01/26/2025
Congratulations on 55 years Bully Hill !
Fifty five years ago Walter S. Taylor officially incorporated Bully Hill Vineyards. The original manifest read, “A Product is an Extension of a Person’s Soul”. From there the winery took a markedly different approach to the then tame winemaking in the state. Bully Hill introduced the world to estate bottled hybrid wines like Baco Noir, Seyval, Vidal, Foch, and then expanded its wine portfolio using carefully crafted hybrid blends that found mass appeal.
Walter designed, painted and illustrated all of his own labels, a choice that made the winery a notorious agitator to wine snobs. “Ugliest wine label ever”, one wine writer wrote the year “Love My Goat Red” was introduced. A sharp criticism indeed but one of many that Walter laughed off because he knew we weren’t making wine for writers and judges. From the very start this product was meant to not only be affordable and approachable but forward thinking.
It’s fifty five years later and the winery is still run by the Taylor family. Today we think about practical things, how to keep prices low while increasing quality. How to provide not only the best wine, but also best customer service, food and education to our visitors. Walter’s original vision is unique and gives us a chance to be creative and humble at the same time. Thanks to all of our fans and visitors over the years. Cheers to the next 55 years!