The Grapevine, from the Vineyard Site

(9/20/09 - Harvest 2009 Photos are ready, ENJOY! See you next year, or at the next tasting.


(8/13/09 - Brother and Sister Fun Time!)

From Summer '09

(2/07/09 - Winter Pruning)

From Winter 09 Pruning

You can never start them too early... (5/08/08)
Hope Springs eternal.


Well, it has been a while since we posted. 2007 was tough year in the vines. A late Spring freeze destroyed 90% of our fruit and the drought took its' toll. The vines are recovering nicely and we are hopeful for a good year. 2008 is shaping up to be another tough year as we are already 2" below normal rainfall. Click here to access the GALLERY... (5/07/07)
Between remodeling our home, having a new baby boy, and our REAL jobs, we have not posted in a while. We had a record harvest in September 2006 and MUCH more going on in the VINES. We will post new photos soon. Thanks for stopping by and drop us a note.
Click here to access the GALLERY... (Ever see this guy? He is a HOOT!)


(8/21/06)
The 2006 Results are in and things went well in the wine cellar. A gold for our estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon, a silver for our estate grown Nortons, and three bronzes for others! Indy Winners 2006....

For a larger image click here

(8/08/05)
More HEAVY MEDAL! Dandridge wine grapes do it again. We were lucky enough to receive Silver and Bronze medals for wines submitted at the 2005 Indiana State Wine Competition. This is a true testament to Dandridge grape growers.

To view all the winners, navigate to Indy Winners 2005.

(6/24/05)
Stevie and Julie celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary at an undisclosed island in the Carribean. Check it out...
(4/28/05)
Spring 2005 is here and winter pruning is complete. Many new things are going on including a new winery in nearby Newport. Our photo gallery is finally up now. Check it out...
09/6/2004
We contracted about 4 tons of our Nortons to a small winery in Grainger County. The crop was most excellent and you can try the wine at Clinch Mountain Winery soon.

8/29/2004
Dandridge grapes do it again! At the Indiana International Wine competition, our Estate Grown Norton grape and a (Hammer Vineyards) Chambourcin grape received bronze medals. 3600 wines from 17 countries competed at the end of July. To view all the winners, navigate to Indy Winners 2004.



We worked with Hillcrest (Frank Preston) and Sandy Ridge (Robert Gaddis) wine grapes last year too. All are excellent growers working with premium wine grapes. Look for the 2004 Amateur Wine Awards

5/2/2004
Winter pruning is now complete. We are training to a double curtain (not Geneva) and will post more pictures soon. Although the bulk of the major pruning is done, we will be shoot thinning and cluster thinning through the growing season.
Click here to see the pruning crew in action.

1/18/2004 Chance meeting, or NOT?
We meet lots of characters on this "Lonely Road Of Faith". It's always a pleasure to speak with people that support us. Here's a toast to Bob and the crew. Thanks for everything and we'll see you soon.


Click HERE for a photo.
....and another.


12/20/2003 WINE MAKER Selects us!
Wine Maker Magazine selected our 2003 Cynthiana label for the Editor's Choice award. There were over 2500 entries that competed worldwide. Congratulations to all the other winners.
Click here to see the labels.


9/10/2003 Harvest '03
Our Cynthiana was harvested at about 22 Brix. We had about 220 lbs (Year II). The vines did well this year as we cluster thinned and shoot thinned all throughout the growing season.

Rain has been the story this summer. We harvested the Cabernet Sauvignon a bit early this year. We had about 100 pounds (Year II) and it registered 20 on the brix scale. We went ahead and harvested a bit early as the birds began claiming the fruit!

7/24/2003 Wedding Announcement
Congratulations! ... to Bill and Amanda (Peters) for their upcoming marriage on the 26th! It was our pleasure to supply them a 'Limited Edition' wine as a keepsake for their special day. See the labels from the project. We enjoyed working with the couple to develop the perfect White Zinfandel for the occasion.

The grapes were crushed from the Sonoma Valley in California this past summer (2002). The wine has aged for a year now and has a good zest already.

3/17/2003 Spring '03 Planting
We planted much earlier than planned this year as the weather is more like late April. Buds are breaking now and the vineyard is starting to show life again. 600 new Nortons (Cynthiana) are in the ground now. Thanks to Thomas at Post Vineyards in Arkansas for helping us out. Many thanks go to our crew that helped achieve the planting. We laid out and put 600 plants in the ground in less than 5 hours. Thanks Mike, Charlotte, Mikey and Amy. We could not have accomplished it without you.

1/14/2003
We met with Dr. David Lockwood and Jonathon Rhea with the University of Tennessee extension services yesterday. We were looking to confirm our techniques for winter pruning and Spring vine training. Dr. Lockwood noted some winter injury on the Cabernet Sauvignon and expressed concerns with crown galling. (Common to Vinifera in the Tennessee Valley)

Formerly with the Soil Convervation office, Dr. Lockwood also consulted us on some drainage techniques that may help relieve issues in one part of the vineyard. Otherwise, they felt we were on the right track for success and further development. We are looking forward for continued expansion and appreciate all the help provided by the local UT extension office.

2002 Archives...


2001 Archives...

Released: 2009-09-20

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