Frequently Asked Questions
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General
The name builds on Seb’s family heritage and tradition in winemaking, but has an adventurous edge as we’ve branched out into new regions like the Finger Lakes and are continuously experimenting with new varieties and low-input techniques. We also wanted to hint at our focus on sustainability.
The whole big official story can be found here! But once we were in the same region, it all came down to Col’s roommate suggesting we’d hit it off, a bit of Facebook stalking, a chance encounter at the grocery store, and a few well-timed industry tastings.
Simply put: One of us is from Australia, one of us is from America. After meeting, we lived in Australia for a few years, each working in different aspects of the industry and making a bit of our own wine on the side. After a few years in Australia, Col was keen to spend more time at home. We also loved the idea of making sparklings and rich, aromatic whites in a cool climate to complement the mostly red wines we make in South Australia, so the concept of making wine in both hemispheres developed.
We spend three to four months in South Australia and eight to nine months in New York each year. Most of this time is over vintage, when we also bottle our wines. It’s hectic to always be either in vintage or bottling mode in one country or the other, with additional aspects of the business crammed in the middle. While there’s no ‘down-time,’ it allows us to spend time with both of our families and to make a wide range of wines.
Our first vintages in 2016 yielded about 1,500 cases in South Australia and 1,500 in New York, whereas now we’re making closer to 5,000 cases in each country.
Sediment is completely natural, safe, and does not affect the quality of the wine. Sediment is usually either lees [spent yeast] or tartrates [wine crystals], and because most of our wines are not filtered [and none are fined], some can remain and settle in the bottle over time.
Contact Info
Have a question that isn't
answered here?
Email us:
info@livingrootswine.com
Call us:
585.383.1112
FINGER LAKES
Shale Creek is Colleen’s family’s vineyard overlooking Keuka Lake, where we source many of our grapes and have set up our Living Roots winery and tasting room in the Finger Lakes.
No reservation needed! We welcome guests on a first-come, first-served basis at our tasting bar and lounge. If there’s a short wait, we invite you to take in the space—don’t worry, we’ll make sure you have something to sip on while you do!
Follow the signs pointing to our gravel parking lot, and please use caution as it can get a bit slippery.
We offer beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks from many of our favorite local businesses. Outside food and decorations are not permitted – simply come and enjoy.
We want to keep things easy and stress-free for you! A lot of thought goes into our flights each time we release a new menu, and we aim to curate something for every palate. Our flights also encourage guests to try something new or taste a style they may not be ready to order by the glass, and allow us to provide a higher quality of service than we could with custom flights. If none of the flights appeal to you, you can order most of our wines by the half-glass, glass, or bottle.
Well-behaved dogs [on a leash] are welcome on our patio. Because we serve food and drinks, dogs are not allowed inside the tasting room unless they are certified service animals covered by the ADA.
We don’t accept groups in buses or limos at any of our locations. We’re happy to give recommendations for other wineries that do, though!
finger lakes
tasting room
tasting room
8560 County Road 87
hammondsport, New York 14840
haudenosaunee land
585.383.1112 [Option 2]
thursday - monday, 11a - 6p.
closed tuesday + wednesday.
last call — 30 mins before close
Walk-ins only
ROCHESTER
Seb was always drawn to the idea of an urban winery, bringing the winemaking process and wine education opportunities to more people in a fun and sociable environment. We were also keen to bring more local [and Aussie!] wines to Rochester.
It was originally built in 1909 and was home to several manufacturing companies like G.W. Todd Company [protectographs aka patented check protecting machines], Wilmot Castle Company [medical sterilizing equipment] and Mandeville & King [plant and seed distributors]. More recently, there has been a jeweler, a cosmetics company and a printer in what is now our winery and tasting room.
We reserve some space for walk-ins in the Tasting Room and our bar and patio seating are first come first served. If you want a guaranteed seat, we strongly recommend making a reservation. Make one here!
Parking can be a little tricky, but we have several options close to our building on University Ave. There are spots out front of the building, in the parking lot as well as street parking. There is also parking behind the building on both sides of Sager Drive, and street parking nearby on both sides of East Blvd.
We have a thorough, curated menu and so outside food / drinks are not permitted. We offer beer, non-alcoholic beverages and both sweet and savory fare [gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options available] from many of our favorite local businesses. Outside decorations are not permitted. Simply come and enjoy!
We want to keep things easy and stress-free for you! A lot of thought goes into our flights each time we release a new menu, and we aim to curate something for every palate. Our flights also encourage guests to try something new or taste a style they may not be ready to order by the glass, and allow us to provide a higher quality of service than we could with custom flights. If none of the flights appeal to you, you can order most of our wines by the half-glass, glass, or bottle.
Well-behaved dogs [on a leash] are welcome on our patio. Because we serve food and drinks, dogs are not allowed inside the tasting room unless they are certified service animals covered by the ADA.
We’ve phased out custom private events in favor of wine-focused tastings and classes. We offer private tastings and large group reservations in the Vault for groups of 8 – 24, which is a great way to celebrate any occasion! These and our wine classes can be booked here.
We love to showcase our winemaking process, but due to it being a work zone, we are not currently giving tours of the winery.
You’re welcome to book a photoshoot in our tasting room, but it must be outside of our normal hours so as not to disrupt other guests [and so you can have the space to yourself]. Please contact us at roc@livingrootswine.com.
We don’t accept groups in buses or limos at any of our locations. We’re happy to give recommendations for other wineries that do, though!
Rochester tasting room
1255 University Avenue
rochester, New York 14607
haudenosaunee land
585.383.1112 [Option 1]
Tuesday - Friday, 4 - 10p.
Saturday, 12 - 10p. Sunday 12 - 6p.
last call — 30 mins before close
ADELAIDE HILLS
K1 is Sebastian’s family’s vineyard in the Kuitpo subregion of the Adelaide Hills where we source many of our grapes and have set up our little Living Roots winery and cellar door in Australia.
Our Adelaide team is very small [1 person!] and so reservations are required to visit our cellar door. Groups up to 8 can book a tasting here. Please reach out to us at adl@livingrootswine.com if you’re looking for a date that is not currently available on Tock.
Follow the Living Roots signs to diagonal parking just below our cellar door.
Outside food and decorations are not permitted – simply come and enjoy.
We want to keep things easy and stress-free for you! Our team will thoughtfully select wines for your tasting, aiming to curate something for every palate. If there’s anything in particular you’re hoping to try, or styles you do or don’t drink, just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
We unfortunately can’t accommodate dogs in our cellar door unless they are certified service animals.
We don’t accept groups in buses or limos at any of our locations. We’re happy to give recommendations for other wineries that do, though!
Adelaide hills
cellar door
cellar door
159 Tynan RoaD
Kuitpo, south australia 5201
Kaurna land
0466.469.676
Tastings by appointment
Wine Club
When on our website click on “Log In” in the upper right hand corner. From there, you can log in or reset your password with the email linked to your account.
It’s easy to update your information via our website once you log into your account. Click “Account Details” to see your account details and click on “Club Membership” to see your membership details. If you’re still having issues, feel free to give us a call at 585-383-1112 [option 3], or shoot us an email at club@livingrootswine.com! Please do not share sensitive information via email or voicemail.
Curated 4 Club releases are in March, July, and November.
Custom 12 Club releases are in January, May, and September.
We’ll shoot you an email three weeks, two weeks, and two days prior to your card being charged. In those emails, we will notify you of the exact date that your card will be charged [typically the third Monday of the month].
Yes, our members get a set number of free tastings per year! With each release, you’ll receive vouchers for free tastings inside your Member Booklet [two per release for Curated 4 members and four per release for Custom 12 members]. Additionally, we’ll have a tasting of the wines featured in each release available for members while picking up their club pack, as long as supplies last.
Almost everything you purchase from us [including shipping] except for some events: club-exclusive events are priced with discounts built in already and cannot be discounted further. Events run by a third-party company, including those hosted at Living Roots, will not be discounted.
Seb & Col thoughtfully pick each of the four wines featured in the Curated 4-Pack and these wines cannot be substituted out. You can however add more bottles of wine to your club release. See “How do I add more bottles of wine to my Curated 4-Pack?” in the FAQs.
There are two ways to do this.
1) When you receive your automated two-week & two-day reminder emails, click “Edit Shipment” to bring you to your active, upcoming release. Click “Edit Wines”, select any additional bottles of wine you’d like to add and then click “Save Selections” in the upper right hand corner.
2) Log in to your account, click on “Club Membership” and you should see your active release. Click “Edit Wines”, select any additional bottles of wine you’d like to add and then click “Save Selections” in the upper right hand corner.
There are two ways to do this.
1) When you receive your automated two-week & two-day reminder emails, click “Edit Shipment” to bring you to your active, upcoming release. Click “Edit Wines”, you will see the default wines we selected but you may customize your pack with any wine you’d like to add, then click “Save Selections” in the upper right hand corner.
2) Log in to your account, click on “Club Membership” and you should see your active release. Click “Edit Wines”, you will see the default wines we selected but you may customize your pack with any wine you’d like to add, then click “Save Selections” in the upper right hand corner.
Just note that your club release must have a minimum of 12 bottles at all times so make sure to add the additional bottles you’d like to purchase before removing the ones you wanted to swap out.
Yes! For the Curated 4 club, you have to keep the four curated wines, but you may add as many additional bottles as you’d like. For the Custom 12 club, you need to have a minimum of 12 bottles selected for your release, but you can also add as many additional bottles as you’d like. For shipping members, you will only be charged the one shipping rate based on the amount of bottles being purchased in total. See “What are your shipping rates?” in FAQs for more information.
Absolutely! Just shoot us an email at club@livingrootswine.com or give us a call at 585-383-1112 [option 3] with the name of the person who will be picking up on your behalf.
Yes, just reach out to club@livingrootswine.com or call 585-383-1112 [option3] for assistance
Commitment: We’re glad to have you in our club! By joining and receiving membership perks, you are committing to receive at least three club releases.
Cancellation: There is no fee to cancel after three club releases. If you need to cancel before your third release, a $50 early cancellation fee may apply.
Skip: We know that life can throw an occasional curveball, which is why we offer the flexibility to skip one club release per membership.
Early Pick Up/Ship: While our club releases are scheduled on specific dates to maximize your membership experience, we’ll do our best to accommodate early pick up or shipping requests if we can.
Pick Up Window: Members have 90 days from the date of a club release to pick up their pack. Any remaining after the 90 days will be shipped to the address on file and the card on file will be charged applicable shipping costs.
Email club@livingrootswine.com or call 585-383-1112 [option 3] for any assistance or questions.
We’d be sorry to see you go! Just reach out to club@livingrootswine.com and we will take care.
Club Contact Info
Have a question about your
membership that isn't answered here?
Email us:
club@livingrootswine.com
Call us:
585.383.1112
option 3
Shipping
We currently ship to: AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, and WY. We’re actively working on VA — and hope to be able to ship to that state in 2026 sometime.
It depends on where you are located and how many bottles of wine you’re purchasing! See the map below for our current rates.
UPS is our main carrier for shipping orders.
At the moment, we only offer UPS Ground shipping. Thankfully, and we’re quoting the UPS website here, “90% of UPS Ground packages are delivered in three days or less.” If you are interested in exploring further expedited options, please reach out to info@livingrootswine.com or call 585-383-1112 [option 3] and we’ll see what we can do!
Yes, all of our shipping orders get fulfilled from our operations in Rochester, New York.
This could vary depending on the time of year, inclement weather, holidays, etc. but generally speaking our goal is to get your order to you within 5 business days, if not a little faster. There is some internal processing time from us as well as time for UPS Ground to pick it up and deliver it to you. After UPS Ground picks up the package, you will receive tracking information via email. See the below chart for estimated delivery times. Club release shipments will vary from this schedule as noted.
Order Placed: | Order Processed: | UPS Pick Up: | UPS Delivery ETA: |
Monday | Tuesday | Tuesday/Wednesday | Wednesday-Monday |
Tuesday | Wednesday | Wednesday/Thursday | Thursday-Tuesday |
Wednesday | Thursday | Thursday/Friday | Friday-Wednesday |
Thursday | Friday | Friday/Monday | Saturday-Thursday |
Friday | Monday | Monday/Tuesday | Tuesday-Friday |
Saturday | Monday | Monday/Tuesday | Tuesday-Friday |
Sunday | Monday | Monday/Tuesday | Tuesday-Friday |
We put a lot of love and care into making our wines so we do try to keep an eye on the weather and, if necessary for product quality, will hold deliveries if temperatures are too cold or too hot. We will communicate with you if this is the case.
Please reach out to Living Roots by emailing info@livingrootswine.com or calling 585-383-1112 [option 3]. Depending on if your order has been picked up by UPS yet or not, either Living Roots will directly assist you or we will put you in contact with Vinoshipper’s support team. In either instance, we’ll make sure your issue gets resolved!
Club Contact Info
Have a question about your
membership that isn't answered here?
Email us:
club@livingrootswine.com
Call us:
585.383.1112
option 3
General
The name builds on Seb’s family heritage and tradition in winemaking, but has an adventurous edge as we’ve branched out into new regions like the Finger Lakes and are continuously experimenting with new varieties and low-input techniques. We also wanted to hint at our focus on sustainability.
The whole big official story can be found here! But once we were in the same region, it all came down to Col’s roommate suggesting we’d hit it off, a bit of Facebook stalking, a chance encounter at the grocery store, and a few well-timed industry tastings.
Simply put: One of us is from Australia, one of us is from America. After meeting, we lived in Australia for a few years, each working in different aspects of the industry and making a bit of our own wine on the side. After a few years in Australia, Col was keen to spend more time at home. We also loved the idea of making sparklings and rich, aromatic whites in a cool climate to complement the mostly red wines we make in South Australia, so the concept of making wine in both hemispheres developed.
We spend three to four months in South Australia and eight to nine months in New York each year. Most of this time is over vintage, when we also bottle our wines. It’s hectic to always be either in vintage or bottling mode in one country or the other, with additional aspects of the business crammed in the middle. While there’s no ‘down-time,’ it allows us to spend time with both of our families and to make a wide range of wines.
Our first vintages in 2016 yielded about 1,500 cases in South Australia and 1,500 in New York, whereas now we’re making closer to 5,000 cases in each country.
ROCHESTER
Seb was always drawn to the idea of an urban winery, bringing the winemaking process and wine education opportunities to more people in a fun and sociable environment. We were also keen to bring more local [and Aussie!] wines to Rochester.
It was originally built in 1909 and was home to several manufacturing companies like G.W. Todd Company [protectographs aka patented check protecting machines], Wilmot Castle Company [medical sterilizing equipment] and Mandeville & King [plant and seed distributors]. More recently, there has been a jeweler, a cosmetics company and a printer in what is now our winery and tasting room.
We strongly recommend making a reservation for our tasting room. While we have space for walk-ins at the bar and on our patio, we can’t guarantee a table without a reservation. Make one here!
Parking can be a little tricky, but we have several options close to our building on University Ave. There are spots out front of the building, in the parking lot as well as street parking. There is also parking behind the building on both sides of Sager Drive, and street parking nearby on both sides of East Blvd.
We have a thorough, curated menu and so outside food / drinks are not permitted. We offer beer, non-alcoholic beverages and both sweet and savory fare [gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options available] from many of our favorite local businesses. Outside decorations are not permitted. Simply come and enjoy!
We want to keep things easy and stress-free for you! A lot of thought goes into our flights each time we release a new menu, and we aim to curate something for every palate. Our flights also encourage guests to try something new or taste a style they may not be ready to order by the glass, and allow us to provide a higher quality of service than we could with custom flights. If none of the flights appeal to you, you can order most of our wines by the half-glass, glass, or bottle.
Well-behaved dogs [on a leash] are welcome on our patio. Because we serve food and drinks, dogs are not allowed inside the tasting room unless they are certified service animals covered by the ADA.
We’ve phased out custom private events in favor of wine-focused tastings and classes. We offer private tastings in the Vault for groups of 6 – 24, which is a great way to celebrate any occasion! These and our wine classes can be booked here.
We love to showcase our winemaking process, but due to it being a work zone, we are not currently giving tours of the winery.
You’re welcome to book a photoshoot in our tasting room, but it must be outside of our normal hours so as not to disrupt other guests [and so you can have the space to yourself]. Please contact us at roc@livingrootswine.com.
We don’t accept groups in buses or limos at any of our locations. We’re happy to give recommendations for other wineries that do, though!
FINGER LAKES
Shale Creek is Colleen’s family’s vineyard overlooking Keuka Lake, where we source many of our grapes and have set up our Living Roots winery and tasting room in the Finger Lakes.
We don’t accept reservations at the moment, though we plan to for seated tastings in the future. The tasting bar and patio will remain first come, first serve. Worst case scenario, there’s a great view to admire while you’re waiting!
Follow the signs pointing to our gravel parking lot, and please use caution as it can get a bit slippery.
We offer beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks from many of our favorite local businesses. Outside food and decorations are not permitted – simply come and enjoy.
We want to keep things easy and stress-free for you! A lot of thought goes into our flights each time we release a new menu, and we aim to curate something for every palate. Our flights also encourage guests to try something new or taste a style they may not be ready to order by the glass, and allow us to provide a higher quality of service than we could with custom flights. If none of the flights appeal to you, you can order most of our wines by the half-glass, glass, or bottle.
Well-behaved dogs [on a leash] are welcome on our patio. Because we serve food and drinks, dogs are not allowed inside the tasting room unless they are certified service animals covered by the ADA.
We don’t accept groups in buses or limos at any of our locations. We’re happy to give recommendations for other wineries that do, though!
ADELAIDE HILLS
K1 is Sebastian’s family’s vineyard in the Kuitpo subregion of the Adelaide Hills where we source many of our grapes and have set up our little Living Roots winery and cellar door in Australia.
Our Adelaide team is very small [1 person!] and so reservations are required to visit our cellar door. Groups up to 8 can book a tasting here. Please reach out to us at adl@livingrootswine.com if you’re looking for a date that is not currently available on Tock.
Follow the Living Roots signs to diagonal parking just below our cellar door.
Outside food and decorations are not permitted – simply come and enjoy.
We want to keep things easy and stress-free for you! Our team will thoughtfully select wines for your tasting, aiming to curate something for every palate. If there’s anything in particular you’re hoping to try, or styles you do or don’t drink, just let us know and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
We unfortunately can’t accommodate dogs in our cellar door unless they are certified service animals.
We don’t accept groups in buses or limos at any of our locations. We’re happy to give recommendations for other wineries that do, though!
