Putnam’s Vineyard has been honored with the 2025 Award of Excellence by “Wine Spectator Magazine.”Even being off the beaten path, Putnam’s Vineyard in White River Junction has all you need to “wine down”. “It’s kind of a little hidden surprise when you walk in and everyone just kind of opens the door and says, wow, I didn’t know this was what was back here,” said Christine Geisler, the General Manager. Wine Director Victoria Tuzet handpicks lesser-known varieties for people to try. Popping the cork and opening the door for people who are curious about wine.”But it’s exciting rural Vermont we don’t have a lot of wine bars nearby. So I feel like we’re actually on the map,” said Tuzet. Now the female-owned business is the newest addition to Wine Spectator’s awards list. “I was definitely really thrilled and excited. It was something that my mom and I ran to the store and actually got a copy of The Wine Spectator,” said Tuzet. One of the hallmarks of Putnam’s is their effort to foster an educational environment.”I think it gets filtered here a little bit because Putnam is a testament to the female powered economy,” said Kelsey Rush, the Owner of Putnam’s. “Honestly, here at Putnam’s, hospitality is a career. It’s not just a stopover. And so it’s been really important for us to find people who are passionate about wine and really passionate about hospitality.” More than a dozen other establishments in Vermont have been recognized on Wine Spectator’s list. “When I told people I had a business idea and I wanted to try this, the feedback was — ‘this is beer culture,’ ‘people drink at home,’ ‘people don’t go out,’ ‘this is a very bad business idea,’ ‘Don’t do it,’– but I believed that there are stories in wine and people want to learn about and that this community actually wants a place to sit and gather, especially after COVID,” said Rush.
HARTFORD, Vt. —
Putnam’s Vineyard has been honored with the 2025 Award of Excellence by “Wine Spectator Magazine.”
Even being off the beaten path, Putnam’s Vineyard in White River Junction has all you need to “wine down”.
“It’s kind of a little hidden surprise when you walk in and everyone just kind of opens the door and says, wow, I didn’t know this was what was back here,” said Christine Geisler, the General Manager.
Wine Director Victoria Tuzet handpicks lesser-known varieties for people to try. Popping the cork and opening the door for people who are curious about wine.
“But it’s exciting [in] rural Vermont we don’t have a lot of wine bars nearby. So I feel like we’re actually on the map,” said Tuzet.
Now the female-owned business is the newest addition to Wine Spectator’s awards list.
“I was definitely really thrilled and excited. It was something that my mom and I ran to the store and actually got a copy of The Wine Spectator,” said Tuzet.
One of the hallmarks of Putnam’s is their effort to foster an educational environment.
“I think it gets filtered here a little bit because Putnam is a testament to the female powered economy,” said Kelsey Rush, the Owner of Putnam’s. “Honestly, here at Putnam’s, hospitality is a career. It’s not just a stopover. And so it’s been really important for us to find people who are passionate about wine and really passionate about hospitality.”
More than a dozen other establishments in Vermont have been recognized on Wine Spectator’s list.
“When I told people I had a business idea and I wanted to try this, the feedback was — ‘this is beer culture,’ ‘people drink at home,’ ‘people don’t go out,’ ‘this is a very bad business idea,’ ‘Don’t do it,’– but I believed that there are stories in wine and people want to learn about and that this community actually wants a place to sit and gather, especially after COVID,” said Rush.
Dining and Cooking