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Trestle 31 story

Family Run and Family Owned in New York's Finger Lakes Region

Ever since Brian and Nova met in 2000, they knew they had something special.  Both are driven and passionate with a constant thirst for knowledge.  Brian has the entrepreneurial spirit to come up with great ideas and Nova has the persistence to bring them into reality.  Together they have charted the course of their lives built around the single dream of owning their own vineyard, initiated by Brian who now famously stated “It can’t be that hard!”

The name Trestle 31 comes from the large railroad trestle that is prominent from the top of the vineyard on Seneca Lake. 

This trestle is also the inspiration for the drawing on the front label. Tracts of land in New York State were originally arranged by number, and 31 was the number of the future vineyard which Brian and Nova found on the deed once they received it.

Our Label Artwork and Logo

The Cadamatre family are so fortunate to have amazing artistic talent in their family. Brian and Nova wanted to keep as much of the business in the family as possible. To that end, they commissioned a drawing by Nova’s mother, prominent artist Linda Williams McCune, to make a statement on the front label. Linda’s drawings are intricate and dramatic with fine attention to detail, echoing the passion reflected in Nova and Brian’s wine style.

Brian and Nova had a clear vision for their logo: the trestle table with friends and family gathered around sharing wine and amazing food. 

To bring the idea to life, they enlisted the help of Brian’s sister, illustrator Katie Cadamatre. Through her creative direction, visual aspects of the brand developed evoking the same values and sentiment. A perfect example is the iconic label, featuring Linda’s drawing.

Trestle 31 Label artwork and Logo

Our Family

Autumn Layne Photography

Nova Cadamatre MW

A winemaker with a wide and diverse background, Nova started in wine on the East Coast as a winemaking apprentice with Stargazers Vineyard in 2003. After graduating from Cornell University in 2006 with a Bachelor’s in Viticulture, Nova moved to California. During her time in California, she worked with fruit from all over the state eventually settling in Napa and focusing on Bordeaux and Burgundian varieties from some of the top vineyards in the area including To Kalon, Vine Hill Ranch, MacDonald, Detert, and Hyde Vineyard. In 2015, she started Trestle Thirty One in the Finger Lakes of NY and currently goes back and forth between Napa and the Finger Lakes to manage both her CA projects and her projects in NY.

In 2017, Nova was the first female winemaker in the US to achieve the title of Master of Wine. She has been named to Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 under 40 list and has numerous 90+ scoring wines to her credit from both coasts.

Learn more about Nova on her website (www.novacadamatre.com), on Twitter @NovaCadamatre, and on Instagram @nova_cadamatre.

Brian Cadamatre - Trestle 31

Brian Cadamatre

Brian is the visionary behind he and Nova’s dream to start their own vineyard. His love of nature and the outdoors drew him to major in Forestry and Natural Resources Management at SUNY-Environmental Science and Forestry. After moving to CA in 2006, he started working for one of the world’s largest dairy companies however once he and Nova moved up to Napa in 2009, he landed a job in the wine industry managing warehouse movements and strategy for Treasury Wine Estates. His analytical mind and business savvy quickly made him a valuable asset and he moved up the ladder in different departments. 

Eventually, he landed as the Senior Analyst of Business and Capabilities for Treasury’s North American operations. After several years, he moved to work with Jean Charles Boisset where he worked on merger and acquisitions as well as business strategy and planning. Once they were asked to move back to the Finger Lakes, Brian worked as a business consultant and then as a Finance Manager for Constellation in their operations finance group. Brian runs the business side of Trestle Thirty-One, including business strategy, product costing, and regulatory affairs. 

Sue Conrad

Hospitality Manager

Sue joins us with a wealth of wine industry experience both as the Tasting Room Manager/Events Coordinator at Vincent Arroyo Winery (Calistoga, CA) and most recently as the Tasting Room Manager/Events and Wine Club Manager at Missick Cellars Winery (Dundee/Geneva, NY). She has a passion for wine and has traveled extensively to personally research key wine regions. 

So far she has visited Italy, Spain, France, Germany, New Zealand, Austria, Oregon, Washington State, California, and the Texas Hill Country. Originally she was a physical/earth science teacher with a minor in Geology and has been married 36 years to her college sweetheart.  They have two grown children.  She Resides directly on the west side of Seneca Lake just south of Dresden, NY.  She Enjoys all lake activities especially boating, kayaking and lake glass hunting.  She also plays tennis, pickleball and golf in her free time.

David Cole - Trestle 31

David Cole

Dave provides a trusted sounding board for Nova and Brian and assists with administrative tasks for the business. He attended St. John Fisher, graduating with a degree in economics and obtained an MBA in Finance & Organizations at the University of Rochester Simon School. The majority of Cole’s career was spent with two companies, General Motors, and Constellation Brands, working in various finance positions: usually supporting operations. He was recognized throughout his career for the ability to lead people, manage change, and develop cross-functional relationships.

Dave’s interest in wine and career converged when he joined Canandaigua Wine Company just before Constellation Brands began their explosive growth phase. 

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His work assignments at Constellation provided an opportunity to learn about all aspects of the wine supply chain and in geographic areas around the globe. Cole’s connection to Trestle 31 began the summer of 2005, as he and Tim Moore (Inspire Moore founder) worked with Cornell to update information on the economics of grape growing in WNY. The study needed an intern, who happened to be, drumroll please, Nova. She impressed both and that introduction began a valued, on-going friendship. Dave brings to Trestle 31 his passion for wine, focus on strategy, and hands-on dedication to helping the “dream” thrive.

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