March

It's hard to believe it's March already, but today certainly looks like spring. Grey, rainy, but in the 40s, rather than the uber-cold we've seen all winter.

What does March look like at the winery?

We began pruning the grape vines in January. It looks like we'll be finished pruning them sometime next week and will move on to the apple trees. It's probably the earliest we've ever been finished. It's nice to actually be done on time for once!

It's the middle of maple syruping season, and that means Sugar Snow. Recently Holly sweetened the 2008 vintage with syrup from Snow's Sugar Bush in Mason. We'll be bottling the 2008 vintage a week from Sunday and will release the following Sunday, March 22. Soon the Moore family will show up with sap to begin the 2009 vintage.

Almost every day I add another event to the calendar for April and early May. With the designation of "Michigan Wine Month" in April, more and more events are being scheduled around the state. Those 6 weeks or so look like they'll be really busy again this year!

The tasting room is relatively quiet, but we're seeing business remain steady. The only really quiet times are during the week. Since we close on Tuesdays and Wednesday in January, February, and March, we've been trying to catch up with some of the tasks that fell through the cracks during busier times. For example, for the next two weeks we'll be scrubbing the floors and revarnishing them. Of course, we're never able to get to more than a fraction of the things we want to do...

The Sandhill Cranes are back from their winter trip to Florida. Soon they'll be nesting and rearing a new batch of babies.