A Row of Petit Manseng?

We decided to plant a row of Petit Manseng. We tasted several wines made from this varietal grape at different Virginia wineries. At the 2010 Drink Local Wine Conference held in Virginia, Petit Manseng was mentioned as a promising grape to grow in that state. In tastings, we discovered that is can be harvested in […]

Will the Blue Light Special Really Work?

Yesterday Kathy and I assembled blue growtubes to place over the vines we plated in the vineyard last weekend. A translucent blue flexible piece of plastic is rolled and placed into a blue soft plastic sleeve. This grapevine shelter created by Blue-X is supposed to provide several benefits for newly planted grapevines. The obvious advantage […]

Wine is Made in the Vineyard?

There is a saying that I hear all the time, “Wine is made in the vineyard.” I know of the hard work winemakers put in at a winery. Having experienced some of the fun as well as more mundane tasks at wineries has given me an appreciation for the efforts that winemakers put forth. Then […]

Observing Vineyards in Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma

I’ve been observing vineyards in Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa counties for the last couple weeks. I’ve noticed that many of the Sonoma and Napa vineyards have few weeds and some look well manicured. In Mendocino I’ve observed quite a different scene. Vineyard rows were filled with what appeared to be weeds. However on closer inspection […]

Small Vineyard Takes Root in Howard County, Maryland

Although Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland is a custom crush facility where anyone can craft a barrel of wine, the winery is venturing into a new area today. Behind the present winery facility, farmland was plowed. Today we start planting grape vines. Kathy and I will be there to help. Not that we have […]