Layton's Chance Blog

Happenings at the Winery

2012-01-28T10:48:00.000-05:00

Layton's Chance is gearing up to celebrate Valentine's Day in style. We will host our second annual Sweetheart's dinner on Saturday, February 11th. Catered by Suicide bridge Restaurant, this dinner will be a romantic event of candlelight, wine, and gourmet food. Layton's Chance also has special sweetheart deals with a bottle or two of wine, LC logo glasses, and chocolates. Barb has worked hard to put together beautiful bags of goodies. Check out our website to see how you can also get this package delivered directly to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.
Mark your calender for Happy Hour Karaoke on February 3rd with Bob Windosr. He always brings a crowd, and Layton's Chance has a great party on Karaoke nights. As always we will feature our light fare buffet for $7.00. Also everybody's favorite, JohnE Wa2C will be back for Happy Hour on February 16th.
Winter truly is the season of meetings. William and Jen just got back from the American Farm Bureau convention in Hawaii. Joe and Laura are headed to the National Association of Conservation Districts in Las Vegas. Farmers meet to discuss important issues in the winter, before field work starts again in the spring. The trade shows provide an overview of current technology and information, as well as the lastest products and equipment.
On Thursday, Joe, Laura, William, and Jennifer all participated in the Chamber of Commerce Buisness After Hours sponsored by Dorchester County Farm Bureau at Atlantic Tractor. Approximately 100 farmers and Chamber members gathered to learn how Dorchester County farmers are working to clean up our environment and help save the Bay.
Don't forget your sweetheart! Check out our website for all the details of how Layton's Chance can help you this Valentine's Day!

February is for Wine Lovers

2012-01-25T10:47:00.000-05:00

Lots of action at the winery these days! Jen H and Jen-Jen are planning several special events for Valentine's Day, including a Sweetheart Dinner on the 11th, catered by Suicide Bridge Restaurant. Would you like a bottle of wine delivered to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day? Check out our website for personal delivery service on that day! Richard is putting together a special View of the Vineyard this year, probably in March, and he wants everyone who planted a vine for the past three years to come out and locate their vine, pamper it, and even take a picture of it. Then you can plant a vine for this year's event as well.
Blending trials took place on Monday. What are blending trials? The staff and special invited guests take an entire afternoon to taste wine ande make decisions about what actual wines will be bottled in April. William, the winemaker, is the facilitator, and the group on Monday consisted of Jen Layton, Jen Hoffman, Barb Bailey, Pam Payne, and Jim Ogg. They tasted wines form last year, and compared them to proposed wines for thie year. Wines examined included Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, and Rose. They decided which wines would make it to the bottle on April 4th and 5th, so these blending trials are of vital importance to Layton' s Chance wine lovers. By the way, our winemaker, William, has begun classes at University of California - Davis to get his wine-making certification. UC-Davis is the premier location to study wine-making, and we are excited that William will study with the best!
Don't forget Happy Hour on February 3rd with karaoke by Bob Windosr, and Happy Hour on February 17th featuring the return or JohnE Wa2C. Two great evenings of entertainment.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-15T11:32:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year form the Laytons to all our great friends and family. We look forward to seeing you all many times in the New Year of 2012. Today is a typically busy Friday on the farm with Garland and Chuck working on equipment in the farm yard - gotta get ready for field work in the spring. Jennifer H. and Barbara are giving the tasting room a complete renovation. Richard is helping them with hammer and saw. Come in and ask him how he used his "Redneck ingenuity" for tasting room displays. He is very proud of his handiwork. Claudia is here to open the winery, and when she took one look at the revamping going on in the tasting room, she had one questions, "How"?
Joe is working in the office on production records for the last crop year - records he will use to plan his field work for the year ahead. Laura is doing payroll and paying bills - as usual! Jon is being a liason between the farm work and the winery work, and generally doing whatever is asked of him.
As those of you on Facebook know, Joe's cool Red has been an intergral part of Willam and Jen's trip to Hawaii. Joe's Cool Red has been photographed on Diamond Head and a the Dole plantation, signed by Jack Hanna, and faithfully carried all over Honolulu, Waikiki, and Maui. He has had a great trip!
As we said in our newsletter, Joe's Cool White is running low. We bottle again in April, so we might be a few weeks without our companion to Joe's Cool Red. Those of you who enjoy our "combine" might do well to come in and get a few bottles to stock up. If you don't know what a combine is, come in any day and ask the server behind the bar. Combines have been very popular, especially during Happy Hour! See you all soon!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

'Twas two days before Christmas and all through the farm and winery, the family is scurrying around trying to get everything done...The farm workers are all off next week, and the winery will be closed for three days for Christmas. Christmas is a time for family traditions, and the Layton family has plenty of those! Two days before Christmas, Joe and Laura put up the Christmas tree, and Joe bakes his famous chocolate chip Christmas cookies. Joe is the BEST cookie baker in the family. Christmas Eve is the time when the Layton side of the family gets together for dinner. This year the dinner is at Joe and Laura's house, and approximately forty guests - Joe and his four sisters as well as their children and grandchildren - will gather for dinner and a Chinese gift exchange. There are always lots of kids running around on Christmas Eve. One Christmas Day, every year, all the Layton's who are home for the holiday go to Claudia's house for an enormous Christmas breakfast. No one goes away hungry! Christmas evenging, the Hill side of the family (Laura's family) gathers at Williams and Jen's house for gift-giveing and more food! The kids have a busy Christmas of toys and food, and the adults have a busy day of food and more food!
All the Layton's wish your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and we hope you get lots of Joe's Cool Red for Christmas! If you have not signed up for our New Year's Eve party at the winery, there is still time. If will be a great way to welcome in 2012.

Preparing for the Big Day

2011-12-19T10:20:00.000-05:00

What are we doing at the winery to get ready for Christmas? The company Christmas party, organized by Barb and Richard, was last night, and employees of both Lazy Day Farms and Layton's Chance Winery had a great time. I am sure you will see some videos of the karaoke on Facebook in teh next few days. Everyone got a "gift" which fit some aspect of their personality, as we celebrated into the night Layton's Chance wine and Bob windor's karaoke. This morning we are getting ready for a day full of Christmas parties, and all the last minute shoppers that will be out this last week before Christmas. We are the perfect place for those hard-to-find gifts, as Barb can make a basket to fit any request - it doesn't even have to have wine (although we hope it does!) Don't forget to think ahead to New Year's Eve. We are planning a great dinner with food and wine pairings, and then an evening of music to ring in teh New Year with Mike Elzey and the Mayhem Band - everybody's favorite! Take some time to relax in the next week, and get ready for special holiday traditions with the family.

The Spirit of Wine

2011-12-02T12:43:00.000-05:00

A quick photo op at a recent staff meeting

Halloween. Check. Thanksgiving. Check. Tree decorated. Check. This holiday season has seemed more like a checklist than a holiday. As we were preparing for Thanksgiving sales, and making sure that the wine was ready for your Thanksgiving meal, I was struck by a pretty amazing thought. At Thanksgiving we purchase wine to enjoy with our family and friends. On Friday nights we purchase wine to share with our family and friends. When giving holiday gifts, we purchase wine to share with our family and friends. Have you found the trend here? It is a pretty amazing thought that wine can help bring people together, and such a great feeling to think that we, at Layton's Chance, are a part of that tradition. So, whether you use our wine as gifts for family - or as a gift to yourself to get through the holiday season around all of your family, we want to take this time to say, Thank You! Whatever wine you choose to celebrate wih this season(and I am not going to lie- we hope it's Layton's Chance wine!), take a minute to think of what brought you together with your friends and family. We hope that you can appreciate all of the blessings in your life. It is our great honor to be a part of your celebrations this season.

Finally......a new blog!

2011-11-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I have to start out by apologizing for the lack of blogs and updates the last few weeks....I could blame busy times, computer issues, event issues.....but alas, it is just writer's block getting in they way. Living the winery life every day, we tend to get used to the things happening around us, so when looking for new topics to update our adoring fans with, I seem to come up short. But as I was looking around the vineyard this morning, I thought...."Wow, everyone should know about this"....and with that, a renewed spirit was born! (Even though the spirit has been renewed, please don't expect amazing poetry from the writing....still pretty amateur).
I can't even begin to describe the changes in our vineyard! No longer than 2 weeks ago, I was giving a tour in the vineyard and the vines were lush(ok, so the weeds were the really lush part) and now it is barren! The vines are dying off at such a rapid rate, I can't believe it. The frost that we have received a few times in the past two weeks has really sped up the process a bit. I have been hounding our vineyard manager, Richard, for some updates on the vineyard to share. While he is a wealth of knowledge and can explain anything that happens in the winery and vineyard with the utmost confidence, getting him to write it down can be quite a chore! But, the story does have a happy ending folks...check out December's newsletter for a great update on the vineyard and what is coming up next!
Speaking of the monthly newsletter(insert segue here) did you notice the new feature, Ask the Winemaker? Our very own winemaker, William Layton, will be answering any question that you can come up with about the wine, the vineyard, the winery, and even Lazy Day Farms! Please send in your questions. Post them on Facebook, email them to info@laytonschance.com, or make sure to stop in with your Ask the Winemaker question. And of course, if you do not receive our monthly newsletters, please email info@laytonschance.com to add your email address to our list!
Now as you know, Layton's Chance is not all about wine....but the wine is pretty great isn't it? We also take care of Lazy Day Farms. Once the grapes are all of the vine, and we can put that harvest to an end, there are 1200 acres of Lazy Day Farms to be harvested as well......yep, no rest for the weary around here. Isn't working at the winery glamorous? And you thought we sat around and drank wine all day(ok, that does happen some days!) Check below for a beauty shot of some of Lazy Day Farms finest.....soybeans that is.

I would play a game of "Guess what this is" but I think I gave it away already!

Well all, thank you again for your patience in cyberspace....we have to head back in and set up for Alex and Shiloh tonight(yes, this is the glamorous part!) Make sure you check our website for up to date happenings at the winery, www.laytonschance.com, and please follow us on Facebook(we get so excited when we have a new Facebook follower, will that be you?)
See you next time!(And I promise it won't be too long!)

Monsters in the Vines

2011-10-24T20:05:00.000-04:00

Look what we found in the vineyard!

Ghosts, goblins, and pretty princesses?!?! Saturday's Halloween party at the winery had a little bit of everything! We had so much fun filling all of the community's children with candy....and then sending them home with their parents! Thank you to everyone who came out for the fun. From jack-o-lanterns in the vineyard to ring around the gourds, all of the kids seemed to have a good time.
This past weekend was full of entertainment...Chris English on Friday, Halloween party on Saturday, and Bird Dog on Sundays. Layton's Chance surely isn't just for wine! Make sure you check our website often for all of the events we have scheduled!

Next Karaoke night is
November 4th!

We are finally getting "back to normal" (whatever that is!) at the winery. The official wine festival season ended last week in Salisbury(great to see you all there!) so we are catching up on all of the pesky paperwork that needs to be done. We are also trying to get ready for Christmas....can you believe it! New merchandise is coming in pretty regularly now. We pulled through all of our decorations today(wow we have a lot of bows!) and are getting our game plan down for making the winery sparkle.
Garland and Richard are busy getting the soybeans in from the fields so make sure you wave to the tractors as you go by on the way to the winery! Hope to see you soon, and as always - Have a "Joe's Cool" kind of day!

New Wine Alert!

2011-10-18T12:37:00.000-04:00

Well, last week was all about "firsts", this week is all about NEW! We have a lot of people that have been anxiously awaiting the release of our Oaked Chambourcin. Well, wait no more....it is on the shelf! If you have not had a chance to try it, I have got to tell you, that William has outdone himself with this wine! Our 2010 Chambourcin aged in french oak chips. If you like a full bodied red wine, Oaked Chambourcin is what you are looking for! We are also starting to look towards the Christmas holiday season(I know, it's not even ! Halloween yet!) but that just means that we are already seeing some new merchandise in our tasting room. Check out the great etched crab glass in the picture with our beautiful Oaked Chambourcin. They are huge glasses and only $12! We just brought those in this week from a great group of gals that we have met at some of the local wine festivals, the Shore Sisters. They have more great merchandise as well, so let us know how you like the glasses and we will bring in some more of their great gifts!

Thank you to everyone who came by the Autumn Wine Festival in Salisbury this past weekend. We had a great time with the local crowd who already know, and love, our wines. There were some at the festival who had more fun than others(see picture!). It was a great weekend for Maryland wine! Wine festival season is coming to a close so look for some more great events at the winery. IThis weekend is a great example of how much we have planned! Friday night is Happy Hour with Chris English - Saturday(October 22nd) is our Halloween Party and we are so excited that Mindie Burgoyne will be joining us for a book signing and to tell some spooky stories! Make sure to wear your costumes - there are contests for both young and old, or old-ER I should say! And for those of you who are still fussing with Irene for cancelling Bird Dog and the Road Kings....get your dancing shoes on because they are at the winery this Sunday, October 23rd from 2-5pm! Bring all of your friends out for this local favorite! We hope to see you all soon at the winery. And as always, Have a "Joe's Cool" kind of day!

First Video Blog

2011-10-12T14:04:00.000-04:00

Click on the following link to check out our first Video Blog. Check back weekly for the updates and videos of all of our staff! See you soon at the winery, and as always "Have a Joe's Cool" kind of day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTdi8sOjmw4

Where is Joe?

2011-09-17T06:11:00.000-04:00

In Westminster Maryland this morning getting ready for The Maryland Wine Festival and realized that our weekly blog had not been done yet!! Well Layton's Chance fans, fear not, you will get your weekly fix no matter where we are!(currently that would be the Days Inn!)This weekend is a busy one! You can find wine everywhere...here at Maryland Wine Festival, at the winery, and at the Summer Send Off celebration in Cambridge. Make sure you stop by to see Pam and Ashley, they will be set up in front of A Few Of My Favorite Things!
For all of you Bird Dog fans, the concert that was postponed due to pesky 'ol Irene is back on! October 23rd at 2pm we will be partying Bird Dog style! We have a lot of great things in the works for October! It's shaping up to be a great month for events at the winery so keep an eye on the schedule. Guys, there is even a special day devoted to cigars and wine!
Oh, by the way, check out our Facebook later this weekend for a new segment...where's Joe! Can't wait for everyone's feedback! Well the pesky alarm is signaling the start of a great day to introduce new people to Layton's Chance wine. Wish us luck ...and as always, "have a Joe's Cool kind of day".

Getting Tanked at Layton's Chance!

2011-09-09T15:52:00.000-04:00

Rain, rain, go......I mean YAY rain!! It's been the silliest summer....earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods! The fields can use the rain, so as much as I hate muddy shoes, bring it on! We have been out picking grapes again this morning so they won't sit in the moisture and get rotten. I love to see those beautiful grapes come off the vine....that just means more wine is coming up!!
We want to thank everyone who came out to help bottle our latest batch of Joe's Cool Red on Monday and Tuesday. We completed over 20,000 bottles of Joe's Cool Red in two days! We couldn't have done it without the help of some great friends who came out on those days! Can you believe it? 20,000 more bottles of Joe's Cool Red, and guess what?!?! Screw caps! No more sore arms getting into that sweet red wine! We even had some four legged visitors for bottling. A litter of kittens got into the winery as we were finishing up. You haven't lived until you've seen Garland on his stomach hollering here kitty, kitty, kitty!
Coming up this weekend we have a Very special night! Saturday night, September 10th, we are having a Tank Room Party! This is the first time we have done a party like this and we are all so excited. Southern Breeze is playing that night and we love them so much we were afraid they would be rained out......so we decided to bring the party inside! We have cleared the floor in our winery tank room and are ready to dance the night away surrounded by cases of wine and wine tanks! It's going to be a blast!! Come get tanked with us!
Maryland Wine Festival is coming up next weekend on the 17th and 18th in Westminster, Maryland. If you love Maryland wine, this is the place to be. Visit www.marylandwinefestival.org for all of the information. Taste wine from all over. We could still use some help pouring our wines those days, so if you are interested in helping out for a few hours send us an email at info@laytonschance.com. You get free admission to the festival(free tasting all day from ALL wineries!) a glass of Layton's Chance wine after your shift, and 20% all Layton's Chance wine purchased that day!
Time to get back to vineyards and bring in those grapes. Have fun, stay dry, and as always....Have a "Joe's Cool" kind of day!

Making Headlines

2011-09-02T12:22:00.000-04:00

We are making headlines here at Layton's Chance! If you haven't seen it yet, check out today's Daily Banner. There is a great article from Comptroller Franchot's visit. What an honor to have Governor O'Malley and Comptroller Franchot visit the winery in the same week.

Summer is coming to a close.....but that means that the real work begins at the winery! Bottling, festivals, harvest, grape picking, crushing.....get the idea! It's not only a beautiful time of year but busy, busy, busy! So, if you have ever wanted to work for a winery, here's your chance!

We are looking for volunteers for a lot of events coming up at the winery and around town. Email us at info@laytonschance.com if you are interested.

Now it's not all work here at the winery...we get in plenty of play time too! We are having Happy Hour every Friday night in September! Tonight, September 2nd, Justin Ryan will be playing. If you haven't heard him before you need to make tonight the night. He is great! We also have Game Night every Thursday and are knee deep in preparation for our 2nd Annual Harvest Festival and Grape Stomp on September 24th!

Claudia is excited today. She had lost a copy of her favorite soup cookbook and we tracked down the author, who made a personal trip to the winery yesterday to bring her a new copy! What a great guy! (He also brought in more copies of the Eastern Shore Cookbook for the tasting room)I'm looking forward to lots of soup from Claudia this year! So, next time that you come in, make sure to ask her for your bowl!

Well, we need to go get set up for Happy Hour tonight. Hope to see you all there, and as always....Have a "Joe's Cool" kind of day!

Gettin ready...

2011-08-26T14:25:00.000-04:00

Picking grapes and taking names!

Just stopping to get a quick note out to all of our blog fans....and we love you all! We are busy at the winery getting ready for Hurricane Irene. Keep your prayers pointed to our vineyard! The guys are busy hauling in furniture and equipment at the winery, while Joe, William, and Chuck are busy getting grain in from the fields! Everyone is pitching in to get us ready for the storm.

On Thursday we had everyone out in the vineyard picking any grapes that were ready. Good news for me...they were the Vidal Blanc grapes(my personal favorite!). I got to taste the freshly pressed juice for the first time as well. It was great.....but I'll take the wine anyday!

From hurricane preparedness to earthquakes....now we are justing waiting on the plague of locusts and, well, you know how that ends! We all have great stories to tell from the day we felt the quake of 2011. Well, except Laura, who was driving and didn't feel a thing!

Check back next week to see how we fared from the storm. In the mean time, be safe! Don't take any unnecessary chances....we need to see you all back at the winery soon! Oh, and just a reminder, our concert for Saturday night with Bird Dog and the Road Kings has been postponed. We will let you know when the rescheduled date is as soon as we have it. The winery will also be closed on Sunday, August 28th because of the weather.

I wonder if we offered Irene some Joe's Cool Red, she would just leave us alone? Stay safe, be happy, and as always, Have a Joe's Cool kind of day!

Back to School....already?

2011-08-19T12:30:00.000-04:00

Governor O'Malley with the Layton Family

This has been quite the week at Layton's Chance. Governor O'Malley came by on Tuesday to make a major cover crop announcement. He had beautiful Lazy Day Farms as his backdrop and made a great announcement for Maryland agriculture. Thank you to all of the Maryland farmers making great strides towards the future! And today, as we speak, Comptroller Peter Franchot is touring the winery operation!

Don't worry, just because school is starting, the events are not stopping at Layton's Chance. Tonight is our Back to School Bash! Happy Hour with Sam Shelly! Come Karaoke the night away with the Layton girls! And don't forget Sundaes at Sunset on Saturday the 20th. Sit on the porch with an ice cream sundae topped with Joe's Cool Red! Starting in September, we will be open most Thursday and Friday evenings until 9pm for Game Nights and Happy Hour!

Harvest is fast approaching. The grapes in the vineyard are getting sweeter. The Chambourcin grapes are the prettiest, deep purple color and the Vidal Blanc are so tasty straight from the vine! To celebrate harvest, mark your calenders for September 24th- our 2nd Annual Harvest Festival and Grape Stomp. Music, food, pony rides, moon bounce, grape stomping---all kinds of fun for the entire family.

Don't forget that we do tours of the vineyard and winery every day at 1:00pm and 3:00pm at no charge! Hope to see you out to the winery soon. And as always, Have a "Joe's Cool" kind of day!

Hot Summer Nights

2011-08-05T17:02:00.000-04:00

This is a bittersweet week at Layton's Chance. Today is the last day for Chloe Wieland, who has been intstrumental in the success of the winery. I quote the entire Layton family by saying "we couldn't have opened without her". Best of luck in grad school, Chloe! You will be missed!

We have also had some new faces in the vineyard this week. Fall harvest is fast approaching and the vines need a lot of work, so w've had a few new guys around helping us get the vineyard in tip top shape!

You all saw picutres from our watermelon scoop last week. Well, the watermelon is done fermentation and wine is in the tank!! We go to "test" it (the best part of our jobs by far!) and it is going to be a great batch of Alison's Wonderfu Watermelon Wine!
Time ot start thinking of back to school...but at Layton's Chance there is plenty of summer fun left! Make plans to come out to the winery on the 13th. Randy Lee Ashcraft and the Saltwater
Cowboys are playing as part of our Summer Concert Series! We can't wait...it is going to be an amazing night! Lots of Joe's Cool on ice and Frappe Vinos in the machine! Bring your lawn chairs and picnic to enjoy a beautiful evening.
Are you ready for more Joe's Cool Red? So are we!!! Come out to the winery on September 5th and 6th to help with the next bottling. See what it takes to get everyone's favorite tractor wine from the tank to the table.
We are also planning our 2nd Annual Harvest Festival and Grape Stomp for September 24th so mark your calenders for an all day family event.

There is always something going on at Layton's Chance. Can't wait to see you here....and until then, Have a Joe's Cool kind of day!

Watermelon Scoop II

2011-07-29T09:11:00.000-04:00

A great crowd came out to help make watermelon wine!

Awesome volunteers!

This has been a week of a lot of hard work with a good dose of fun mixed in at the winery! The bottles are arriving as we speak for the next bottling of Joe's Cool Red! September 5th and 6th we would love to see volunteers to help with the process!! Speaking of our wonderful volunteers.....this week we had a great(and by great, I mean dirty clothes, sore hands, watermelon in our hair...you know, great!) time scooping watermelons for the next batch of Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine. We had some great help that day and the watermelon is now fermenting in the winery......

Richard & Chloe at station 2

Make plans to spend your weekend at Layton's Chance! We have Southern Breeze playing Saturday night from 6-9pm. It's going to be a hot one, but don't worry Cool Joe is going to be here and we are going to have a tent set up for you to be able to watch the show in the shade! Please don't forget about our End of Auction party on Sunday! This is a great way to support a great cause....tickets are $15 and include great food and fun! There are still a few days left to bid on once in a lifetime experiences at the winery. Just go to Ebay and search Layton's Chance. Computers will be on hand Sunday to get last minute bids. If you haven't logged on to the auction, you can still come to the party. All profit from ticket sales and auction proceeds will be going to a wounded veteran organization!

And don't forget we have tours daily at 1pm and 3pm and you can do a full tasting of our wine at anytime! Hope to see you soon!

Watermelons are here!

2011-07-22T15:16:00.004-04:00

Richard with the test watermelon!

Taylor hooks up the irrigation system

I probably don't even need to say it but woah, what a HOT week! The few brief storms we had didn't accumulate much so we turned on irrigation in both vineyards this week. Fortunately our AC is working fine, and there's plenty to do around the winery so we're staying cool. Our frozen wine drinks certainly have been a hit this week, especially our new wine Margaritas!

The watermelons arrived on Thursday and we're getting ready for the Great Watermelon Scoop part 2! Next Tuesday morning, bright and early at 8am, we'll be here cutting up melons for our next batch of Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine. We had a blast last year and I know this year is going to be great too! Volunteers are invited so get your friends and come on out for the morning to help out. Make sure you stick around for the Pizza & Wine party afterwards!

Nellie wrestles with the thick summer vines

To distract you from the heat we have a few fun things coming up here at the winery. Tonight we're hosting Bob Windsor for a Karaoke Night Happy Hour (5:30-8:30), a special midsummer Happy Hour with our regular buffet. Next Tuesday Jennifer Layton is hosting a Mom's Night Out- an evening of food, wine, facials and great company. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door (includes childcare for kids 2 & up!).

We are also hosting an online auction for special experiences at the winery, with proceeds to benfit a wounded veterans organization. Click here to see items available now for bidding, including a year of Professional Winemaker Consulting for home winemakers, Event Room rental, and seats at our Blending and Sugar trials! Items are listed on eBay, just search Layton's Chance to find all listings. The auction ends July 31st with an End-of-Auction Party here at the winery from 1-4pm. Don't miss out!

Sticky Hands and Puppy Dog Kisses

2011-07-15T12:21:00.000-04:00

Friday already.....Can you believe that it is the middle of summer already? We all get so busy during the summer that we forget to take the time to relax.....Well we have the answer for that! Barren Creek will be at the winery this Saturday, July 16th from 6-9pm as part of our Summer Concert Series. Bring your lawn chairs and dance the night away with a glass of wine and great music.

The water was for drinking?

We have had a such a great week. We had another great Dog Days at the Winery. Wicomico Humane Society brought some adorable puppies that would turn even a cat person into a dog person....too cute! The dogs had a great time and their owners loved the Frappe Vino!
Check out our Facebook page for pictures from the Taste of Cambridge. We had so much fun talking with people who love our wine and meeting people who had not been out to see us yet. We have so much support from our community and we love the chance to get out and say Hi! The event was a great time with great food....and did I mention great wine!!

Gettin ready for Watermelon Wine!

Last week I mentioned that we were waiting on the final permits to be able to ship wine. Well, the permit is in! Cool Joe is officially on the road.....You can call and order any of our wine to be shipped right to your door.

The watermelons are coming, the watermelons are coming....We had such a great time at the last Great Watermelon Scoop that we are doing it again. Sometime in the next two weeks or so those watermelons will be sacrificing the rinds for Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine(I think it is a worthy cause!) Keep your eyes on Facebook and your email because those watermelons can't scoop themselves and we need your help!Come out for some sticky fun! Details to follow soon....

We hope to see you all soon, until then.....Have a Joe's Cool kind of day!

Joe Is Being Shipped Out!

2011-07-08T14:23:00.002-04:00

Vineyard Sunset

Pruning vines all summer long!

Happy Friday everyone!! It's been a busy week at the winery getting ready for shipping. We are just waiting for our final license and then Joe is on the road! Yes, you will be able to have any of the Layton's Chance wines shipped right to your front door. What a great gift, I know I would love to open my door to a bottle of wine.

If you haven't been to the Taste of Cambridge before, make this the year you plan to attend. This is a great event that gives everyone the chance to sample food from local bars and restaurants....in other words a great reason to eat, drink, and hang out with friends! You will find Layton's Chance wine in front of A Few of My Favorite Things on Race Street. Stop by and say Hi!

Ice cream sundaes on the porch

If you won't be in Cambridge, we are having our Sundaes at Sunset as well Saturday evening. Sit on the porch with your ice cream and wine.....ahhhh what a feeling!
We haven't left our man's best friend behind in all of the events this week....Dog Days at the Winery is back this Sunday from 1-4pm. Bring your pooch out for games and fun!

Summer is such a great time for family and friends. Our Summer concert series is the perfect opportunity to enjoy them. Barren Creek is here on the 16th from 6-9pm. Make sure you don't miss it. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook pages for all of the great events at the winery. See you soon!

New Faces, Bluegrass, and 4th of July!

2011-07-01T16:18:00.000-04:00

Blue Marsh Trio plays at the winery Saturday at 6pm!

It's summertime and I hope everyone is getting geared up for a great weekend! The weather is perfect for heading to the beach or hanging out by the pool. And although some of us (me!) believe it's always good weather for drinking wine, a cold glass of Joe's Cool Red or Joe's Cool White will go great with the 4th of July festivities.

Tuesday night meeting with our
AWESOME tasting room staff

This week has been a whirlwind of activity. On Monday we welcomed our new tasting room manager, Jennifer Hoffman, and proceeded to inundate her with information and details about the winery. Fortunately she is calm, well-organized, and a quick learner and will be huge asset to the team. Tuesday night we had a staff meeting and Barbara, recently home from a 3-week trip to Germany, brought some delicious sweets and candies to share with us. Gummi bears made with real juice!

Meet Jennifer Hoffman,
our new tasting room manager

Wednesday morning brought a large bus tour from Montgomery County and we had a good time showing them around the winery. It's a pleasure to show folks from the Western Shore that there are great wineries on the peninsula too. Thursday afternoon and evening was devoted to inventory, and adjusting the system to accommodate the increase in alcohol sales tax from 6%-9%. We have raised prices by 50 cents on all of our wines except Joe's Cool Red, but the price of wine tastings and glasses of wines has stayed the same.

Today we've been getting ready for the weekend! We've got a great band playing here on Saturday night- the bluegrass group Blue Marsh Trio starts at 6pm and is gonna be awesome! Then on Monday we'll be open all day and cooking up burgers and hot dogs from 1-4pm. Join Cool Joe and the rest of us for a cook-out before heading into Cambridge for fireworks. Happy Independence Day!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-17T13:17:00.001-04:00

The Dog Days of Summer have begun!
Bring your loyal friends out to the winery on 2nd Sundays!

Thank goodness for the rain last night! Joe and William have been cutting wheat all week while keeping an eye on the forecast for rain to keep the corn going. We got 1 inch last night which will definitely help stabilize things in the field. After they finish the wheat it'll be time to plant more soybeans.

Garland prunes Chambourcin vines

This week has gone by quickly...the vines are growing fast but the boys have been in the vineyard pruning (though Nellie & Janet are still the toughest pruners!) and it's about halfway finished. The grapes look good- small and green, and aren't suffering too much from the drought. Grapes actually do better with a little stress, growing deep roots to find water.

Claudia and Caitlyn get the event
room prepped for the weekend.

Inside the winery we are keeping busy with a summer full of good events. Coming up this weekend is "A Night in Margaritaville", where we'll play your favorite Jimmy Buffet tunes and drink Wine-A-Ritas: Margaritas with our Vidal Blanc white wine. Plus, Keith Graffius from Crabi Gras in Cambridge is bringing Buoy Bay Original Chesapeake Salsa- fresh and delicious and the first salsa produced in the Crabi Gras kitchen! Free entry and free samples! Don't forget your Hawaiian shirt!

We also have a special Father's Day Buffet on Sunday, from 12-3pm, catered by Jerry Fletcher. It'll be a great day to bring dad to the winery and let him relax with a glass of wine. Challenge him to some horseshoes or a game of volleyball, or just find a good spot on the porch to sit and enjoy. Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there!

Grape Blossom Festival

2011-06-07T11:20:00.007-04:00

CBF Butter Pecan ice cream with Costa Ventosa's
Sparking Chardonnay was wonderful!

Our 1st annual Grape Blossom Festival was a great success! The thunderstorms came early and although the day heated up quickly, we all enjoyed starting off with a refreshingly cool morning. The 4 on the Shore wineries (Costa Ventosa, Fenwick Wine Cellars, Bordeleau, and Layton's Chance!) arrived early to set up and local artists and vendors quickly filled in the circle, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Emily's Produce brought fresh berries and veggies!

Some of the highlights were Sarah and Robbie from Amused Studios with their beautiful (and functional) ceramics, and Sue Henry with her do-it-yourself charm bracelets. We also had Miche Bags, Nadina's Cremes, Mama Girl's original paper mache folk art, and Susan Taylor with her handcrafted baskets. Rescue Fire Company came from Cambridge and served traditional festival fare- hamburgers, kilbasas and BBQ, plus plenty of goodies from other local producers, including ice cream from Chesapeake Bay Farms, Pecan Yummies, Kettle Corn and Emily's Produce. Costa Ventosa even brought their own chocolatier!!

Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed the wines, and to our wonderful volunteers! We're already looking forward to hosting this annual event here at Layton's Chance, and we'll be offering more fun events at each of the 4 on the Shore wineries. Next up, a HalloWINE Carnival at Costa Ventosa this October!

Joe's Cool Red is back

2011-05-23T10:11:00.000-04:00

Laura & Richard with Joe's Cool Red!

William with the first Joe's Cool White

It's been a long 5 weeks but finally we are full restocked with Joe's Cool! Bottling went very well on Thursday, our smoothest bottling operation yet. We filled more than 10,000 bottles with Joe's Cool Red, and thousands more with Joe's Cool White. Cat, one of the new members of our Tasting Room team, joined us for the morning, as well as our experienced bottlers- Janet and Barbara. Another bonus to the excitement of the day- beautiful weather!

Chloe & Toby

Gotta love the beautiful weather in May. This weekend we had perfect weather for sitting on the porch and sipping wine. Happy hour on Friday night with Chris English was a hit, and people spread out around the winery and outside. On Saturday I brought Toby, my sweet black lab, to enjoy the beautiful day at the winery. He made friends fast with anyone who would throw the Frisbee for him!

We've partnered up with the Art Institute & Gallery and have been pouring wine at gallery openings on 3rd Fridays in Salisbury. Jennifer attended and poured this past Friday for the "Whimsy" and "Found and Recycled" exhibition openings. Click here to see some of the beautiful art created from, well, everything!

Enjoying wine on the porch

This week all the energy will be in preparing for our 1st Anniversary. It's hard to believe it's already been a year! This Saturday, May 28th- we open at 11, music starts at 2, party goes all day! Bring your lawn chairs and friends and we'll provide the wine!

Pitchers of Joe's Cool Red

2011-04-28T09:31:00.000-04:00

More Joe's Cool Red on May 20th

Sold out again of Joe's Cool Red! Too bad that it's such a popular wine! Fortunately we have plenty in the tanks and we'll be serving it by the pitcher at Happy Hour between now and Bottling Day. That means this Friday (April 29th) from 5:30-8:30pm at our Karaoke Night Happy Hour with Bob Windsor and next Friday (May 6) from 5:30-8:30pm with JohnE Wa2C you can have all the Joe's you like, fresh from the tank! Bottling Day is May 19th so we'll celebrate with Chris English at our final Spring Happy Hour.

Randy Lee Ashcraft & the Saltwater Cowboys
kick off the Summer Concert Series on May 28th!

We're coming up quickly on our 1st Anniversary too- May 28th! Stay close to home this Memorial Day weekend and join us for a great Saturday afternoon at the winery. Justin Ryan plays from 2-5pm and Randy Lee Ashcraft returns with the Saltwater Cowboys from 6-9pm. We'll have all of our new wines released and ready for tastings, plus a fresh batch of Joe's Cool Red and the new Joe's Cool White.

Other events coming up in May: Mother's Day Brunch, Sundaes at Sunset, and the Chesapeake Wine Festival. Volunteers are always needed- especially for the Chesapeake Bay Wine Festival! Please email info@laytonschance.com or sign up for our volunteer mailing list!

Spring Activities!

2011-04-22T13:39:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's officially the busy season! We've had a great week of warm weather (until today!) but we're happy to see people getting out and visiting the winery.

A beautiful afternoon for planting!

Last weekend we planted an acre of Chambourcin vines in our new vineyard. It was nice to get my hands dirty again, although the guys did the bulk of the planting. On Saturday the rain held off enough for some visitors to plant a vine at our 3rd Annual View of the Vineyard event- guests get to plant a vine and as then visit it as it grows up and bears fruit- and becomes wine!

Alison & Aunt Claudia getting eggs ready!

Most of the energy this week was getting ready for the Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow afternoon! We're expecting good weather and lots of kids so we've got plenty of stuffed eggs ready to hide around the vineyard. Some eggs have tickets for prizes- games and toys for kids and wine & chocolate for adults! No registration necessary, arrive by 2 to sign your young ones up for the hunts which will be separated by age groups. 1st hunt is at 2:30!

2010 Wines bottled today

2011-04-08T10:18:00.001-04:00

Grey outside, but not in the winery!

Why does it always rain on bottling day? Barbara told William this morning, "If you ever need rain in the middle of summer, just schedule a bottling!" That's ok, we've got coffee and the tasting room is warm and cozy so everyone is hanging out there while Landwirt gets the line set up. It wouldn't be a normal bottling day without everyone bundled up in sweatshirts, drinking hot coffee.

Chuck works hard stacking cases

Isn't it wonderful to say that- a normal bottling day? We've had 3 bottlings since our first one last March, and although we've got a better idea of what we're doing now, the excitement and anticipation hasn't faded a bit. William is directing the show, and we have several volunteers giving us a hand. And we're all excited for the new wines!

The production area was all dressed
up for the evening.

We hosted our first event for Layton's Chance Winos on Wednesday night and it went fabulously well! William gave a beautiful presentation about the production of our 2010 wines, followed by a tasting of each wine along with several of the 2009 vintages. Folks loved the new wines! We have a dry Traminette, made from the same grapes as Lazy Day White so it has the same citrus aroma but with a nice crisp flavor. There are two new Chambourcin wines, one oaked and one in stainless steel. Both of these are lovely, with deep, chocolate flavors in the Oaked Chambourcin and dark ripe berries in the 2010 Chambourcin. Finally, we are really excited to present Joe's Cool White! It's a deliciously sweet sister wine to Joe's Cool Red. Both Joe's Cool Red and Joe's Cool White will be bottled in May.

William admires the first bottle of
2010 Traminette

Upcoming events are posted on our website, and next week is a big one. Alex & Shiloh are coming from Salisbury for Happy Hour on Friday night. Saturday is our 3rd View of the Vineyard planting event- those who planted vines in 2009 might want to see how the vines have matured. The following weekend we're hosting a special Easter Egg Hunt- candy for the kids and wine for adults!

Cooking with Wine

2011-03-25T12:22:00.000-04:00

A good-looking group of wine chefs!

Dessert station:
Joe's Cool Red spiked strawberries and cream pie!

What a great night we had on Tuesday! Chef Bonnie planned an awesome menu and I have to say we were a bit skeptical that everything could be prepared in our modest catering kitchen and event room...Fortunately she proved us wrong and brought in lots of supplies and ingredients to set up each station and prepare a gourmet meal. From poached salmon to rose marinated chicken breasts to strawberries and cream pie, the whole evening was a blast, as you can tell from the pictures. We're holding a second Cooking with Wine class on April 12th, so sign up here by April 11th to join in!

Richard and Taylor have been filtering wines all week to get them ready for bottling. Claudia and I tasted the 2010 Lazy Day White this morning and it is delicious! Next week most of us will be in Richmond for the Wineries Unlimited trade show and conference- learning and talking about all things wine, and we're bottling most of our 2010 wines on April 8th and 9th.

Bike-Kayak-Wine!

We also had a visit from Stan Shedaker, of Adrenaline High. He's going to offer bike-kayak-wine tours from Layton's Chance this summer. He brought some students by from Salisbury University to do a test ride and tasting!

The best part of working in a winery?
Tasting wines!

I can't believe March is almost over and we're going full speed into spring. Check back for more news about the View of the Vineyard event on April 16th and our Easter Egg Hunt on April 23rd. And don't forget to mark your calendars for our 1 Year Anniversary Celebration with Randy Lee Ashcraft on May 28th!

Pop's Shop Boys

2011-03-17T09:56:00.001-04:00

As I came down the lane this morning I saw the beautiful scene of a tractor trailer in the parking lot, with William and Richard unloading 25 pallets of empty wine bottles. April 8th is coming soon and we've just about got everything ready. Bottles and capsules are here, corks will be here next week, and labels are on their way.

We're bottling twice as much Lazy Day Rosé as last year which means that we'll have enough to sell at liquor stores and hopefully still last through next spring. The Rosé will be available shortly after bottling, however two of our dry wines- Chambourcin and Traminette- will need to sit in the bottle for a few weeks. Our Oaked Chambourcin will age 6 months before being available for sale.

Pop's Shop Boys-Garland, Richard, Taylor

The wines themselves are nearly ready too. Richard and the boys have been filtering this week- a messy task but fortunately they've got the right outfits for the job. Next is cold stabilization and a final filtering.

Laura's been in Norfolk all week, helping her daughter relocate from Florida. We miss her in the office but I'm sure she's having fun taking care of her three little grandchildren! Fortunately Jen is at the winery full time now and it’s been great having her here!

Chris English plays
Happy Hour on 3/18

The weather has been conducive to Joe's work on the farm. All the wheat has been fertilized and is greening nicely. It's supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow so there’s another good day to work outside.

We've had lots of visitors in the tasting room this week and we're all excited about Happy Hour tomorrow night! Barbara has doubled her recipe so we'll have PLENTY of chili for everyone. Did I mention it'll be 70 degrees? A beautiful day for music and wine on the front porch!

In like a lion...

2011-03-10T15:46:00.002-05:00

Southside Land Management returns to
landscape the play area.

A giant windstorm earlier this month knocked our play-set clear into the woods. It blew away just as we prepared to lay the ground for a new one (MUCH sturdier!) which will be ready soon. Definitely by the time the weather brightens up and you'll be bringing the kids out to play!

John Hansen and his band, JohnE Wa2C

We had a great time at Happy Hour last Friday! JohnE Wa2C played a great show with lots of old favorites and plenty of raising glasses for his trademark "Salute!" We had one guest stand up and sing- it was beautiful! Hopefully he'll be back with friends for Karaoke on April 1st.

Our website is loaded with upcoming events- Happy Hour on March 18th with Chris English (awesome blues guitar!), and on March 22 we're hosting a cooking class at the winery where participants will learn about preparing menus around a favorite wine. Also check out the About Us segment of our website where we've added some new faces of the winery. Although you may have read about Taylor and Garland here, I've put up a little information about our two youngest workers- so have a look and say hello next time you're here!

Tundra swans flock to Vienna fields

The swans don't seem to mind the wind or the rain as they gather in large flocks on neighboring fields. Neither does the wheat that's coming up green and brightened the winter fields. All signs of Spring's eminent arrival...

Direct Shipping hearing set for March 4

2011-03-02T12:13:00.001-05:00

The big news this week is that the Maryland General Assembly is closer than ever to passing a Direct Shipping bill, which would allow Maryland citizens to receive wine by mail from wineries and wine-of-the-month clubs. We're asking friends and fellow wine lovers to contact your legislator before Friday to show your support for direct-to-consumer shipment of wine. March 4th is the day both bills will be heard by the respective legislative committees in Annapolis. According to the Maryland Wineries Association, "Even with the overwhelming support—a majority of the legislature—there are interest groups hard at work to cripple the bills, trying to limit WHICH wines can be shipped, and from WHICH sources (wineries OR retailers/wine-of-the-month clubs, etc.)."

Please let your legislators know that you want:
     - a law based on national standards and the Comptroller's Study on Direct Shipping;
     - a law that allows you to receive wine from wineries and retailers;
     - a law that lets Maryland wineries ship to other states (like NY, which will only let MD wineries ship in if MD's law is based on national standards).

This bill would allow us to ship wine directly to consumers around the state and even to other states- saving you the trouble of trying to bring wine home or the risk of packing it for your flight. Maryland is currently 1 of only 13 states which does not allow direct shipping, despite age identification precautions in place by national shipping companies like UPS and FedEx.

For much more information about the history of the legislation, please visit the Maryland Wineries Association website.

Blending 2010 wines

2011-02-21T17:01:00.000-05:00

Barbara & William tasting our 2010 wines

February- short and sweet. Despite the cold weather we've had a lot going on out here this month. William, Barbara and Chloe spent an afternoon tasting the 2011 wines and deciding how and what to blend. We'll bottle 6 or 7 wines in April and I'm excited about all of them! This year we have a dry Traminette, which is the grape varietal that makes our Lazy Day White and has a wonderful aroma. We also have a Chambourcin that is totally different from our 2009 vintage- a little heavier and more full-bodied. It will offer a nice contrast to our 2009 vintage. We've also got some Chambourcin on oak which has a nice chocolately flavor.

Artists mingle and discuss the various pieces

We've had several successful events this month. The UMES art exhibit was well attended, and everyone enjoyed the beautiful artwork. Brad Hudson, artist of several of our other labels, brought prints of the watermelon wine to sell and the winery purchased some lovely photography to display in the tasting room.

Brad Hudson (second from left), professor of art at UMES and his students

Lovely decorations for the Sweetheart's Dinner!

Valentine's Day was celebrated at our Sweetheart's Dinner on February 12th, with a fabulous meal catered by Jimmie & Sook's of Cambridge. Filet mignon, chocolate pate, and Joe's Cool Red- what more can you ask for?

Mark your calendars for happy hour in March- 1st & 3rd Fridays. William will offer a pruning session on March 5th for those of you interested in learning how to take care of backyard grapevines, or for anyone curious about what Janet and Nellie are doing all winter! $10 for the lesson and a glass of wine, please register in advance!

We're also looking forward to the WineFest at St. Michaels- coming up in April. We might need volunteers so make sure you're on our volunteer list if you're interested in helping out!

Farm Family of the Year!

2011-02-04T15:32:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to the Layton family on their induction into Maryland's Agriculture Hall of Fame this month! Governor O'Malley and other agricultural and legislative leaders joined to induct the Kohl Family of Kent County and Joseph Layton, Jr of Dorchester County into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame. These families became the 40th and 41st recipients of the prestigious recognition during the annual “Taste of Maryland” agriculture event at Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie on February 3, 2011. More coverage of the event can be read by clicking here.

Sudeep Mathew, University of Maryland Extension agent of Dorchester County sums it up well: "The Laytons have all the ingredients for a successful agriculture operation. They are knowledgeable, methodical, goal-oriented and adaptive to change. When his son decided to return to the farm, Joe and his family diversified their grain operation into growing grapes and opening a winery. The family members are active leaders in their community and have consistently implemented good conservation practices on their farm.”

Joe, William and the whole family have worked hard for many years to keep farming as the family business. The newest addition- Layton's Chance!- is just the latest of many adaptations necessary to keep Lazy Day Farms viable. The Laytons have put unmeasurable time, energy and love into making agriculture work in modern times and it's wonderful that the state has recognized them for this.

As an employee of the Laytons for the past year and a half, I want to say that I'm extremely proud to be working for this family and I wish them continued success!

Click here to view a beautiful video with footage of the farm and vineyard, as Joe explains his history of farming.

Happy Hour & UMES Exhibit

2011-02-02T11:47:00.000-05:00

This Friday, February 4th, we're excited to collaborate with University of Maryland Eastern Shore's Department of Fine Arts to host an art exhibition during our normal Happy Hour. Students and faculty will bring pieces for display and sale, some vineyard themed, all unique! It's a great chance to support local art students and enjoy a casual evening at the winery. Live Latin Jazz by Brian Perez and co. will be from 5-8.

It seems like folks have gotten the message about Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine! Last weekend we had quite a number of visitors who came in to pick up a bottle (or a case!). It's might not be what you expect, but for anyone who appreciates a sweet fruit wine I highly recommend it. Plus, it's 100% watermelon wine (no grape juice added), made from melons grown just down the road, scooped by volunteers at the Great Watermelon Scoop, and produced here in our Vienna winery- a true local! See pictures of the whole process here!

We've still got spaces available for our Sweetheart's Dinner on February 12th. Amanda Bramble of Jimmie & Sook's has put together a fantastic menu (full menu can been seen here) to accompany your favorite Layton's Chance wines. Tickets are $100 per couple, and we are taking reservations for 2, or for groups up to 6. Please call (410)-228-1205 or email info@laytonschance.com by February 10th to reserve your place.

Watermelon Wine on Shelf!

2011-01-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

It's been a busy week both inside and out of the winery. The week started out busy with 2000 gallons of concord fermenting for our next and largest batch yet of Joe's Cool Red due out in May of 2011. Richard racked the Niagara that finished fermentation which we will use in blending this spring.

The vineyard saw lots of pruning this week thanks to Nellie, Janet, Chuck and Garland. Were still not even halfway done with pruning for the spring but we are making good progress. We are a lot farther ahead this year then in years past. We also got a new vineyard shed which will make Joe happy because he now gets his farm building back free of all the vineyard supplies.

Now for the important update most have been waiting for "Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine" is now bottled and on our shelves for sale to our customers. Our bottler arrived bright and early and after some minor repairs and some ingenuity we were ready to begin bottling. It took a little over three hours to bottle 2342 bottles. The watermelon wine will only be available for sale through our tasting room due to limited supplies.

2011 Events

2011-01-19T10:35:00.000-05:00

Ok, we're getting closer to having Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine on the shelf! It's been a lot of fun- picking out the bottle and capsules (Pink!), designing the label, making and tasting the wine! At the end of this month we'll be able to put it all together.

We're starting to book up our event room for the year. This past weekend we saw plenty of familiar faces here for a baby shower, and on Monday we hosted an all day business retreat for a local insurance group. From high school reunions and birthday parties to bridal showers and wedding receptions, the winery is an excellent place to celebrate an intimate occasion. As the host of the baby shower said at the end of the party "I love having events here- it's beautiful, everyone has fun, and now I can go home!"

As far as public events, we'll continue to have happy hour every 1st & 3rd Friday through May, and starting with the anniversary of our grand opening there will be live music outside every other Saturday night. Jen confirmed yesterday that Randy Lee Ashcraft will play to celebrate our One Year Anniversary on May 28th! Sundaes at Sunset will continue as well, and we'll have lots to look forward to in the fall, starting with the Harvest Festival on Sept. 24! You can see the calendar on our website, or sign up for our newsletter to get an update about upcoming events.

Don't forget- happy hour this Friday with blues guitarist Chris English! And so you don't have to rush off to dinner we'll have a small happy hour menu available with chili, veggies, hot wings and our usual cheese plates. Have a bottle and a bite and relax into the weekend!

WW Label, Happy Hour & Sweetheart's Dinner

2011-01-12T10:09:00.002-05:00

We're off to a good start for the new year, with our Watermelon Wine labels finally receiving approval from the TTB yesterday. It's not too complicated to submit the application and make corrections, but sometimes the process gets drawn out (especially over the Christmas holiday season!) Regardless, it's been approved, and we have beautiful artwork created by Brad Hudson to grace the front of Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine. Everyone at the winery is excited (Richard says it's his favorite wine) and I know the Layton's Chance community has been patiently anticipating it's release. Just a few more weeks to get the labels printed and to bottle everything and we'll be ready to go!

Happy hour is back after a December hiatus! Last Friday JohnE Wa2C drew a fun crowd, including a special visit from a former tasting room employee Alison Moore. You might have met her at our grand opening or over the summer, and since September she's been in Niagara Falls (Canada) studying wine-making.

Chris English of Cambridge played
blues guitar at a November happy hour

On January 21st we'll have Chris English at the winery playing blues guitar. We'll offer a special happy hour menu (all food under $10) for the evening- Chili, Hot wings, Veggies & Dip, and Cheese Plates of course!

Also coming up (and it's never too early to plan for this!) is Valentine's Day! We're hosting a Sweetheart's Dinner at the winery in the event room, catered by Amanda Bramble of Jimmie & Sook's. Come with just your sweetheart or bring another couple to share the special evening. Reservations must be made by Feb. 7th, for 2, 4 or 6 people.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T14:22:00.001-05:00

What a great year it's been! Check out photos from throughout the year on our website of all the fun events we've had. We're all looking forward to more next year so be sure to follow us on Facebook or sign up for our Newsletter to make sure you get the latest updates.

Best wishes for 2011!

Christmas Eve eve

2010-12-23T16:02:00.000-05:00

We've had a great December- lots of familiar and new faces coming in to pick up a favorite bottle (or case!) Joe carried one of the last cases of Lazy Day Rose into the office as a reserve and we're down to the last 150 bottles in the tasting room. There are 1000 gallons in the tank from 2010 but that won't be in the bottle until April.

Laura and I went down to Costa Ventosa in Whaleyville on Monday to visit our fellow Eastern Shore wineries- the Four on the Shore! Folks from Bordeleau and Fenwick Wine Cellars were also there and we pulled raffle tickets from the Shore Wineries Holiday Trail. It's great to have other awesome wineries in the area so that visitors can see (and taste) different Maryland wines. Come pick up your passport today and get started: $1/passport, and visit all four wineries in the next 3 months to be entered in a drawing for a basket of wines from each winery!

Nellie and Janet have been out in the vineyard this week, pruning the vines. Nellie stayed out there last Thursday as the snow came down without any complaints. They say the toughest days are the ones when the wind is whipping through- like today.

Still no watermelon wine- although there have been lots of requests. Make sure you're on our newsletter mailing list and we'll send a blast out when it's in the bottle and ready to go. The other wines are sitting pretty and will be ready to go for our next bottling in April.

Hope everyone enjoys the holidays with a nice bottle of wine (I’m drinking Vidal Blanc!) Merry Christmas!

'Twas the week before Christmas

2010-12-15T13:18:00.000-05:00

Brrr! It is cold and windy out here! We've had quite a few visitors braving the wind to pick up wine for the holidays though, and we'll be open through December 23rd for holiday shopping. Join us on Facebook to receive weekly specials as we lead up to Christmas.

This is the time for holiday socials and appreciation luncheons. Teachers, bus drivers, business people, and members of the Westside Historical Society filled the event room this past week. I still can't get over how great a job Kelli did with the decorations!

A lot of requests are coming in about Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine. The good news is that the wine is finished, smells and tastes great, and is ready to bottle. The bad news is that we need federal approval of our label before we get anything printed. Everything has been submitted and we're hoping to hear back soon. I promise to send out an email blast when we know the availability date.

All the other wines are doing fine- we're in the waiting stage right now. Hopefully more concord juice arrives soon so that we can start the next batch of Joe's Cool Red. At the rate it's going now we might not make it to April!

Christmas Market

2010-12-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

This past weekend's Christmas Market was wonderful! Many thanks to the artists, volunteers and visitors who came out and enjoyed the afternoon with us on Saturday. Barbara made delicious Glühwein (spiced wine, literally translated as "Glow wine" for how it affects your cheeks)! It tasted great in our souvenir mugs with cinnamon stirrers. Tammy made Spice Cake to go with the spiced wine which was moist and delicious. Joe baked his special chocolate chip cookies which disappeared quickly. We also shared a few other German Christmas traditional treats, Stollen and Lebküchen.

Awesome volunteer Amy got the wreath-making going with our collected grapevines. They turned out really nicely until we ran out of wet vines. Seems like if they haven't soaked in water for 24-48 hours ahead of time the vines are too brittle to bend. I'm planning to get out there today or tomorrow to gather some more so if you didn't get to make one on Saturday check back this weekend and we'll have some vines set up for wreath-making.

Fingers are crossed that we receive more juice for Joe's Cool Red this week so we can get started on our next batch! It's going fast- at this rate we might sell out by February! We also picked out the bottle design for our Watermelon Wine (pink!) and are working on the label so we can get it bottled as soon as possible. It's been filtered well now and smells yummy!

Lots of Christmas parties this week and the winery is perfectly decorated thanks to Kelli, Frannie, and Barbara. We've still got plenty of wine and great gift ideas (Wine & Chocolate! Gift Cards!) so stop by this week to do your shopping. And join us on Facebook to receive updates about our weekly deals for December!

Thanksgiving Week

2010-11-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

Hanging Christmas lights in t-shirts!

I just read the blog from last Thanksgiving and wow! So much has changed in the past year. To start with, the weather this year allowed for the corn and soybean harvest to finish 3 weeks earlier. Also, the weather this fall has been absolutely fantastic- mild temperatures and colorful surroundings!

Lovely bottles of label-less Joe's Cool

The big changes though, have been happening at the winery. With six months of having the tasting room up and running we've certainly learned a lot about the work involved, but it's also been a lot of fun! From big events like hosting Randy Lee Ashcraft and our Grape Stomping Harvest Festival to relaxing evenings like Sundaes at Sunset over the summer and the Happy Hour live music series this fall...We've been creating lots of good memories.

Chloe borrowed a hand labeler and got to work

Winemaking is still the same process, although there's a lot more wine this year! We also have a few new wines we're working on- like Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine and an aged Chambourcin reserve. Our 2nd bottling of Joe's Cool Red didn't go exactly the way we planned (labels and labeler didn't match up...) but with the help of our sister winery Costa Ventosa and her hand labeler, we were able to get Joe's back on the shelf by Thursday afternoon and make all the deliveries on Friday. THANK YOU!

Feel the holiday love.

I guess it hasn't changed too much actually- we're still making wine, having fun and building friendships with fellow Eastern Shore wineries. Happy Thanksgiving!

Waterfowl & Bottling JCR

2010-11-17T13:26:00.000-05:00

Vineyard manager Richard Murphy & his wife Cara at the Waterfowl Festival

Nancy Kreek volunteered on Friday

In case you haven't heard, we've been officially sold out of our most popular wine- Joe's Cool Red- since Saturday. We took our last cases to the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD where is was quickly snatched up by visitors out enjoying the beautiful weather and festival atmosphere. There was a smattering of bottles available at the winery which were traded among customers after the last bottle was sold. Also popular at the festival was our Vidal Blanc, one of the few (or only?) dry white Vidal Blanc wines in the state. Check out the great article from the Star Democrat.

Fun with capsules!

Anyway, the drought of Joe's is brief as we are bottling more wine this Thursday. William the Winemaker foresaw the popularity of the wine and started making more over the summer, so we have 1000 gallons ready to go. It's definitely worth stopping by, maybe on an early lunch break, to see what's happening and pick up a bottle fresh off the assembly line. We'll hopefully get started at 8am and it will take 3-4 hours to bottle all the wine.

Also this week Chris English is playing at Friday's Happy Hour. A local blues guitarist who graced the Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth fundraiser last month, he promises to give a good show. Find out more at his webpage: http://www.brolow.com/.

The Hunter's Banquet has been canceled for this year, but we hope to offer a similar event next year. My sincere apologies to those of you who have made plans to attend and we hope we can interest you in other events at the winery. We are getting ready for our Christmas Market too, on December 4th. Anyone interested in setting up a table is welcome to contact Chloe (chloe@laytonschance.com) for more information.

Recent Events

2010-11-10T15:29:00.002-05:00

Welcome back Laura and Joe! They've been away for the past week and we've missed them at the winery. While they were gone we had several fun events, from the Vienna Heritage Foundation fundraiser to our Ladies Night home shopping evening.

Tom & Jennifer

The VHF had a great turnout and several speakers came to illustrate the main cause of the afternoon- to raise money to support building a permanent home for a recently acquired Native American artifact collection. Tom Bradshaw, curator of the collection which is currently housed at Salisbury University, and Jennifer Notari (an SU graduate student) showed some pieces of pottery.

Lots of ladies!

Ladies night was also a fun evening- it was chilly outside but the winery was cozy and warm. We served local cheese from Chesapeake Bay Farms and Chapel Creamery, and guests browsed beautiful displays of unique jewelery, cooking items, home decorating goods, make up and skin care products, and more. Jennifer's presentation went well and many ladies went home with door prizes donated by the vendors.

Alex Wersen of Rusted Axle & the Gingers performed at the winery on Friday night with Katie Gutoskey on vocals for happy hour. Everyone enjoyed the music and the relaxed atmosphere of the evening, and we appreciated having two volunteers join us for the night.

Can you see the beautiful sunset behind them?

What's coming up next? Another chance to join us for happy hour on November 19th, and we're busily planning holiday parties for December. If you haven't booked one yet for your business or group, give us a call (410-228-1205) soon! As advertised in Metropolitan Magazine, we're offering our event room free for daytime events (up to 75 people) during the month of December, and at a 25% discount for evening events.

Watermelon Wine Update

2010-11-03T15:38:00.000-04:00

Mid 50s this week and the leaves are all brightly colored. The rush of harvest is over- William finished cutting soybeans last weekend and they finished planting wheat yesterday so the bulk of the fall farm activities are finished. It finished surprisingly early this year- normally everyone is busy until Thanksgiving! I suppose with farming you can never predict the weather and you work as hard as you can while you're able.

What it also means is that William can turn his full attention back to the wine! We tasted some samples of Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine last night. It was delicious!! It isn't as pink as we expected- the color disappeared during fermentation and now it is a light peachy color. Sweet and fruity, it's really going to be wonderful. A pure watermelon wine! For those who haven't heard the news, we won't be bottling this until 2011, as the process has taken longer than we expected. I promise to send a news flash out when it is ready!

But we are definitely bottling Joe's Cool Red this month. It's incredible but we have all but sold out of this regional favorite. Richard and I did a full count yesterday and there are less than 300 bottles in the whole winery. We're scheduled to bottle on November 18th, so if you're interested in seeing how this works come out and join us. We'll have a full assembly line going and we expect to fill 5000 bottles to replenish our stocks.

Tomorrow evening we have our Ladies Night Home Party (6-9pm at the winery, $5 admission for wine tasting and refreshments). Speed shop your favorite home vendors and enjoy a fantastic presentation by Jennifer about how to prepare for the holidays stress free. She claims that you can be ready by the first week of December so that you can actually relax and enjoy the holidays!

Tonight Jen and William present some of our wines at the Signature Chef's Banquet at the Hyatt for the March of Dimes Fundraiser. Say hello and consider a bid for the free event we are offering in the live auction!

Halloween Party

2010-10-22T16:40:00.000-04:00

The bonfire-to-be

I think we're ready- Garland built a beautiful bonfire pit and made lots of marshmallow roasting sticks, and Claudia got all the craft tables set up. We'll do the pumpkin carving outside in our picnic area- don't forget to bring a pumpkin! We've got the tools for you and we'll have a few spares in case you forget yours. Also remember to dress up in your best costume because we're giving away prizes for the Most Original, Scariest, and Cutest costumes. Bring your guitar or your favorite scary story to share around the bonfire. And try some of our spiced wine!

Happy wine tasters at the 2010 Autumn Wine Festival

Quick wine update- Richard and Taylor filtered the Joe's Cool Red yesterday, all day, and it's getting close to being ready to bottle. It was in cold stabilization the past few weeks but that ended this week with a crash when all the ice fell off the side of the tank (we were expecting it). Our bottling date for that is November 19, so anyone who is interested is welcome to come check out the process.

A beautiful evening with DEA

Our event room is getting booked up with holiday parties for December. Instead of the usual price for daytime events we're offering free room rental, and for evening events there is a 25% discount. A unique place to host your company Christmas party so give us a call or email to reserve a date!

We'll host a fundraiser this Sunday for Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth and next Sunday for the Vienna Heritage Foundation. Consider coming and supporting these very worthwhile causes. More information is on our website at laytonschance.com.

Autumn Wine Festival

2010-10-15T17:38:00.001-04:00

Another big weekend of wine tasting! We have an awesome group of volunteers ready for the weekend and I hope everyone reading this comes by our tent to say hello. Look for the big Joe's Cool Red banner! It's a great chance to tell folks on the shore what the Laytons have been working on for the past few years. Get more information about the Autumn Wine Festival here.

A nice turnout for Business After Hours,
and great food from Jimmie & Sook's

Everyone has been in the field this week (until Thursday morning's rain started coming down). William was picking soybeans til he couldn't see anymore, and Joe has started planting wheat. Hopefully the winds this weekend will help dry things out so that they can get back to the fields next week.

We have some new equipment in the winery. Since our 2000 gallon tank is full of Traminette (for our Lazy Day White) we had to order another giant tank to use when we're racking wine. The spidery steel base was a hit with the kids when it first arrived.

My favorite feature of the production area these days is the Chambourcin, which has been fermenting for a while and gives off a nice odor of alcohol and yeast. It tastes wonderful though, heavier than last year's Chambourcin with a nice full body. William makes sure that it gets stirred regularly to keep even fermentation. Really, it's tougher than it looks!

Happy Hour with JohnE Wa2C going on as I write. Come out and join us as we wind down from the week.

Grape Stomp Tomorrow!

2010-09-24T12:19:00.000-04:00

I've got to start this post with a big thank you to the volunteers who helped us last weekend at the Maryland Wine Festival. We had a blast- perfect weather, friendly crowds, and plenty of good wine. There's no better opportunity to taste Maryland Wine than at this annual festival in Westminster, although it did inspire me to plan a wine trail road trip. Anyway, everyone loved Joe's Cool Red and many people wanted it open and ready to enjoy right there at the festival.

William is testing the specific gravity of the wines right now. We have pressed and crushed a lot of grapes this month and everything except the Vidal is in a tank right now, undergoing fermentation. Testing the specific gravity lets us track how fast fermentation is going. Alcohol is less dense than water or juice, so as it ferments it becomes less dense and we can measure density with a hydrometer.

Janet and Nellie picking Chambourcin grapes

Finally, the 1st Annual Harvest Festival & Grape Stomp is tomorrow! Richard is setting up the stage where we'll have two stompers going at a time. The person who presses the most juice wins a Frappe Vino wine slushie (non-alcoholic slushies available for participants under 21)! Millie's Roadhouse is bringing food, and we'll have pony rides and a moonbounce set up for the young ones. $5 entry includes a free tasting of our 5 wines. No charge for kids. Doors open at 11, event runs til 6pm. Get here by 3 for a tractor ride with Joe, but if you miss that you can still get a combine tour later. Tommy Buckets comes on at noon, and JohnE Wa2C starts at 3. Music and fun all day!

Call 410-228-1205 if you have any questions and we look forward to seeing you!

Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine

2010-09-13T10:36:00.000-04:00

Latin jazz

Had a great weekend at the winery. Jennifer works full time at MaTech in Salisbury and they held a Relay for Life fundraiser here on Friday night. The Sampson/Perez duo returned (one of the first bands to play at the winery back in May!) and good music filled the tasting room all evening. Jenn's parents also came down from Pittsburgh for a visit and I think they were pleased to see the outcome after many years of hard work.

Saturday evening we held our final Sundaes at Sunset for the summer. We'll bring it back in the spring as soon as evenings are warm enough. Lots of kids running around and we celebrated Alison Layton's 7th birthday with cake and ice cream.

We also decided to go with her suggestion for naming our watermelon wine: Alison's Wonderful Watermelon Wine. Can't wait to get that finished and bottled- look for it around Thanksgiving!

Lots of grapes= lots of pickers

Last week we picked Chambourcin grapes and we've got the press running right now with a load. A couple of volunteers came out and picked with us one morning which was fun. Picking is the best part of grape growing and we enjoyed sharing that with Laura and Ed. This week we do the Vidal and then the vines are empty!

Pressing Chambourcin juice

Don't forget to mark your calendars for September 25! The 1st Annual Harvest Festival and Grape Stomp will be going on all day and we promise to offer you a good time. Check our website for regular updates and more details!

Harvest 2010

2010-09-03T16:51:00.000-04:00

Traminette Grapes, ready for picking

Nellie is a major part of the vineyard.

William cuts bunches with a grape fork.

If you're following us on Facebook you probably already know that this week was the first week of harvest for us. Richard started picking first thing Monday morning, but everyone helped out on Tuesday and by Wednesday the Traminette was finished and ready for pressing. We also received a delivery of Traminette grapes from growers in Talbot County this week which we added to our harvest. The press ran all day Wednesday, in 3 cycles pressing 3800 pounds and producing 300 gallons of juice.

Richard and William stacking tanks

William purchased some interesting new wine tanks last month. I'm not sure what's the reason for the corners, but their main benefit is that they're stackable. They also have a different cooling system so they work well as the first station the juice goes to after pressing. We pump the juice into here where it can settle for 24 hours and then be sent on to another tank to undergo fermentation.

Hurricane Earl caused a stir regarding the corn harvest and Joe and William worked late into the night trying to cut as much corn as possible. Fortunately the storm has passed through Salem fairly mildly today with just winds and rain. Alison Layton came in the office just after lunch to announce that the hurricane is officially over.

Along with picking and pressing grapes we're getting the winery ready for several events this fall. The 1st Annual Harvest Festival on September 25 promises to be a good time. The trophies came in for the fishing contest and all the details are on our website for anyone who'd like to participate. We've signed up a young girl from 4H to offer Pony Rides, and Tommy Buckets and JohnE Wa2C have committed to performing live music throughout the day. Keep checking our site for more info and mark it on your calendar as a good day to visit the winery!

RAtG jams out

2010-08-23T08:52:00.006-04:00

It's been a little while since I've had the chance to post but that just means things are staying busy at the winery. This past weekend we had a great show by Rusted Axle and the Gingers- Alex Wersen and Dick "Rusty" Morris and his daughters Claire and Emily. There were excellent vocals by the girls and impressive guitar playing by Alex and Rusty despite the afternoon heat. One group of visitors, the "Boat People", enjoyed the show so much that they convinced RAtG to play on for another hour. A good afternoon to be on the porch.

Last week we started preparing the winery for the production season. We've got a machine that separates grapes from their stems and crushes them, which is what we'll use for making red wine. Richard tested it and Barbara was super impressed at the efficiency of the process. There are two new wine tanks in the tank room that will significantly increase our wine-making capacity this season.

What's coming up- wine festivals in September and October, and a big festival to celebrate the harvest! September 25 will be our 1st Annual Harvest Festival- so for everybody who's ever wanted to stomp grapes, this will be your chance to come out and do it! Check our website for full details, but in addition to grape stomping we'll have tractor rides, a fishing contest, a moon bounce, live music by Tommy Buckets and JohnE Wa2C, and concessions by Millie's Roadhouse. $5 entry for adults (21 & up) includes wine tasting. Free entry for kids and youth under 21.

We do need some volunteers for the Maryland Wine Festival on September 18 and 19, and at Pemberton on October 16 and 17, so if you're interested shoot us an email (info@laytonschance.com) and I'll sign you up.

It's getting close to harvest now and now is the best time to visit a vineyard, with bunches of grapes hanging heavy on the vines! Come check it out!

August!

2010-08-06T16:17:00.006-04:00

I can't believe that summer is passing by. The breeze yesterday morning really made it seem like we were approaching fall, but the humidity kicked in midday and reminded me that we're still in the thick of it. The grapevines are just beautiful these days. I tasted a Chambourcin grape this afternoon and it is only slightly sour now. With sugar content rising at a rate of 1.5% weekly, they will be ready in a few short weeks. We're looking at a mid-September harvest (and we'll need help so stay tuned if you're interested in picking grapes!). On September 25 we're planning a harvest festival to celebrate the bounty of the vines, and to get our feet dirty with a good old fashioned grape stomp!

In other wine news, the watermelon wine is in the tank and doing well. It has a strong watermelon flavor, although right now the scent of yeast is pretty strong on the nose. As someone mentioned today, the liquid has lost most of it's color and is only a very pale pink. Our sample batches have turned almost clear after sitting. Maybe that's another reason for blending fruit wine with [grape] wine- to offer a nicer color. Regardless, we're still planning on doing a straight watermelon wine so let's keep our fingers crossed that it works! Brice Stump of the Daily Times wrote a great article about the watermelon wine in this weeks' paper- check it out here.

This weekend's entertainment has changed but still promises to be a good time. Randy Lee Ashcraft and the Saltwater Cowboys had to postpone their performance, but we're excited to welcome them to the winery in October. In lieu of the Saltwater Cowboys we'll have JohnE Wa2C- a duo from Easton playing classic rock music from favorite artists like James Taylor, Dylan, the Beatles, you name it. The band plays from 2-5 and admission is $5 at the door.

In a Jam

2010-07-31T17:42:00.002-04:00

The music's pumping and people have settled in with their bottles of wine. There is a nice breeze blowing and the summer heat wave has subsided a little to make the evening very pleasant. Joe has set up an outside cash bar to offer easy access to chilled wine.

Jen, Laura and Barbara are working in the tasting room, greeting guests and doing wine tastings. We've got sandwiches from Millie's and freshly prepared cheese plates from our local creameries for people to munch on. But the best part of the evening are our Wine Slushies! It's a mix called Frappe Vino and we blend it with Chambourcin wine to make a delicious frozen drink.

Almost the whole crew is here tonight- Richard's on crowd control and William is leading vineyard and winery tours. For our second big music event I think we're finally figuring out how to make sure everything runs smoothly. Band plays til 8 so stop reading the blog and come enjoy the evening!

Another shore winery!

2010-07-16T11:56:00.007-04:00

Congratulations to Costa Ventosa! Today marks the opening of another winery on the Chesapeake Wine Trail and an excellent reason to visit Maryland's lower shore.

Maybe it was momentum from the weekend carrying over into the week, but we got off with a bang on Monday morning and things have hardly slowed down since. Word is getting out about Layton's Chance, and many people are stocking up on cool wine for their beach vacations. It's really only a short detour from Rt. 50 and a good place to take a stretch break or have your lunch. And the grapes are so beautiful right now, heavy on the vines and just starting to ripen!

The Cambridge Fire Company invited us to serve wine at the Powerboat Regatta next weekend at Sailwinds. It's a huge fundraising activity for the fire company and now also a chance to showcase local wine. We'll be there, so stop by and say hi when you see us!

On top of this, we're getting ready for a concert at the end of the month. Kevin Turner of Trappe came out to our Memorial Day concert and enjoyed himself so much that he asked to come back and bring his band of musicians. We've heard great things about their performance- classic country and good times! Saturday, July 31 from 5-8. $5, tickets available at the door. Don't forget your concert gear!

Eventful weekend

2010-07-12T15:47:00.004-04:00

We had several events over the weekend and their momentum carried us through the week. On Friday I did a wine tasting at the Pitt Stop in Pittsville (on the Ocean City side of Salisbury) and had the chance to talk to new people about what we're doing here. Folks really get interested when they hear that we're making wine right down the road. The family who runs the Pitt Stop has put a lot of work into offering a varied wine and beer selection and they give the place a very friendly atmosphere. Apparently the local customers agree, since many came in for one item and stayed to chat and taste wine.

The rain all day Saturday seemed to be good encouragement to visit the winery and Joe and Laura had their hands full with visitors in the tasting room. Juanita Weber, namer and first lady of the Layton's Chance Winos came in with friends for her free case (and to celebrate!) The sky even cleared up at one point so that Joe could take two ladies on a farm tour, the first of many I expect.

Rain returned in the evening and we didn't get much of a sunset for Sundaes @ Sunset, but everyone who showed up definitely enjoyed a sundae! Vanilla ice-cream, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, chocolate syrup and whipped cream- plus a splash of Joe's Cool Red for the wine lovers.

Laura and Joe took advantage of the quiet evening by relaxing in their usual spots on the front porch.

Erik and Errol came on Sunday from the Delmarva tourism's Host Our Coast program. William gave them a full tour and tasting in the production area, then put them to work a little scooping watermelon. We've made several batches to experiment and refine a recipe and William says we'll be ready to do a large batch at the end of the month. Stay tuned for a date- we'll be looking for volunteers to help scoop melons! Many hands makes light work!

4th of July!

2010-07-04T11:00:00.005-04:00

I hope the heat doesn't scare folks off, though we certainly enjoyed the pleasant weather of the past week. It was 87 when I drove in this morning and keeps getting hotter...

This is the time of year that work in the vineyard calms down a little bit, but with the 5 acres of new vines there has been a lot to keep up with. Nellie finished painting posts and Richard has run all the wire so it's really starting to look good. We'll have to think about deer fencing come fall, especially since the vineyard borders Richard's favorite hunting spot.

We held our first volunteer training last weekend with the enthusiastic bunch that showed up. First assignment- Sundaes @ Sunset- next Saturday night. We'll scoop and pour and you can enjoy the view. Kid friendly event!

William held a radio interview with Cleveland Rippons on ESPN Radio last Wednesday. It was a great opportunity to talk about the winery and get the word out about our upcoming events. For everyone who didn't receive the most recent newsletter, make sure to sign up so we can send you our event calendar!

More music coming up at the end of the month- In a Jam (classic country) on July 31, and Randy Lee returns with the Saltwater Cowboys on August 8th. We'll also have guest author Terry White here to do a dramatic reading of some of her poetry and literature on July 31.

A lively vineyard

2010-06-25T10:06:00.008-04:00

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.

RTA fundraiser!

2010-06-17T16:13:00.007-04:00

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...

LC wine available at your local liquor store!

2010-06-11T09:56:00.006-04:00

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.

Ready for Randy Lee!

2010-05-28T08:26:00.008-04:00

This week we have been welcoming visitors and recuperating from last weekends excitement as we prepare for another. Two ladies from Washington, DC interviewed William for a research piece about the challenges of young farmer's in today's environment. Another group came from a conference in Cambridge and spent some time seeing the vineyard and drinking a bottle of Joe's Cool Red.

Barbara and Alison have been in and we're getting more comfortable in the tasting room as we get more practice. The tables finally arrived and they match the bar nicely. It will be pleasant to sit by the window with a glass of wine and watch the grapes grow.

It is certainly calmer than other weeks in the past month, but there is still plenty to be done. We hired another part time worker, Tony, to help Richard finish the new vineyard. There are thousands of staples to drive and 68 rows to run wire down, not to mention fixing the end posts. The vines are growing vigorously and we're seeing the very beginning of bunches form. Another tank of Joe's Cool Red has finished fermenting and we'll rack that before the weekend.

We are also gearing up for a big weekend with Randy Lee Ashcraft and other local performers this Saturday and Sunday! If you haven't been out yet, come have a look! And if you have, come on back for the fun! We're open Memorial Day also, which will be the last chance for Grand Opening free tastings! More info on our website!

A successful weekend!

2010-05-24T17:18:00.001-04:00

Lots going on out at the winery! The ribbon cutting last Friday was wonderful, with a good turnout, sunny weather, and lots of wine flowing. Since the opening, we have been open and ready (hours are 11-5pm Sun-Thurs and 11-6 Friday and Saturday, though we may have extended hours for events).

From our vantage point (behind the bar) everyone seemed to have fun at the ribbon cutting, and Barbara, Alison and I enjoyed talking to people and pouring wine. I was very pleased to meet Delegate Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio, and finally put a face to the names of many people who have helped Layton's Chance get set up. Outside the tasting room, Joe and William gave non-stop tours, while Laura kept her keen, teacher's eyes on everything. We had a second bar stationed outside where Richard, and later Jen, served tastings. See all the photos from the event here or on our facebook page. If you were there, feel free to tag yourself in our photos!

The Conners, William's sister Susan, her husband Nathan, and Grace, Claire and Gabe, came up from Jacksonville, Florida to be with the family for the grand opening. Although things had changed since their last visit (before the building was completed!), they fit in naturally and we were happy to have them. Susan posted at the welcome table for a bit on Friday, making sure people signed the photo release waivers. The kids had a ball, running in and out and all around, breathing in the excitement of the day.

We wrapped the weekend up with our second annual View of the Vineyard event. It got off to a slow start, perhaps because of the threatening clouds, but after a brief storm things cleared up. The rain drove a rush of people in to the tasting room and we were fortunate to have some help behind the bar with Nathan Conner cleaning and restocking glasses. The winery seems to be facilitating meetings with old friends, as Joe welcomed some of his high school classmates for a small reunion on Sunday. One friend had been an exchange student many years ago, and she came from Switzerland with her husband for the visit (and to visit their new grandson!)

Working hard but having fun too! Thanks to everyone who came out!

Opening Day

2010-05-21T17:12:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure how to begin today's blog, as there's so much to share. Throughout the past days, weeks, months and years there have been many emotions- hope, excitement, anxiety, enthusiasm, and even a bit of frustration. Today, however, the air has been full of joy. Even the weather cooperated by giving us a warm, sunny day! Friends, family, neighbors, members of the business community, local politicians, fellow vintners, and plenty of new faces came out to celebrate our official opening and ribbon cutting. We thank those who joined us today and we look forward to welcoming others into the Layton's Chance community!

Final details

2010-05-13T16:06:00.010-04:00

We are one week away from the Ribbon Cutting and the mood is surprisingly calm. Our family event this past Sunday passed very successfully. We sold our first bottle to our friend and neighbor Steele Phillips (see photo with Joe signing the bottle). William and Jennifer manned the tasting room bar, while Joe gave tours of the vineyard and winery. Laura greeted all visitors and spent the day making sure everyone had what they needed.

As a guest with some family members of my own, we were extremely pleased with the event and excited to see the Laytons reach this stage- the end of many years of hard work and the beginning of many more!

This week was spent following up on details such adding and arranging inventory, putting up signs in the tasting room, practicing with the cash register, etc. Jen and William led a training session on Tuesday night for everyone to learn the basics of working in the tasting room. Our two new part-time employees, Alison Moore and Barbara Bailey, joined us for the evening. I hope we didn't overwhelm them with wine stories!

In case you aren't following us on Facebook, we've got an ongoing competition to see who can offer the best name for our wine club. We'll set up a point system where members accumulate points by buying wine, and the points can be traded for prizes, discounts, or more wine! Send your entry to info@laytonschance.com by May 18th to be considered. Winner gets a free case of Layton's Chance wine!

A reminder about our opening events- the ribbon cutting will be next Friday, May 21st, at 12:30pm, and Grand Opening Weekend with music and festivities will be May 29th and 30th. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Picnic and play!

2010-05-07T09:13:00.005-04:00

Between the landscaping and the outdoor furniture, we've really spruced up the outside of the winery. We received some Adirondak and rocking chairs from Wright's Market, and positioned them perfectly for viewing the vineyard at sunset. We also have picnic tables and a children's playground so bring your family and stay for a while! The tasting room will have light snacks available daily and sandwiches on weekends, but people are welcome to bring picnic lunches of their own. Our wine goes well with everything, even Maryland blue crabs!

Exciting to us also is the arrival and set-up of our point of sale/cash register. In addition to wine we'll also offer goods from several local artists such as handmade jewelry, baskets, purses and pottery. We're even working with a soapmaker from Talbot County to make custom wine soaps! We also received a huge block of cheese from Chapel Creamery which we'll offer for our cheese plates.

Richard and Chuck finished driving posts in the new vineyard, so the next part will be putting up the cross beams. William is famous for his straight rows, and Richard has done pretty well following suit.

All the corn has been planted and the men are moving on to soybeans. The sunny weather of April has been extremely conducive to planting, so things moved along quickly.

On Tuesday a representative from the Dorchester Health Department paid a visit and helped us get our kitchen up to par. It was especially exciting for me because the inspector turned out to be a familiar face, one not seen for 15 years! The Layton's Chance community is wider and more encompassing than I could have imagined.

Laura and I have really been working on getting the tasting room ready and Barbara will come over this afternoon to help set up the displays. The wine racks are being delivered as we speak, and we'll have to get them filled and ready. There’s still plenty to do but we’re happy to be doing it!

New signs!

2010-04-30T12:55:00.008-04:00

It's past five on Friday and we are all still running around. Only one week left before our family preview event. Laura and I have been riding around the county picking up furniture and decorations for the tasting room. Some things need to be dusted off a little bit but with a little creativity we'll put together some nice displays.

Landscaping is almost finished, and it looks awesome! Plus, we've put up our new signs, so now there's no excuse for not being able to find us!

Our point of sale system arrived this week too. I ran the first credit card sale through this afternoon and everything seems to be working smoothly!

Joe continued to plant corn most of the week, although a reporter brought him inside for a bit this morning. He has run Lazy Day Farms for more than 35 years, so even the excitement of the winery won't distract him from his duties there.

Thanks to Janet and Nellie for taking care of the grapes- they have been in the vineyard pruning all week and the vines are looking healthy and strong.

We received 1100 gallons of juice on Monday which we'll start fermentation on soon. It would be terrible to run out of wine in the middle of the summer, plus we don't want the tanks to sit empty for long!

I'm surely forgetting something but we'll have to wait til next week. Have a great weekend!

Getting closer

2010-04-23T11:45:00.007-04:00

Fortunately the rain held off early in the week to give us some time to finish planting grapes. William and Joe planted all weekend and by Wednesday morning we completed the last few rows. It is completely satisfying to look out over what used to be a clear green field and see hundreds of little grape vines. We saved a few rows for our View of the Vineyard planting event in May (sign up here!), so others can experience the pleasure of planting.

Richard has his work cut out for him in the old vineyard, now that the planting is done. He did a full walk through on Thursday and is now following up with replacing dead vines, fixing the irrigation, mending the deer fence, and cursory pruning. The grapes are looking good and just yesterday put out the tiny buds which will soon become blossoms.

Laura and I had a wonderful meeting with a jewelry maker from Salisbury. She brought many samples of her craft and it was challenging to select a few pieces for our tasting room. We also sorted through t-shirt and polo shirt samples to be sure everyone's looking pretty on opening day.

We haven't seen much of Joe or Chuck this week as they've been out planting corn. William too, although he is still keeping a close eye on the winery. In fact, he's ready to start making more wine and we've got a new delivery of juice coming next week!

The winery passed its final building inspection yesterday and will soon be ready to welcome guests. We are waiting for the fire marshal to give us an occupancy permit, but all other permits have been successfully granted.

Stay connected with our website- we'll be updating it weekly to let you know what activities are happening at the winery!

Planting grapes

2010-04-16T15:39:00.007-04:00

I've had the pleasure of sitting in our cool office for a few hours this afternoon wrapping up things for the week but I'll soon be going back to the vineyard to join the rest of the family and crew. We have had the auger running nonstop since Wednesday with almost nonstop planters coming behind it. Fortunately the weather is cooperating- none of the rain that was expected has arrived and the cool breeze keeps everyone from overheating (although today's sun is pretty intense!). Everyone has helped tremendously; Joe drills holes, with Chuck or William to give him a rest sometimes, and everyone else plants or puts together growth tubes to protect our baby vines. Janet comes out for a few hours each day and even Laura has set aside her many tasks to help plant. Richard misses driving posts but we'll need to put the end posts in soon so he will have another chance.

Laura has been communicating with a sign printer and we expect to have the sign for the end of our lane by next week. It's almost as exciting as getting our mailbox put up! We are also waiting for directional signs, which will be put up to direct traffic from Rt. 50.

The tasting room bar is fully installed and has a Layton's Chance leaf etched into the surface. Mark Hubbard did a great job designing and building it and we're really excited for it to be put to use!

I almost forgot to mention our successful bottling day. We had the whole crew out here again to help bottle our three remaining wines. It was a long day but we got all 971 cases done on Tuesday and now everything is ready to go for our May 21st opening. Can't wait!

Budbreak!

2010-04-09T11:37:00.008-04:00

While all of us were running around this week- getting the fields ready, driving posts in the vineyard, ordering signs and merchandise, and preparing invitations- the April sunshine was busy too. With its steady warmth, the sun persuaded our young buds to open up and start sending out new leaves!

Jen scored a major coup for us by booking Randy Lee Ashcraft to play during Grand Opening Weekend! She invited him via Facebook and he enthusiastically agreed to play from 5-8 on May 29th. We'll also have a Latin jazz duo earlier that day, from 1-4pm, and on Sunday we'll have a couple named Second Time Around playing from 2-5pm. It is going to be so much fun!

Work in the tasting room has also moved forward. The bar is being finished today and has a beautiful Layton's Chance leaf etched in the center. We had to repair some buckling in the floor but it looks (and feels) like that is taken care of. Our catering kitchen is waiting for a new refrigerator and needs to be straightened up a bit. And we finally hung our beautiful driftwood mirrors in the bathrooms. We are so pleased to use beautiful local crafts to decorate our winery.

Richard spent some solid days working in the new vineyard and we're happy to see only twelve rows left to drive posts in. Out of 68 rows, that's pretty impressive! Chuck does a great job of getting the tractor right where it needs to be, and the two make a good team. William or I covered for Chuck when he was needed to disk the cornfields, but I still need some practice on the tractor.

Upcoming Events:

-Artist Presentation Day is this Sunday, so come on by from 12-4 and show us your goods!

-Second Bottling Line will run Tuesday and Wednesday so come learn how it works from Mark Emon of St. Michael's

We've got 5 acres of Traminette and Vidal Blanc grapes to plant next week too- time to get our hands dirty!

Bottling and more

2010-04-02T08:15:00.018-04:00

Monday morning started off with a bang with Landwirt Bottling. They brought a tractor trailer with the complete bottling line set-up inside. The owner, Gary Summers, showed us each step of the process, from rinsing out the bottles to filling them with wine, corking, adding capsules, and labeling. Family and friends like Barbara Bailey (left) and Janet Nichols (right) came out to help and William set up an efficient assembly line. Joe provided cases of empty bottles so that Laura's brother John could send them down the line. Barb and I (Chloe) received the bottles as they came off the line, checking for errors and filling cases. At a rate of 52 bottles per minute, our eyes were rarely off the bottles. We sent those cases down to Laura and Janet (a friend and retired teacher who also works in the vineyard) who taped and labeled each case. Finally Chuck and Richard stacked finished cases and moved them out of the way. William helped at different points and kept things running smoothly. And Mr. Summers and his assistant stayed inside the trailer making sure that nothing went wrong on the line. In the meantime, Jen offered her full moral support from Salisbury.

Overall, it was an extremely efficient process and we were all surprised to finish bottling two wines in one day. Granted, we greatly appreciated our lunch break and by the end of the day everyone was beat, but the thrill of successfully completing our first bottling line was unsurpassed. Check out the full photo gallery on our facebook page or our website.

The rest of the week was spent catching up on various tasks around the winery as we waited for the fields to dry out. We filtered the remaining wines so they are ready to be bottled on April 12th. Laura and I have been picking out merchandise for our tasting room. We've made contact with a potter and a basket-maker who may bring their work here to sell. And we're still looking so send your artist friends our way on April 11th!

Stephen and Alison hung out for a few days over their spring break and helped with cleaning the winery. Alison was a natural with our new mop and bucket, and Stephen showed no fear up on the catwalk, helping rinse out empty tanks. It'll be fun having them here this summer!

The forecast is 70 degrees and sunny next week, so if you're looking for us we'll be in the vineyard!

Flowers and signs

2010-03-26T13:17:00.004-04:00

We got a lot done this week. Joe and Chuck prepared the fields for planting, disking and running ditches and taking care of farm jobs.

Laura's been busy in the office making sure we have everything we need here. She also talked to the county about getting our signs approved. Apparently we need to have a contract for their production before the county will let us apply for a permit. We're fortunate that Laura has her attention (and patience) focused on that.

On Tuesday we had a landscaper look at the property and make some recommendations. It’s exciting to think about what else we can plant here! Maybe some crape myrtle or forsythia bushes?

The winery production area is full of pallets of bottles. Monday is the big day (our first bottling line!) and though there are plenty of things to be nervous about, we're trying to hold onto positive energy. We'll be bottling all day Monday and Tuesday so friends, neighbors, and blog readers are welcome to stop by and see how it's going!

Liquor license approved!

2010-03-18T16:35:00.007-04:00

Whew! Another week has flown by. The sun came out on Tuesday so we spent the bulk of our time in the new vineyard. Just a few more rows to lay out (out of 68 total) and then the focus will be on driving posts.

We received good news on Monday when the Liquor Board approved our liquor license. We are now officially allowed to sell wine!

Chloe and Richard went to St. Michael's Winery on Tuesday to check out their bottling process. Mark Emon, one of the owners there, gave us a full tour and explained what we need to have for our own set-up. We'll be bottling on March 29, 30, 31 and on April 12, 13, 14. It's a complex procedure but if everything runs smoothly we'll end up with many beautiful bottles of wine. Come check it out if you're interested!

Laura met with several members of the Dorchester Retired Teachers Association to help organize their annual fundraiser. They're having a Wine Tasting Soirée here at Layton's Chance on June 18th, 7-10pm, to raise money for a scholarship fund that benefits Dorchester County high school students who pursue education careers. It's going to be a wonderful event, and we're really happy to have this as the first privately hosted event at the winery (although everyone is welcome to attend! Contact Barbara Bailey at 443-880-0746 to buy tickets!)

And finally, we have to announce that our new telephone has been installed. The new numbers are (410) 228-1205 for the office, and (410) 228-1210 for faxes. Everything seems to work well and we're ready to take your calls!

Wineries Unlimited

2010-03-12T09:26:00.005-05:00

It's been beautiful all week, and we were finally able to get some work done in the new vineyard. We used the new laser to lay out straight rows and mark out the trellis posts. Then George, and later Chuck, manned the tractor while Richard drove in the posts. It's not only the nice weather that we need to take advantage of but the relative dryness of the field. If the field is too wet, the tractor will leave ruts that can collect water and harbor pests or disease that could harm the grapes.

Aside from Joe, everyone who wasn't working in the vineyard was at the Valley Forge Convention Center in Pennsylvania. The 4-day Wineries Unlimited conference and trade show held information sessions for new wineries, and shared new ideas from experts about wine industry issues. So many vendors were there that it was hard to know where to start, but everyone was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. It was incredible to see how many different products were relevant and useful to wineries, from bird netting to networking software to tote bags.

One thing we agreed upon was the desire to have local artists display products in our tasting room. We'll need table settings, wall art, cheese boards, and more, so if anyone is interested or knows someone with artistic talent interested in promoting their wares, please get in touch! Email info@laytonschance.com or call 410-228-1205.

Joe & Laura in Hawaii

2010-03-08T14:26:00.008-05:00

Not such a dreary trip after all...

Moving week

2010-03-05T12:59:00.006-05:00

Things are definitely moving around here. We're so happy to have Joe and Laura back, and as you can see in this picture, they're happy to be back. Much happier than they were on their cruise, where they spent two long and dreary weeks exploring the wild volcanic landscapes of Hawaii, complete with wild chickens and Rainbow trees.

But seriously, they're back just in time to join in the hustle and bustle of March.

The wines have all been filtered and are looking lovely and clear, not to mention that their flavors have developed nicely. We will filter once more before bottling but otherwise they are ready to go!

Mark Hubbard, a local carpenter, began installing the bar in the tasting room. He is building it from red oak which will will nicely suit the rustic barn decor. We also had a visit from some friends at the Maryland Small Business Development Center. They were positive about what we have so far, and they shared some advice for setting up the tasting room and retail area.

The office is in a transitional, yet workable stage. Joe has spent most of the past two days sorting and organizing folders and setting up the filing system. Laura has been running around taking care of all the important details- buying trashcans and soap for the bathrooms, printing checks, organizing the Farm Bureau banquet, bringing in office supplies, and helping Joe with the big move. Earlier today she exclaimed how excited she was for a "vacation" next week, at the 4 day Wineries Unlimited conference and trade show!

We received the equipment for the catering room and installed the sink and drain as required by the health department. The microwave and coffeemaker have been tested and function fine (as long as you bring filters!).

We're headed to Oxon Hill tomorrow for the Maryland Wineries Association and Maryland Grape Growers Association conference, and I'm definitely looking forward to meeting and talking to people from other wineries!

Purifying the wines

2010-03-01T13:20:00.008-05:00

So we made it to March. The snow is mostly melted and the sun is starting to dry out the vineyard and the fields. Nellie, our neighbor, is pruning grapevines outside now, bundled up tightly against the wind.

Last week was a very successful week in the winery. We removed the Bentonite, then added cream of tarter and dropped the temperature on the Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc, and the Rosé. This cold storage process is designed to stabilize the wine and prevent the deposition of crystals in wine when it's chilled. Finding tiny crystals at the bottom of your wine bottle is a commonly recognized wine flaw. They aren't harmful, calcium tartrate or potassium bitartrate (cream of tartar), substances which originate from the grapes and settle when the wine becomes supersaturated at low temperatures, but it's best to get them out before bottling.

After putting the wines through cold storage, they are ready to be filtered! The process can take a mere 1 1/2 hours like the Concord, or over 6 hours for the Chambourcin. Either way, the finished products are beautifully clear wines, ready for bottling.

The Traminette will be filtered this week and everything is on track for our bottling date on March 29th. Come and join us if you want to see how it goes- I'm pretty curious myself!

Progress!

2010-02-19T16:28:00.001-05:00

Friday. A good end to a productive week.

Most of today was spent in the winery. We racked the Rosé and the Vidal to remove the clarifying agent, and we’ll take care of the others next week. The Vidal is strikingly beautiful, pale green-yellow, and tastes yummy too!

The third computer has arrived so we can go ahead and set up our network and move into the office in the winery. It will be nice to have everything in one location- so we can check on the wine and not miss important phone calls or emails. When Joe and Laura return from their Hawaii vacation, they’ll help set up an organized system.

I’ve spent a lot of time this week experimenting with capsule and bottle choices. Two of our labels have TTB approval! We are still waiting for the others but it’s exciting to see that we’re really getting somewhere.

The floor in the winery is fully installed, and it looks fabulous. Painters have been in also, doing the trim and other finishing touches.

And, we’ve spoken to several individuals and groups about holding events at the winery- an encouraging sign of interest and support! Thank you!

More snow...

2010-02-12T14:10:00.010-05:00

For all our concerned readers, we have survived this week's snow barrage with no major problems. I think the final snowfall was more than 20"! Ravenwood Road, the main road between here and Rt. 50 wasn't plowed and Richard had trouble getting in yesterday. But then they spent two days plowing and digging out neighbors. It's good to have tractors when you're so far out in the country like this!

Earlier this week we met with a printer in Salisbury and arranged for our opening brochures to be printed. We are offering a gift certificate of a Tour and Tasting for 6 at the Dorchester YMCA Annual Gala, on March 6th. Their "Fun" Raiser is called the Wall of Wine- an event where participants have the chance to win a bottle of fine wine, donated by the community members. Or in our case, since our wine won't be ready in March, a special visit to the winery. If you want to get involved, stop by the Y with a bottle of wine or contact Katie Tolley for more info.

Down at the winery contractors are installing wood floors and it looks great. We're still waiting on a phone line and the rest of our computers (delayed due to the snowstorm). Maybe by the end of the month we'll be relocated. Fingers are crossed for an early spring!

Painted walls!

2010-02-04T10:40:00.012-05:00

As you can see, work in the winery is moving along quickly. There's paint on the walls in the tasting and event rooms, the bar base is set, and the brick mantle is in and ready to hold a pellet stove.

Happily for William, the lab is up and running. Steven and Alison have their own chemistry set in there so they can be like dad and do their own experiments. It's a relief for us to have a place to put all our equipment away. If you wonder what Richard's mixing up, it's Bentonite, clay from Ft. Benton, Wyoming, which pulls out sediment from the wine. We'll still have to filter it before bottling, of course.

We've also been working on our labels. It's quite a process, from designing a visually pleasing look to finding a printer who will work with our bottler. There's a lot of integration in this stage to make sure everything will go smoothly in April with the bottling lines.

A foot of snow cancelled school and the kids got to join in the fun at the winery. Check out our Facebook page for more photos. You can also see the interview with WCEI's Drake Ferguson. It'll be aired this spring on his morning radio program "Drake Around Town."

Other good news- We now have a functioning indoor toilet!

Designing the interior

2010-01-28T08:12:00.005-05:00

There's been a lot of activity at the winery this week. Richard can do pretty much anything, including build and install the countertops in the office which will serve as our desks. He also helped prepare the catering kitchen to meet health inspection standards and the potential needs of caterers.

And, painters are working in the tasting room! With the lights on, it's easy to imagine the room as a finished product. We expect to get the flooring in early February, and then it'll be ready to furnish.

We set up cold stabilization for the Concord. This entails lowering the temperature of the wine to just above freezing, about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The process is intended to prevent crystallization and spoilage in the bottle. We can tell that the refrigeration is working because there's an inch of frost on the outside of the tank!

Check back next week for pictures of our progress!

Blending and Tasting!

2010-01-22T09:23:00.010-05:00

Lots of good news to share this week!

We started the week on Sunday with a blending session. This is when we sample the wines and see how to bring out the best flavor of each wine. Our white wines, Vidal and Traminette, were delicious, but we added a little Niagara to the Traminette to bring out its frutiness. We'll make this into a semi-sweet wine, and the Vidal will be dry. The reds were good too, although we've been worried about the high acidity of the Chambourcin. We tasted it with a little Concord mixed in and it had a much more balanced flavor. Niagara is a wonderfully fragrant grape which makes it a perfect finishing touch for Joe's Cool Red, our sweet red wine.

The highlight of the afternoon was our Chambourcin blush, which we decided to leave as is. It has a delicate fruity flavor which, slightly sweetened, will be a highlight in our Tasting Room also. Plus we're proud to say that it's made from 100% Layton's Chance grapes, a true Estate wine for Dorchester County.

Other weekly updates: we sent out the first of our monthly newsletters (which you can view by clicking here). The electricians have adapted the wiring to fit the fixtures we picked out, and the countertops have been installed in the lab. We picked out most of our office equipment and will have that in soon. And we decided on the design of the bar for the tasting room, an elegant piece of red oak crafted by a local carpenter.

Dormant Pruning

2010-01-15T09:31:00.010-05:00

The past few days have warmed things up here, melting the snow and giving us a chance to get into the vineyard to do more "slow" pruning. At the going rate, we've got about a month to go! The vines look pretty healthy though, and they'll be ready to put forth healthy bunches this spring.

We're still waiting on equipment for the office, but I've spent a lot of time talking to experts about Point-of-Sale systems and computers. There are many options available, but it's hard to know what will work best for us.

Cabinets in the Lab!

Cabinets were put in this week in the lab and we're ready to install desks and drawers in the office too. You can see the additions in our website's photo gallery: Winery Construction. The tasting room will be painted Soft Green, as soon as we've got all the electrical work sorted out. Our goal is to move in by February- so we can have space to move around and organize ourselves and so Jen can have her house back!

Winter Tasks

2010-01-08T15:38:00.006-05:00

Welcome back! We took a good look at what needs to be done to be ready for a May opening and I'd say we've got our work cut out for us. This week found me in the office mostly, staying warm while I researching our hardware and software needs. We're hoping to start sending out a newsletter this month so if you haven't signed up for our mailing list yet, make sure that you do (see the link on our homepage)!

It's time for more pruning in the vineyard. Grapevines produce hundreds of viable buds and shoots, so we have to prune them while they're in a dormant state to keep things in balance. Too much growth can quickly compromise the quality of the fruit and hardiness of the vines. Regardless, it is an arduous task that takes a careful eye, so we will be working on this for the next couple months. Richard got started earlier this week but the fierce winds made it tough to stay long outside.

Laura and Joe met with Governor O'Malley in a meeting on Maryland small business development. They gave a positive report and were pleased to have the chance to talk about opening Layton's Chance with other regional businesses and economic development officers.

Wrapping up 2009

2009-12-23T14:09:00.009-05:00

It's been a big year for Layton's Chance and we're looking forward to a breather before going into 2010. The Vidal and Niagara wines have successfully passed primary fermentation and were racked yesterday. Now we wait for solids to settle and for the flavor to develop. The other wines are also in good shape, and our main task now is to prevent oxidation. As William noted yesterday, there are many chances for wine to be spoiled throughout the winemaking process, but so far we are very pleased with how ours have turned out.

There's good news from the drywallers too, who have finished prepping the walls for painting. We were especially impressed with the men who used stilts (and double stilts!) to reach the ceiling and upper walls. Check out some more construction pictures in our photo gallery.

Thanks for keeping up with us and we wish you all a happy holiday season!

100% chance of snow

2009-12-18T13:03:00.007-05:00

The radio tells us there's a 100% chance of snow tomorrow and I can definitely feel it in the air. Today is the coldest it's been all week, but there's a big empty field which we need to turn into a second vineyard so we're working out there this afternoon.

In the winery, our newest wines are nearly through fermentation and we'll be able to move them next week. I'm looking forward to the end of the construction there, so we can set up our lab and the office and have all our equipment in one place. The Chambourcin rose had higher acidity than we wanted so we blended it with the dry Chambourcin red, and tests this morning showed improvement.

As for construction, the drywall is up everywhere and they're doing the final touches to prepare it for painting. We have outdoor lights now, so you can find your car in the parking lot!

Farm operations are wrapping up for the season. Chuck spent a few days cleaning the combine so it's bright and shiny now. William and Joe took the tractor out and leveled the driveway, a necessary task after all that rain.

Now, it's time to hunker down and stay warm for the weekend!

Deer Fencing

2009-12-15T19:15:00.012-05:00

Despite the onset of winter weather (and colds), we've been very productive these past few days.

The harvest is finally over, culminating in a full Saturday of cutting soybeans. That means that more energy can be completely devoted to the vineyard and winery. Today, Richard and Chloe hung some of the deer fencing, to protect our precious grapes from nibbling animals. We should be able to finish closing in the vineyard tomorrow. The new vineyard will also need to be protected as it is situated close to the woods where we see deer quite often.

Last week we received two barrels of Niagara grape juice and filled another tank with Vidal. Both of these white wines are undergoing fermentation right now. I'll give you more of an update on them later this week.

Also, check out the new page on our website- we've put out the details about what grapes we're growing and what wines we'll make with them!

New Trellises

2009-12-02T15:27:00.007-05:00

The new trellises in the vineyard are almost finished, thanks to the hard work by Richard. He spent time the past few weeks installing a Geneva Double Curtain system, which is designed to handle vigorously growing grapes. We are using it with Norton grapes, which are a native American grape and well-suited for this climate. Right now the vines are only a year old, but when they reach their growth spurt, we'll be ready!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T18:50:00.003-05:00

It's been a gray week so far, cloudy with steady rain. Not great for cutting soybeans but perfect for baking, eating turkey and watching football. The Laytons are headed to Pennsylvania for the holiday weekend and we hope they'll bring sun when they return.

William and I (Chloe) went to speak to Al Cassinelli, of Cassinelli's Winery and Vineyards. He's going into his second year of operations and had many insights to share about his experience. Winemakers seem to be a pretty friendly breed, offering lots of encouragement to us newcomers.

Back at the winery, Richard has been doing (quite literally) the dirty work. We racked the Traminette yesterday, after a lengthy fermentation, and today, the Chambourcin. This process, where we get rid of the accumulated solids in the bottom of the tank, is called 'getting the wine off the lees.' Basically, there's a beautiful purple mess left from fermentation (the lees) and it has to be rinsed out before putting wine back in. Fortunately, water (and water pressure) are wonderful cleaning agents.

Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for checking in!

Preparing for winter

2009-11-20T13:51:00.003-05:00

What a busy season! After the excitement with the press, things have been running relatively smoothly around here. We received juice from Concord, Traminette, and Chambourcin grapes at the end of October and they are happily fermenting away. The Vidal white and Chambourcin blush are finished fermenting and will rest for the next few weeks.

In the vineyard, we spent the past week doing preliminary pruning- trimming long shoots so vines can save energy reserves during the cold months. Another benefit to extensive pruning is to open up space for new shoots in the spring. We also began laying out the new vineyard (see the picture on our homepage), where we will plant 5 more acres of grapes this spring.

We have two new employees to help with all this work. Richard is helping William manage and maintain the vineyard. Chloe assists in the Winery, although there are many projects which call for collaboration.

As for construction in the winery, things are moving according to schedule (aside from some trouble with the well, now resolved). We have interior walls in most of the rooms and are preparing to furnish and equip the lab. Maybe we'll have that set up and usable by the end of the year!

Two more batches of juice will arrive soon, Vidal and Niagara varietals, so we'll keep you updated as things move along.

Our first wine is in the tank!

2009-09-25T11:20:00.001-04:00

What a week! The press was fixed on Wednesday afternoon. Laura “convinced” UPS that William should be able to meet the UPS truck, get the part, and rush it to the winery as quickly as possible. The electricians were waiting for the part, and the press was back to work by the middle of the afternoon.

Everything is moving along quite rapidly now with our first juice fermenting in a tank, and the press going non-stop 15 hours a day. As soon as one cycle is finished, the press is emptied, cleaned, and readied for the next batch of grapes. We hope to finish the Traminette today and start pressing Chambourcin tomorrow. The Traminette will make a white wine, and we will make a blush from this Chambourcin. Our test batch of Chambourcin last winter was delicious and we are very excited about the possibilities of our Chambourcin wine.

First day of pressing grapes

2009-09-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

We had finally gotten everything working today when the press blew up – complete with smoke and terrible noises! The building was bustling this morning when we started the press for the first time, and when the juice started pouring into the catch pan, we literally had a crowd of about 15 construction workers standing around in awe of the process. It was a very exciting morning...until it crashed. It was during the second cycle of pressing the Traminette variety. Fortunately the electricians were working in the building and helped William – a very distraught William – figure out what was wrong. Our electricians figured out the problem (we hope) and the part is ordered and will be shipped overnight. It was quite a let-down from our initial excitement at getting everything started.

Rain, Rain, Rain

2009-06-25T20:35:00.003-04:00

All the wet weather has brought not only tremendous growth, but an influx of unwanted pests. None of them hurt the grapes, but they could affect the leaves. Downy mildew looks like a white powder on the underside of the leaf. Little white capsules on the underside of the leaf hatch out into little black bugs that crawl around, but don’t eat the leaf.

The new entrance to Layton’s Chance looks like a super highway off the New Bridge Road driveway to the winery being built by United Construction. A larger culvert and the beginning of a huge stone driveway now show the world where Layton’s Chance is about to be born.

Construction to Start Soon!

2009-06-19T20:34:00.002-04:00

What has been a field of grain for the last hundred years will soon be a winery! A new construction date of July 12 has been set by Morton after the debate about the sprinkler system was resolved (at least for now). We are ready to build as soon as the materials arrive. Some equipment for the winery has already started to arrive, and the rest will be shipped as soon as the building is ready.

The grapes are growing like a jungle from all this rain. Four grape varieties - Chambourcin, Vidal, Traminette, and Norton are climbing faster than the vineyard workers can keep up with them.

A Real Address!!

2009-06-18T20:32:00.001-04:00

Layton’s Chance has an address and a mailbox. A black mailbox proclaims, “Layton’s Chance - 4225 New Bridge Rd.” The bulldozers and earthmovers are working, and the site pad for the winery is almost complete. The trucks haul in rubble fill for the parking lot, and that work is still in progress. If the rain would stop, perhaps the rest of the work could get done. For the last 3 weeks, Vienna has had nothing but clouds and rain – not conducive to building a winery, or to growing crops for that matter.

Vineyard Progress

2008-10-01T16:20:00.004-04:00

Have a look at the photos below:

Chambourcin at the end of 2007.

Our vineyard has attracted these Hornworms, which are known as “voracious “ eaters of leaves.

We left on just enough grapes in 2008 to make five gallons of Chambourcin wine.

The kids helped harvest our first grapes in September of 2008.

Planting Day

2007-06-07T16:16:00.001-04:00

After more than a week of cold weather and rain, April 20th arose bright, sunny, and warm! It was a good omen for us. I had a crew of eight scheduled to start at 8:00. We ended up with two extra. The work flew by. We had 2/3 of the work done by lunch, and the entire vineyard planted by 3:00!! I had planned on it taking two days, so I was overjoyed. I would like to thank everyone who showed up to help: Jennifer Layton, Laura Layton, Joseph Layton Jr., Joseph Layton Sr., George Short, Barbara Bailey, James Bailey, Ted Cooney, Franny Hearthway, and Carol Robinson. Thank you all for you hard work!!

Our crew was fresh and ready to start at 8:00! Photos coming soon!

Pre-Plant Preparation

2007-06-01T15:53:00.000-04:00

To start my pre-plant preparations, I laid out the vineyard design. I put metal stakes at each end of each row, and stretched a string between them to create a straight line. Then I used spray paint to mark the line. I ended up using over 22 cans of spray paint!! I then put the metal posts on the sides, to mark where the wooden posts would go, and stretched a string across the width of the vineyard. I then marked each cross point, and this is where a post will go. This process took George (our employee) and I almost three full days.

After the marks were in place, we started driving the 3-4 inch line poles into place. We got along very well, but it still took four days to get all 378 poles into the ground. We had originally planned on auguring the poles in, but were advised that driving (pounding) them in was both quicker and more secure.

Our Vineyard Site

2006-05-30T10:45:00.001-04:00

Our vineyard location presents a challenge. Since we already own land, we don’t have the luxury of shopping around for the best site. Our site is less than 10 feet above sea level, with a water table that comes up to 18 inches from the top of the ground in the winter. Less than 300 feet from the vineyard we have a virtual swamp, where water lays most of the year.

To counter the water, we have installed tile drainage under the entire vineyard. The site we picked is 4-5 feet higher than the surrounding ground, so we had the ability to put pipe down 4-5 feet and still have it drain above the pond water level. The tile drainage is 4-5 feet down, and will bring the ground water down to that level. A PVC pipe carries the water out to our nearby pond. The pipe was installed in May 2006, and water has run out continuously since then, even through the 6 week drought we experienced in July and August. This tells us that the investment was well worth it!

We planted Sudex as a cover crop in the summer, to add some organic matter to the ground, even though the ground already had decent organic matter from it’s many years in no-till corn, soybeans, and wheat. We did a nematode test and found no deadly nematodes in the sample. Based on our soil tests, we added lime in the fall and chisel plowed it to incorporate it deeper into the soil. We then planted our permanent vineyard ground cover. I debated what to use, and eventually decided on Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue. This is a very aggressive and competitive grass, but I picked it over a less competitive grass to try and mitigate the fertility and moisture in our soil.