March at MW Cellars - Spring is just around the corner!
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Hey Everyone,
March is here! Which means spring is just around the corner.
Valentine’s Day and Family Day landed on the same weekend this year, and Marty spent it the best way he knows how, at home with Rachael and the family, with some good food, a few bottles open, and time together.
It was a day well spent.
🌿In the Vineyard: Reading the Wood
Pruning season is officially underway.
This is when we start making decisions that will start to shape the 2026 vintage.
Right now, we are leaving what we call“kicker canes.”Think of them as backup plans.
If a really cold snap damaged some buds earlier this winter, those extra canes give us a second shot at fruit.
We won’t know for sure how the vines handled the worst of the cold until abouttwo weeks after those big –17°C nights. When we cut into a bud, we’re looking for green inside.
Green = alive. Brown = not so much.
The good news? Overall, we’re feeling steady.
From a quantity standpoint, pruning doesn’t really decide much yet. From a quality standpoint? A little.
Some varieties are more sensitive to winter than others.Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, andSyrahare the ones we keep a closer eye on. They don’t love deep freezes.
No vineyard block is waving red flags right now. We’re just moving carefully and paying attention, like we always do this time of year.
Also, side note: Chardonnay continues to move quickly. We’re actively looking for more premium Chardonnay fruit because clearly you all like it as much as we do! Stay tuned!
🍷In the Cellar: Texture Over Toast
Winter in the cellar is less dramatic than harvest, but just as important.
We recently moved one lot from tank into neutral barrels.
Not for oak flavour.
For something calledmicro-oxygenation. Basically, a tiny bit of air over time helps soften and round out the wine without making it taste woody. We’re chasing texture, not toast.
The most surprising wine in the cellar right now?Sauvignon Blanc.
It went through a cool fermentation, and it’s throwing off these wild aromatics. The best way Marty described it?
“Swedish Berries.”
It does not smell like a classic grassy Sauvignon Blanc. It’s bright, fruity, and kind of fun. We’ll see how it settles once bottled, but right now it’s lively.
Bottling season is also creeping up behind the scenes.
We book bottling dates way back in harvest and ideally, we bottle when temperatures are around 5°C. Too cold and labels don’t stick. Too warm and things get messy.
Before anything goes into bottle, Marty checks three things:
Do we actually need more of it? (Inventory matters.)
Does it smell and taste like we want it to?
Is everything balanced and stable?
The most stressful part of bottling day?
Making sure we didn’t forget anything. Bottles, corks, labels, approvals. There are about 20 moving parts. If one is missing, the whole thing stalls.
It's like cooking dinner and then realizing that you forgot the butter!
Out in the World: Silversmith Feature
If you’re looking to get out of the house,Silversmith Brewing Co.is featuring MW Cellars this month as part of their “Winter in Wine Country” series.
6oz pours for $6!
Featuring Pinot Grigio and Cabernet plus food pairing options.
It’s an easy, no-pressure way to taste MW wines in a different setting.
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: Justin Mowatt!
You’ll get an email from us soon. Enjoy the bottles, Justin!
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!
