Nancy Irelan

At Red Tail Ridge Winery, the work of co-owner and winemaker puts Nancy Irelan in both the operating and making chairs. That combination demands more than oversight: it requires the judgment to keep a winery moving and the craft to shape what comes out of it. In Nancy Irelan’s case, the title reflects a practice built on direct involvement, where decisions in the cellar and responsibilities in the business stay tightly linked to the finished wine.

In Penn Yan, the role of co-owner and winemaker at Red Tail Ridge Winery carries both administrative reach and cellar responsibility. Nancy Irelan’s position means she helps set the direction of the winery while also handling the translation of that direction into bottle. The work is grounded in precision and repetition, with each step asking for close attention to detail. For a winemaker, that kind of dual role leaves little distance between planning and making; Nancy Irelan’s current post places her at that point of contact.

Semifinalist, Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Producer (2020) is the recognition attached to Nancy Irelan’s work. The designation places her within a wider field of beverage producers whose output drew formal attention that year, and it adds an external marker to a career already defined by ownership and cellar responsibility. For a winemaker, this kind of recognition sits alongside the daily work rather than apart from it: a signal that the craft registered beyond the winery itself.