Imagine a chef who doesn’t eat out, an athlete who doesn’t train, a writer who doesn’t read, or a travel agent who doesn’t travel.
Read MoreFor years Virginia has been thought of as primarily a white wine region. In the 1980’s and most of the 1990’s even our most loyal customers had often disparaging comments about the state of Virginia red wines.
Read MoreSeeing so many new wineries starting up, and going through the same growing pains Linden went through, I thought I would write about Linden’s marketing evolution.
Read MoreAs painful as it may be, I feel the need to revisit vintage 2003. I learn the most from my visits to winegrowers in other regions when we taste and discuss the lesser vintages. Now it’s our turn.
Read MoreI am convinced that we can grow great wines in the East. Viticultural knowledge has progressed dramatically. Most regions now have several decades of experience to draw on.
Read MoreOver the years I have seen this industry evolve in fits and starts. In 1981 as a young cellar rat in Ohio I chose to come to Virginia rather than the West Coast because I knew winegrowing here would be more interesting, rewarding, and challenging.
Read MoreDoes terroir exist in the East? Of course it does, but expressing it and understanding it takes more time than most of us will spend on this earth.
Read MoreIn December of 2002 a group of Virginia winegrowers traveled for two weeks through the winegrowing regions of southern France. The primary focus was to learn techniques of growing and winemaking of grape varieties that may show promise in Virginia.
Read MoreAs our industry expands, new growers are looking for recommendations on varieties, clones, rootstock, vine spacing and trellising systems.
Read MoreIn August I take off my grower’s cap and put on my winemaker’s hat. I’ve been flat out in the vineyard since March, basically ignoring the cellar.
Read MoreIn past articles I have focused on the vineyard, as this is my greatest passion. To be quite honest, it takes a cold wet day to get me down in the cellar.
Read MoreThe most frequent reoccurring debates in eastern viticulture all seem to have their roots in the quest to balance vine vigor.
Read MoreI love the Fall. Sixteen-hour days, no time off for months, the heartbreak of losing crop to weather or predators, equipment problems just when we don’t need them.
Read MoreOver the past several years, I have been on a quest of improving Linden’s wine quality. We have a good regional reputation and the wines have gotten favorable reviews, but ever since I “forced” myself to taste the best examples of the worlds’ wines, I understood that there was still a lot more room for improvement.
Read MoreAll winemakers have made the statement, “Wine is made in the vineyard.”
Read MoreOver the past several years I have been attempting to learn why some winemakers are able to produce consistently good wines in every year.
Read More