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 ven in our quiet pastoral
setting, there is a lot happening!
Here is the latest from Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard:
SMV Wins Two Silver Medals
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard's 2007 Comus Reserve and 2007 Chardonnay both brought home silver medals in the 2010 Grand Harvest Wine Competition, an international wine competition held on February 24 - 25 in Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California.
Wine of the Month Offer
20% Off!
SMV will be featuring a different wine each month. This featured wine will be offered at 20% off regular prices for glasses, bottles or cases. March's wine of the month is Stomp 08. Sugarloaf produces this off-dry, easy drinking red to reflect the revelry of our October Stomp Festival. Stomp is a light, off-dry red which can be paired with chocolate and desserts, but is probably best on its own. Serve Chilled. Drink now!
"Dan the DJ" of Key 103.1 at the SMV Tasting Room
March 12, 4pm - 7pm
As part of Key 103.1's promotion of the upcoming "A Toast to Frederick",
a wine festival to be held April 10 and 11 at the Frederick Event-plex,
"Dan the DJ" and his crew will broadcast his show from the SMV Tasting Room.
Dan plans to interview the SMV family and others who are present for the show.
SMV will keep the Tasting Room open until 7 pm for this special broadcast.
Come and be a part of the fun.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Weekend
March 13 & 14, Noon - 6pm each day
Cead Mile Failte! Get an early start to the "wearin' o' the green" with our 3rd annual Celebration, happening the weekend before St. Patrick's Day. While we will not serve green beer, we will have Irish cheese, Irish brown soda bread, live original and classic rock tunes and magic with Denny Grizzle, performing from 2 pm until 5 pm each day. For the first time ever, SMV will offer tastings of its award winning EVOE, a dry red blend ($2 per taste). In honor of the Irish heritage of SMV's owners, all cases will be 17% OFF, except Stomp, which in on sale for 20% off during March.
Blending Seminar
March 13, 1pm
Ever wonder what constitutes a “blended” wine? Come learn about blended wines and create your own blend. Space is limited. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 301.605.0130. Cost: $25 per person
Spring Fling Weekend
March 20 & 21, Noon - 6pm each day
The Tasting Room will celebrate the arrival of Spring 2010 with live music and Chef Bryan’s BBQ. Dave Pepper will perform in the SMV Tasting Room on Saturday from 2 pm until 5 pm and Danielle Massarini will perform on Sunday from 2 pm until 5 pm.
Barrel Tasting
March 27, 1pm
SMV’s barrel tastings allow you to compare the taste of selected wines aged in SMV’s oak barrels for varied amounts of time. Food will be available. Space is limited and reservations are required. Call 301.605.0130. Cost: $20 per person; SMV Case Club Members are free.
Urbana Relay for Life
April 10, 1pm - 5pm
The SMV Tasting Room will be the site of a fundraiser for Urbana's Relay for Life. Wine tastings, food and live music by Black Onyx will be part of the festivities. Tickets are $20 for persons over age 21 and are available at the door or in advance. For information visit www.rflurbana.org or contact
kerry.c.oswald@gmail.com.
Countryside Artisans Tour
April 16, 17 & 18, 10am - 5pm each day
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard will be part of the local Countryside Artisans Tour. Local artists will open their doors and studios to offer an array of handcrafted items for sale. Paintings, pottery, glass, and metal sculpture are among the crafts. Stop by Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard for some handcrafted wine and light fare. For a copy of the Countryside Artisans Tour brochure, visit www.countrysideartisans.com.
White Wine Sensory Training
April 24, 1pm
Come find out what wine writers are talking about when they describe the aromas and flavors in wine. Train your palate to detect important aromas in white wine. Space is limited and reservations are required. Call 301.605.0130. Cost: $25 per person.
SMV's Second Annual Bud Break Festival
May 1 & 2, Noon - 6pm each day
Come celebrate the buds breaking out from the grapevines after a winter of hibernation. Enjoy a free wineglass and tastings of select wines, tours of the vineyard and winery, live music and food vendors. Bring blankets and chairs. Volunteers receive free admission and a complimentary bottle of wine in turn for 3 hours pouring wine.
From the Tasting Room
Popular Merlot and Pinot Grigio is Sold Out
It’s time to come try SMV’s new wines: 2008 Cabernet Franc, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and 2007 Evoe. Each new wine has already won awards. The 2009 Pinot Grigio will be available in May.
Spring Hours
Starting March 3, our Tasting Room will be open from Noon until 6pm, Wednesday through Sunday.
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard will be closed Easter Sunday, April 4.
Award-Winning Vintage Made Available
Our recent review of SMV case storage inventory revealed a happy surprise!
A few mislabeled case boxes contained bottles of our most popular and highly decorated vintage: the Double Gold Award-winning Comus 07. This vintage was previously thought to have been sold out, and we are happy to offer it again to our customers. Now available for purchase only at our Tasting Room and limited to two bottles per family, per visit.
Serve SMV Wines at Your Event
When you are planning your next event, SMV’s award-winning wines are a perfect complement to the festivities. Whether a business, community or personal occasion, our selection of wines will suit the taste of your guests. Recently, SMV wines have been served at wine dinners at the Kennedy Center, the Knights of Malta event at the Mayflower Hotel, the Chesapeake Dinner at the Cosmos Club, and many other galas, weddings, anniversaries, holiday parties, country club events, and private dinner parties. For details please contact
carolyn@smvwinery.com, anne@smvwinery.com, or danm@smvwinery.com.
Customer Business Meetings
Our Tasting Room lends itself very nicely to
off-site business meetings, seminars and client appreciation events.
A number of groups, including banks, Chambers of Commerce, equipment
manufacturers, real estate companies and charitable organizations
have made use of our facility in this fashion. We can arrange for
catering and wine tastings and tours after your business session.
For details please contact Susan Reed at
susan@smvwinery.com or at 301.605.0130.
From the Vineyard
Pruning and Preparation
Though the snow put us a little behind schedule, pruning will soon be complete. In early March, we hill down the dirt we put over the graft unions for winter protection. This is one of the more demanding tasks each year in that we have thousands of vines to hoe down and our backs will be happy when it is over. Deer fence, much of which collapsed under the weight of the snow, needs repair. We will be getting ready to plant 2 acres in mid April, and when bud break comes around the 20th, we are off to the races in maintaining the vines through the summer.
We welcome any volunteer help with pruning Mondays through Fridays. Just bring warm clothes and an eagerness to learn. To volunteer, contact michael@smvwinery.com.
From the Winery
2009 Vintage in Process
The fermentation room has become the hub of activity, with the grapes filling up the tanks. We cold soak the berries for several days and then let the fermentation process begin. Fermentation takes about 9 days and then the wines are moved to the French oak barrels. The white wine is already in the barrels, except the Pinot Grigio, which is in a 3,000 gallon stainless steel tank.
Around Town
Volunteer Opportunities:
Join the SMV Festival Team
We're gearing up again for this year's festival season. Consider helping us out. Our team is attractive, smart and fun! Volunteer a three hour shift for SMV at one of the festivals listed below and you will receive free admission to the festival, unlimited tastings of MD wines, a free wine glass and a complimentary bottle of SMV wine. For the most part, SMV volunteers pour samples of SMV wines. Training is provided. Unless otherwise noted by a *, volunteer shifts are from noon to 3 pm and 3 until 6 pm, each day. To volunteer, contact lisa@smvwinery.com. The festival schedule:
A Toast to Frederick
April 10 & 11, Noon - 6pm each day
Event-plex, Frederick County Fairgrounds
Frederick, Maryland
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard’s 2nd Annual Bud Break Festival
May 1 & 2, Noon - 6pm each day
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard,
18125 Comus Road
Dickerson, Maryland
Wine in the Woods Festival
May 15 & 16, Noon - 6pm each day
Symphony Woods,
Columbia, Maryland
King Farm Wine & Music Festival
May 22, 4pm - 8pm
The Saddle Ridge Community Center, 300 Saddle Ridge Circle, Rockville, Maryland
Great Grapes! Wine, Arts and Food Festival
June 12 & 13, Noon until 6pm each day
Oregon Ridge Park,
Cockeysville, Maryland
The Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Wine and Music Festival
July 24 & 25, 4pm - 9pm each day
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, 18125 Comus Road, Dickerson, Maryland
Uncorked Rockville Wine and Music Festival
August 28, Noon - 6pm
Rockville Town Center, Rockville, Maryland 20850
The 27th Anniversary Maryland Wine Festival*
September 18 and 19
Saturday 10 am until 6 pm
Sunday, noon until 6 pm
Carroll County Farm Museum
Westminster, Maryland
*3 hour volunteer shifts will be staggered on Saturday: 10-1, 1-4, 2-5, 3-6.
SMV's 4th Annual Grape Stomp Festival*
Saturday & Sunday, September 25 & 26, Noon - 5pm each day
Saturday & Sunday, October 2 & 3, Noon - 5pm each day
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, 18125 Comus Road, Dickerson, Maryland
*Volunteer shifts will be 11:30am until 2:30pm and 2:30pm until 5:30pm
Additional festival volunteer opportunities will be available in the summer and fall.
Watch the next issue of “Through the Grapevine” for more details.
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