Billsboro Winery Wins Best Dessert Wine at NY Classic

By Blake Jackson

Kim and Vinny Aliperti, the couple behind Billsboro Winery, are celebrating a major achievement with their 2023 Après Late Harvest.

The wine recently earned the title of Best Dessert Wine at The New York Wine Classic, validating Vinny’s distinctive approach to crafting sweet wines.

“Vinny’s palate runs dry, so his late harvest dessert wine is actually incredibly balanced, age-worthy, and refreshing, which isn’t typical of a dessert wine,” said Kim. “The Vignoles grape is naturally high in acidity, providing 9% of residual sugar with enough mouthwatering backbone. We expect the 2023 Après Late Harvest to age beautifully, delivering dried tropical fruits wrapped in a honeyed, nutty finish.”

The wine was made from Vignoles grown at Hunt Country Vineyards on Keuka Lake, which Kim noted as one of the “original pioneers of sustainability.” Sustainability has long been a central value for the Alipertis, who met while working with the Peace Corps in Tunisia before marrying and honeymooning in California wine country.

Vinny’s winemaking career began humbly, first as an apprentice at Wölffer Estate Vineyard and later at Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard & Winery in the Finger Lakes.

After gaining experience, Vinny took on the role of winemaker at Atwater Vineyards. In 2007, the couple seized the chance to purchase Billsboro Winery, gradually building it into a 4,000-case operation.

For years, Vinny balanced winemaking at both Atwater and Billsboro before fully committing to their winery in 2022. Today, they source grapes from trusted, sustainably certified growers, producing mostly dry wines. Still, the Après Late Harvest holds a special place for Kim.

“It’s such a special dessert wine,” she says. “We just recently had it at a pairing dinner with curried fish, which definitely isn’t what most people would think to pair with a dessert wine, and it worked beautifully. I also loved it at this time of the year with fresh apricots, and always with cheese. I particularly love it with the Cayuga Blue Cheese from Lively Run.”

Only 158 cases of the 2023 vintage were made, though production has nearly doubled for 2024.

The New York Wine Classic, hosted annually by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, recognizes the state’s best wines across multiple categories, including the top dessert wine honor awarded to Billsboro.

Photo Credit: pixabay-vinotecarium