Cold days. Plenty of rain. Not exactly the sun-on-your-face, glass-in-hand start to summer we all imagine when we make it through winter.
But never fear.
A cool, wet startdoes not mean a bad year. The vines are officially in their growing season now, and so far, things are moving along. It also looks like we may have made it through theMay full moonwithout too much drama, which is always a small vineyard victory around here.
So yes, it has been a slow start.
But the season has started!
🌿In the Vineyard: Tied, Growing, and Getting Cleaned Up
Out in the vineyards, everything is tied.
That means the canes have been secured to the wire, the structure is set, and the vines are now moving into their next phase.
Suckering has also begun.
If you have never heard that word before, suckering is the removal of the lower shoots on the vine.
Basically, we clean up the growth we do not need so the vine can focus its energy where we actually want it: into the fruiting canes.
It is one of those vineyard jobs that is both very simple and very important.
Good wine does not just happen when the grapes are picked. A lot of the work happens right now, while the vines are still figuring out where to put their energy.
We are helping them make better decisions.
🍷In the Cellar: Bottling, Blending, and a Few Surprises
The cellar is moving too.
We have bottling coming up in July, which means a lot of the work right now is about getting wines ready for that next step.
There is also something we are getting ready to release soon.
Actually, two things:
A new Red Blend andBurner.
Burner is part of theBuis Boysproject, made with local growers and friends, and focused on Lakeshore fruit.
It’s a project rooted in local collaboration and working with people we love.
More on both wines soon.
One We’re Really Excited About: Chenin Blanc
We are also hoping to see our first Chenin Blanc fruit this year.
Chenin Blanc is one of those grapes that can go in a lot of different directions.
It can make beautiful still white wines with texture, freshness, and a little bit of richness. Think bright acidity, orchard fruit, citrus, sometimes a bit of honeyed or mineral character depending on where it is grown and how it is made.
It is also a grape with serioussparkling wine potential.
So yes, we are looking at it from both angles: as a textural still white wine and, maybe down the road, from a sparkling perspective too.
Nothing is guaranteed in farming, especially this early in the season. But we are watching it closely.
Bright, juicy, and great with a slight chill. Full of raspberry, pomegranate, and a little peppery lift, An easy summer red for barbecues, picnics, and weeknight dinners.
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: J Walker!
You’ll get an email from us soon. Enjoy the bottles, J!
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!
After a long winter, it felt very good to have people back in the space, tasting wine, catching up, asking questions, and settling back into the rhythm of the season.
Maeve, Emma, Suzie, and Edenare back in action, and The Shed feels like The Shed again.
That is the real start of summer for us.
We are now open7 days a week from 12:00–5:00pm, so come by when you can.
There are new wines to taste, familiar bottles to revisit, and at least one person behind the bar who will be very happy to talk your ear off about what is happening in the vineyard.
Cheers,
The MW Cellars Team
P.S. Don’t forget to follow us onInstagramandFacebookfor day-to-day updates, harvest photos, and more-we’ve got some fun stuff coming your way!
