Seth Carey points out the obvious — things are a little messy at Hillbilly Bob’s Winery & Woodfired Grill in Rumford Point where his country wine is for sale. Or you may have a modest dinner, sing karaoke, listen to music or watch the Boston Red Sox on the big screen.

“Most people would not open until everything is perfect,” Carey said. “But for me, it’s Hillbilly Bob’s. I can get away with some things … even if some people might say, ‘You threw that junk in the corner on purpose.'”

Inside a former chicken barn he converted into a wine shack — which he operates as SunMade Naturals, he said — Carey makes small-batch country wines from blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and even staghorn sumac.

“It tastes like strawberry lemon,” he said of the sumac wine, which he strains, or “racks,” using cheesecloth.

Bottles of wine sell for $4-$5.

In a walk around the property — there are roses in the thorns, a truck with its guts spilled beside it, the porch overflowing with odds and ends — sit four tables dressed in brightly colored cloths and adorned with centerpieces of squashes and plants.

Nearby, a half-built stage awaits live music. An old tank serves as a wood-fired barbecue grill. A trailer once used for storage is a kitchen. Some appliances are still works in progress. The ice cream maker needs repair before Carey can begin making mint ice cream, and the food processor won’t shred, so a giant zucchini lies waiting.

Even so, Carey is passionate about what he hopes to achieve at the winery.

“It’s that cozy feel  —  that’s what I’m going for. Sitting down to dinner, the family atmosphere, where the kids are playing nearby,” he said.

Carey bought the 1865 farmhouse on 5 acres of former pastureland at an auction for $65,000 in 2018 after his home burned down. He has planted sunflowers, gladiolas, onions and peach trees, and hopes to add fruit trees out back.

He admits he has a lot of everyday experimentation going on and that there have been several hiccups in this new business. Weeds have taken over most of his garden and his tomato plants, at a different locale, were eaten by something, but he’s not sure what.

He is, however, filled with wonder by what survives and he is undaunted as he forges forward pointing out some barley growing by accident from spilled beer-in-the-making, and explaining that he’s grafting apple trees, growing hot peppers and fennel, and even grinding wormwood for tea.

“I come from a farming, gardening family,” he said. “Growing your own stuff, knowing what’s in your food … It’s from out of left field for most people who are used to seeing an Applebee’s or a McDonald’s commercial. That’s the culture we’ve been fed. I’m doing it my way and we’ll see what happens.”

Carey, a former lawyer who had legal battles of his own and who at one time had sought elected office, now splits his time between food, farming, church on Sundays and performing. A member of the Rumford Association for the Performing Arts, he’s rehearsing for the Christmas play — a natural fit for someone who grew up doing holiday skits with his family, including one his cousin annually performed called “Hillbilly Bob’s.”

Carey said he once made enough money bartending at Sunday River to move to Hawaii, but not enough to stay very long.

“It was the best job I ever had,” Carey said. “But I come from a high-achieving family. Bartending and making food was fun, but I had to move on and have a serious career.”

He admits he may want to eventually return to law.

“I’m not really making a living with what I’m doing,” he said.

In the meantime, “I want to spread my philosophy of what good food is. I feel like it’s so rare. It’s incumbent on me to change the framework of what good food is and how important it is to eat healthy,” he said.

Art, culture and performing arts are part of that vision.

“This is what I want to do in the second part of my life, since I’m 50. I want to have a family, and this is a good way to meet someone — maybe.”