When it comes to tending Freedom Run Winery’s vineyard, orchard and organic vegetable garden, there’s nobody more apt for the job than co-owner Chip Manning. Described by brothers Larry and Sean Manning as someone with a highly developed green thumb, Chip can usually be found among Freedom Run’s 10 acres of vines, coaxing from them six different varieties of vinifera grapes that eventually become the winery’s showpieces. But he doesn’t just have his eye trained on Freedom Run’s fruits and vegetables. He is also, with the help of Amish craftsmen in the area, in the midst of renovating the grand old barn that’s adjacent to the tasting room.
A culinary school alum, Chip – who left a local mill in Cambria, New York to work alongside his brothers and other family members at Freedom Run – is known throughout the area for going out of his way to help anyone who needs it. With wife Vicki at his side – who helms Freedom Run’s accounting department and runs its organic-vegetable farmstand – the two work diligently to keep the winery’s agricultural operations running smoothly. But like everyone else in the Manning family, it’s nothing if not a labor of love for the pair, born from a tireless work ethic that can literally be seen – as well as tasted.
