gonna be in a calendar!

The 2013 Lang Calendar will feature farm scenes and one of its pictures was created by local artist Rollie Brandt (www.rolliebrandt.com) and features the barn at the Crofut Vineyward.

We're hoping Rollie's artwork will be selected for the calendar cover as well -- she's an incredible talent! We'll post some of her other work here and on our website in the future. Congratulations, Rollie -- we're proud to be included in your portfolio!

Thanks to my harvesters!

Hey everyone, thank you SO MUCH for showing up to help harvest the grapes this weekend. After all the work of the successful Grape Stomp the week before, it was daunting to look out in the field and see so many grapes all ripening at the Exact. Same. Time. (Can you say 'panic'?)

We picked, crushed and processed 26 tons of grapes in 72 hours this weekend. Not only were all the grapes at their peak of ripeness, but the sugar content was exceptionally high and the acidity was low. We can look forward to yet another batch of award-winning Minnesota wine next year!

Where to start with the personal thanks? Dale K (the garden guy) helped spread the word on his show and blog that we needed harvesters. Barb Hunt's crew turned out, as did Hans and the "Jeffs" with their crews.... thanks to John, Don, Dave and April... I apologize for all the wonderful people whose names I'm omitting just now. This year has been a wild ride and we couldn't have done it without you.

On behalf of the Crofut Family Winery, thanks to everyone who has helped make this such a terrific year (after a rocky start). We hope you'll join us this Saturday night for our year-end bonfire and celebration. Check our website for details!

Grape Update

It was all humidity, all hot in the vineyard this past week. Remind me not to pray too hard for summer. This past week brought back memories of growing up in Oklahoma. Drenching humidity, rain, storms the likes you have never seen.

The vines are just lapping this weather up. They love it. Grapes grow just like corn; sit still for a while and they actually look like they are growing before your eyes.

If we have another 2 weeks of this heat and humidity, the crop should come in right on time. Three weeks and we might even be ahead of schedule. With the humidity, our challenge is to keep the mildew out. Thankfully the windy conditions (albeit from the south) keep it in abeyance.

We now have music in the vineyard on Saturday afternoons. Check out the music schedule, bring a picnic (or purchase an Organic Valley cheese and cracker tray at the winery). Yes, on a hot day, you can watch the vines grow...if you squint real hard.

Check out my Purple Viking and MinneSNOWta sangria recipes on our Crofutland recipe blog. They're made using our new series of Northwoods wines, and provide a refreshing end to a long, hot Minnesota workday.

See you in the vineyard!
Don

July in the Vineyard

Things are heating up in the vineyard! We've got a full roster of fun activities at the vineyard every weekend, so stop on by. After hours, we're busy bottling next year's offerings. Tonight we'll finish the rose' and start on the Northwoods Red. Hopefully we'll get that finished on Saturday morning.

Last year we were open on the 4th of July for the Corvette Club, but this year we'll be closed. We need a day to recuperate from the weekend!

-Don

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It rained on our National Picnic Day celebration. In fact, we've had one Saturday without rain over the past eight weeks.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. This weekend we're planning a Rain Day. Come sit under our shelter and enjoy a glass of wine as you watch the cool summer rain. Tom Wavra will be playing guitar on Saturday from 2-5pm. We have dinner events in the vineyard on Friday and Sunday.

So stop worrying about the rain, and come enjoy the vineyard greenery this weekend. Even if it ends up being bright and sunny, we'll still manage to have some fun... somehow.

2011 Wine Selection

Someone asked me if we're introducing any new wines this year. Since every one of our current wines has won a national award, we decided to stick with our winning line-up. We might fine-tune the grape blend in our Northwoods Red, but that's it.

The wine is tasting really good this year! That extra year of seasoning has smoothed them out. We also had a terrific growing season last year so we're really excited about where we're going.

-Don

Comment to Share (from Richard)

Went to the National Restaurant Show and the Wine, Spirits & Beer Show in Chicago this past weekend. Met an Italian wine maker that barely spoke English and was extremely proud of his wine. He opened a bottle up and said we would never taste anything like it. As soon as we sipped the wine Molly and I looked at each other and said "frontanac".

I'm not kidding you. His wine was Exactly like your frontenac. The bouquet, the taste, the balance.. I grabbed his card and info because I wanted to find which grape he was using.

(This note is from Richard Dollarhide. He and Molly are our chefs for the Friday night Prix Fixe next Friday and the Fun with Wine event on Sunday, June 26. Hope to see you in the vineyard!)
-Don

Spring is coming... at a crawl

Big news! We're hoping to re-open the vineyard for the season the weekend of April 16, weather permitting. Little things like parking areas still being buried under snow may delay the opening.

January 2010 was mild enough that we were pruning in the vineyard. This year we're hoping to get in for the first time this coming weekend. (If you're interested in helping, call Don!)

That puts us behind on the vineyard maintenance, but we've got a good layer of moisture to kick off the season this year. Last year's grapes are going to make some awesome wines and we're really looking forward to what's to come once the snow melts. Come visit us in the vineyard this April!