Who are the folks behind Meadowdale Winery? Read about us below!
John Sheehan, Owner & Vintner
John is the Owner and Vintner of Meadowdale Winery.
John began making wine nearly 30 years ago as a hobby in the confines of his family’s kitchen. The product of his passion was shared for years over family dinner tables and special occasions. In 2012, John first entered his wine for adjudication at the Schenectady Italian Festival, Festa Italia. The festival exhibited many local, amateur vintners with a variety of wines. Since this humble beginning, John partnered with a former colleague from the Adirondack Council, Bernard Melewski, a local farmer and attorney of Guilderland, NY. Bernard’s family lived across the valley from Thacher Park and the Helderberg Escarpment, on a farm with unique local significance. The farm included an old 1700s working barn formerly owned by the Fryor family. The farm is where John and Bernard first began making their wine and henceforth coined Meadowdale Winery. John and Bernard began participating in more events as amateur wine specialists, entering John’s wine in more contests.
In 2023, John moved operations from the Fryor family barn to our new home in Voorheesville, NY.
When he is not at Meadowdale Winery, John can be found working as the Communications Director for the Adirondack Council in downtown Albany. John is an avid environmentalist, father, husband, and baseball player. He enjoys getting together with family and friends to enjoy the outdoors. John is a proud graduate of Catholic Central of Troy (1980) and University at Albany (1985).
Hannah Sheehan, Marketing & Sales
Hannah is Meadowdale’s head of marketing and sales. As an Albany native and current Syracuse resident, Hannah spends her nights and weekends working for Meadowdale. You can find her on the road providing direct sales at local farm markets, and craft and specialty wine events. Sometimes, you’ll see her tending bar at the tasting room! Hannah is responsible for communications, booking, marketing, and sales.
Hannah joined the Meadowdale Winery team as a guest bartender for the tasting room at Black Creek Farm in 2018, working for tips on weekends between visits with friends and family on vacation from college. Since then, Hannah has taken over social media and marketing and has joined her parents in the production line to transfer wine from barrel to bottle to glass. Hannah is eager to continue learning how to run a successful small business!
When she is not at Meadowdale Winery, Hannah lives and works as a water resources engineer, providing direct engineering consulting for projects around New York State. She’s a proud graduate of Albany High School (2015) and Clarkson University (2020).
