Lincolnville — The northwest side of Cameron Mountain that slopes down to Youngtown Road in Lincolnville is alive with water trickling beneath an ample layer of earth, ideal for irrigating gardens, apple orchards, or, in the case of one entrepreneur, grapes that will eventually slip off their tendrils to become wine.

Bettina Doulton, owner of Cellardoor Winery, has reached the last phase of expanding her Youngtown Road wine making facility, and intends to have the new 9,000-square-foot steel-framed building ready by Aug. 15 for the season's first harvest. The schedule is tight and the buzz of activity at the site has been intense since March, with local contractors weaving their talents and skills into the project.

"It's like running Chicago O'Hare Airport," said Doulton, who was quick to grin at the imagery; yet by matters of scale, the simile was not far off.

Every day, since the ground was dry enough to work, trucks and backhoes, electricians, construction contractors, engineers, and architects have been moving around the clearing that sits across the street from the farmhouse and big barn that currently house the Cellardoor enterprise. Jake Barbour Inc. prepared the site, hauling truckloads of soil and blasting ledge; Mainly Concrete poured the foundation; Rubenstein Electric laid wire; Rockport Mechanical is assembling the plumbing and heating pipes; and Maine Coast Construction raised the steel bars of the new building. Leading the project are Phi Home Designs co-owner Mike Roy and project supervisor Tommy Uhll.

At Doulton's insistence, the construction site was to be screened, so Phi Home Designs found a scene of agricultural land somewhere very warm -- evidenced by palm trees -- and created a fence poster that extends along the road, an image of lush greens and yellows that catches the eye of every driver crossing from Lincolnville Beach to Youngtown Corner.

It's just one more indicator of Doulton's aesthetic mark she places on her various projects. In the three years since she acquired the winery, Doulton has infused the area with a flair for elaborate productions -- Pop the Cork in  Rockport Village, with its multiple venues of music and art, food and wine requires not just dollars, but a sense of the possible. Or her stomp and romp fall harvest festival, or winter festival, or wine tastings and pairings with local chefs.

Doulton also bought and, with the help of Phi Home Designs, renovated artist Bill Anderson's starkly yellow house at the corner of routes 1 and 90 in  Rockport, turning it into "the Villa," a sumptuously decorated shop 10 miles from her winery and further anchoring the business along a well-worn path. In a move that won the hearts of some, she gentrified the color of the house ever so slightly, with a nod toward preserving Anderson's artistic statement. Then there is the street theater that Doulton imports from Portland for various events: tall dragons and men on stilts, or 12-foot tall living statues.

Doulton appreciates the creative, yet adheres to business practices she cultivated during her 20 years of managing mutual funds, a job that got her labeled in 1996 by the New York Times as one of Fidelity's fastest growing stars. She also gets a good dose of business acumen from her father, a manufacturer, who has since deceased.

"I always wanted to own a small business, and Dad was going to teach me how," she said, sitting on a June afternoon in the loft of the Cellardoor Winery barn, built circa 1790 and heavily renovated in 2007. Below, visitors (she insisted they were guests, not customers, and there to experience something richer than just purchasing wine) were seated around a wine tasting bar, or strolling around the store, laughing with employees and sipping from wine glasses. The windows lend a sweeping view down over the vineyards, which Doulton replanted two years ago with a hybrid variety developed by the University of Minnesota and Cornell University that she hopes will be more suitable to Maine's climate.

The business model she invokes emphasizes hospitality, and integration with the local economy. And she recognizes there is "something fabulous about this property," its 68 acres of land that has been cultivated for 200 years with one farm enterprise or another. To the northwest is a commanding view of Levenseller Mountain; in between a sea of fields and trees. She wants her guests to like it, too.

"I came from Wall Street," she said. "Capitalism. I get that. But the wine industry has been made incredibly intimidating. You know what? Relax. We invite them in for tasting, and let them find something they enjoy. They are our guests. Giving people a break from the rat race is not a bad thing."

Her business model also relies on a crew of 16 employees, most of them 20 to 30 years old -- "my team," said Doulton, who is not all that much older in her mid-40s. One of her personal business goals is to "create a great environment for my team, with learning curves and challenges to make them feel important and proud of what they are doing. And make guests have a great experience."

This is part of the reason for the Cellardoor's aggressive expansion schedule across the street, where the actual wine making, now taking place in the basement of the barn, will relocate. On Feb. 24, Lincolnville's Planning Board unanimously approved the new winery and warehouse, a project footprint totaling approximately 9,000 square feet. With the weather cooperating, groundbreaking began 150 feet back from the road. Then, the last week of June, the steel framework for the wine production building was erected, putting structure to the project.

The new facility will allow the expansion of wine making capacity. In 2007, Cellardoor produced 1,800 cases of wine; in 2009, it was 4,000-plus cases.

"The rule of thumb requires one square foot of winery space for every case you produce," said Doulton. With the expansion, she hopes to increase her production to 9,000 cases per year. Cellardoor will add a large crush pad, stainless steel tanks and barrel rooms for aging, as well as a climate-controlled warehouse for storage. The barn cellar, where wine is currently made, will be freed for wine making classes.

The expanded operation will allow for more trucks to arrive with grapes, which will then be processed, bottled, stored and distributed. The grape sludge will be collected in a 3,000-gallon tank underneath the new parking lot, and will be periodically pumped out.

Doulton wants it all completed to coincide with the raking of this year's blueberry crop at Clarry Hill Farm in Union; the crop will go immediately from the field (no freezer berries) into the crusher and be used for bottled wine.

"We want it licensed and functioning for when this year's harvest comes in," she said.

While waiting for the new Youngtown Road hybrids to begin producing fruit, Cellardoor is importing all of its grapes from Eastern Washington and the Central Valley of California. Cellardoor Vineyard Manager Aaron Peet studied at the Center for Enology and Viticulture in Walla Walla, Wash., and spent the last few years planting new vines in Lincolnville.

"We are sprinting them across the country," Doulton said, from a region where the hot, dry days and cool nights grow tasty grapes.

Doulton hopes to eventually bottle wine whose proportion of Maine grown grapes reaches 20 percent, grapes from her vineyard and others across the state. At the same time, she is intent on improving the taste and expanding the line.

"I also like a wide wine spectrum to sample," she said. "Having people tell us our wines are getting better feels really great."

In 2006, just before taking the plunge and purchasing the Cellardoor Winery from John and Stephanie Clapp, Doulton was nearing the end of cancer treatment.

"I was slightly more reflective at the end of treatment," she said. With her friend John Tynan, she plunged into leaving urban Boston for a cold barn on the coast of Maine. Together they entered the purchase and sales agreement for the winery.

"I jumped into the deep end," she said. They hooked up with Roy at Phi Home Designs in Rockport, and found themselves standing around the old barn in the middle of January. There, the ideas began to flow.

"It was like the barn told us what it wanted," Doulton said.

Three years later, and Doulton is now the owner of Cellardoor, assisted by her team. She wants to grow the business -- first by increasing the sheer number of bottles corked, and then by increasing exposure for the wine itself. Doulton's aptitude for taking on new projects is not diminishing: she is looking to Southern Maine to possibly build a wine tasting shop, with a kitchen, somewhere between York and Portland.

"What do you think?" shot Doulton across the table to general contractor Roy. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Why not?

Doulton said she loves the land she acquired three years ago, as does her team, and she wants to expand the business. She also maintains it will be the right growth.

"It's more important that it's quality growth," said Doulton, who maintains a blog at the Cellardoor Winery Web site that pays homage to friendships and the human aspect of running a business. "We continue to evolve so that it's a deeper, richer experience."

Doulton said she hopes to someday hand over the business to her team -- but not until it's on a self-sustaining basis.

"That's my goal," she said.

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I sort of fell into this topic recently as there is soon to be a wedding in our family and in trying to come up with a different idea for a shower, my daughter suggested we do a “vineyard tour” on the coast of Maine. Plans have now been made and let me tell you, it’s going to be one FUN wedding shower this August as we’ll be touring and lunching at Cellardoor Vineyards located in the Camden, ME area. Forget sitting around watching  gifts get opened; we’re going to be sipping wine and lunching at a vineyard. Yipee!! 

We'll arrive at "The Villa" first for a tasting, then off to Cellardoor's vineyard for lunch.

Checking out Cellardoor’s website was actually what brought me around to researching vineyard barns. In short; there are some beautiful barns out there in the fine service of wine-making. These barns come in all shapes and sizes and provide wonderful inspiration to those of us interested in living in a barn; old or new. For example, check out the interior of Cellardoor’s barn in Lincolnville, ME. It’s gorgeous!!! 

I could totally see myself living in this barn. Check out the oval track lighting and that gorgeous spiral staircase. WOW!

This style of barn is called a Monitor barn. It’s in service not only as a working vineyard barn, but also as a site for special occasions such as weddings and parties. 

Once again, I could totally see this barn as a home I'd want to live in.

How about this next hard-working vineyard barn? I love the weathered barn board siding, not to mention all those grape vines right outside the front door. 

The gambrel style of this barn affords far more height and space on the second floor. Perfect for a vacation home!

Do you like a bit of stone in your barn? I’ve got that covered, too. This barn combines weathered board with stone for that great English Country look so many of us love. 

Even when the vines are bare they provide wonderful architectural interest.

But barns are supposed to be red, right? Well this next example is just that while providing a different slant on the  “barns have four sides” theory. 

Just a few windows here and there and this vineyard barn becomes one fabulous house!

I’ll leave you with one last shot taken from Cellardoor Winery & Vineyards. While it’s not of a barn, it was too tantalizing to leave out! Enjoy!!! 

Roofing nails, wire mesh, shards of pottery, fabric and unused flooring might not seem likely ingredients for a fine work of art, but nine artists in midcoast Maine accepted the challenge to turn them into something beautiful for charity’s sake.

Each year, the Maine Home+Design Midcoast Show collaborates to raise money for a charity with half the proceeds from the event’s ticket sales going to the cause.

This year, the Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville is hosting the participant party and also wanted to find a way to support the charity of choice — Midcoast Habitat for Humanity.

“We came up with Construction for Humanity,” said Bob Ferro, Maine Home+Design Magazine advertising manager, on Friday.

Using their relationship with the local arts community, event organizers from the magazine approached artists and tasked them with creating one-of-a-kind art using building materials donated by exhibitors.

“It was everything from roofing nails to shards of pottery to unused flooring to used paintbrushes and paint,” Ferro said. “The artists could use some of their own materials, but I have to say they really embraced the concept and really used most of the stuff the exhibitors provided.”

The artists featured are: Michael Branca, Jill Dalton, Dan Dowd, Eva Deveau, Nathan Deveau, Mark Kelly, Mike Libby, Edward Mackenzie, Louise Philbrick and Anastasia S. Weigle.

The pieces are being auctioned online (www.constructionsforhumanity.com) with 100 percent of the sales revenue going to Midcoast Habitat.

“The goal is to really just raise awareness for artists in the wonderful state of Maine, as well as raise money for Habitat,” said Ferro.

Starting bids range from about $100 to $475, but there are “buy it now” prices listed for each work running from $275 to $2,500.

On Friday, June 4, online bidding will end and those who want to continue to bid on items that haven’t been purchased through the “buy it now” option online will continue to be auctioned off in silent auction fashion Saturday during the home show.

The final auction event will be held during the Midcoast Home Show Gala 5-8 p.m. Saturday, June 5, at Point Lookout Resort in Northport. Tickets for the gala are $25 per person, and each auction winner will be awarded their piece after the show.

“The goal is to get as much money as possible to help that Habitat chapter,” said Feero.

Midcoast Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, with a mission to provide safe, affordable housing and homeownership opportunities to low-income families in Knox County.

In addition to the Construction for Humanity auction, this year’s home show includes an opportunity Saturday for attendees to win a Vespa motor scooter courtesy of Camden National Bank, Hancock Lumber and Land-marcs.

The show will include exhibits from architects, builders, interior and landscape designers, kitchen suppliers, artists and food purveyors.

The Artists

· Michael Branca has received fellowships at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, Vermont Studio Center and the Carina House on Monhegan, as well as a grant from the Maine Arts Commission. He graduated from Colby College, attended Temple University Rome and is working on his MFA at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He teaches drawing at Southern Maine Community College and has shown his work throughout New England at such venues as the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, June Fitzpatrick Gallery, Whitney Artworks and Stadler Gallery. Visit MikeBranca.com.

· Jill Dalton is a mixed-media sculptor and jewelry maker with a relentless need to collect rusted bit of metal. She uses found objects in her work to explore meaning, history and humor. She earned her BFA in sculpture in 1999 from Maine College of Art, where she is employed as alumni relations coordinator. She and her husband, glassblower Ernest Paterno, co-own Filament Gallery in Portland. They live in the East Bayside neighborhood with five formerly stray cats and expanding organic gardens. Visit FilamentGallery.com.

· Dan Dowd has been collecting objects for most of his life. His most recent works are examples of what is created when some of those objects are united and interact. Any story that may be in his head as he creates the piece, or any story that he may write after the piece is completed, is different from the stories that a viewer may create. No one story is correct. This aspect of his work, and art in general, intrigues and amazes him.

· Eva Deveau is 7 years old and in the second grade. “I like to go shopping with my mommy and I like to do art,” she wrote in her artist profile. “I think about my art before I make it and I always try my best.” Her works have been displayed at AVA Gallery, Chellie Pingree’s congressional headquarters and the Maine Home+Design Midcoast Show in 2009.

· Nathan Deveau relocated to Maine from Vermont to attend and graduate from the Maine College of Art. His latest work focuses on environmental responsibility through the use of natural materials that many people would consider waste, such as spent coffee grounds, grass clippings, tree branches and sawdust. He transforms these materials into sculptures, mirrors, jewelry boxes, cutting boards, tables, sinks, countertops, flooring and tiles. Visit www.deveaugallery.com.

· Mark Kelly earned his BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art. He is a founding partner of Aarhus Gallery in Belfast, was the 2009 Earth Week Artist-in-Residence at Waterfall Arts, and recently was a group leader at Unity College's Art of Sustainability Conference. His work was included in Maine Home+Design's Art of Assemblage feature in the Jan-Feb 2009 issue. Exhibitions include the 18th Annual Drawing Show at the Boston Center for the Arts-Mills Gallery; the Out of Bounds altered book show, Rockport; Art from Intuition — Northampton Center for the Arts, Northampton, Mass.; The Crossing of Time and Environment: Micro Installation — Tianan County, Taiwan (group collaboration); and First Traces at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockport. He lives in Belfast with his wife and three daughters. Visit www.AarhusGallery.com.

· Mike Libby is a multidisciplinary artist who makes highly detailed sculptures, models, collages and drawings. Through diverse materials and methodologies, she explores themes of science, nature, fantasy, history and autobiography, highlighting illogical and acute correspondences between the real and unreal. Visit www.InsectLabStudio.com.

· Edward Mackenzie works with old and new manufactured objects to create unique sculptural art. His work has a strong design element with references to humor, allegory or history. Chosen material often evolves into a series of artwork, for example: “Pianoworks” using piano parts; “Oaracle” using sculling oars; “Pyrotechnical” using matches and matchboxes. Visit www.EdwardMackenzie.com.

· Louise Philbrick’s work typically involves memory. She seeks out objects — doomed instrument parts, rusty street detritus, surf-worn stones — that demonstrate the rigors of their histories and she re-contextualizes them in a way that features those peculiarities. Visit www.LouisePhilbrick.com.

· Anastasia S. Weigle received her B.A. in natural science illustration with a minor in museum studies from SUNY Empire State College and an M.S.L.I.S. (Library & Information Science) in archives management. Her professional work as an archivist influenced her work as an artist. Through discarded objects and ephemera she found her true voice. Weigle creates a magical history all her own. The inner child — who still believes that dreams do come true — is the master and teacher. Visit http://anastasiaweigle.artspan.com.

The Maine Home+Design Midcoast Show

When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 5 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, June 6.

Where: Point Lookout, Northport.

Cost: $10 per person, children under 12 free.

Contact: 772-3373 or www.mainehomedesign.com or www.constructionsforhumanity.com

Bettina Doulton, owner of Cellardoor Winery, is a woman with an ever-evolving plan. But it always includes fines wines, relaxation for guests, and making her business stand out. When Bettina Doulton stopped analyzing companies for Fidelity and bought Lincolnville’s Cellardoor Winery in 2007, she knew little about the winery business. But she carried a few basic truths picked up over 21 years in the world of Wall Street. Beat your customers’ expectations, every day. Take care of your team. And one that Doulton admits her employees (10 year-round, 20 from May to October) are probably sick of hearing, though it’s played a huge role in the winery’s success: It’s all about being the “Purple Cow,” from the title of Seth Godin’s 2003 business bestseller. “If you drive by a field of brown cows, you’re going to drive on by,” says Doulton, who financed the business herself. “But if you see a purple cow, you’ll stop. The lesson is, differentiate your business. There are plenty of wineries, plenty of wine, plenty of other stuff people could do. We provide a complete winery experience for our guests.” Differentiating Cellardoor began with restoring the farm’s 1790s barn, home to much of that experience—a deck overlooking the vineyard and Levenseller Mountain, a gift shop, and a rustic-but-upscale tasting loft. Doulton added a second boutique location, a restored Victorian home inRockport known as The Villa, and expanded production to nearly 20 wines to please as many palates as possible. She’s also added a string of popular events, from weekly food and wine pairings and cooking classes to the annual Pop the Cork in June, which has grown into a multiple-location community happening. Each involves Maine-made artisanal foods, local chefs and businesses, including the Maine Winery Guild/Maine Wine Trail, with 15 member businesses from Lebanon to Gouldsboro. The events draw attention, but the real difference-maker for Cellardoor is much simpler, according to Doulton. “Complimentary wine tastings are our real focus,” she says. “We make sure people get a warm, gracious welcome—a break from the day and the rat race. We’re always trying to add elements of a rich winery experience, but those tastings are the key.” It’s working. The business sold 4,000 cases of wine last year, and since Doulton took over, Cellardoor’s business went from 90% tourists to 60% local. “We’re really proud to be part of the community, to see locals coming multiple times during the year,” she says. “ It’s a sign that we’re doing better, that we’re growing. It means an awful lot to me that we’re part of the Maine way of doing things up here.” Now she’s positioning the business for more growth, with a new winery on the 68-acre vineyard site. Scheduled for completion by August 1—in time to receive this year’s blueberry crop from Clary Hill Farm in Union—the 9,000-square-foot building will allow Cellardoor to move all production from the basement of the barn to the new facility, featuring a crush pad, tank, and barrel rooms (space for 250–300 oak barrels), and a warehouse. With the new production capacity, Cellardoor hopes to sell more wine at the vineyard and The Villa, and add to its relatively short list of restaurant and retail outlets. Eventually, Doulton wants to open a third tasting facility in Maine, probably between York and Freeport. There’s another long-term project, too, one that’s been a goal since Doulton and a business partner, who’s since returned to the corporate world, took over: producing wine from grapes grown on-site. In 2007, Cellardoor replanted six acres of grapes, developed by northern universities for short growing seasons. Vineyards take three to five years to produce wine-quality grapes, and Doulton’s hoping to start producing in 2011. Eventually, she wants to make 20% of Cellardoor’s wine from local grapes. “I’m hoping we’ll get comfortable with growing grapes, expand our vineyard, and help other people get into it,” Doulton says. “We’d love to see more Maine farmers produce wine grapes, to expand the agricultural economy.” But, she admits, “it’s a steep learning curve.” Of course, Doulton is familiar with learning curves—she’s been on a long, difficult one since she bought Cellardoor. Maximizing the business’s Internet marketing (at maine-wines.com) is a continual challenge. Last year, she was too conservative in projecting sales, amusing her staff, because she often boasts of her ability to analyze business. “There have been days that are so incredibly humbling. I’ve fallen in the grapes,” Doulton says. “I’ve driven a forklift. I’ve learned how to do payroll, the books, everything. And I’ve made mistakes. But you just pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and say, ‘OK, we’ll try again tomorrow.’ We just keep trying to improve our purple cow.” 

This article was posted at www.maineahead.com

Words like mother and love often appear on lists of beautiful English words. But so do defenestration and lollygag. Obviously, they are not all chosen for the same reason. Some words tug at the heart, some pique the mind and others are simply euphonious. Perhaps the strangest member of the last category, the purely harmonious, is the otherwise ordinary phrase cellar door.  Click here to read more

Taste your way through Maine without leaving the Midcoast. Maine’s Cellardoor Winery, with locations in Lincolnville and Rockport, is hosting wine-and-food pairings every weekend, May 2 through July 25; Saturdays in Rockport, Sundays in Lincolnville. Pairings include Maine cheeses and chocolates, as well as selections from local markets.

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Winterfest 2010 will feature fun outdoor activities such as: sledding, snowshoeing, snow person making, ice skating, and horse-drawn wagon rides. Participants will also be able to enjoy food and wine pairings, hot cocoa and savory treats, and a gourmet brunch by chef Lawrence Klang from Natalie's. The Chris Humphrey Big Band and the Barber Shop Quartet will provide live music throughout the day. Attendees should note that a limited quantity of skates and sleds will be available for free to use during the day.

A highlight of the day for those over 21 will be a unique opportunity to sample wine directly from the barrel. "A tradition in other parts of the country, this is a fun way to experience a new wine before it is bottled," explained Christina Peet of Cellardoor Winery. "We hope to be able to offer barrel samplings again during the course of the year. For wine fans, it's really interesting to taste a wine in its different stages," added Peet.

Admission to Winterfest 2010 is free; attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item or gently worn clothing, which will be donated to local organizations supporting neighbors in need. 

For more information on the schedule of events for the day, visit Cellardoor Winery, call 207-763-4478 or email info@cellardoorvineyard.com.
Cellardoor Winery Winterfest Schedule 



FOOD AND WINE 


10-4 Wine tasting all day

10-12 Gourmet Brunch by Lawrence Klang
10-1 Ice Sculpture carving in progress

12-4 Hot Cocoa & savory treats by Lani Temple 

12-4 Barrel Sampling with Winemaker Aaron Peet 

1-4 Wine and Food Pairings by Lani Temple

MUSIC 


10:30-1 Music by Chris Humphrey Big Band 

2-4 Music by the Barber Shop Quartet

ACTIVITIES 


10-4 Ice Skating on the pond

10-4 Snow Sledding

11-1 Help us build a family of snow people

11-3 Horse drawn wagon rides 

12 & 2 Guided snow shoe trek up the blueberry trail
12 & 2 Guided snow shoe trek through the vineyard

Join us for this one time event wine tasting and appetizers from 6:30-8 paired with 5 wines from Cellardoor Winery The performance is at 8pm and we are selling tickets in advance, book now for this special event.  $15 for wine tasting.  $15 for Performance, or $25 for both. 594-4141