Clover Mill Farm closes until May

One quick note regarding Clover Mill Farm Vineyards & Winery in Chester Springs, Pa., one of a number of family-owned operations that exist across the region. This one has gone into its annual hibernation and will remained closed until May.

Once called Fox Meadow Farm, the winery has been operated by the Denny family since 1998. It grows, produces and bottles all the grapes for the eight wines that it sells when the winery is open, which is Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. begnning in May and ending in December.

Thought I'd copy and paste what appears on the winery Web site about Gay Denny, the Mom of the Mom & Pop business, who died last year.

"She was the co-owner and was in charge of the Wine Cottage tastings and sales. Always interested in decorating, she made a career of creating bright and cheerful spaces for family and friends in her home and for customers in the various gift shops where she worked and managed. She was also an avid gardener and helped with all the vineyard and winery chores. She is dearly missed by her family."

She is survived by husband William and daughters Ellen, Nancy, Linda and their families. Ellen dropped me a note in response to my e-mail about why they close for several months, saying that they've always shut down during the winter and early spring. It was a way, she said, for her folks "to get a bit of a vacation from having to be tied to the house every weekend."