Goal Setting for 2023

This a bittersweet time of the year. The harvests are all in. The leaves on the vines begin to wither and we begin planning what will unfold to be next year’s Virginia vintage. Hours upon hours of winter pruning, spring shoot thinning, summer leaf pulling, and fall harvest is the agricultural romance that brings this love in a bottle to you.

While it looks like we will be doing nothing between now and next spring, Matt is working in the winery nights and weekends with fermentation and aging the wines and to plan our next year’s products that can only be made from the estate. This is a part-time vocation for him, yet a full-time commitment to consistency and quality. Each year the grapes are a little more mature, bringing the true characteristics of the varietal to the forefront. There will be more plantings, vineyard maintenance, fence maintenance and property maintenance from now through 2023. We both agree that working full-time career and a part-time profession can be overwhelming. At least when he retires from his career I know what he will be doing full-time.

While I’m back in the office full-time this winter, my days are longer and more complicated. Developing our budget begins in November with a refined focus on the important parts of our business for 2023. This is the time of year I put together events for next year starting with the 3rd Annual Wine and Chocolate pairing in February. My goal is to bring some unique and more frequent events. While our non-traditional wine club is ever changing it has flourished with camaraderie that fills our hearts. There will be more offsite interactions with local businesses, farms and festivals to spread the word, not just of our business, but to promote their business operations and mission.

While this is not the end of the year, but the end of a season and time to have a fresh reflection. Each year there is a little something new to learn; from the vineyard, in the winery, from our partners, from our guests, and from life.  Santé!

The Vineyard is in Full Swing

The vineyard is in full swing.  We are going to have a great harvest year.  The dry summer will produce beautiful, flavorful fruit.  Hopefully, I’m not jinxing the harvest but the abundance will be good for an increase to our volume in winemaking and give us the opportunity to expand our tasting menu from the current five wines.   We are looking forward to harvesting Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon for the first time this year.  If the yield is predictable we should get enough to make a barrel of each.  That equates to approximately 300 bottles of each varietal or about 25 cases of each.  It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s how we always envisioned our winery – unassuming and limited production.  All in all, with an average of 500 cases sold through the tasting room, this brings us to our goal for future winery projects.

Pinot Noir

Cabernet Sauvignon

We’ve been open a full month and already we have exceeded our target numbers.  So many of you have visited more than once and brought friends.  We want our winery to be a place where we can meet and talk with each of you.  After 2020 everyone seems hungry for conversation and we are developing some great friendships.  We were happy to see our guests enjoying themselves on the patio and in the tasting room. The weather has been pleasant and the elevation helps out a lot.  We are blessed to have this journey and will take you with us along the way.

In case you missed it, we were featured on a local valley TV station, and several media outlets.  It seems they were just as excited for us to open as we were.  If you missed Laura Peters’ article on the winery in the News Leader, here is the link to Vino and Stunning Mountain Views.

Thank you everyone that visited this month.  Since our winery journey began in 2010, we have always believed that our purpose is provide wines you enjoy with the hospitality you deserve.

Thank you for believing in us.  We look forward to serving you once again!

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