Virginia wine industry's harvest blues
Gray Ghost Vineyards has a curious way of building customer loyalty: Make them work for their wine.
During the fall, hundreds of customers turn out to help with the harvest. Their reward? The opportunity to buy a case of wine at a 15 percent discount (plus lunch and a T-shirt).
“I love wine, and I wanted to see the process in action,” said Kristy Malik , 30, explaining why she woke up at 5:15 a.m. to make the drive from Lucketts to Amissville, Va. “It is hard work,” she said, bending over to place a grape cluster into a yellow bin.
Up the road, a half-dozen volunteers at Delaplane Cellars sat around a table, plucking stinkbugs, spiders and moldy grapes from the vineyard’s Cabernet Franc crop. Sorting grapes isn’t glamorous, but the work is crucial this year, said Jim Dolphin , Delaplane’s owner.
“The wetness and the humidity has in some cases led to botrytis, which is a mold that can lead to sallow rot, which is basically where the grapes start to rot on the vine and turn to vinegar,” Mr. Dolphin said. “It’s going to be impossible to make great wine this year.
Smith: Fall is a time for harvesting the bounty of life
Want to know how fast fall is approaching? Well, on Tuesday, the Almond Festival Planning Meeting was held at the Boy Scout Cabin in Esparto. Items on the agenda included traffic, marketing products such as glasses and T-shirts, getting more almonds to the festival, promotion of the diaper derby and cooking contests as well as getting local talent to perform. The 2012 Almond Festival is scheduled for March 11. That says a lot doesn't it.Want to know how fast fall is approaching? The Woodland Chamber of Commerce is holding its 44th Annual Farm-City Harvest Celebration on Thursday, Oct. 27. Honored this year will be Fritz Durst, who has been named the Agri-Business Person of the Year. The celebration is set for 11:30 a.m. at the Heidrick Ag History Center. Guest speaker will be Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sandra Schubert. To purchase a ticket for $30 contact Cynthia at the Woodland Chamber of Commerce. The deadline, by the way is this Friday.
Gray Ghost Vineyards rewards volunteer workers with a 15 percent discount on wine along with lunch and T-shirts. (Steve Hay/Special to The ) By Sadie Dingfelder - Special to The Gray Ghost Vineyards rewards volunteer
