We are Dedicated!

Any successful endeavor demands dedication.  Challenges arise, foreseen and unforeseen, and only those committed to the dream will persevere to the finish. 

Sunday evening we marked the completion of one phase of our dream, the tasting room, by inviting members of our small group, as well as our pastor, to join us in celebration.

The event was warm and wonderful, gratifying and, in a way, humbling.  Twenty of us gathered in the tasting room for dinner and a dedication.  Our group always has a good time when we are together.  It is church in the best sense of the word.  There is good food and wine, and meaningful conversation emerges unplanned out of the events of our lives.

We started the evening with a wide selection of cheeses served from samples we are testing for possible presentation in the tasting room.  We sipped from our five current wines.  Our dinner was a ham and bean soup with cornbread, swiss cheese fondue with a selection of french bread and vegetables.  The dessert course was from a tray of  Christmas cookies and fruit with a chocolate fondue.

We were gathered around a large table and the conversation was robust and joyful.

Following dinner, Our pastor led us in a brief benediction (the humbling part for Larry and me). But first, he read what he called an "Unblessing", from Proverbs 23:31-35:

"Do not look at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup
and goes down smoothly.
At the last it bites like a serpent,
and stings like an adder.
Your eyes will see strange things,
and your mind utter perverse things.
You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
like one who lies on the top of a mast.
'They struck me', you will say, 'but I was not hurt;
they beat me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake?
I will seek another drink.'"

Acknowledging the irony of those words in our context with a chuckle, Larry spoke up, saying that we appreciate these words of caution.  Many of us have family or friends whose lives have been troubled by the abuse of alcohol, and we will be vigilant in awareness of our responsibility to our customers.  We will all take the RAMP training (Responsible Alcohol Management Program).  It is something wineries must
take seriously.

The scriptural introduction was followed by these words of dedication written for the occasion by our pastor:

A BENEDICTION
IN DEDICATION OF THE TASTING ROOM
OF THE VINEYARD AT GRANDVIEW
DECEMBER 16, 2012

This is a sanctuary.
For many the stately rows of fruit,
the trickling creek and restful glade
amidst the trees
are places
of worship, of celebration, of shared work,
witnesses of the raising of children into men and women.

This tasting room is
just a prettied-up expression
of the hospitality, generosity and community
you have been living here
for many years.

We invite the same spirit
of life, laughter, friendship, creativity, enduring work and beauty
that has been here all along
to embrace this winery
with its presence.

May all who come here
feel the joy of friendship,
the loyalty of family,
and the satisfaction of the well-crafted
in all things.

May such generosity be given,
such warmth be expressed,
and such beauty bestowed
that every bottle
be received
as a gift
no matter the exchange at the counter.

May you, who birthed this dream,
giving it flesh and bones, bricks and mortar,
may you find a joyful journey in this enterprise.

Through all the planning,
may you be patient.
As you work and work and work,
may you take care of yourselves
and each other.
When success comes in waves,
may you be prudent and wise.
When there are setbacks, hardships, fights and losses,
may you heal.
In business,
may your kinship come first.

May you not be too proud or scientifically-disposed
to ask God's grace and blessing on this vineyard.

May you remember the Sabbath.
That is, (Ahem!) may you rest well.
As often as you can, sit in awe of this vista,
put your feet up,
and with glass in hand, enjoy
enjoy
these fruits of your labor.

May the grapes always be luscious.
May the harvest always be plentiful.
May the wine always flow freely.
And may those who come here be
nourished with conviviality and peace.
May their communion be sustained by
the cup of blessing.

With deep gratitude our family accepts these words of blessing and dedication.  We are going to frame and hang them somewhere in the tasting room, a constant reminder of our mission and the community of which we are a part and to whom we are dedicated.

 

We're down to the finish!

We've made daily progress these past few weeks, and our tasting room is nearly complete.  The floor got its final coat of finish on Thanksgiving Day.  Since then the windows and doors have been dressed in black walnut trim.

The heating, cooling, electric and plumbing are finished, and lights are hung.

The tasting bar and granite counters are installed.  

We've decorated for Christmas.  

We have our license and we have wine for sale! 

After we pass a couple more inspections we can offer tastings and food pairings.  We are excited to offer you fine wine for your Christmas giving.  Until our official opening, we will have limited hours when wine is available for purchase.  Wine sales are also available by appointment.  Follow us on facebook for ongoing information and updates!

Floored!

We are on a fast track to completion here at the winery and tasting room.  A lot has been accomplished in the past few weeks.

In September, we poured concrete and installed drains in the winery.

In the midst of construction, we harvested our 2012 grapes.  The final picking was the Cabernet Sauvignon in mid-October.  Volunteers joined us on a beautiful, frosty morning.

Early in October, we installed windows and doors, sprayed foam insulation in the walls and hung the drywall.

We began putting up the hemlock siding, and finished the entrance.

The parking lot was paved and lines added.

We painted the walls.

We ordered canvasses of Sarah's photos to grace one of the walls.

We are developing our website.  Labels are approved and ordered. 

There is tile on the bathroom floor.

We have a brick accent wall.

We are staining trim.

And we have a beautiful hardwood floor.

Next week we anticipate installing cabinets and light fixtures. 

It won't be long now!  We can't wait to show you our new facility and introduce our selection of fine wines!

Taking Time to Celebrate

It's been a somewhat hectic summer and fall around The Vineyard at Grandview as we have combined construction of the winery and tasting room with tending the vineyard and harvesting our 2012 crop of premium grapes.  The children decided we needed to take some time out for a celebration.

October 7 was our (Larry and Marilyn) 45th wedding anniversary.  On Saturday evening, the 6th, our children surprised us with a party.  We were told it was to be a birthday party for our granddaughter Ruby who turned two recently.  Our four children, their spouses and all 17 grandchildren were present, as well as about 50 guests...family and friends from the various chapters of our life story. 

My sister Sharon, who lives in Belleville, had driven to Ohio and brought my mother!  Larry's mom was there, too, and two of his brothers.  Friends dear to us from each of the last four decades, some whom we now seldom see, joined us. It was a lovely mix of overlapping life experiences.  Many who couldn't be present, sent cards to share memories and good wishes.

The party was in our pavilion, strung with twinkling white lights (actually left in place from a September wedding). Donna and Terah made gorgeous centerpieces using white pumpkins as the vases.

And food!  Three soups, (spinach tortellini, chili, and potato-ham), rolls, cheese and crackers, vegetable tray.

Luscious desserts...an apple torte, pumpkin cheesecake, cookies, homemade candies (peanut butter and pretzels dipped in chocolate) and a lovely cake (which we had to "cut").

The top layer was carrot cake and the bottom was a white cake with raspberry filling).

The children had put together a slide show of photos through the years which they presented while the four of them sang the lovely and appropriate song "Old Love", learned from a YouTube video by nealandleandra.  Their presentation is now posted on YouTube.  At an open mike a number of people told stories of our friendship.  We chuckled, we laughed, we wiped a tear or two.

We were honored to be remembered in this way and acknowledge with gratitude that we are rich with friends and family.  One of the joys of developing the winery is the opportunity to expand our circle of friends.  Keep watching our blog and facebook page for updates.   We hope to be open to greet you in our new tasting room before the holidays.  That will be another celebration!

An Experience to Savor

Sometimes what begins as an ordinary day turns into the extraordinary.   Such was our experience recently when a good friend stopped by the vineyard. The next day he wrote about the experience.  This blog contains no photos, but if you like words and word pictures, you might just enjoy his account of the day:

I had thought that the Young Oenophile at our house might be interested in seeing a vineyard‑‑Marilyn and Larry's‑‑that was just getting underway, and courtesy of a gracious invitation from them, we spent a good portion of yesterday at theirs. YO and I set out mid‑morning, and, after lunch at a York diner (where the YO allowed as how it was the first time he'd been in a diner sober in a long time, thereby bringing something that was not yet either joy or pride to his father), we wound our way through the vales and swales of western Lancaster County to 1489 Grandview.

It was hot. The vineyard lies on a south‑facing slope and the lane to their house runs along the upper edge, winding back into a small wood wherein stands their house. Larry and Marilyn met us at the winery, which is under construction, and Larry and YO were soon talking wine porn left and right: cabs, chardonnays, pinots, and why California merlot was the object of such derision in the movie _Sideways_. (It's apparently too hot in CA for the merlot grape, so CA merlot strives to reach even the level of indifference.)

But YO and I also learned how fragile the crop can be: a small amount of rain at the critical time when the blossoms are just accomplishing their work will impede the setting of the fruit, thereby diminishing the harvest. And we learned that leaves covering the fruit must be stripped off so that the sun can happily kiss the grapes themselves. And that the vines must be tied up within the trellis lest they sprawl in an unseemly manner and interfere with their neighbors. (There appears to be no end to this. I remembered to Marilyn Henry David Thoreau's comment about the plight of the farmer: "Having set a trap to catch a living, he turns around only to find his own leg caught in the trap....")

Being a gracious host, Larry invited us to stay for an early dinner  so we could taste some of the fruits of their labors. I immediately volunteered YO's services as chef and the die was cast. We hied off to the shade of their house, where Marilyn rummaged in the freezer a  bit. Knowing that Larry was a great hunter, I wondered if there was any venison in the freezer. As it turned out, there was, and we soon had a couple of nice chunks of frozen Bambi defrosting in a pan in the sink.

YO and I made the menu on the way to the grocery store, where we laid in supplies. The look on the young produce stocker's face was utterly and pricelessly blank when we asked him about fresh fennel. So we moved on.

 The menu was seared venison steaks in a tarragon‑mushroom sauce, roasted sweet potatoes slathered with gingered butter, and a small salad w/walnuts and dried cranberries and Asian pears and dressed with a quick fresh vinaigrette that included lemon, garlic, and a  touch of honey. Yours truly threw together a quick steamed blueberry mush for dessert. (We whipped the cream left over from making the tarragon‑mushroom sauce and used it to top the steamed blueberry mush.)

Venison must be served rare to medium rare, although not of course so rare that it bleats when you put a fork to it. YO had never done venison before and was quite pleased with how it came out. I don't think it was cooked for more than 5‑7 minutes total: a few minutes searing on each side and then a few minutes more finishing in a very hot oven. I prepared the salad and was pleased with how little actually fell onto the floor while I was washing and tossing it. Of course, I forgot to put in the Asian pear, so I got an F for yesterday. YO showed his knife skills by slicing the pear into almost translucently thin and even slices, and left it to me to fling the slices about on the salad in everyone's little salad bowl.

 Of course, we were sampling wines as we went along. YO used some of  the cab to deglaze the skillet in which he had seared the venison and added that goodness to the tarragon‑mushroom sauce. We even tried the elderberry wine, which was a first for both YO and me.

A great time was had by all, although there could have been a touch  more ginger in the gingered butter that was spread onto the roasted  sweet potatoes. (The fresh ginger root at the supermarket had a bluish cast to it, which is fine if you are a cheese, but not so fine if you are not. We opted instead for candied ginger slices, which also caused some hemming and hawing from the floor staff at the market. The young man to whom we addressed the question replied  "My mom gets it at Wegmans..." which is fine if you're at Wegmans but we were somewhere else. In any event, we finally found it in the Asian foods section, hiding behind a display of wooden spoons.

After a fine time of wining and dining and speaking of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings, YO and I headed back towards Takoma Park. Thanks so much to Larry and Marilyn for their hospitality, and the tasty bits of Bambi courtesy of Larry's skills with a rifle and a butcher knife. YO allowed as how he had had a very enjoyable afternoon indeed. His pop agreed.

What a great description of the day!  My version would vary only slightly. . .

Yes, Larry is always the gracious host, and when he spontaneously invited our friends to stay for dinner, I nearly went into panic mode.  I'm not sure why I hadn't thought to extend the invitation ahead of time...I'll blame it on the recent weeks of working in the vineyard long hours in the heat of the day.  Fried my brain?  Anyway, as I was wildly thinking about what I could make, yet another suggestion...YO could cook for us. (YO recently completed two years study at The Culinary Institute of America)  YO's Pop says it was his offer, I would have said the suggestion came from Larry.  From wherever the idea arose, our guests graciously agreed, and so we headed to the house to see what we could find.  I did recover my good graces enough to offer to make a run to the grocery for any items they might need, but they offered to do that, too.  So, with the venison defrosting, our guests headed to the store, and I hurried to the shower to wash off the residue of my day in the vineyard, then cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and lunch.

The culinary experts soon returned and made themselves at home in the kitchen while I sat at the table enjoying the conversation and the running commentary.  Larry came in as the meal prep was underway and we began the wine tasting.  Larry and YO had interesting conversation about the various characteristics, bouquet and flavors.  I just sipped and savored...the wine and the moments.

The meal was exquisite, the conversation delightful.  A truly extraordinary evening!  

Excitement is Building!

The tasting room is taking shape!  Our excitement and anticipation rise along with the new building.

Starting a business, especially in this economic climate, is a challenge.  There are numerous quotes I might have used to describe our status over the past several months had I taken time to share my thoughts.  It often felt like two steps forward, one step back.  But it seemed each setback was followed by a word or experience of encouragement.  In May the story of our vineyard was featured in the Lancaster Sunday News.  The number of "likes" on facebook is growing and comments by friends inspire and energize us.
  
We remember the wisdom of Aesop: "Slow and steady wins the race".  A Native American prayer reminds us to "Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way".

Today I respond to "No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others.  The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."  (Author unknown)

LongView Structures has worked patiently over the months, transforming our dreams into plans, our plans into reality. 

The walls, 

the trusses,



the roof.

Don Kennel, owner of Above All Roofing, helped with the standing seam metal roof.  Larry, Scott and Nathan followed his instructions with this result ....

Who knew a roof could be so lovely?

First Citizens Community Bank believed in us and extended construction and long term financing.

Our friend and neighbor, Eric Deppen, rented us his skid loader numerous times when we needed to move supplies or equipment and to pound end posts.  Friend and colleague, Boyd Henderson, rented us his trac hoe to dig underground lines.  Waltz Vineyards allowed us to use their post pounder.

Scott, with help from Larry and Steve, is installing the drains and underground plumbing lines.

Soon it will be time to pour concrete, run the wires for electricity, and install windows and doors.

Fran is working with Bill at Middleton Design for logo and label design.  The logo is finished, the labels are well on the way. 

Using our logo, we ordered a business sign from Sign-A-Rama in Lancaster. 

Fran and Sarah attended a two-day marketing seminar.  They are planning the tasting room interior design.  Fran is working her way through the licensing process.

In the meantime, the vineyard work continues.  Established vines require canopy management, tucking and taping shoots, pulling leaves and laterals, hoeing, mowing and spraying.  The new vines need lots of work, too.  The end posts, anchors and line posts are augered and pounded.   The fruiting wire is strung, the pencil rod is clipped, leveled and pounded, and the new vines are pruned and taped to the rods. 
This year's crop is ripening.   It's time to drop the nets and implement other bird control measures.  We hope for a good harvest.

There is much work yet to do, but step by step, we will reach our goal.  At the end of the day, when we pause a moment to enjoy the view from the new tasting room, we are reminded of our many blessings and we are grateful.

2012 Planting

Yesterday we finished the final major planting of vines in our vineyard.  We planted 1604 Albarino vines and 370 vines of Muscat.  Albarino is a Spanish white.  You can read a review of Albarino here.

With this planting accomplished, our available vineyard ground is full, and planting from here on out will be replacement vines. We plan to replace five of twelve rows of Pinot Noir next year--they were planted by mistake, the nursery sent them instead of the Merlot we ordered.  

Fran made a video of the planting process and it's now on YouTube. Larry is narrating.

It was a perfect day for planting.  We were finished around noon, and soon after, a gentle and steady rain began to fall.

Sharing in the Harvest

Last fall, I promised I would write an entry describing our grape harvest.  Now it's nearly spring and we are looking forward to a new growing season and our third harvest year.

What is involved in harvest, you may ask?  Do we pick by hand or by machine? [By hand.]  Do we crush the grapes with our feet? [No!]

As the grapes began to ripen (the technical term is veraison:  def. the onset of ripening) they were monitored by color, pH, sugar levels (brix) and taste.  When the time was right, we sent out an e-mail invitation for pickers.  Those who were interested and could help on short notice joined us in the pavilion at 7:30 a.m. for homemade sticky buns, coffee, and brief instructions.

From there, we headed to the vineyard for the morning.  Nets were rolled up and lugs placed at intervals along the rows.

Pickers spread out in twos along the row, working opposite one another to make picking easier.  Conversation flowed and laughter rang out among pickers.

Lugs filled with clusters of grapes were loaded onto the tractor and carried to our refrigerated trailer to be stored until processing.

Our vineyard is a family project and the children love to be involved.

Before long the day's harvest was nearly complete and it was time for lunch in the pavilion.

Does it sound like fun?  Do you want to join us in the fall of 2012?  Follow our progress here and on facebook.