Winter Newsletter, Afton Mountain Vineyards, January 2011

It's that wonderful quiet season here... except for when the Afton winds howl, it's a beautiful setting in the winter.  The mountains surrounding us are often dusted with snow, the vines are dormant and the tasting room is much quieter.  Though we miss the excitement and energy that comes from being crazy busy like we are the other nine months of the year, this is our time to catch up on all those things that got set aside the rest of the year.

It's also vacation time for many of us in the wine industry.  After Christmas, Tony and I went to visit our daughter who's currently in New Zealand.Of course we had to taste lots of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir while we were there - some were great, some not-so-great.  It always makes me proud to come home to central Virginia where there is some truly fine wine being made.

In the quiet season, I thought we'd share a little bit about our staff and what makes each of them special to Afton Mountain Vineyards.  In alphabetical order:

Brandon Bangley - Vineyard Assistant.  Tony and I have known Brandon since he was a teenager; he's been a good friend of our son Hunter for many years.  Brandon joined us at the vineyard part-time in June, when he moved to Charlottesville from the Tidewater, VA area. He fit in seamlessly, working with Robbie on all the hottest and most tedious tasks.  Brandon was there for us tirelessly during harvest, was our front line of defense in the stink bug invasion when bottles came in from outside during wine-bottling, and is willing to help me out on Wednesdays in the Tasting House - where all the customers have come to enjoy his smiling face and low-key presence. Brandon is now full-time on our staff and we are glad to have him!

Robbie Corpora - Vineyard Manager.  Robbie is the son of Shinko and Tom, the previous owners of Afton Mountain Vineyards.  We can't say enough about how fortunate we are to have Robbie here - he knows every inch of this vineyard and beyond, every mechanical quirk of our equipment, and whom to contact when there's something that he can't fix.  Robbie is the epitome of a great manager; he works himself harder than anyone else and always still has that great smile at the end of the day!  (though we all laugh at how that smile probably got him out of trouble over the years...) Robbie has invaluable input to all things Afton Mountain; he still presides over the occasional festival for us, and his girlfriend Heather has helped out occasionally in the Tasting House or festivals and has the same wonderful smile and great attitude that Robbie does.

Lucien Dimani -Winemaker.  Lucien is a fourth-generation winemaker from Cahors, France.  With several stints in New Zealand wineries, and a graduate degree in oenology, Lucien understands so many of the nuances and details of winemaking, as well as the economics of the business as they relate to wine. He works unbelievable hours, making all the "magic" happen in the winery. He too has an infectious smile and love of pranks and jokes - we never know what to expect with Lucien.  Except that when he works in the Tasting House on occasion, he will charm everyone with his wit and smile and French accent! The young ladies always take longer when Lucien is pouring for them...

Maggie Duensing - Tasting Room.  Maggie came to us via the PVCC wine classes.  Maggie and her husband at one time had a small vineyard of their own.  Maggie is a retired attorney; her husband still runs their law practice in St Thomas, USVI.  Maggie has knowledge of great wines and all the effort it takes to produce them.  Her help in the Tasting House during harvest, and continuing occasionally throughout the year, brings a calm presence to all.

Jennifer Lewis - Tasting Room.  Jen came to us as part of the on-board staff upon our acquisition almost two years ago. Jen is invaluable for her unflagging energy and organizational skills - within an hour of opening on Saturdays, she has everything shipshape! She is a private-contract counselor for public schools during the week; pouring wine and chatting with customers on Saturdays is a break from her daily routine.  On really busy weekends, we all stand back and let Jen run the register.  She has the magic touch! And she has brought to our pouring table her fiancé, Benn, to help out at our busiest times of the year.  Jen and Benn have never had an idle moment - both are full of energy and always asking what more they can do to help.

Perkins Morgan - Tasting Room. Many of you had the opportunity to meet "Positive Perkins" from October to January in our tasting room.  Perkins has traveled the world, but comes from a Nelson County family where we bet she gives them lots of pranks, love and laughter!  She has left to go to grad school in Richmond, but we hope to keep her as involved in the AMV family as she will have time for...

Hunter Smith - Marketing and Distribution Manager. Hunter handles all of our "social media" and advertising and does it effortlessly.  We get lots of comments and praise for our website and Facebook presence, and that is all due to Hunter. He also does all the distributed sales for us in the C'ville area and other local venues.  He is almost always in front of his laptop or on the phone as his job requires, but he's also the guy in the back room putting together packages of wine to be shipped, or doing off-site tastings and deliveries of wine for distributed sales. Oh yeah - he also pours in the Tasting House a few days a week, when he's not doing everything else. It is such a pleasure to have our son work with us on a daily basis - he's always in touch, asking how the day went or updating us on his distributed sales ventures. No such thing as "off the clock" for Hunter; he truly understands the nature of a family business.

Upcoming Events:

February 19:Winter Wine Festival, Stonewall Jackson Hotel, Staunton

February 25-27:VA Wine Expo - Richmond

We are open during the winter from 11 - 5 six days a week, and closed Tuesdays as always.  

May the New Year be a good one!

Cheers -

Elizabeth and Tony Smith