It's Almost Time to Open- June 2nd

    Things are going very well in the new building.  Chris is working extremely hard to get it finished by the anticipated opening date of June 2nd.  Here is Dad inspecting the work Chris did on the ceiling with the help of so many of our friends.  As we speak, Cody is finishing the bar with some very interesting touches.  It will be very interesting to see people's reaction when they first inter this new tasting room.  If you were in our old tasting room/garage, prepare to be blown away.  The wine we are going to roll out to our friends in this new tasting room will really make our opening very special.  Please plan on joining us that day.... Write it down... June 2nd opening at 10:00.  It should be fun.

A Sneak Peak Inside the Tasting Room

Here are some picture of the awesome work that Chris and his able assistants, Cody, Mike, Greg and all the contractors are doing. The place is looking great. We are finishing the plumbing, heating and air conditioning, septic and electric simultaneously. Things are really coming together thanks to Chris and all our friend's hard work. We are scheduled for several final inspections these next couple of weeks and if we can get our licenses transferred we will be in our new building at the start of the Summer vacation (which is only 37 school days away, but who's counting?). Hope you can stop out and see us when we are ready to open.

Early Buds in the Vineyard

Just a few pictures of the buds which are beginning to push in the vineyard because of he very warm temperatures this spring. From left to right are the buds of the Chardonnay are the first to push leaves. Although the leaves are still small, they are becoming more susceptible to an early frost. The latest Ag Extension publication said that buds that are at this stage are still able to take withstand temperatures between 30 - 32 degrees without damage.

The second picture is the Vidal Blanc. These buds are still closed and they only show considerable swelling. According to the research, these buds should be able to withstand temperatures down to 28 degrees without considerable damage.

The final picture on the right is the Chambourcin and it also has swollen but unopened buds. Hopefully, all the buds will continue to hold out until the warm weather is here to stay. I guess we will just have to wait and see since we can't control the weather. If everything works out, the harvest could be up to 6 weeks ahead of schedule. I can't imagine picking grapes in August but it just may be the new vineyard schedule in PA. Stay tuned for updates throughout the growing season.

Pruning Crew making Progress

Here is a picture of the hard working young men who have helped turn the vineyard into a beautifully manicured work of art. Quentin and Dominic have been helping the last several weekends along with Cole, Lee, Elliot, Colton and Avery. The kids get a lot of fresh air and enjoy helping and making a little spending cash. Now that the sun is shining and the weather is getting warmer we are working extra overtime to get the vines finished before the buds break and we have to start worrying about weed control and other issues. The time spent now to get the vines in ship-shape will pay big dividends in the fall when we are ready to harvest and make wine. Practicing good viticulture and training the vines early is really paying off in the quality of our wines.

A Beautiful Sight - Vines Pruned and Tied

The beautiful weather has allowed us to work in the vines and prepare the vineyard for the upcoming growing season. Compare these pictures of the neat clean rows with all the vines trimmed and taped to the wires to the ones that were posted early in the year. The vines look so nice and now we are ready for the warm Spring temperatures. I will post some pictures of all the help that we have gotten over the last several days in the upcoming photos. Keep checking on our progress.

Easter Wine Conference in Lancaster

Cassel Vineyards of Hershey entered its Niagara wine in the Pennsylvania Wine Association wine show and competition held this past week in Lancaster, PA. Our wine won another Bronze medal making it the 3d award winning wine already this year. The Niagara joins the Blush (Bronze 2012, Silver 2011) and the Vidal Blanc (Bronze 2012) in our portfolio of award winning wines! We are proud of the wines we make and serve and invite you to come and try all of our offerings.

First Look at Interior of Winery

Yesterday they finished pouring the concrete floor in the interior of the winery and tasting room. At this point it is just one big room with four walls. This picture is taken from the side patio facing the vineyard. It shows the tasting room at the far end and the area directly in front is the production area. There will be a partition wall dividing the two areas and we hope to erect the walls and finish some of the wiring this weekend. Progress is moving along quickly and will continue to show big changes over the next several months. However, with spring pruning and preparation for bottling in full swing we are gearing up for a lot of long evenings in the vineyard and winery. In the end it will all be worth the work.