Planting New Vineyards and a Recipe, Too!

Hello everyone!  I hope you are having a wonderful day today – enjoying the sights and sweet fragrance of spring!

If you are coming up to the winery this weekend, you will notice some work being done on the front field that borders the lane.  We are having new grapevines planted!  We’ve included a picture below of the contraption (and the three guys) that actually do the planting.  If you remember from a previous blog, the grapes in the front vineyard were taken out and the ground was being prepared for the new vines.  Eric (our vineyard manager) had to properly prepare the soil before the new little ones (vines, that is) were put into the ground.  Why, you ask?  Because even if, to you and I, it seems that the plants look healthy, and seem to need only water, soil and sun, there is more needed for their care.  If the nutrients in the soil, especially pH, are not correct, the new tender vines do not have the ability to access the nutrients in the soil, and so they don’t thrive.

For our grapevines, we hire a special company out of New York that specializes in planting grapes.  The vines that they are planting in the picture – our front vineyard – are Chambourcin.   We are also adding new vines to the back 40 (a farmer term for the back 40 acres, similar to the back nine in golf!)  The back vineyard is being put into a grape called Albarino (pronounced Albareenyo).  It is a grape that originated in Spain.  It is like a Chardonnay with a little more flavor, more rounded with a better nose (one time I’ll have to do a blog on all of that!).  If you would like to see the new Albarino vineyard while visiting us,  you will have to take a hike up the hill that is cattycorner to the big barn that the wine tasting room is in.  Both the Chamborcin and the Albarino will produce a harvest in about three years, and from there it will be about one year until it is available to drink.

That seems like a very long time to wait!  But, all good things come to those who wait (at least that’s what I’ve been told), so wait we will – patience is a virtue in winemaking!

If you would like to find out more about the Albarino grape, here is a link that might help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albari%C3%B1o

We do hope you had a happy and safe Memorial Day.  We honor those who have died in service to our country.  May they rest in peace.

With lots of warm weather days in our future, we have concocted a fun little recipe – enjoy!

Wine slushy

3/4 cup Pineapple Sherbet

1/2 cup Mango Sangria

3/4 cup Ice

Put all in a blender, pour, and enjoy!  Serve with fresh pineapple wedges.

– pinky