How our journey began

Welcome to Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard, previously Pontchartrain Vineyards.

Southeast Louisiana’s premiere vineyard and winery, Pontchartrain Vineyards, has been purchased by Neil Gernon and Monica Bourgeois of Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard. Monica and Neil have extensive history in the Louisiana wine market, dating back to their starts within the New Orleans restaurant arena, before moving on to retail wine management, then wine distribution, before starting their first wine company out of California, Vending Machine Wines.

YES, WE ARE FROM AND LIVE IN LOUISIANA! :)

We started Vending Machine Wines in 2009 as a method of expressing ourselves and finding a distinctive voice in the wine market. We wanted to make thoughtful wines that filled a need that wasn’t being met at the time. While the backbone of our portfolio was classic Napa varietals, we began tweaking some of the flavor profiles to showcase our palates. Less oaky cabernets and chardonnays, and interesting varietal blends. And as our tastes evolved, we began to play around with more experimental expressions of wines creating Pet Nat’s, chillable reds and a soon to be released low alcohol Piquette.
When we realized Pontchartrain Vineyards was for sale, instinctively we were curious. Quarantine had given us the rare opportunity to take stock in what we wanted for our future, and we found ourselves investing our time in ways to better ourselves and our quality of life. LSU had offered an online gardening course that basically set everything in motion as we found ourselves more drawn to learning about self sufficiency and sustainability within our community, and the desire to be more involved in the creation of something fresh and interesting in Louisiana. And while we know the path to winemaking is a bit of a struggle in Southeast Louisiana, we feel the time is right and people are open to trying new styles of wines, and that we have the support of the community to be those people to bring a new perspective to this business.
We are so honored to be a part of the history that Pontchartrain Vineyards has created. In the time leading up to the sale, we were able to attend many of the Jazz in the Vines concert series and one of the wine club releases and were greeted overwhelmingly with positive energy. It is so clear how important this site is within the community for bringing friends and family together over concerts and glasses of wine, and we feel honored to be the ones to continue those traditions at the vineyard.

About Pontchartrain Vineyards:

For almost thirty years, Pontchartrain Vineyards has been the example of what hard work and Louisiana hospitality can accomplish. Founded by John Seago in the 90s, the vision was that of a tuscan tasting room, creating wines that paired well with our most beloved Louisiana cuisines. When John retired, his partner Lincoln Case took the reins. Everyone who has been to Pontchartrain Vineyards over the past few years knows owner and winemaker Lincoln, and probably his giant wolfhound puppy, Korben. Under difficult growing conditions, Lincoln has cultivated a wine program that included both locally grown grapes, such as Blanc Du Bois, as well as California grown international varietals Cabernet and Merlot. The wines are fresh and tasty and unique amongst the handful of Louisiana wineries, and we look forward to working with Lincoln in our new adventure as we continue to build upon his success.

Why Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard

Acquiring businesses with alcohol licenses is complicated, and while we want to honor the history that Pontchartrain Vineyards represents, we also needed to form a new identity that better represented where we were and who we are. Located in Bush, Louisiana, we felt we wanted to pay homage to this charming area of St. Tammany Parish. And our instinct was that we would be taking a bit of a wild approach to our methods, leaning towards native muscadine plants, blueberries, Mayhaws, pears and of course, hybrid grape varietals that can produce wines of high quality. We intend to incorporate all areas of plant farming, growing small crop vegetables and flowers, focusing on native plants and creating a sustainable environment for the rich ecosystem surrounding us. Hence the name Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard seemed like a perfect fit. We are thrilled to be a part of this beautiful landscape and still find ourselves wide eyed as we pass the neighboring Longhorn ranch and scenic horse farms on our drive in from New Orleans.

The Future

We are like teenagers right now, filled with dreams and ideas on how we want to express ourselves in our new roles as farmers and makers. We want to make new styles of beverages, incorporating orchard fruit into our wines, making ciders from foraged fruit, creating canned wines, kegged wines, and yes, traditional wines as well. We are creative types, and with the possibilities ahead as we basically start from scratch, we want to explore all of our wild ideas. We want to invite local wine enthusiasts in the industry to come get their hands dirty, learn more about the production process of winemaking and to have the opportunity to have real hands on experience with winemaking within Louisiana.
Beyond production, we couldn’t be more excited about continuing the Jazz in the Vines series, and expanding on events at the vineyard. We are looking forward to bringing more events to the space and seeing more of our friends and neighbors enjoying the beautiful environment.