Harvest 2012: Grower Tom Tower on the Rocks

Posted October 26, 2012 by Bryan Calandrelli in Regions

Youngstown farmer Tom Tower is no stranger to the spotlight in Western New York. He’s a driving force behind several local farmers’ markets and he’s been supplying some of the best chefs in the region with his fruits and vegetables long before it was hip to eat local.

These days Tower has thrown his trademark hat into the grape growing ring by supplying winemaker Jonathan Oakes and the rest of the crew at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery with grapes grown on his farm just 1.5 miles south of Lake Ontario.

I had the opportunity to do an on camera interview a few weeks ago during his syrah harvest. It’s hard not to capture his wisdom, enthusiasm, and curiosity on just a few minutes of film.