Living Roots Wine & Co.

Living Roots Wine & Co. is an urban winery founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Sebastian and Colleen Hardy. Sebastian brings a sixth-generation winemaking background from South Australia — his ancestor Thomas Hardy immigrated there in 1850 — while Colleen grew up in Rochester and shifted from a marketing career to winemaking after working at a cellar in South Australia's McLaren Vale. Together they operate a 7,500-square-foot winemaking facility and tasting room on University Avenue in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts, which opened in November 2017. The winery also maintains vineyard operations in the Finger Lakes and in the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia.

The Rochester tasting room pours wines produced from two distinct climates. Finger Lakes production focuses on cool-climate whites and sparkling wines, drawing from varieties like Riesling, Chardonnay, Cayuga White, and Aromella, while the Australian side emphasizes reds. Visitors can order tasting flights, half-glasses, full glasses, or carafes, and take bottles home from the retail shop. Cheese boards and small bites — including both local and Australian cheeses — round out the food menu. A converted 1930s bank vault inside the space hosts private tastings, wine classes, and events for up to 30 seated guests or 35 standing. Walk-in bar seating is first come, first served, and high-top tables can be reserved for groups of up to eight.

Living Roots is Rochester's only urban winery, producing small-batch wines that lean on minimal-input methods and highlight regional character. The operation is notable for working hybrid grape varieties alongside traditional vinifera — old-vine Elvira and Marquette sit in the lineup next to Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. Experimental releases like Red Rizza, a Riesling fermented on Cabernet Franc skins, reflect the winery's blend of heritage technique and willingness to try unconventional combinations.

The tasting room sits at 1255 University Avenue, Suite 100, in the heart of Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts — a stretch of University Avenue near the intersection with Goodman Street that is home to galleries, restaurants, and independent shops. Hours run Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 10 p.m. and weekends starting at noon (Saturday until 10 p.m., Sunday until 6 p.m.); the winery is closed Mondays. Street parking is available along University Avenue and surrounding side streets.