other local farms, who have become our friends from the Hamilton Farmers Market.
After your tasting, explore the property. Play a game of Bocce, read a book in our historic Library, or take a stroll along the peaceful and paradise-like Unadilla River or in our vineyard. Or, for an extra fee, you can retreat to our wood-fired Finnish sauna at 160 degrees! If you stay through the evening, visit our Observatory for Astronomy and watch the stars!
For more information on The Beardslee Hop House, home of Masseria Distillery, please see the History section of this website.
In August, we had the most wonderful visit with Andrew Dominick, food journalist, photographer, and martial artist. Andrew is the co-editor of CTBites and writes about food and drinks for Westchester Magazine. Not only is he an excellent writer and journalist, but he is also one of the nicest and greatest people you could ever meet.
Above is his Instagram Post about Beardslee.
Here is a link to Andrew's articles in Westchester Magazine.
Here is a link to CTBites.
