LIVERMORE — Boothby’s Orchard and Farm Winery opened its doors and gates September 8 for the 20th annual Maine Apple Sunday.

Fifth grader Adney is part of the seventh generation of Boothbys living on and working the family farm. She spent the day working in the farm store and as tour guide on wagon rides taking visitors from the store to the back orchards to pick. She pointed out sights along the way—the outdoor chapel where weddings take place, picnic areas, corn fields and cow pastures.

Adney’s mom Denise was busy running the farm store Sunday, while dad Rob Boothby provided wagon rides. Denise reminded visitors to sample apples before picking, as there were many choices.

“We have twelve varieties in the orchard,” she said. “They are all ready for picking except for honey crisp.”

In addition to apples, there was plenty of sweet corn for sale, pasture-raised beef, squash, and cider and Cabot cheese (which were also offered as samples). The Boothbys have also expanded into wines over the past few years.

“We started with apple wine, using unpasteurized cider,” Denise explained. “We make Harvest Blend, which is an extra dry apple table wine, and Orchard White, which a lighter, semi-sweet wine.”

Success with apple wines made the Boothby’s decide to try their hand at reds. They now tend to a half-acre of wine grapes. This year’s crop is almost ready for harvest. Their farm brands are Rustic Red and Barn Door Red, produced from grape varieties Marquette and Frontenac, respectively. They also sell a Farm Fusion Strawberry wine that they distill, using strawberries from another local grower.

“We put up about six barrels of red wine last year,” said Rob Boothby. “That equates to about 1,800 bottles of wine. Last year I also supplied about 3,000 pounds of crushed grapes to a local wine distiller.”

With their foray into a vineyard, is wine the future of the Boothby Farm and winery?

“No, it’s not,” said Boothby. “It’s a nice add-on to the orchard and weddings, but it won’t be our focus. Apples are number one. And we hold about seven weddings a year in the barn, and other events as well. This weekend we’re hosting a fund raiser to benefit three Maine kids with Ataxia-telangiectasia. So our core farm business is not going to change. The winery compliments it.”

Sunday was a busy day for the Boothbys. And things won’t be any quieter next weekend.

“We have the barn dance fundraiser Saturday. And we will be open the following weekend too,” said Denise. “September 21 is Open Winery Day. We will have wine tastings, tours of the winery, and more of everything you see here today.”

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