May 2021
Earth Day Frost 🥶🌎
The Yadkin Valley suffered a devastating frost towards the end of April - we recorded temperatures as low as 25 F across two consecutive nights. For us and many of our neighboring growers, it’s unclear if we will have much of a harvest this year.
Generally, the first buds to start growing in the spring will be fruitful. If these primary buds happen to die off, there are secondary and even tertiary buds that will take their place. However these buds are much less likely to set grapes on their shoots. Interestingly, the secondary buds on hybrid varietals such as Chambourcin or Seyval Blanc tend to be more fruitful than those of vinifera varietals like Chardonnay or Merlot (another reason why we like to grow hybrids)!
Spring frost events are becoming a serious threat to grape growing in North Carolina. This is the second year in a row that growers in the Yadkin Valley have dealt with severely damaging frosts, and as weather patterns continue to change this issue is unlikely to go away. There are a few frost prevention options available to vineyards - wind machines, sprinkler systems, smudge pots, but these are generally expensive and only offer a limited degree of protection.
We won’t truly know the extent of the damage until several more weeks, but regardless of the outcome, we will keep trying to grow the best grapes for the best wine possible 💪.
Best in Show 🏆
Our Midnight Run Grand Reserve has done it again! For the second year in a row, Windsor Run’s flagship Port style wine has won best-in-show honors at the North Carolina fine wines competition. Last year the 2010 vintage won, and now our second iteration (2012) joins the club.
This wine is a Petit Verdot and Chambourcin blend, fortified with grape spirits made from our in-house distillery, and barrel aged for approximately 8 years. Midnight Run is the only North Carolina Port fortified with North Carolina spirits, and we’re very proud to see it be recognized as exceptional.
If you haven’t tried this special wine yet, come visit us at the tasting room for a flight or order online at the link below!
Virtual Tastings
We’ve recently rolled out a new wine experience - virtual tastings! Customers always tell us how much they like hearing about our wines from the people who make them, so we decided to stick our winemakers and owners in front of the camera to capture some of their insider knowledge.
These little videos pair nicely with their corresponding wines, but if you would like to watch them on their own, you can check them out here:
Farmers’ Market
If you live near Winston-Salem and are looking for some high quality local food and drinks, check out the Bermuda Run Farmer’s Market! We’ll be there selling wine each Friday this summer from 3:30pm to 6:30pm.
We discovered this market a couple years ago and found ourselves visiting nearly every week throughout the summer to pick up some fresh fish straight from the NC coast. Now that we’re a vendor, our fish trips can serve a dual purpose 😁.
Check out the Farmers’ Market facebook page for more info