Walter Channing

Walter Channing was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts, where he developed an early fascination for trees.

After graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he moved to New York City, where he built a career as a venture capitalist while continuing to pursue his interest in trees and developing a practice as a wood sculptor.

In 1977, Walter bought a potato farm on Scuttlehole Road in Bridgehampton, where he built a home, an art studio, and a sculpture garden and later planted our first Chardonnay vines in 1982.

Walter's artistic spirit, love for the land, and passion for gathering people together inspired his vision for the winery, which he built alongside his wife, Molly, and named after his four daughters, Francesca, Isabella, Sylvia, and Nina.

A lovable troublemaker with a twinkle in his eye, Walter spent his life making extraordinary — and often playful — works of art, many of which still grace our tasting room and grounds. His iconic inverted tree sculptures have become local landmarks and were the inspiration for the Channing Daughters logo.

Walter's legacy lives on in his four daughters and is imbued in every inch of the property.

More can be found about Walter in his New York Times Obituary, his 1992 interview in The Paris Review, and here.