Cave Vineyard

Dog Portrait

2009-12-27T17:45:00.002-06:00

trying to get a picture with 8 dogs was not easy! Everyone's a diva!

Sainte Genevieve Christmas Parade

2009-12-06T19:44:00.006-06:00

Did you see the parade? We finally got the firetruck parade ready! We loaded up the elves (grandkids) and away we went. A good time was had by all!

Veggie Bread Recipe

2009-11-24T09:24:00.001-06:00

Here is the recipe for the bread we made this past weekend for Wine Diva. Thank you all for coming. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Veggie Bread

3 eggs
1 pkg yeast (2 ½ tsp)
½ cup milk, warmed
1 cup flour
½ shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup feta cheese in small cubes
2 oz black or green or both olives
¼ cup chopped red pepper or jarred roasted red pepper
Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. in bowl, mix eggs, flour, & yeast. Add olive oil and slightly warmed mild. Add rest of ingredients and stir. Batter will be thick. Line a bread pan with parchment paper. Spread batter into pan and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake 45 min or until tested done. Bread can be made with any veggie of choice. We used chopped shredded carrots, & zucchini.

It's Harvest Time!

2009-09-04T08:24:00.002-05:00

Here it is September, the kids are back in school, the weather is cooling off and harvest is under way. It was a good summer for us. A trip to Sanibel with our daughter was so much fun. Marty and I enjoyed the time away. Then in July, the girls and I took a road trip to Ohio to visit family who we hadn’t seen in a couple years. Along the way we stopped at a few wineries. As always, it’s nice to sample wines other than your own and to see how they do things. A winery in Indiana did not permit children to come up to the tasting bar. They had to wait for their family in a sitting area away from the bar.

The rest of the summer was taken up with grandsons coming to spend a week with grandma and grandpa. They each had their own week, except for the twins. They came together and thought they stayed a week. In reality, they were only here 1 night but they did enjoy their time. I enjoy this time with the grandsons. Not only do we have fun, but a special bond takes place.

Harvest has started and will continue for a few more weeks. We started with the Chardonel last week. The actual tonnage we received was a bit disappointing, however, the rest of the vineyard looks promising. Our first crush of the season went well. The juice is currently in the tank chilling. Next week, we will harvest the Traminette grapes. Picking will begin at 4am! It is better to pick the grapes when they are cool, so we often pick at night or in the early morning hours. Some of these grapes are being sold to another winery and must be delivered right after they are picked. Marty will then come home and begin crushing our portion of the Traminette grapes. It will be a long day! All of this will be taking place as the Tour of Missouri passes through wine country. Also, we have been putting our new bottling line to good use. How wonderful it is to have this piece of equipment!

This time of year is never dull!

Summertime

2009-06-29T17:23:00.001-05:00

Ok, I know, it’s been nearly a month since you heard from me. Seems like spring came and went and before I knew it, summer was here and the heat had settled in. good ol MO heat and humity. The grapes don’t seem to mind. They thrive well in the hot weather. The clusters of fruit are forming nicely, looks like a good crop this year. I took a ride out into the vineyard earlier today and the bunches of grapes look beautiful!

Marty and I had the pleasure of joining our daughter and her family on vacation to Sanibel FL last month. Sanibel is a beautiful place to relax and take in the scenery of the ocean. I think it must have been MO week there. We talked to quite a few from St. Louis and surrounding areas. Of course, the shelling was fantastic. They were dredging a few miles from where we were staying so we were like many others, hunched over picking up our perfect shells. Family wanted to know what was Grandma going to do with all of those shells she insisted she was taking home. Grandma had the same question after being back home!

Grandsons are coming off and on for their summer stays. Working around ball games and camps have made scheduling a challenge this year but I think all will all be here at some point. Grandma loves to spoil them!

We’re getting geared up to bottle on our new bottling line. Bottles and labels are here, a few more adjustments to the new equipment and away we’ll go!

Come see us in the cool cave and sip some wine. We have added pitchers of sangria this season as well. I must say, it’s yummy!

Have a good 4th of July holiday!

Fun Filled Weekend

2009-05-21T15:28:00.002-05:00

Last weekend was a fun filled two days. Starting off with the Progressive Dinner the Route du Vin wineries put together. We served pasta salad paired with our Chardonel Off Dry and I would claim that it was well received. These events are becoming a hit, so watch our websites for future events, or check out the RDV website www.RDVWineTrail.com and get in on the fun!

Also, our neighbors from Webster Groves, who we had not seen in a few years, came for a visit. We truly had a wonderful afternoon. Their girls and our girls were inseparable growing up, so it explained the non stop talking and catching up with each others lives. And of course, we had to show off our fire truck. Marty drove it over from the barn and all of the young ones (and old) had loads of fun and laughs. It was great to see them all!

Sunday we were treated by Cousin G to a real home made pasta lunch. After some discussion on what was in my pantry, he came up with a delicious menu with a 1lb of ground venison and eggs, flour, and a few cans of tomatoes. Within two hours, we had homemade pasta and meatballs. Family, employees, and our friends who stopped by, all enjoyed the delicious lunch. G said that this was a one time deal. He would not become my chef.

I have been tending my rows of vines, tying up, and gloving. I’m pleased how they look so far. Little bunches of grapes are already formed.

We expect a busy Memorial holiday weekend. Pray for good weather and come by and say hello!

It's Spring!!

2009-05-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

Have been spending the past few weeks outdoors (weather permitting) planting flowers and creating planters of flowers. I am confident that I am 99% finished. Next week I hope to have that last plants arrive. Right now, they are still being babied in a wonderful, well cared, greenhouse here in Ste. Genevieve. We are lucky to have places to buy local.

A few weeks ago, the grandsons were all here and the older boys decided they would have a clubhouse by the walk out basement door. I didn’t see any harm with this so I gave the go ahead, until I realized all of our “junk” some how ended up in their club house! This I did put a stop to and insisted it be cleaned up. I kept preaching about snakes, “Keep the doors closed! Keep things from around the door to prevent hiding creatures!” You can guess what I am getting at. My cousin and his wife were visiting and staying the guest room downstairs. You guessed it - they saw a snake in the middle of the living area! Now granted, it was small, but big enough to freak us out. We caught it. They left the next morning (so would I). So now, when grandma says “Keep the door closed”, maybe they will hear me.

Our new bottling system arrived this week. It will be ready for operation in June. Stop by and see it!

Vines are growing with all the rain we’ve had. Unfortunately so is the grass in the rows between the vines. Because of the soggy ground, we can’t get in there to mow.

Hope to see you soon. It’s always nice to see friends!

Route du Vin Recipes

2009-04-19T19:52:00.002-05:00

So many of you requested the cookie recipes from this weekend - glad you enjoyed them! We were happy to have such a great turn out for Jour de la Terre weekend! Hope to see you on the next Route du Vin Wine Trail event! (May 16-17, Progressive Dinner)

Grandma Strussione's Anise Biscotti
2 cups flour
½ cup butter
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP Anise Extract
1 cup sugar

Mix dry ingredients. Beat butter, sugar, & eggs. Add extract. Gradually add flour mixture. Turn dough onto floured surface. Divide in two. Form 2 logs approximately 3” wide. Place logs on greased cookie sheet. Bake 30 min at 350 until golden brown. Take out logs, cut into ½’ cookies, put them back on cookie sheet, turn off oven, and put them back into oven to harden.

Grandma Strussione’s Pizzelle Recipe

4 eggs
2 2/3 cup sifted flour
2/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp anise extract
Pizzelle Iron

Mix ingredients and drop by spoonful onto hot pizzelle iron. Cook according to iron directions.

2009-03-25T15:34:00.002-05:00

Blogging is a priority today! My sister, who follows my blog, let it be known to me that I haven't blogged for a while. Looking back on my notes, I realize she is right! My sister will be happy to read this blog.

Spring has arrived here in Ste Genevieve! It’s a favorite time of year for me. The beauty of nature coming alive is very uplifting. With the warmer days and time racing by (March is just about over!) my thoughts are on April and planting. I enjoy planning my flower beds; deciding what I can do this year that may be a little different from the previous year. It has always been a passion of mine. I hope you will take a moment or two and take a look at the flower beds around the tasting room. I am hoping to add a few different flowers this year and I am going to label the plants, in case you are wonder what they might be. Last year, guests had questions on a few of the plants, and if I wasn’t on the property to answer your question, you probably didn’t get an answer.

Last week, work was done to the pond in the cave. We have battled a leak in this pond since it was developed and after a few methods that didn’t work, we decided to line it with a rubber liner. (I know, this should have been done in the first place) Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, we will have it all back together, looking natural once again.

Hope to see you soon, let’s sip a glass of wine while we enjoy spring!

Bad Dog

2009-02-26T11:40:00.000-06:00

Tram was a bad dog last night! He had two big chicken dinners! This morning, when I looked out the window and saw all the feathers, I knew what had happened. Tram got into the chicken house and helped himself to two chickens! When he saw me, he knew he had been bad and that I was not happy with him. How, you ask? Because he squints his eyes to say “Sorry”. So, on my agenda today is to repair the hole in the screen that let this all happen. When you see Tram and he looks well fed – well, now you know why.

I have finished pruning my vines and moved on the help Vineyard Mistress. It was a beautiful day to be out and visit with her. We had not worked together since fall so we had plenty to chat about while we clipped. Only 5 rows to go!

Anyone have any comments about my blog? Would love to hear from you!

Until later…

Guest Blogger...

2009-02-17T15:19:00.002-06:00

Hi, this is Angela blogging for mom. Mom, dad, and two of my sisters spent some time at my house last week. Most of them went to the Grape and Wine Conference at Tan Tar A. Somehow I talked mom into staying for the week and then babysitting over Valentines Day weekend for me. So, this week it was my turn to come and help her out with the Mardi Gras preparations. How writing her blog for her became part of the deal, I'm not sure. So here I am blogging, cooking and decorating. If you don't have any plans for this Saturday the 21st come by for a visit. Homemade gumbo is on the menu with rolls and cupcakes and Dave Cattani will be here playing live music in the loft. Throw in some good wine and some really cool Mardi Gras beads and you’ve got a perfect afternoon!

Love to Prune!

2009-02-04T12:12:00.001-06:00

I enjoy pruning the vines! As I move down the row, each vine gives me a challenge and this is what I enjoy. Being out in the fresh air, gives me time to clear my mind. This year, I have taken on 1 acre of Chambourcin behind our house as my personal care. Vineyard Mistress and Newbie had their doubts whether I would actually follow through with this plan. Well, I have only four rows to go and I will have completed my acre! Looks like I'll be helping them finish the rest of the vineyard. I told Marty, " We’ll have one acre of Chambourcin either
the best looking vines in the spring or they will all be dead!"

Enjoy the beautiful weather that is coming our way this weekend - get out and drink some wine!

Bluebirds

2009-01-29T10:10:00.001-06:00

This blue bird house is on our deck and the photo was taken from our dining room. It’s enjoyable for me to watch these beautiful birds from my window.
There is usually more then two and it’s not unusual to see 5 birds trying to enter the house one after another. This is the third year they have been in this house. We have snow and lots of it, but today the sun is out and its a beautiful sight out there. Marty spent time this morning plowing the parking lot so it is in good shape for those of you who will visit this week-end. I'm excited about our Mardi Gras party coming up in a couple weeks. I have been busy making cork bead necklaces for the occasion so be sure to check them out. I'm sure you will find one to your liking to wear that day - it should be a fun time. Dave and Dave will be playing music in the loft that day. Dave auditioned for American Idol in Kansas City and went on to Hollywood!

Back to watching the blue birds----until next time

We Survived the Holidays!

2009-01-12T09:09:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! I hope that all of you survived the month of December with all of the holiday hustle and bustle. It’s always a busy month for our family. We have three birthdays to celebrate – two before Christmas and one after Christmas. Usually, we have had enough cake that by the time that it’s Marty’s birthday (dec 26) we have pie. This years’ choice was peach. Yum!

Christmas is always a fun time here with all of the grandsons excited to be with each other once again. They wait patiently to open their gifts from each other. I am truly amazed how much they enjoy each other’s company. It is true when I say there is rarely a disagreement between them. Well, every once in a while, we do need to step in and have a little “discussion”.

Having everyone together I was hoping for a family picture, but as the day went on and I’d hear, “We’ll do that later mom”. We were blessed to have everyone’s dog visit as well. I also thought it might be fun to have a picture of all six of them (Cooper, Nikki, Bella, Dexter, Emmy Lou, & Titus). I was even going to encourage Norton and Tram to join in. It would have been a hilarious photo with Norton and Tram and all of the small dogs. Oh yeah, the dogs like being together and watch out for each other, especially Emmy Lou (a Chihuahua) she protects her man Dexter (a Bijon) I promise a photo at a later date.

So when you are at the winery and you look over at the house, put this image in your mind…9 kids having the time of their life and 6 dogs chasing each other. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

It’s a new year and a new start. I always think of ideas and feel refreshed this time of year. We are going to have a Mardi Gras party in the loft this February. Also, in May we will celebrate our 5 year anniversary with a weekend of fun events. The website will have all of the details when available.

After much discussion, we came to the difficult decision to charge for our wine tastings in the tasting room. The declining economy and increased costs helped play a part in the decision. However, we have not increased wine prices and, as always, we will offer you a memorable winery visit.

Until next time…

Our Winter Getaway

2008-12-18T10:34:00.000-06:00

Didn’t I talk about harvest not too long ago? Seems like yesterday we were busy getting the grapes picked and crushed and here it is, vines dormant and Christmas is just days away. At least I have our tree up and home decorated. Now, if I could get my shopping finished before the predicted ice storm, I will be one happy person.

Marty and I were invited to New Orleans by his cousin to celebrate her 50^th birthday. Nine of us had a great long weekend of celebrating in the French Quarter. We met up with another cousin and his family who live in New Orleans. We hadn’t seen them in several years. We had dinner, reminisced, and caught up. We all had such a good time that we decided we must do this again. (so John, where are we going next year for your 50^th?)

Sunday afternoon we all began to go our separate ways back home. Back to work. Except for Marty, myself and 2 cousins. The four of us headed to Venice, LA to tuna fish. Unfortunately, (lucky for me) the waves were too high for us to go out into the ocean. Instead, we fished along the bay and caught some very nice fish. It was a fun trip for me – with the guys. The guys are already planning a trip to try to tuna fish. I think I’ll sit that trip out!

2008-11-25T08:31:00.002-06:00

It was nice to see so many of you out and about this past weekend! Even though the air was crisp and windy, the cave couldn't be missed. A walk (or a ride) to the cave was a must. As always, it was nice to see and chat with all of you. Many asked if I would share the Pumpkin Hummus Dip recipe that was served this past weekend. So here it is:

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas,drained and rinsed
3 tablespo0ns tahini (optional)
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

In food processor, process pumpkin and chick peas until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process until blended Serve warm or cold.

Family will all be together this Thanksgiving . We have so much to be thankful this year, let us all take a few moments this Thanksgiving to give thanks for family , friends, and all that we do have.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-07T12:59:00.002-06:00

The answer is no, I haven't stopped blogging. One of two things; I either don't manage my time ,or, I am truly busy! October came and went by so fast!
Here it is Nov already and talk of holidays everywhere. Even though the economy has been terrible, we had many wonderful folks out enjoying the beautiful color of fall, sipping wine, and enjoying the beautiful weather we had here at Cave Vineyard. Looking out my window as I write this, rain and wind makes me realize that winter is at our door step.

The wines we are making this fall are well on their way! There is a calm in the winery now, after our harvest and crush. We will start to bottle after the first of the year.

Custom labels for any occasion are in the works for Cave Vineyard. A fun idea for a wedding or Christmas gift. Any questions, e mail us.

Family all doing fine. Sorry, I don't have any funny stories to share this time. But I am sure it won't be long before one develops.

Did you know it takes one ton of grapes to produce 150 gallons of wine? 150 gallons produces 750 bottles of wine. This is a question asked frequently in the tasting room. So now you know.

Until next time...

Autumn at Cave Vineyard

2008-10-19T12:19:00.000-05:00

This is the 14th of October already and I feel like it should be early August instead of October. But then the crisp mornings and the beautiful colors of fall remind me it is truly October. Our trees and foliage are well on their way to what promises to be a beautiful color palette this year. I believe the next two weeks will be prime time to enjoy the colors here at Cave Vineyard.

Well, last Friday we all gave a huge sigh of relief. Our harvest for this year is over! We picked our Nortons on Thurs and Chambourcin on Friday. Saturday was spent destemming the grapes and transferring them into our stainless steel tanks to begin the process of fermenting. It all went very smooth and we didn’t have any equipment break downs and “no worries”. As always, we are grateful to our tasting room employees and family to keep things running smoothly so Marty can do his job.

So now that harvest is finished and the vineyard is resting for a short time, we are now geared up for all of our friends and guests the next few weeks. As always, it’s nice to talk with all of you. I will be making gift baskets this year, so if you are in need of a gift, let me know.

Family has been here weekends, they are all doing fine. Grandpa Marty got the fie truck out the other weekend with the idea that they could all have fun helping wax and shine it up a bit. I won’t say how long that lasted. Maybe long enough for me to snap a picture?

2008-09-18T10:19:00.001-05:00

This past week has been extremely busy here at the vineyard! Harvest is here! Working with weather, picker schedules, and broken equipment (new and old) had us all stressed, especially Marty. We made it through and we have all of our Traminette and Chardonel picked, crushed, and in our tanks. Our goal was to get the white grapes picked before the forecasted rains. Instead of machine picking (breakdown) we ended up scrambling to hand pick. It is hot, hard work but the family (along with the help of our great vineyard crew and a few friends) pulled together and got the job done. Last Saturday was our first crush and press on our new equipment. We had family and friends here to witness this exciting process. We had a few bumps and it was a bit of a learning process, but it was fun. Looks like we might have a week or two before we harvest our Norton and Chambourcin.

Fall is here, you can feel it in the air and that brings me into the mood to make jams and jellies. Besides fruit jams and jellies we will have Wine Jelly this year, and oh is it yummy! Be sure to look for it when you visit.

Its nice to have family drop by for a visit. This past weekend, our cousins from Breese, IL came by to say hello. Good to see you Sue and Greg!

2008-08-29T15:13:00.004-05:00

I sit here thinking what I can share with you today and a few things come to mind. One being how fast the month of August has slipped by us. It’s hard to believe fall is fast approaching. I love this time of year when I can decorate with pumpkins and gourds and gourd scarecrows around the winery. My friend tells me it’s going to be a good year for pumpkins and gourds, so, come visit and see what new ideas I come up with this year!

The vineyard is so beautiful with all of the grapes hanging and in their final stages before being harvested. When I look out my kitchen window, I can see rows of vines loaded with beautiful dark red grapes. It’s a sight that is peaceful to ones eye. Harvest is fast approaching, we plan to start picking at the end of next week. This is a busy time for us with days of stress and decisions, but in the end, we all have a good time and love it.

Have you seen "Joey"? Look closely next time you visit us in the cave. He is usually sitting by the water or on the rock. When I took this picture he was on the path, he was fortunate the shuttle didn’t end his life!

Family will be here this holiday weekend . Who knows, maybe I can talk S-I-L into frying bacon for BLT's again like last week-end. The picture gives you a hint which SIL I'm talking about. Love them all.........

Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Gone...

2008-08-17T10:23:00.002-05:00

Buttercup is missing. She was our little beagle with a warm cuddly personality. She would sit with me on the porch swing in the evenings as content as I was. She was a good dog - with one bad habit. She had learned how to climb into open car windows and help herself to whatever picnic food she could find. This was not good! I knew we would have to find a new home, so Marty's cousin came to the rescue and took her to his house. Well, she ran away! I guess she missed Norton and Tram (and me). Marty assured me that she would come back to us in three days (his cousin doesn't live too many miles away.) As the days passed and still no signs of her I knew this was not going to happen. I can only think where she might be and hope that she has found another family who will care for her. I only hope that they keep their car windows up!

My bees are gone as well. (what next?) checking my hive one day I was surprised to find not a single bee in the hive. Unfortunately, that means no honey for sale this year in the tasting room. I started beekeeping 10 years ago and enjoy this rewarding hobby, but over the years it has become a challenge to keep the bees alive. So, I have decided to hang up my bee suit fo a while. Maybe down the road I will take beekeeping up again.

In the vineyard, the grapes are ripening. Oh what a beautiful sight to see! We expect to start harvesting in about 3 weeks. Then the fun times begin!!

New Equipement

2008-07-29T14:55:00.000-05:00

As the summer progresses here at Cave Vineyard, so do the activities. Yes, our cave is cool! As the summer days grow warmer, more folks are coming to enjoy the coolness of the cave. Three of our grandsons who were vacationing with us last week were thrilled when a semi delivered another piece of harvest equipment. It is always exciting to watch these deliveries being unloaded and to realize we are really doing this! The kids were not only excited to watch this huge semi maneuver our tight driveway and dock but they got to climb up into the cab and see what it was like. Turned out, the driver has grandchildren also. Harvest will be especially exciting this year after last year’s unusually small amount of grapes (due to the frost). This year’s harvest looks very promising and it will be the first year that we will crush and press our own grapes in our new equipment.
Vineyard work continues to keep our terrific crew busy. “Newbie” was hedging the vines today and “Vineyard Mistress” will be doing petiole samples (checking the nutrients the vines are absorbing from our soil) today. These samples are taken at bloom and verasion. The rock clean up in the new vineyard has also begun. This is a good job for grandsons, right? Well, I thought so and declared that I would pay $5 for every 5 gallon bucket (thinking they would only do 1 or less buckets). After they were on the second and third bucket I knew I was in trouble, so after 2 buckets the price went down to $1 per 5 gallon bucket. They all soon decided it was too hot to work and they were hungry. Love my grandsons!
Until next time…

It's Been A While...

2008-07-11T11:35:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I last blogged but it’s been a busy summer here at Cave Vineyard.

First, an update on what’s happening in the vineyard. Looks like we will have a good crop this year! Enough for us to sell the extra tons we won’t be using in the winery. Yes, I said tons. That makes us all happy. Our vineyard workers are doing a fantastic job keeping the vineyard in great shape. Many hard working hours go into keeping the vines healthy and looking good. Unfortunately, the Japanese Beetles have arrived. It’s amazing how fast they can invade! We have had to spray the vineyard to control the beetles. Our new vineyard is doing very well. It is completed and the vines are beginning to pop out of their grow tubes. Be sure to wander over and have a look next time you visit.

The family have been here most weekends helping out. At sometime or another on weekends you will see one or two working in the tasting room. They are still willing to help after 4 years! It’s wonderful – we not only get the help, but we get to see grandchildren!

This is funny…a couple weekends ago the daughters were all working and the SIL’s were watching the boys. It was lunchtime and all was going well with serving lunch until it came to drinks. One of the SIL’s (I won’t mention names) started to pour what he thought was Kool Aid. Guess he thought I put this Kool Aid in this large jar. As he poured and each grandson started to drink, they started to protest. They didn’t like it – something was wrong with it. Only 1 grandson liked it and wanted more. It was my hummingbird nectar that I had made!

Until next time…

what's new

2008-06-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

The entire family was home for the Memorial weekend. Since it had been a few weeks since we were all together, the grandsons (all 9 of them) were excited to be with their cousins. They immediately began to catch up on all the news and happenings. The older boys compared their achievements with DS games and the younger boys were off and running! Once again, our house had come alive! Our oldest grandson Noah, who is 9, shared his photos, video and stories about his rodeo experience. He rode a calf and took home first place! Way to go Noah! Thanks to S.I.L. (son in law) Tim, we had great smoked BBQ for the holiday. It was absolutely delicious! Before we knew it, the weekend was over and it was time for everyone to say their good byes. I’ll probably still be picking up and doing laundry when they return in 2 weeks! It is wonderful to have them all come visit. Marty and I are truly blessed.

Also this week, we were excited to receive our new press and crusher. We will no longer have to take our grapes off property to crush. We look forward to harvest this fall and being able to complete the process here at Cave Vineyard!

The vineyard looks good! With all the rain we’ve had, the vines are growing like there is no tomorrow. During this active growth period, the vineyard team has been kept busy with sprout positioning.

Our New Fire Truck!

2008-05-16T08:58:00.002-05:00

Not too long ago, I went for a little R&R to see our daughter and her family. They live about three hours away (depends on who is driving) and have a farm that is very picturesque. Their wrap around porch has a swing where one can take in the beauty of the land and animals and swing away the stress . It’s always a pleasure to spend time with them. This brings me to how I bought a fire truck!

Talking with my son-in-law, he was telling me about the local fire department selling their old pumper fire truck. When I saw it, I asked how much. The price was very reasonable, it had good tires by my judgement (even though I know nothing about tires!) and they told me it had less then 8,ooo miles! I immediately envisioned all the grandsons riding on top in a parade. I couldn’t wait to call Marty and tell him that we just had to have this fire truck. Of course, he thought I had lost my mind but I could tell he was thinking when he started to ask questions. He wasn’t thinking parades but he was thinking it would make a great pump to pump water to our new vineyard. I BOUGHT A FIRE TRUCK ! You just might see it on a weekend parked at the winery, check it out. Last weekend a couple visited us and were so surprised to see their home town fire truck! She had to have her picture taken in the drivers seat. What are the odds… we had a few good laughs about that!

Rain, rain and more rain we have had enough! We were able to plant the remaining vignole this week before the rains arrived, another task completed. Maybe we will see some of you this weekend, its going to be a beautiful one.

Everything is New Again

2008-05-07T13:26:00.000-05:00

The vines have all leafed out and are growing, I do believe, inches a day! They look healthy at this point. The cool frosty mornings we had recently haven’t done any damage. Our vineyard workers are now beginning to "glove" the vines(removing any new green growth below the cordon on the trunk of the vine). Our vines are truly pampered throughout the season and in return they give us high quality fruit. When visiting our winery, be sure to slow down and take a look at the vineyard on your left. Traminette is the varietal you will be looking at.

The Tasting Room also comes back to life this time of year. We start to see more and more folks coming out to enjoy the sunshine and wine. On Saturday mornings I will be baking fresh bread, I think you will enjoy the fresh warm bread as much as our family does. Get yours early, it sells out fast!

Check back next week to find out about our new purchase…a firetruck!

Our New Vineyard Dog

2008-04-22T12:10:00.006-05:00

Buttercup the Beagle has recently joined our canine family here at Cave Vineyard. Norton and Tram (our two Labs) have indicated that, “yes, she is okay, she can stay.” She is already doing a great job in the vineyard keeping rabbits and deer at bay. She even entices the two overweight boys to join her instead of just watching! When visiting the tasting room during the week you may see the trio, they love to greet guests! If you wish not to be greeted, ignore them, and they will move on. Take one look at Norton and Tram and you will see they are not undernourished, so please don’t tempt them with any tidbits. On weekends, I try to keep the “kids” at home, so if you don't see the trio, that’s where they are - probably snoozing. Leashed canine family members are always welcome to enjoy the grassy areas and shaded Pavilion here at Cave Vineyard, however, they are not permitted inside the cave.

Planting a New Vineyard

2008-04-17T08:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we began planting Vignoles. This new acre is located along the driveway as you enter the winery. There were five of us in the field dealing with gusty winds and more rocks than you could ever beleive! This has to be the rockiest section of our land. Can you imagine digging 350 holes by hand and hitting rock each time? Our crew was great - they just kept digging and planting. I heard rumor we will be picking up all the exposed rocks at a later date. I think there will be enough rock to build a heck of a wall somewhere!! By end of day, each vine was watered and a grow tube was placed over it. The vines are dormant now and the grow tubes act as a hot house. They also protect the vines from nibbling animals. We only completed half of the acre yesterday. We will be planting another 350 plants as soon as they arrive...and we will start all over again. I only hope the gusty winds are gone by then!

Also, good news today - we received word that 2 of our wines won medals in the Fingerlakes International Wine Competition. Our Blush took Bronze and Chambourcin took Silver! Winning medals never gets old, it’s always exciting!

Pruning

2008-04-11T08:14:00.002-05:00

Pruning is a wintertime chore at the vineyard that literally takes all winter long. It is definitely not always the most fun job either. Imagine standing out in the middle of the vineyard on a blustery, 20 degree day!

We start pruning once the leaves drop from the vines, usually around the end of November. It is always a race against the calendar to get the entire 14 acres finished by mid to late March. Needless to say, it is always a relief when the pruning is finished.

Marty and I used to do a good bit of the pruning, however, as the winery has grown, other tasks keep us from this wintertime routine. This year’s pruning has mainly been completed by one terrific vineyard worker – we call her our “Vineyard Mistress”. She pruned 95% of the vineyard herself until the last few weeks when Marty hired a person to help do the things that she doesn’t care to do (like drive the tractor). The two of them completed their task and made it to the finish line by the end of March. Our 14 acres are all pruned, tied, and ready for bud break. We anticipate bud break in the next week or two. Next week (if it stops raining) we will be planting a new acre of Vignoles located as you enter the winery and tasting room property. We’ll keep you posted on how the planting goes!