Foundation is Ready to Pour

Here is a picture of the outline of the new tasting room. The crew came out today to dig the holes for the post supports. You can see the outline of the building around the perimeter. We are hoping the the warm weather continues so that we can keep building. Thankfully it will all be inside work throughout the Spring. Feel free to stop by and inspect the progress. I will continue to update the blog as the building proceeds.

Before and After Pruning February 5th

The picture on the left is our Vidal Blanc before pruning this past weekend. The picture on the right is the same section at the end of the weekend. With the great weather we took advantage of the longer days and finished the first quarter block of our vineyard. We will begin our second block this week because it looks like the weather is going to remain good for at least 7 more days. Hopefully, we will also begin pouring concrete for the new building.

A Nice Day to Play in the Dirt

Today Chris and our neighbor Bill Bordner got to play in the dirt with their toys. After getting several dozen loads of fill to bring our pad up to grade, Bill leveled out the fill while Chris worked to pack it down in preparation for pouring the concrete. It looks like the weather will continue to cooperate so things should keep moving along. We are still counting on a grand opening at the beginning of June so if we are lucky things will continue to proceed smoothly. Stay tuned for more photos of the progress as we continue to make progress one day at a time.

Construction to Begin this Week

The weather seems to be cooperating. Last week the delivery of the building materials occurred. This week with mild temperatures and dry weather in the forecast it looks like our new winery will become a reality. The warm weather also gave us a chance to begin our pruning and we finished 1/2 of the Vidal Blanc vines during the mild weather on Saturday and Sunday. With warm weather in the forecast for this week, I will continue to work on the vines while Chris helps to erect the building.
On a side note, our wines were served this past weekend at the Blue and White Gala held at the Hollywood Casino in Grantville. It seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves as we honored my best friend Dr. Craig Camasta. The whole event was a success and it was gratifying to be a small part of the success with our contribution of the feature wine of the house. I hope to post updated pictures of the construction as it progresses this week, so stay tuned.

Construction Has Begun

      If you drive by in the next several days, you will see that the construction on the site of our future winery and tasting room has begun.  This past weekend, we were making the final preparations for pouring the concrete pad and footers for the supports.  Here is a picture of the leveled site and as soon as the cold weather gives us a chance to pour the concrete, the construction will begin in earnest.
     This is a very exciting time full of the anticipation of the upcoming season.  Our wines are in the tanks.  Our vines are dormant and awaiting the final pruning.  Our plans for the upcoming year are coming together and we are looking forward to entertaining all our friends and family in the Spring.  Hope you are enjoying the winter and looking forward to Spring as much as we are.  I will try to keep you updated on all the latest developments.  Stay tuned.

New Year Brings New Recognition

      Cassel Vineyards of Hershey received two medals for their wines at the 2012 PA State Farm Show in Harrisburg.  Here we are with a picture of our 2 bronze medals for our Blush and Vidal Blanc wines moments after the award ceremony.  Winning these awards affirmed our customers positive comments about our wines which sold out again this past year.  Thanks again to all our loyal fans for all of your support and positive comments.  We look forward to greeting you again in June 2012 when we open our new tasting room.  The wines are tasting good and we are looking forward to introducing several new varieties in the coming year.  Check back as we update you on the progress of our construction and expansion which is slated to begin on Monday, January 9th.