Much of what’s happening in production this month is in the vineyard. By July the vines have achieved much of what they will look like for the rest of the growing season with a full and dense canopy. We’re happy to see a large fruit set this year.

The big, exciting news this month is the announcement of our new Assistant Winemaker, Jake Blodinger! Jake comes to Chrysalis Vineyards from our neighboring state, North Carolina, where he decided to pursue winemaking after years of managing a fine dining restaurant

As we approach our 4th Anniversary here at The Ag District we are spending time reflecting on the changes we have seen come to the Tasting Room during this exciting time especially over the last year.

June is dairy month!  2019 marks the 82nd annual celebration of this nutritious and delicious category of products! Dairy products including milk, yogurt and CHEESE provide important nutritional benefits through high-quality protein, vitamins A and D and minerals such as calcium to keep your bones strong and healthy.

The following article provides us with a little history of that delicious cheese that everyone has been enjoying on the pizzas that are flying out of the oven at the Ag District!

The cherry blossoms may have already reached their full bloom, but we are just getting started here at the Little River Bakehouse. Pizzas are rolling along and we will continue to play around with various flavors. Our house white sauce pizza with smoked onions and ground Italian sausage has been a huge hit and it will now have a permanent home on the menu.

Has everybody heard the fable of the Grasshopper and the Ant?  To sum it up, the Grasshopper is only interested in having fun all year while the Ant works steadily to store food for winter. 

The sun is shining, birds are singing, flowers and trees are blooming and we are ready to enjoy all of this while sipping on our favorite rosé, our very own Mariposa. The name itself means butterfly in Spanish which automatically brings to mind the beautiful butterflies that inhabit our grounds here at the Ag District throughout the spring and summer months.

Spring has officially sprung, the cows have shed their winter coats and are very happily grazing the lush, GREEN hills.  The grasses they are consuming, contains a pigment and antioxidant known as beta-carotene, which is also most notably found in carrots.  Beta-carotene is dissolved into the cow’s fat stores after she chews her cud, which then in result forms globules in the milk produced.

In May we finish making barrel purchase decisions for the upcoming vintage. Oak barrels are made to order and made by hand, so the lead time runs several months, especially if they are produced overseas. Oak barrels are an important part of wine production at Chrysalis Vineyards, so a lot of care is taken to ensure the flavor they impart is appropriate to the varieties of grapes we make wine from.