Magazine list Sugarloaf as destination-worthy

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Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard & Winery is reporting that it was featured in “DC” Magazine’s “The Best of the City 09.” The current issue of “DC,” a publication spotlighting innovation in the metropolitan area, recommends a day trip to the winery as one of its “Best of the City 09” selections. “Oenophiles are swarming to Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard . . . to sip top-flight Cabernet Franc, Pinot Grigio and other wines”. To read the article, visit www.modernluxury.com, click on “digital editions,” scroll to and click on the DC edition, and flip to page 71.

The winery will hold a tasting at Black Ridge Restaurant on Wednesday, April 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard wine will be featured at Black Ridge Restaurant’s “Meet the Maker” series. This segment of the series will feature a flight of SMV wines paired with a sample menu prepared by the Black Ridge Culinary Team. Black Ridge is located at Ridge Road, Mt. Airy, Md. For reservations and more information, call Black Ridge Restaurant at 301.829.8191.

And three other notes from the winery that appeared in its latest e-letter:

Expanding Taste, Part III: In order to better serve our increasing number of guests as Spring is springing, we have increased our tasting facilities... again! Eight large tables have been added to our outdoor space and the tasting bar has been expanded. Our offerings of wine will also expand: by the end of April, SMV’s 2008 Pinot Grigio will be available and Sangria will be served once the weekend temperature rises above 65 degrees. Clearly, there is more to enjoy, so come visit!

In the Vineyard: Hand pruning will be completed in April. In May, we look for “bud break” on each vine. Since fewer grapes means better ripening and high quality wine, we reduce the potential cropload. We will remove all buds from the trunk of each vine and select buds to keep on each lateral cane. The goal is to allow ideal airflow and dappled sunlight for our 2009 crop.

Bottling at the Winery: In mid March we bottled 2,000 cases of 2007 Chardonnay, 2008 Pinot Grigio and 2008 Stomp. Several customers pitched in on the “bottling line” and were most helpful. We look forward to offering these wines for tastings and sales by early summer. In April we will bottle 2000 cases of Circe, Comus Reserve, Cabernet Franc Reserve and Cabernet Sauvignon. If you are interested to see the bottling process in action, check our website, contact us at info@smvwinery or call 301.605.0130 to confirm the latest details of the bottling schedules.