Bottling under way at Sugarloaf Mountain

These notes come courtesy of Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyards in Dickerson, Md., and their latest e-blast:

SMV to Bottle New Wines in March and April.
Beginning the week of March 16, SMV will begin the first of two spring bottling sessions; the second will be in late April. Bottling is quite an event: a 28' tractor trailer truck pulls up to the front of the winery, the sides come off the truck to reveal a bottling assembly line inside, complete with stations to be manned by staff and family. After months or even years of aging in SMV's French oak barrels, this is the culmination of the wine making process. Stop by and watch... or smell the action: find out if you can guess what varietal is being bottled by the aroma which prevails the line. Wines scheduled to be bottled in March include: 2007 Chardonnay, 2008 Pinot Grigio and 2008 Stomp. Later this Spring, SMV will bottle Circe, Comus Reserve, Cabernet Franc Reserve and Cabernet Sauvignon. Call 301-605-0130 to confirm the latest details of the bottling schedules.

Three Medals for SMV at the 2009 Grand Harvest Awards
In February 2009, the Grand Harvest Awards were bestowed in Santa Rosa, California. SMV was awarded two Silver medals for our 2007 Cabernet Franc and 06 Chardonnay Reserve, along with a Bronze medal for our 2007 Comus. The competition judged by a panel of three judges from wine professions who reviewed over 1600 entries from North America, Europe, South America and the Pacific Rim. This competition is unique in that it is the only one in North America “based on terrior – a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine”. This approach to judging allows for greater consideration for “the complexities and nuances of regional wines”. We are honored by this recognition of the quality of our wines.

SMV New Hours of Operation
With longer days and increased popularity of SMV wine and our new tasting room and patio, we have extended our hours to better serve our customers. The new hours, effective immediately, are: March through December: Wednesday through Sunday, 12 Noon until 6 PM.May through October: same as above, with Saturdays open until 8 PM.Open by appointment at other times: call 301.605.0130 to make arrangements.

SMV’s “April in Paris” event April 18 and 19
Noon until 5 p.m. each day Come taste Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard's Bordeaux style red wines as well as its Chardonnays and Pinot Grigio along with light French fare, music and ambiance. Take a tour of our state of the art winery and its 200 French oak barrels used for aging SMV wines. Further details will be posted at www.smvwinery.com in the near future.