Bettina Doultan peers out from behind a patch of sunflowers on Cellardoor Winery's property.
A vetting of potential business purchases ensued, and when a friend told her about a winery for sale, Doulton decided it was worth a look. Immediately, on her first visit, she fell in love with the Lincolnville property, situated on Maine’s mid-coast near the Camden Hills. She was particularly charmed by the circa 1790 barn that was its centerpiece. One visit to Cellardoor Winery and it immediately felt like home. Ironically, after years spent analyzing businesses for their profit potential, Doulton suddenly found herself sitting on the other side of the desk, overseeing an enterprise all her own. “To be clear, I had no business buying a winery,” she says, laughing. “I called my mother in Florida to tell her that I had bought a 68-acre farm in Maine, and you could hear a pin drop,” she adds. After taking the helm at Cellardoor, Doulton embarked on what she calls a 10-year learning curve. “As a portfolio manager, I never dealt with machinery breaking down or calling in payroll; suddenly, the
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tables were turned,” she explains. Her initial naivety notwithstanding, Doulton forged full steam ahead, applying her business acumen and general can-do attitude to every aspect of her new endeavor. As the farm’s fourth owner in a century, she tread lightly in some areas, keeping the winery’s name (“It has a good heart to it,” she says) and preserving its logo, whose origin is rather unique. Back in the early 1900s, a wanderer searching for work carved the “H” symbol into one of the barn doors. It was a signal to fellow travelers that the farm was a safe haven, and Doulton has maintained this welcoming status by prioritizing visitors from the moment they arrive. “The first years were all about improving the wines and the customer experience,” she relates. Renovating the property’s farmhouse and barn while preserving their character came first. Now, enveloped by the barn’s warm, rustic ambience, visitors can pony up to its U-shaped tasting bar, peruse the gift shop or head outside to the new back deck where views to Levenseller Mountain and grape fields abound.
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