Heart & Hands Winery was established in 2006 by Susan and Tom Higgins in the town of Union Springs, NY, on the Northeastern shores of Cayuga Lake.  It was here that Susan and Tom chose to carry out their dream of producing Finger Lakes Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Susan and Tom met while working in the IT industry and found their way to Westchester County, where Tom followed his passion for wine and began his career at Zachy’s in Scarsdale.  It was here that Tom was able to immerse himself in wine and meet winemakers and producers from around the world.  This experience led to working harvest at La Lagune in Bordeaux and Calera in California.  Tom also grew up in the Finger Lakes and spent part of his youth working for the Hazlitt family on Seneca Lake.  All these factors provided the pull that brought Tom and Susan back to upstate New York to follow their dream to produce Pinot Noir and Riesling.

Tom and Susan took their cue from Josh Jensen at Calera, and went in search of limestone soils, which they knew were key to growing and making world-class Pinot Noir that transcended the appellation.  They spent countless hours poring over geographical, soil, and quarry maps to identify potential sites to plant.  In 2007, the were able to locate a 5-acre piece of land that sat on top of the Onondaga limestone escarpment and sloping towards Cayuga Lake. Susan and Tom set out planting the land to Calera, Swan, Pommard 828, 115, 667, and 777 clones of Pinot Noir, as well as a small amount of Riesling. In 2019, an adjacent 7-acre parcel was planted with additional Pinot Noir and Riesling, as well as Chardonnay, Auxerrois, Petit Arvine, Lagrein, and Aligoté.

The Estate vineyard is a New York Certified Sustainable vineyard, and there is no use of herbicides or insecticides.

All of the fruit is carefully harvested and sorted in the morning hours and fermented in small oak and stainless steel vessels.  For Pinot Noir, there is a good amount of whole cluster used, which varies slightly depending on the cuvée. Aging is done in 100% French oak, with a judicious use of new (100% Francois Freres oak for Pinot), and all wines are bottled on site.  Production averages about 2000 cases annually, with Pinot Noir being the majority, along with limited amounts of Riesling and Sparkling wine.