Back to His Roots
Kraus, who grew up in Sandusky, Ohio, graduated from the Tulane University School of Medicine in 1989 and then interned at several New York City hospitals before going into private practice. But he was always interested in wine and winemaking and, in 2000, began scouting nearby Long Island for a property to buy.
At the same time, he was also reading up on his family’s genealogy, and learned that his great-great-great-grandfather, Nicholas Hermes, emigrated from Germany to Sandusky in the 1850s. Nicholas, who had been a grape grower in Germany’s Moselle Valley, was attracted to Sandusky’s chalky limestone soils and the long, temperate growing season — from April to about Thanksgiving — that maximized the grapes’ flavor development and helped produce fine wines.
But then came Prohibition. The Hermes farm, like so many others, gave up grapes and was converted to an orchard.
When Kraus realized his family’s land had once held a vineyard, he decided to go back to his roots — or vines, in this case. He purchased a portion of the family farm, planted a dozen acres of vines, and named the winery Hermes Vineyards, after his mother’s maiden name. “Plus, there’s an association with Hermes, a Greek god who was one of the gods of wine who protected vineyards,” Kraus says.
The winery’s tasting room was already there, although it needed some work. The property’s 200-year-old wood barn, built by pioneers — people who’d settled the land before it was bought by Nicholas Hermes — inspired Kraus, who loved the rustic look of the building.
Kraus found diagrams of similar barns in records at the Ohio Historical Society. Then he began scouring the country to find cobbled stone that would fit with his barn’s flooring, and wood planks that would match the original white oak ceiling and wall beams.
“I bought a threshing floor from a barn in Mansfield, and salvaged wood from other 200-year-old barns I located around the state,” Kraus says.
The result: a beautiful, split-level space, with intimate seating in the ground-floor tasting area or upstairs in a loft that overlooks the woodsy room. One wall is mostly glass, so patrons can view the lush, 25-acre vineyard. The downstairs area hosts live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
While many area wineries were growing grapes like Concord or Catawba — hardy varieties that can withstand Ohio winters and are used for making sweet wines — Kraus was determined to be different. He reasoned that Sandusky’s long, temperate growing season would support temperamental European grapes like Nebbiolo, Barbera and Viognier, which produce upscale red Rhine, Italian and Spanish wines.
The gamble paid off, and today Hermes grows 21 different vinifera varieties and produces about 2,000 cases of wine. Though Hermes has gained a reputation for producing unique red wines, it also offers whites like Riesling and Chardonnay.
Kraus splits his time between New York City and Sandusky. Somehow, he says, he manages to keep both his businesses running smoothly.
“It’s like I have two full-time jobs,” he jokes. “At Hermes, cellar master Bill Franks does the leg work. He ships me samples and I have a lab in my New York apartment.”
And if things should change — well, he knows there’s always a barn to call home.