August at MW Cellars

August 1, 2026

Hey Everyone,

August is here, which means the vineyard is beginning to shift gears.

The vines are still growing, but they are also starting to prepare for fall. In the cellar, we are bottling, tasting through barrels, making a few final decisions and getting everything ready before harvest takes over our lives.

We are not there yet.

But we can see it coming.

🌿 In the Vineyard: A Little Off the Top

We are currently in the hedging phase. Which is exactly what it sounds like: we trim the tops of the vines once the shoots have grown beyond the trellis.

Cutting the top of a shoot encourages more lateral growth along the sides of the vine.

That helps us shape the canopy, improve airflow around the fruit and make sure the grapes receive the right amount of sunlight.

Too much growth can create a dense, humid canopy that holds moisture and shades the fruit. By keeping everything open and organized, we give the grapes a better environment to ripen and help reduce the conditions that can lead to disease.

It is essentially a very large haircut, except the client has several acres of hair and keeps growing it back.

We are also beginning to think about spreading seed for the vineyard’s next round of ground cover. Even while the fruit is still developing, the plants are already responding to shorter days and beginning the slow transition toward fall.

Also, we are watching closely for the first signs of véraison.

Véraison is the point when grapes begin moving from growth into ripening. The berries start to soften, sugar begins to accumulate and red varieties begin changing colour.

It is also an important signal for us to get back into the vineyard and take another close look at the fruit.

Not every cluster develops at the same pace. Once véraison begins, it becomes much easier to see which clusters are on schedule and which ones are lagging behind.

That includes what we call “Christmas clusters.”

These are the small clusters that form higher up on the shoots rather than in the main fruiting zone. They develop much later than the rest of the crop and, as the name suggests, may not ripen until Christmas.

We remove those clusters, along with any other fruit that is significantly behind, so the vine can stop spending energy on grapes we are unlikely to use and focus on ripening the fruit that matters.

It can feel strange to cut grapes off after spending the entire season helping them grow.

But sometimes making better wine means knowing what not to keep.

🍷 In the Cellar: Getting Everything Ready for Its Next Sleep

The cellar is currently somewhere between bottling season and harvest preparation.

We are tasting through barrels, topping where needed, considering a few blends and making sure every wine is exactly where we want it before the grapes begin arriving.

You may hear winemakers refer to getting barrels “sweet.”

Despite how it sounds, we are not adding sugar. A sweet barrel is simply one that is clean, sound, fresh and ready to receive wine.

By the end of September, most of this work will come to a halt and our attention will shift almost entirely to harvest. Before that happens, we want the wines already in the cellar prepared for the next stage of their evolution and ready for another long sleep in barrel.

The cellar may look fairly still during harvest.

The winemakers will not.

We are also very excited to announce that our next BOTL has officially been bottled.

We are keeping the details under wraps for just a little longer, but if you would like to be among the first to hear when it is being released, click here. We will send you an email as soon as the release date is announced.

New at The Shed: 🔥 Burner Is Here

Burner has officially arrived at The Shed.

This new collaboration brings together winemaker Marty Werner and the Buis grape-growing family, combining serious winemaking with serious Niagara Lakeshore fruit.

The name is a not-so-subtle combination of Buis and Werner.

The first release includes two wines: an unfiltered Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay. Both are made to show off the character of Lakeshore fruit while remaining generous, approachable and very easy to bring to the table.

Come by The Shed to taste them or pick up a bottle while they last.

🐷 Coming Soon: Wilbur’s White

We are also excited to be bottling Wilbur’s White, our collaboration with Mike and the team at The Twisted Pig.

Mike and Marty have been working together for five years, so creating a wine together felt like a natural next step.

It is the kind of project we love: good wine, local relationships and an excuse to spend more time with people we genuinely enjoy working with.

We will share more about the wine and where you can find it very soon.

Marty’s Monthly 6-Pack Draw - A Thank You!

Every time we launch a newsletter, we do a draw for a 6-pack handpicked by Marty.

It’s not a contest. It’s just our way of saying thanks for reading, for showing up, for telling your friends, and for being part of this thing we’re building.

🎉 This month’s winner: Patricia Habl-Gregory!

You’ll get an email from us soon. Enjoy the bottles, Patricia!

Know someone who’d be into this too?

If you’ve got someone in your life who’d dig what we’re doing, send them our way. Whether they’re curious about local wine, love a good cellar story, or just want to stay in the loop, they’re welcome!

They Can Sign Up Here

The Shed is open seven days a week from 12:00–5:00pm.

Stop by to try the new Burner wines, see what else has recently been bottled and ask the team whether they have spotted véraison yet.

Depending on the day, you may receive a short answer.

You may also receive a full vineyard lecture.

We are looking forward to seeing you.

Cheers,

The MW Cellars Team

P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for day-to-day updates, harvest photos, and more-we’ve got some fun stuff coming your way!

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