Meet Robert and Raquel Mullaney of 1620 Winery & Wine Bar in Plymouth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert and Raquel Mullaney.

Robert and Raquel, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We owned a Home Healthcare company for 15 years based out of Plymouth, MA we sold in 2015 and saw that the Plymouth Winery (est. in 1975) was up for sale. We stopped in to look and thought that the location would make a great Wine Bar, but not a winery. So we bought it, gutted the place, moved the wine making operations a mile down the road to Cordage Park and turned the old Plymouth Winery into the 1620 Wine Bar. The bar features our wines and wines made all over Massachusetts as well as craft beers and a full cocktail menu. For food we offer gourmet Cheese and Charcuterie boards, Homemade Hummus Boards and homemade desserts. Live music on the patio overlooking Plymouth Harbor from Wed. to Sunday. There is also a private tasting room for the winery which is also used as a private function room.

Now we are working on turning the 21,000 Sq. Ft. Cordage Park building into a full wedding/event venue that will include our operating Winery, a Craft Brewery, two ballrooms, a tasting room, retail sales, premier tastings in the barrel room, and a wine coop where the public can make and bottle their own private label wines.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The major struggles were dealing with the ABCC. In the State of MA. You cannot own a winery and a wine bar. So we had to incur major legal fees to structure two separate corporations with separate ownership and keep the two entities completely divided.

Also we continue to have major issues with The Town of Plymouth. Permitting has been a nightmare and there does not seem to be a light at the end of that particular tunnel.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about 1620 Winery & Wine Bar – what should we know?
We are a winery and wine bar featuring Massachusetts wines. No one else does that. We have started from scratch and made a profit at the bar in its initial year. The timing for the wedding venue seems to be right on, as we continue to get remarkable interest and bookings almost daily.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
It’s just my wife and myself, but the success is attributable to hiring the best staff possible. We have had very little turnover since our inception and have built a team that is growing along with us and developing into our management staff for today and on a track to manage the wedding/event venue at Cordage as well.

Contact Info:

• Address: Bar = 170 Water Street – Plymouth, MA
  Winery = 49 Cordage Park Circle – Plymouth, MA
• Website: 1620winery.com
• Phone: 508-746-3532
• Email: info@1620winery.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/1620winery
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/1620winery
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/1620winery
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/1620-winery-plymouth-2

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