2011: A Late Spring?

Iris lane in bloom in late May 2010

Well, compared to last year, it does indeed feel like a late spring.  But in fact, the season is only about a week or so behind other years.  The apple trees have begun to bloom and the grape vines are starting to bud.  It does remove the perennial spring worry of an early, killing frost.  Rain, abundant this year, can also make life difficult in the spring - think mud and tractors and bogged down.   Jeff Murphy, our winemaker, has just left for the spring London International Wine Fair and will be showing our ice wines, Seyval Blanc (popular in the UK apparently), and our sparkling Traminette.  Lucky boy.

Tasting Room renovations have keep us hopping since the end of January and we are glad that they are complete.  We will need the rest of the month to prepare for the activities that will consume us in June! 

• Like iris season.  I'm trying to find those galvanized French flower buckets so that we can display and perhaps even sell iris in the winery.  
• Like the Westfield Farmer's Market.  We're going to try to be a regular vendor and offer baked goods to go along with a small selection of wine each week. 
• And like the "Chautauqua in June Learning Festival", for which I raised my hand, brainstormed about, wrestled with class descriptions, dates, and collaborative partners, and am now praying that some will find them interesting enough to entice them to register. Go to the Calendar to see What's Happening in June.  There's a "Winemaker's Dinner", "Sunday Morning Vineyard Walks" and three special classes - "Art in the Vineyards, Plein Air Painting/Drawing/Photography", "A Day in the Garden, Propagating Daylilies and Iris", and "Learn to Make Oregano Pesto".

In addition, we seem to have so much to say that we've increased our eNewsletter to a monthly publication - see the latest here:  http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs095/1103337379073/archive/1105419437315.html