SnowfarmA


	THE "MARCH MADNESS" EDITION - "WHAT EXACTLY IS MARCH MADNESS? IS IT THE NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT, OR IS MARCH MADNESS BEING SUBJECTED TO BUSH AND KERRY COMMERCIALS OVER EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTIONS? (AND TO THINK, I USED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE BROADCAST OF CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALS PRIOR TO THANKSGIVING)" Vol. 8, No. 1 March 2004 BUT THE ONE COMMERCIAL THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WOULD BE WHERE, IN THE MIDST OF THE BIG MOMENT, THE OFF-CAMERA REPORTER SHOUTS OUT, "MICHAEL EISNER , YOU'VE JUST BEEN CANNED AS HEAD OF DISNEY. WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" AND HE REPLIES, "SIX FLAGS". Of course, Snow Farm would be a good answer too because things are starting to fall into place for the upcoming season...and none too soon because the winter gets pretty lonely up here. You can tell because I start wondering about, well, like if they started naming designer steriods after the body part to be affected, what would happen to the word "asteriod"? So, it's a blessing to us all that we re-open on May 1^st for our seventh season. I have been asked how the vineyard fared? This is in regards to the weather. You see, like last year, we had a very cold winter. Unlike last year, though, Molly and I also suffered a house fire in January that has kept us homeless to date. Actually and more accurately, we "experienced" a house fire and "suffered" an insurance adjuster (which leads me to wonder why someone doesn't offer an insurance for pain and suffering experienced in dealing with insurance companies?) Since I don't live on-site (it only feels that way), the vineyard and winery are fine, and we'll know what, if any, damage the cold weather caused to the vines come late April, early May. SPEAKING OF THE PRESEASON... Well, as a prelude to the NFL draft, Haiti traded Jean-Bertrand Aristide for a first round rebel and a dictator to be named later...which has nothing to do with our preseason event. On Thursday, April 29, we will be celebrating the release of our first two Estate table wines from the 2003 harvest - the Seyval Blanc and Leon Millot - by way of a wine pairing dinner at the Sand Bar Inn. Like the successful Nouveau release dinner in November, the Sand Bar is creating a special menu for the evening. The cost will be $45 per person, which includes a bottle of wine per couple. Reservations are required. If interested, call the Sand Bar Inn at (802) 372-6911. AND THESE ARE JUST THE FIRST OF THE 2003 RELEASES. As always, we will be releasing more wines throughout the year. But new for this year, we will be releasing our first Rose. It's a white/red blend, and we will be calling it the Strom Thurman. Okay, that was just a joke. But it's still a blend of Leon Millot and Cayuga. We've yet to name it, although we might end up calling it Crescent Bay Red because we have an awful lot of these labels still lying around. OKAY, I'M NOW READY TO TALK ABOUT THE UPCOMING SEASON Well, once again, you'll be able to come out to the vineyard on Thursday evenings throughout the summer with your lawn chairs and blankets, food and our wine to enjoy the "Music In the Vineyard" Summer Concert series. This year, the series falls under the auspices (and the insurance policy) of the Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce and consists of three series sponsors: Geer Communication, Shore Acres Resort, and Kinney Insurance, along with a host of our usual suspects posing as individual concert co-sponsors. The tentative schedule is as follows: June 17 - Sandra Wright (co-sponsored by The Sandbar Inn) June 24 - Big Spike Bluegrass (co-sponsored by South Hero Mobil) July 1 - The Phil Abair Band (co-sponsored by Vermont Nutfree Chocolates) July 8 - The Ken Clark Organ Trio (co-sponsored by The Islander) July 15 - Jenni Johnson & The Junketeers (co-sponsored by SilverCloud Design) July 22 - The Woodies (co-sponsored by the Merchants Bank) July 29 - Tammy Fletcher & The Disciples (co-sponsored by Cheese Traders) August 5 - The Naturals (co-sponsored by A & B Beverage) August 12 - The Jimmy Branca Band (co-sponsored by Carter & Pingert) August 19 - The Good Folk (co-sponsored by Allenholm Farm) August 26 - Combo 37 (co-sponsored by Keeler Bay Variety) September 2 - Nobby Reed (co-sponsored by Crescent Bay B&B) And, by popular demand, we will once again be having a special July 4^th concert featuring Bob Boyd and Friends. One last word on our Thursday night concerts. With regards to the continued practice of many of you leaving pairs of sunglasses behind in the vineyard after the concerts, my special thanks; I think it fair to say that we now have a collection that would make Elton John proud. We will also be adopting a new policy of carry in-carry out trash. Given the increase in attendance over the years, the trash cans were at the point of overflow last season. We also hope that this new policy will serve as a reminder to take home your children. For those more interested in classical music (and more expensive sunglasses) we are, again, a host site for the Vermont Mozart Festival. This year's concert is on Friday, July 30^th. Remember, this is the one concert that requires tickets, and our location has always sold out by Memorial Day. Since we are simply the host site, if you interested in tickets, you will need to contact the Mozart Festival offices directly at (802) 862-7352. This year's program is "The Lass That Loved A Sailor, Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore" with William Metcalfe, Conductor, and Oriana Singers and Soloists: Sarah Cullins, Wayne Hobbs, Robert Stanfield, Larry Rudiger and Linda Radtke. So come and sail the ocean blue with the Captain and Buttercup (before he dumped her for Tenielle). We are also excited to announce that we will be bringing live summer theater to the area. On Saturday, July 17^th, the Very Merry Theatre Troupe will be presenting a free performance of "Great Expectations". "Great Expectations" tells the story of young Pip's rise from blacksmith's apprentice to a gentleman, thanks to an anonymous benefactor, who Pip believes to be the macabre Miss Havisham, but in reality turns out to be soft money from the Teamsters. Okay, maybe not, but curtain will still be at 7:00 p.m., picnicking prior thereto. And if this goes well, next year we'll add an even more dramatic performance by the Less Merry Theatre Troupe. And while details still have to be worked out, we plan to hold a karaoke night complete with a bonfire on Saturday evening September 18^th (the thought being it's amazing how insecurities break down with a little wine in one's system). In conjunction, we hope to arrange to have a BBQ with South Hero beef and chicken and Allenholm apple pie available for sale, and while the event will be free, we hope to collect donations for South Hero Fire and Rescue Departments (the thought being that we'll have the Fire Department here if the bonfire gets a little out of control, and the Rescue Department here to save us from any tone deaf singers). And as usual, we will be hosting other events this upcoming season, such as two weddings and a cross promotional event involving the La Leche League and Janet Jackson's Superbowl dressmaker (okay, maybe not the latter), as well as welcoming back many groups, such as Vermont Bicycle Tours and Bike Vermont, for private tours and tastings. That said, we still have some prime dates available for other private tours and tastings. Just contact us for details. AND BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT LEARNING ENOUGH BY WAY OF THESE NEWSLETTERS... We are starting an educational series. Over the years now, we've been approached by so many individuals with an interest in what we do here that we gave the matter serious consideration and have decided to present two different workshops. The first, "So You Want To Plant Grape Vines", will be an intensive, four day combination of lectures, discussion and hands-on fieldwork for individuals interested in planting grape vines in the North, be it in their own back yards for personal enjoyment or on a larger scale for commercial purposes. Topics to be covered include, among others, site selection, site improvements, vine choice, vineyard layout, equipment, planting, trellising, pruning, vine and grape protection, and canopy and soil management. The workshop will be lead, primarily, by Patrick Barrelet, Snow Farm's winemaker and vineyard manager. Patrick, a Quebec native who continues to commute down from Bedford, Quebec, received his education in France, with a degree in viticulture from CFPPA de Beaune in France, a Diplome Technicien Oenolgue from the Universite de Dijon in France and studied under Michel Roucher-Sarrazin of Puligny-Montrachet, considered one of the top five winemakers in Burgundy. The dates for this workshop will be May 3 - 6, 2004 from 8:30 until 4:30. The cost for this workshop is $425, which includes a copy of the book, "From Vines To Wines", handouts, lunch, and six bottles of wine. If interested, contact the vineyard ASAP as we will be limiting the workshop to ten persons. The follow-up to this workshop will be a four day workshop tentatively slated for October dealing with harvesting and winemaking. Participants from the first workshop will have priority with regards to the second, but details will follow in a later newsletter. OTHER RANDOM ANNOUNCEMENTS The 9/11 Commission will be followed by the 7/11 Commission, which will be investigating the proliferation of 24 hour convenience stores. I made my third appearance on the Tampa based radio program, "Vine Talk", where I bet the winemaker from the Biltmore Estates Winery in North Carolina that the Patriots would win the Super Bowl. I am still waiting for my wine. If it doesn't arrive soon, I am going to send an anonymous letter to, what is obviously, the "Bilk-more" Estates. Based on a recent interview, we will, again, be included in a future article in Yankee Magazine. And, finally, we will be assisting the UVM Extension Service, which just received its first grant to study grape growing in Vermont. FINALLY All of the Adjutant Generals from around the country will be receiving our wine when they descend upon Vermont in June. Hopefully, all firearms will be stored and locked away prior to drinking, or I envision downtown Burlington turning into a real, live version of the Tortuga scene from "Pirates of the Carribean" (if not familiar with this film, just replace this image with the image of any street