Friday, June 25, 2010

A lively vineyard

Another hot week has passed but fortunately we got a couple big showers this week and the crops are looking good. Corn has started to tassel and grapes are growing with vigor. Some of the vines we planted earlier this year, in April, have already reached the top wire and we may get some fruit from them next season!

There are lots of critters in the vineyards too, such as the Japanese beetles that Richard attacked early this morning. On a friendlier note, there are also abundant killdeer nests and babies running around. They're not harmful to the grapes and they're pretty cute so they're welcome to stick around.

The Dorchester retired teachers held a successful fundraiser last week. The group raised a couple thousand dollars for the scholarship fund and everyone seemed to enjoy the evening. Time Out, led by drummer and former teacher Shelby Clendaniel, kept the atmosphere light with lots of good tunes. Alison Layton played the role of impartial drawer of door prizes, and Molly Meridith provided delicious crab dip and other munchies for the evening fare.

We've got some more music lined up for July and August, as well as a new event we're calling Sundaes at Sunset. We'll serve ice cream sundaes topped with Joe's Cool Red and you can enjoy the setting sun as it goes down behind the vineyard. Check out our website for more details and dates.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

RTA fundraiser!

The teachers (of the Dorchester Retired Teachers Association) have set up the event room and everything is ready to go for tonight's big event. It's our first private event using the winery event room and we're excited to see how it goes.

Over 100 tickets have been sold, and there are several tables laden with silent auction items and door prizes from the Dorchester business community. Thanks to everyone who contributed!



Sally Work, our jeweler, came by with a beautiful selection of new necklaces. Her pieces are unique pieces of art. Maybe we can convince her to hold a class here and we can learn the magic of what she does.

Everyone has been out sweating in the vineyard this week, especially Nellie and Janet. I think they've made it halfway through the Chambourcin but the vines aren't slowing down for a minute. Now if only it would rain to keep everything green.

We have two new inhabitants at the winery- Alison and Stephen Layton. School's out and they've got plenty of space to run around. Both kids have been helping hoe the vineyard, coming in often to cool off. Their latest plan is to convince Jennifer that we need a winery dog. Let's see how persuasive the munchkins can be...

Friday, June 11, 2010

LC wine available at your local liquor store!


Three weeks after opening and things are starting to get back to normal. The vines are growing vigorously and a lot of energy is required to tame them. We have to "tuck them in"- that is, take the vines which are growing in all directions and stick them into the wire so that they grow down from the top wire. It sounds more complicated than it is. But it is tricky to separate the vines and make sure the bunches of grapes are hanging freely. Sometimes the vines snap if you look at them wrong, as Nellie shared with me yesterday.


In the tasting room we've done a little rearranging and received a shipment of really cool t-shirts from California. Have you seen Jen's awesome "Nice Rack" shirt, or Laura's "Well Red"? We ordered a good selection this time, and even a few t-shirts for men!

We also started distributing through local liquor stores in the past week. Best Wine and Spirits in Cambridge (off Rt. 50, heading east) and Cambridge Wine and Spirits (109 Cedar St) will carry a selection of our wines. Also, the Wine Rack in Fruitland is carrying several of our wines, and Millie's Roadhouse will serve Layton's Chance wine! You'll still have to come to the winery to buy a bottle of Rosé though. It's the wine made entirely from our own grapes and is an extremely limited wine!

Keep checking our website for updates on what's happening. We've booked Randy Lee Ashcraft again on August 8th and we've got several other bands coming in the next few months. There will be plenty of lazy days and good wine to enjoy this summer.