Winery Proposed for New Castle Property

A winery is being proposed for a nearly 28-acre New Castle site, which the town board will discuss at a work session on Tuesday.

In an email included in the board's meeting packet, Steve Sabba outlines a proposal for the winery, which would be located at 35 Quaker Ridge Road, a property in the West End of town. The property is around the town's western triangular tip and near the borders with Cortlandt and Ossining, according to county mapping records.

Sabba wrote that a friend and South Salem resident named "John" approached him about the idea. The winery would not be open to the public and Sabba ruled out a restaurant or wine bar from consideration.

The proposal calls for growing hundreds of vines and growing grapes of the wine, which would then be crushed and bottled. The intent is to sell the finished product at grocery stores, such as DeCicco's, and to restaurants. Sabba notes that there are already wineries in New York State, such as in the Finger Lakes region, and feels that the site is good for wine making.

"The soil already has been tested and the climate, coupled with the high elevation, make this project extremely feasible."

Sabba also raises interest in vegetable cultivation for another portion of the property, which he described as being abandoned and wrote is in "total disarray." Examples of the status quo, according to Sabba, include overgrown grass and fallen trees. 

"This project would allow John and I to begin the process that would ultimately beautify the property and turn it into an absolute jewel of New Castle."

A zoning map lists the property as being in the R-2A zone, or 2-acre residential usage. 

A special permit may be sought for the winery, and Sabba explained that one can be obtained based on what he learned from Building Inspector Bill Maskiell. Sabba believes that the site is large enough to qualify.

The board's work session starts at 7:15 p.m. at New Castle Town Hall in Chappaqua.