All of the Virginia grape growers that I have spoken with lately are very glad that the words "Polar Vortex" have not been used in our weather forecast so far this winter. The danger point for many vines planted in the area is zero Fahrenheit. Last year we had -7F on our farm while folks in New York and Ohio had temps in the -20s. These low temperatures will not only kill off bud that would have been fruitful for the year ahead, but also can kill off the vines.

 

We put new vines in the ground last spring and they grew quite well. To protect them from a potentially harsh winter, we covered the graft union with mulch. This hopefully will keep the graft a few degrees warmer than the air, keeping some buds alive to regrow the vine in the spring.  

 

With our older vines, we are currently pruning off all of the dead wood and long branches that were left on the vine last year. Because there was such die back and lack of fruit from extreme temperatures last season, we let the vines grow rather free form. We decided not to cut back the dead wood until now because we were so busy during the growing season tending to the unaffected vines. The dead wood does not spread diseases right away in the vineyard but it can harbor diseases over the years. We are hoping that this rebuilding process of vines will be completed in 2 years.  

 

Little sayings can mean a lot:

 

With social media as integrated in our society as it is today, the prolific number of quotes, sayings and words of wisdom being passed around can be overwhelming. Sayings like "minds are like parachutes, they only work if they are open" are thoughtful, opinionated and also rather hard to argue with. I remember years ago the Lipton teabags had a saying on the tab. I used to drink tea just to read more of the sayings. As I have posted in the past, I have come up with a few of my own sayings to help myself and the younger folks I teach to understand some important points.

 

"If you are working for me, your job is to make me money." As cold and heartless as this may sound, it is a fundamental level of work ethic that is not always taught in school. The advantage of working for a small business is that an astute employee can basically see all aspects of the business in a small area and time frame. Learning where the value is and how one's job can make money is an easier job in a small business than working for a large corporation or government entity. Helping this next generation understand how to make the most of their labor contributions is important to our business, their next employer, and I think, society in general.  

 

 

 

   
The production side of the house was happy to help host two events in January. The first was a Tannat vertical where we tasted 2008-2012 Tannat in our cellar. The second was a Cabernet Sauvignon (aka Fratelli) vertical where we tasted 2007, 2008 and 2012, along with a 2013 barrel sample of the final blend and the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bethany Ridge vineyard in Waterford. We used to manage this property but now we work with the grower for Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon. We hope to do more of these events, so you can get a behind-the-scenes peek at what we do!

   
If you did not get to taste the Cabernet Sauvignon at the vertical, the month of February is your chance! For this month only we will be tasting the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon in the tasting room and then we will tuck it away again for a later release. We have not released a Cabernet Sauvignon since our 2008 blend, so there is no better time than February to stop by for a tasting. See you at the vineyard!