Hometown Wine Company

About Hometown Wine Company

Hometown Wine Company is a boutique winery and tasting room in the village of Naples, at the southern tip of Canandaigua Lake. It is owned and operated by Brian and Sara Hulbert, who met while working at a winery in Southern California — Brian as winemaker, Sara as tasting room manager — and later left to consult for wineries across the United States before settling in Naples. The tasting room opened in the fall of 2025 inside the Carriage House, the barn built for the Ephraim Cleveland House, the first home in Naples, erected in 1794. The Hulberts purchased the building from the local Historical Society in October 2024 and restored it; over the decades it has served as a barn, a blacksmith and metal works, a furniture store, a bakery, and most recently a quilt shop.

Brian grew up in Manchester, New York, learning to make wine in his father's basement, and holds degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology and UC Davis. He has more than 30 years in the industry and 25 vintages as a winemaker, with production experience in California, Oregon, and New York across brands including Kendall-Jackson, Caymus, Gallo, and Clos du Bois. Sara, a Fallbrook, California native, has more than 19 years building direct-to-consumer programs for wineries in California, Oregon, Texas, Georgia, and New York, and has completed the UC Davis Wine Executive Program and WSET Level 2.

The winery farms no estate vineyards of its own. Instead it partners with growers, family friends, and former colleagues from coast to coast, focusing on specific appellations, with limited production carried out on site at 203 N. Main Street. The wines are made in a deliberately dry, clean style — under 0.5 grams per liter of residual sugar. Visits are walk-in only and first come, first served: a $20 flight of eight one-ounce pours, by-the-glass and bottle service, and cheese, charcuterie, and small bites. The room is intimate, seats groups of up to eight, is ADA accessible, and is 21 and over.