John and Ann Martini moved to Anthony Road in 1973 at the urging of a friend that touted the joys of grape growing in the Finger Lakes. They loaded up 2 young children and left their home in Baltimore, where John worked for WR Grace to set up their farming life on the west side of Seneca Lake. Surprisingly neither Ann nor John had an agricultural background, unless you count John’s youthful summers at his grandparent’s farm in Melvin, Illinois. But together and with the help of family and friends they planted their first 5-acres, Foch, in the summer of 1973. The vineyard grew, to 30-acres, as did the Martini family, to 4 children, but it was quickly realized that an outside job was needed to support their endeavors. John joined the staff at the Cornell’s Experiment Station in Geneva and Ann took over the day to day operations and maintenance of both the household and the vineyard.
