PTD

Pardon The Dust

It has started - we are continuing to follow 'the plan' and broke ground today -

Long time coming and lots of planning involved but, we broke ground today!  That means, you will need to Pardon The Dust but it will be worth it.  We will have a PTD campaign with and will post rules on facebook and on our web page.  Lots of exciting changes to come and if all goes well, the new facility will be ready in time for harvest!! 

Stay tuned for updates and pictures!

Wine & Weather - Spring

We have had all four seasons in the last month alone but ask any winery and they'll tell you - the weather in the last two years has created some challenges (and opportunities)!  Weather has an influence before we even plant - we need to consider the weather in the growing zone to make sure the right vines are selected.  But, that is the easy part.  Once the vines for the right region are selected and planted, the real stress begins.  Vineyard managers and wine makers start to track number of days of sun, degree days, inches of rain, frost, wind, moisture in the air, etc.  No two growing seasons are the same so accurate logs are kept for trending, analysis and fretting over! 

Each season has it's challenges - for the spring it is, when to start pruning and can we finish before the sap flows?  After a dry year like last year, will we get enough moisture to replenish the soil?  Too much or too fast and it will just run off.  For vineyards that count on ponds for irrigation, will the ponds refill?  We want the snow before we start budding but no frost after budding.  For rain, we want it in a soft gentle fashion if it is after budding (with limited wind) so it doesn't knock the buds off.  April showers lead to May flowers - well, okay, but want to make sure we don't impact the buds (and gentle rain please).

In the winery, a lot of weather impacted decisions have been made all winter - harvest was affected by last year's dry weather (last year was an early harvest and impacted grape flavor and quantity) but that just starts all the wine making impacts and decisions!  So as you start to taste the new releases, take the time to ask about the harvest, the impact of the weather and see if you can taste the difference.  Many wineries in large growing years will include the vintage year and vintage charts will help guide you to comparing the differences from year to year but at the end of the day, every winemaker will work hard to make the most of that year's harvest and make the best wine possible.  So, be adventurous, try the new releases and think about what the season provided!

Weather impacts each part of the growing season - so keep watching here for additional discussion as we experience 2013.

Winter Work

We've been busy in the winery bottleing - after our first full harvest, there is a lot of wine to bottle!  If you've been in lately, you will have seen the transformation - the patio room and barrel room have become case goods storage.  The bottling line is squeezed into the winery and we have all the botteling done (except for the Viagem and the soon to be released Deliciar - a white port style dessert wine).  The vineyards have also gotten a lot of attention - we have completed pruning the Seyvals, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, Noiret and Chambourcin - just the Concords to go.  And with only a month away from spring, we are snowed in this weekend so we will be closed BUT this will give us a chance to write new tasting notes, update the website, catchup on paperwork & plan all the release parties - Seyval is the first one ready the first weekend of March. 

We are also working on planning our spring lineup of events and are very excited to having patio events! Funny - it's been warm and dry for months and the one weekend it is cold and snowy, we can't stop thinking about all the fun we will have when we can use the patio again!

Getting ready for spring!

It seems odd to say that in December but as we wrap up this year, we are already doing the planning for 2013.  2012 was our first full harvest and we have learned a lot from this harvest.  Challenged by the drought and the full fruit we carried, we are going to be extra careful with pruning decisions this year and we start that in about two months.  As much as we are loving this unseasonably lovely weather, we would like moisture to replenish the ground and the ponds.  In the winery, we are working on barreling (Seyval is now in the barrels) and blending trials.  While we try to keep the flavour profiles similar to the blends we have today, we do want to celebrate each vintage and what the grapes are imparting so if you love the blends, be sure to try them again. 

Where did the summer go?

The last blog was about an early spring.  That is nothing compared to the early harvest we are facing!  What a year.  Where did the summer go?  Oh we know, it is still 100+ out there and summer for intensive purposes but the grapes have moved along fast this year and we are in a early harvest situation.  We have already harvested one varietal and will harvest two additional varieties in August.  This will be an interesting year to watch the harvest and the wineries. 

Lots of new challenges (and opportunities).  Will we get the same amount of juice?  Will the flavors be more concentrated?  What happens if we now get rain?  How about the birds - they are already present in the vineyards this year?  Will the chemistry be the same or will we face new challenges?  Will vineyards drop the fruit to save the vines?  Will anyone risk a 'late harvest'?  If vineyards choose to let the fruit hang longer, will we have higher alcohol wines due to the higher brix?  Will there be a shortage of grapes?

Stay tuned - the ride is about to start....

Early Spring in the Vineyards

What a strange start to this year’s growing season.  Not exactly your normal March in the Midwest - nineteen days over 70 degrees (nine over 80) plus enough rain to replenish the unusually low irrigation ponds.  With that combination, the vines got off to an early start while the native grasses and our ground cover started growing like crazy also.  This is the earliest we’ve needed to be out moving and shoot thinning since we started the vineyard!

In spite of our quick & early immersion into the vineyard routine, this will always remain our favorite time of the year.  Watching the vines awake with the growth that will create this year’s vintage and help define each vine’s ultimate, long term form and structure. Every vine has a unique character that we try to help shape each successive year.  We realize more and more that wine growing is an art and not a science subject to fixed rules and formulas.  Perhaps the process changes as a grower expands their vineyards or starts using mechanization but it is our belief that the completely hands-on approach is the only way to go….

On the winery side of things, we released the NorCyana last weekend - we are glad we waited and hope you have a chance to enjoy our embodiment of Missouri State's viticultural treasure.

NorCyana Release

When to release a wine is not always an easy decision.  Such is the case with our new NorCyana.  As many of you know, we aged five barrels of Norton in three different toasts and then carefully blended some contents of each to create our signature blend.  The wine was then finished and laid to rest for the usual four weeks before its release date.  When we tasted the wine recently, however, we decided it needs to rest a while longer before we release it to you.

California vintner Paul Masson once declared - “We shall sell no wine before its time”. We wholeheartedly agree with that philosophy.  The quality of our wine at Fence Stile has always been a primary focus and unfortunately the NorCyana is not quite ready for you yet.  In the meantime, we hope you’ll continue to enjoy Fire Pit Red and Chambourcin – our other dry red wines.
Thank you for your patience.