About Our Name

Winderlea – pronounced Win-dur-lee is a made up word with a little bit of history. Winderlea is the name of a Vermont property we purchased in 2001. The property was named by the prior owners – the Gerard Family – who owned, loved and nurtured the land and the house for over 60 years. As Jim Gerard, the son from whom we purchased the property tells us - his parents were doctors and studied, lectured and lived in Germany for brief periods. Jim believes Winderlea comes from the German and has a loose translation of “valley protected from the wind” as the word “lee” has the nautical meaning of “side sheltered from the wind.” Winderlea served as a perfect shelter for the Gerard family during their lives– and has come to have the same meaning for Bill and me. As we searched for a name for our winery – we kept coming back to the word Winderlea. We believe it sounds like a word that describes the feminine, sensuous and elegant wines we are making. We also love Winderlea the place – and feel happy that by naming our winery Winderlea – we are always keeping this special place close to us.