Brightly’s Farm Market opened their brand new wine tasting room in June 2018 and sold more than 80 cases of Hunt Country wine in their first month of operation. The new tasting room is located at their Farm Market and Bakery located at 525 Drake Road in Hamlin.
The business started when Betsy Brightly began selling produce, grown by her husband Dean, from a wagon on Drake Road. The business has expanded into Brightly’s Farm Market and Bakery which they opened three years ago. In the three years since opening, their 40×40 building has grown into nearly 5,000 square feet offering fresh, locally grown produce, flowers, home items, gifts, and hand crafted and Amish furniture. In addition to their shop, they also serve lunch daily as well as home made desserts and ice cream.
Earlier this year the Brightly’s looked into the idea of providing wine tastings to their customers. They began talking with wineries to learn more about opening a tasting room. They partnered with Hunt Country Vineyards from Keuka Lake, choosing Hunt Country Vineyards due to their rich multi-generational grape farming and vineyard expertise. The Hunt Family settled on Keuka Lake in the early 1800s, and began farming grapes in the 1830s. They currently bottle and sell more than two dozen varieties of Finger Lakes wines.
Brightly’s Farm Market offers most of the Hunt Country wines for both tasting and for purchase in their tasting room. “People are happy not to have to drive to the Finger Lakes to get their wine,” Betsy Brightly said.
Earlier this summer, Brightly’s Farm Market opened a second location at Hamlin Beach State Park. This store is located in the camping area and provides a sampling of Brightly’s produce, gift lines and food items. They hope to also offer the wine tasting at the Hamlin Beach store in the future. For more information on Brightly’s Farm Market and Bakery visit www.brightlyfarms.com.
Photos by Julia Mungenast
