Heating up in the Vineyards

By Brian Barry, Assistant Winemaker


I'll try to keep this one short so we can all go back to being hot and miserable. Summer sure turned angry quickly didn't it? It's been a battle for our vineyard manager Zac and his stalwart band of grape grunts. From relentless torrential rains to blazing sun and temperatures above 90, they've run the gauntlet to get the extensive replant in shape. And they've done it with minimal complaining!

The big news here, of course, is the announcement of our second satellite facility opening soon. Located in scenic South Bristol, with it's majestic views of beautiful Canandaigua Lake, the tasting room is a great place to sample our wines while lounging on a bench overlooking the vineyards. It's a much shorter drive for those in the Rochester area too. Wow-sorry that sounded like a travel brochure. Still, it's pretty exciting to have a market on three different lakes. Could Cayuga Lake be next? Will Heron Hill corner the market? Find out on next week's episode of " As the Glass Swirls"... OK- I'm sorry. I tried for funny. Oh well.

Anyway...as far as the actual wine goes, everything is ready to be sterile filtered, sugar adjusted, final blends decided and then at last bottling. Currently waiting on a few labels to arrive which gives me time to clean the cellar. We're excited to see the '09 whites, the first fruits of labor from the new production team.

Alright- this one ended up being longer that promised. Once I get going it's hard to stop. We look forward to your visit whether from the east on Seneca, north and west to Bristol, or if you're just making the short drive from Hammondsport. Until next time HH heads- keep swirling. Cheers!