Earlier this week, Kane’s pinch me moment became reality.

With a crowd of community leaders, staff members, friends, and family surrounding him, Kane spoke with painted shovels and custom hard hats lined up at his back against the side of the bar at 21 Brix Winery. Kane proudly spoke of being a leader on the wine trail and thanked all who have helped his business grow to the point that an expansion was called for.

The crowd then exited the bar with shovels and hard hats in hand to officially break ground on a 6,400-square-foot expansion to the current building.

“This is a huge day for 21 Brix,” Kane said on a sunny afternoon earlier this week. “When I first started 21 Brix 12 years ago, we never thought that we would have to get any bigger than what we did. … Here we are 12 years later working on finally starting an addition that is probably five years overdue.”

From left, Mike and Marion Jordan pose with their son, Kris Kane, as they break ground on a 6,400-square-foot expansion project at 21 Brix Winery. Photo by Braden Carmen

After Kane, his family, staff members, and guests all posed for photos to commemorate the occasion, Kane reflected upon the accomplishment of breaking ground to add to the winery.

“I’m a little bit lost for words to see the ground being broken. It seems like just yesterday I was breaking the ground for the initial build,” Kane said. “The sun is shining on us, we seem blessed … and it’s a good day. I hope this is a sign of good things to come.”

The addition to the building will include a multi-purpose space for additional seating of approximately 100 enclosed seats during nice weather. It will also serve as a private space for events, which allows the winery to continue to operate during events such as weddings, parties or ceremonies, rather than closing the winery to accommodate the needs of an event.

Chris Cooke, the architect of the expansion, stated, “We are honored and very excited to be working with 21 Brix on the 6,400-square-foot expansion of this already fantastic winery. The design goal was to ensure that the charm of the winery remained intact while growing the space and allowing even more people to enjoy the winery’s fabulous year-round offerings and get a taste of what makes this place so special.”

Also part of the expansion is the addition of a full-scale kitchen, which will allow the winery to implement a full food program for events and catering.

Unique to the winery, the new expansion will feature an ice rink on the property, surrounded by grape vines, as the winery’s own twist on a “Field of Dreams.” The rink will feature open skate hours, along with opportunities for curling leagues during the winter months. In the warmer months, it will transition to a space for bocce ball and cornhole.

“We might have it up this winter. If not, next year,” Kane said.

Kane’s parents, Mike and Marion Jordan, own Olde Chautauqua Farms, a third-generation farm that has grown grapes since the 1950s. But when Kane was a college student, he sold his parents on the vision of a winery with the grapes the farm produces. Once Kane established himself as a winemaker in the industry, plans for 21 Brix Winery were in the works. Ground was broken in August of 2010, and the doors officially opened on Sept. 10, 2011.

Since that date, the business has grown well beyond Kane’s expectations. The winery is located on Route 20 in Portland, between the village of Brocton and the village of Westfield – known for the oldest Welch’s grape juice factory. It is along the wine trail that spans across the northeast United States, with a plethora of wineries across western New York.

“The Wine Trail, collectively with 23 wineries on the trail, brings 35,000 to 40,000 visitors through my door a year. Without them and this region being a grape region, I couldn’t do what I’m doing. There’s a lot of thanks to everybody,” Kane said.

State Sen. George Borrello was among the many representatives in attendance for the groundbreaking event. Chautauqua County Legislator John Penhollow, Portland Town Supervisor Rich Lewis, and Town Councilman Gary Miller also attended the ceremony.

“It’s exciting to see this expansion here at 21 Brix,” Borrello said. “I really appreciate what they’ve done to bring more economic activity and more attention to this region.”

Borrello, who noted both of his grandfathers were grape farmers, highlighted the region for its agricultural success.

“The Lake Erie Wine Trail has really grown and matured over the last few years,” Borrello said. “To see our wine region mature and develop, this is a result of that.”

A good portion of the 21 Brix staff has remained throughout the years as the business thrived, so much so that the expansion was happily welcomed.

“Thanks to the team that I have, along the way, we’ve had very little turnover throughout the years. It’s thanks to that staff that has really brought people in the door,” Kane said.

The expansion is underway and will be constructed in the coming months, as the winery will remain operational throughout the process.

“We will be keeping the community updated on our progress throughout the entire build; after all, this project would not have been possible without them. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram accounts for daily progress and eventual employment opportunities as we will surely need to expand our team,” said Chelsea Barmore, Operations Supervisor at 21 Brix Winery.

For more information, visit 21brix.com and follow on social media for updates.