Bottled mud? Well, if it keeps raining . . .

Rob Deford of Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Md., called the 2009 vintage one that “will separate the good grape growers from the less good one.” In terms of vintages, most everyone is holding their breath after another round of rain over the region the past 24 hours. Maybe a dry September will save it, but there seems no end to this succession of tropical rains that have become such a predominant part of this summer.

Pennsylvania’s statewide grape educator noted in his e-letter earlier this week that the grapes are beginning to turn in color, going through veraison en route to harvest. “By most measures in many parts of the state it has been a challenging vintage so far,” Mark Chein wrote, “beginning with freeze events is some areas, frost and then what seems like interminable rain and cool conditions, poor fruit set and complicated disease issues. The forecast is not encouraging. About the only thing to do now is continue to scout and treat for diseases as necessary and manage the canopy. This will be a "winemaker's vintage" but it's still up to the grower to do the best possible job in the vineyard to bring in clean and ripe-as-possible grapes.

“I have little doubt that fruit will ripen at lower brix this year so tasting for flavor maturity will be important as well as the timing of harvest,” he continued. “Acids will be higher and pH lower, always a challenge in the cellar to achieve balance in wines. There is endless debate about how long to wait after a significant rain event before picking. My experience is to wait as long as possible. If you can take 2 steps forward and one back you are still gaining flavors, when it's one step forward and 2 back, it's time to pull the fruit. Winemakers should be intimately involved in these decisions. If you are a wine maker and you are not in your vineyards in a vintage like this you are compromising the quality of your wines.”

The region is two years removed from one of its best-ever vintages; indeed, it would be pretty hard to go wrong with a 2007 dry red from the various wineries in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Deford said that “if anything, if I were laying money on it, this is the year for whites. It has been cooler, which usually favors the fruity aspects of the grapes. They don’t get cooked out, and we have found that actually the whites are a bit better in a challenging year like this.”

You might remember reading here last year that a renegade hailstorm moved down the estate vineyard that Chaddsford Winery has in Elverson, Chester County. Co-owner Lee Miller said the other day, “We did recover very well,” she said. “We had no lasting damage in the vines. So we’re very happy about that,” she added, starting to laugh, “though we may not get a vintage this year either." Rain has hit southeastern Pennsylvania especially hard all summer. " It’s so hard when Mother Nature kind of has a different plan for you," she said. "I was talking to somebody at a real nice New York winery earlier today and she said the same thing. She said, “Ah, man, our vineyards are just a wreck.' But, you know, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Chein noted in his e-letter that “picking will be complicated. I hope you can figure out how to pick around the rot and unripe fruit. Of course, sorting grapes in the field and on the crush pad will help enormously this year. In wet years everyone has to work harder and spend more money just to achieve good wines. If you don't put forth the extra effort mediocrity will be achieved. If conditions are wet be very aware of safety issues with people and equipment in the field together, slipping and sliding, it can be very dangerous. Of course, I'm saying all of this just so the sun will start shining for the next 6 weeks and force me to eat my words. Wouldn't that be a pleasant outcome?”

Lee Miller noted those working in her vineyards and others in the surrounding area are “just trying to keep things from rotting to death” because of all the recent rains. And that was BEFORE the new round that swept in Friday.

All one can do, she noted, is keep hoping the rain stops, keep working hard and, well, maintain your sense of humor. “[Husband] Eric said [to me earlier today], ‘Well, I’m thinking of just giving up. We’re spending a fortune trying to keep these grapes sprayed and rotting. What would you think if we just took the whole vineyard and made Sangria? Then I could just let it go, whatever happens,” Lee said, laughing as she recounted the story. “[He said], ‘We’ll just make 80,000 gallons of Sangria.’

“I said, ‘You better just go take a break today.”

Basics of terroir given just desserts at Chaddford Winery site

Want a superb explanation of terroir, which describes the land and climate of where grapes are grown and has a huge impact on the uniqueness of wines? Then click on to this 101 at the Chaddsford Winery site, where winemaker and co-owner Eric Miller has assembled enough to give even novices an understanding of what the most important word in the wine language is all about.

Sand Castle Winery prepares to open new store

Most of the regional wineries use monthly e-letter to provide cursory updates. Having subscribed to 30 or more of them, they allow me to catch up on the latest news and events for so many wineries that I will eventually visit, but it might be months before I get there. Sand Castle Winery is located in Erwinna, in Bucks County, a member of the Bucks County Wine Trail. They do their share of traveling, including out toward central Pennsylvania. Indeed, there probably will be no better time for me to try their wines than at the Lancaster Wine and Music Festival next weekend or at the Gettysburg Wine & Music Festival on Sept. 12-13.

Their e-letter notes that they have closed their store in Conshohocken in Viggiano’s "because the restaurant was sold and the new owner has a liquor license. Our new store will be open soon at 711 Easton Road Valley Square Shopping Center Warrington, PA. The name of the store is aste” Sand Castle Winery’s Gourmet Experience. The store with its convenient location will be selling many gourmet products such as Flavored Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars, Di Bruno Bros. cheeses along with many other items. The opening is targeted before Labor Day. Please look at our website for details. 215 343 4528"

Some wineries use their Web sites or e-letters to give readers a hint of what's going on in the vineyard. No one does it with more extravagance and passion than Eric Miller at Chaddsford Winery, but others such as the folks at Sand Castle devote at least a paragraph in their e-letter to address the progress of their grapes.

"Against all odds the grapes are actually ripening," they write. "Pinot Noir is changing color
and all other varieties are slowly growing into mature sized clusters. We still do not know what is going to happen during harvest and what the quality will be like. Every harvest quality is decided by the last two weeks before the harvest. If we are going to have a quality grape the angels will have to turn the water off pretty soon."

My 4 favorites among Chaddsford future events

There's too much happening at Chaddsford Winery over the next few months to post everything on the blog. But here are a couple of my favorite upcoming events off their latest e-letter.

PIERRE NOIR RELEASE: Last year’s release of the first ever “Pierreno Grigio” was so successful, we’ve once again collaborated with WMMR radio personality Pierre Robert to bring you the brand new “Pierre Noir” -- an exclusive private bottling of Chaddsford Pinot Noir with a tie-dyed label featuring Pierre’s likeness. To be a guest at Pierre’s exclusive, invitation only release party at the winery on April 3, tune in to WMMR for a chance to win tickets, or see the MMR Web site. You can purchase your bottle of this limited edition release at any Chaddsford location or online beginning April 4.

EVERYTHING BUT THE BEACH: 2008 Spring Wine is bottled and ready to kick off the season, so plan to join us for our annual Spring Wine parties in April. This light crisp fresh seasonal wine puts everyone in a mood to celebrate, so this year’s parties will have a tropical island theme: the tiki torches will be lit and you’ll be greeted with Spring Wine & Strawberries and a Hawaiian Lei. Wear your Hawaiian shirt or other tropical gear as Eric will select his top 10 favorite outfits for the night and award a bottle of, what else? Spring Wine! No fee for these fun nights, but reservations required at 610.388.6221.

DRINK AND EAT, EAT AND DRINK: We've done it before and we're doing it again! You can't beat this combo, dual location tasting/dinner that begins in the cellars of Chaddsford Winery with a barrel tasting of the new 2008 vintage and delicious hors d'oeuvres . . . then travels down the road, across the Brandywine River, and into the Village of Chadds Ford . . . where we'll move on to a fun wine tasting dinner at Brandywine Prime Seafood and Chops. This is as "Chadds Ford" as it gets, and a great way to showcase your local wines and cuisine to friends and family who have not been out our way. See the menu, details and reservation info here, and come join Eric and our good friends at Brandywine Prime.

EMPTYING THE CELLAR: Following a tradition begun years ago when winemaker Eric Miller decided to make space in the cellar by selling off odd lots of old bottles, we are once again planning to clean up and clear out the Chaddsford warehouse at a one-day sale on Saturday, April 11, beginning at 9 a.m. Included in the sale will be over 200 cases of old, odd, used, returned or over-the-hill bottles offered at $1-$2/bottle, plus over 950 bottles that Eric has gleaned from his library – going all the way back to 1985, including a few 3-5L “big” bottles, beginning at $5/bottle. Also included in this sale will be furniture and appliances returned to our warehouse after our three mall locations were closed last year. See more details on the sale here. See you for coffee!