Retired Bedminster Township police officer Joel Ritter and artist Mary Reshetar are teaming up again, blending their passions for wine, art and community.
Their venture, Unwine Vineyards and Art Emporium, will open this fall at 309 E. Third St. in South Bethlehem, creating an intimate space where friends and family can gather. Guests will be able to enjoy wine, beer and cocktails while browsing locally crafted goods, including paintings, candles and herbal remedies.
Ritter told What Now Philadelphia the idea for Unwine Vineyards began in New York’s Finger Lakes, where he owns a 50-acre vineyard and originally produced both hops and wine.
“I had the land, so I started planting grapes–put a couple thousand out to start and a bunch of fruit out there as well and it just kind of blossomed from there,” Ritter said.
The name “Unwine Vineyards” came from Ritter’s idea of heading to New York to unwind. He joked that tending to thousands of grapevines leaves little time to relax, but the name stuck.
The vineyard grows cold-hardy and native grapes in the region, producing wine in small batches using traditional, hands-on methods. Ritter stressed the importance of authenticity, avoiding heavy soaking and overprocessing, and letting the quality of the grape shine.
“I tell people all the time that I’m brutally honest,” Ritter said. “Even if I’m producing something and I think it’s not my best, I’ll tell people. It’s what Mother Nature gave me to work with.”
Ritter said he enjoys crafting a variety of wines, including Cayuga, Niagara, Catawba, Marquette, Riesling, Frontenac and La Crescent. He also sources Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio from regions in the West Coast better suited for those grapes.
To further develop and amplify the Unwine brand, he began collaborating with Reshetar, a seasoned artist who often visited the New York vineyard.
“She’s the artist end of it,” Ritter said. “She designed a really cool label. If you look at our label it’s unwinding with a bottle poured into a glass. It’s pretty cool.”
Reshetar, a Mansfield University graduate in art education, has worked in a variety of creative roles, from production artist for Blue Fish in Frenchtown, N.J., to teaching art at the YMCA in Quakertown and running a gallery in Manayunk, Philadelphia.
The two combined their talents—Ritter handling the wine, Reshetar the art—and opened Unwine with Art in downtown Easton on North Second Street in 2019. The venture was a hit, but Ritter said they closed in 2020 due to the global pandemic.
Now, five years later, Unwine Vineyards and Art Emporium is ready to pour back into the scene. The new location will occupy roughly 350 square feet on the ground floor of Taylor Flats, a newly constructed apartment complex.
“The place is small, but we’re all about being intimate and getting to know people,” Ritter said. “I love to make wine. I love to meet people. I’m all about having a good time and having fun.”
The new location sits near a charter school, giving students the chance to showcase their artwork alongside local artisans. Ritter and Reshetar also plan to partner with community organizations, reflecting a core part of their mission to give back.
“We’ve always been about giving back,” Ritter said. “My middle son has autism, so we’re going to do something during Autism Awareness Month, as well as support fallen heroes and cancer-related causes. We’d like to set up something where a percentage of whatever we bring in goes to these great causes.”
While Ritter said a firm opening date hasn’t been set, they hope to open in November, possibly kicking off with a Halloween-themed soft opening at the end of October.
“Talk about coming full circle. When I started law enforcement, I actually started on the south side of Bethel. So for me, it’s kind of like coming back home,” Ritter said. “The south side, it’s just beautiful now. It’s really changed, but still has the diversity in it which makes it an awesome area. We’re excited, really excited.”
