Fall Newsletter 2020
As I write this, we are about three quarters of the way through this year’s harvest. We are never ones to count chickens before they hatch, but without getting too far ahead of myself, I think it is safe to say that it is looking like it will turn out to be a phenomenal year. We were extremely lucky to have been missed by the late spring frosts that hit so many local vineyards and we have had a great fruit set and a well-balanced crop load. While it has been a rainy summer in many areas of the state, most of the summer rains have missed the vineyard and we have had a beautiful growing season, with plenty of sunshine, hot temperatures (all those sweltering days did some good, at least!) and just enough rain to keep the vines from being over-stressed. The excellent weather has continued into the fall, with cooler evening temperatures and many sunny days – perfect ripening weather.
Our biggest complaint (and you knew there had to be one) is that since we have new acreage producing fruit for the first time and our winery has not miraculously (or otherwise) expanded on its own, we are playing a bit of a shuffle game to find enough tank and barrel space for what should prove to be our biggest harvest ever. As we keep reminding ourselves as we cross our fingers hoping that we have not quite overfilled any given tank so much that it will bubble over during fermentation, this is an excellent problem to have. So, while 2020 will not be remembered by anyone (even us) primarily for the great BAV harvest, we are incredibly grateful that this crazy year has had at least one silver lining.
Gratitude for a remarkable harvest has gotten me in appreciation mode and I can’t help but think about the other good things that have come from this year. The tasting room shut down days let us make a nice big mess on the patio expansion project (fun with excavation tools!) and gave me, Ed and our kids a chance to visit with many of you as you stopped in for our curbside pick-ups. Despite cat photo-bombers and technical glitches, our Zoom happy hours have let us connect with our Black Ankle community in a new and fun way. Quarantine days have allowed us to enjoy a ton of time with our four (yes, 4 at once) teenage children living at home, and while they had pretty much capped out on Quality Family Time by about day 2, we parents have really enjoyed it. (My personal favorite Conspiracy Theory about the virus is that it was created by moms who wanted an excuse to drag their college age children back home for a while, but that is another story…) National attention towards questions of race and equity in our country have inspired us to take a closer look at what we can do in our small way to make Black Ankle a more inclusive and welcoming place to people of all backgrounds. And we hope we have created an even better place for people who share an interest in wine and to come together to sit down, relax, enjoy a little fresh air and maybe find some other common ground as well.
So, while it has been a tough year in so many ways, and while our hearts go out to everyone who has been hard hit by 2020, we are grateful for all the positives that have come as well. As a last note, I can not express how much the support and patience of you, our Black Ankle community, has meant to us. From buying up extra cheeses when we closed, to frequenting our curbside pick-ups, to mastering our new reservation plan and understanding as we have been learning the ropes of all of our new systems (your text order took 30 minutes to arrive, oh no!) you have been incredibly supportive and made it all worthwhile. So, a big cheers to all of you!
Sarah (and Ed)