Chertok Wines began with a simple mission: to produce authentic New England wine at an accessible price point.  There’s so much elegant, creative domestic wine out but the Rose-Chertok family wanted to offer something that was both artisanal and accessible.  They set out to conjure up rustic, natural wines that taste like home and don’t break the bank.   In the early days, their garage winery space in Sudbury MA didn’t have running water and everything was done with hand tools and peasant gear.   While the operation has grown and professionalized, a dedication to handwork and minimalism has preserved the rustic, homespun personality of our wines.  

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Chertok is a family name meaning ‘little cherti’ referring to the pre-Christian, Russian spirits that were believed to inhabit the world alongside us.  There’d be a cherti in your wood stove, another in your stable, a cherti would inhabit the centuries old tree near your house and one would prowl the nearby stream.  When the Church arrived, the Cherti were literally demonized, recast as the enemies of holiness.  Winemaker Max Rose writes "We’re a somewhat puckish lot and the idea of the maligned but actually well-meaning spirits really appealed, hence Chertok Wines!"