Atwater Vineyards

Because we’ve had lots of rain and little sunshine, we’re about a week behind normal for this time of the year, but our vineyards are in bloom and starting to set fruit. At this time of year, we focus on the vines and their shoot positioning. Using a hands-on approach, we spread out the vines growing shoots as much as possible on the trellis to keep an open canopy for maximum sun penetration and to improve air circulation.

Additionally, we’ve placed grow tubes over the new vines we planted in early June. Grow tubes help promote upward growth and protect the vulnerable plants from animal pests. We've also planted a wildflower mix cover cropbetween the vineyard rows containing buckwheat, oats, clover, sunflower, peas, and other seeds that will contribute to a better soil structure by increasing organic content and nutrients including nitrogen and will also protect the soil from erosion.

Chardonnay 2015

On August 3, National White Wine Day, raise a glass of our Chardonnay 2015. Our Chardonnay will delight your senses with aromas of apricot, peach, and tropical pineapple. Its layered texture offers deep flavors of macintosh apple, vanilla crème, and tangerine.

We love this wine with golden roasted chicken and cream-based pastas. It also complements grilled salmon or butternut squash and mushroom risotto quite nicely.

One of our valued hosts is Nora Lampman who joined our Tasting Room staff in 2013 when she and her husband retired and moved to the area to be near their daughter and grandchildren. She loves the natural beauty of the area and the many new friends they’ve made.

Her family has had a connection to Atwater since 2003 when their grandchildren’s father was a winemaker here, but her job as a Tasting Room host was her first time employed in wine hospitality. With the help of her coworkers, she has enjoyed expanding her knowledge and appreciation of wine. Now, she enjoys sharing that knowledge with our guests, and she also appreciates learning from them as they share their stories from around the world.

In the Wine Cellar

2018 Stone Bridge Red

Vinny and George will be bottling the 2018 Stone Bridge Red made from Marechal Foch and Chancellor grapes during June.

Stone Bridge Red is a versatile wine that appeals to a variety of palates. With soft tannins, this dry red wine pairs well with everyday food. If you'd like to be notified when it is released, please click here.

2014 Gewürztraminer

This month, we’re releasing our 2014 Gewürztraminer ($18.00), formerly a Club Exclusive, to the public. It was fermented and aged nine months in neutral French oak barrels.The result is a dry and complex wine that shines bright with peach blossom and delicate floral aromas while it’s cool, slightly tart lychee palate is a thing of beauty. Richly textured, it’s creamy, caramel-like finish lingers.

Stock up on this gorgeous summer-pleaser here.

FROM THE TASTING ROOM

Memorial Day weekend, we began our seasonal evening service, Atwater After Hours.

During these relaxing nights with a gorgeous view, we serve a selection of sparkling wine cocktails developed by Amanda, our own mixologist.

Visit us between 5:00 and sunset to try these delicious indulgences paired with cheese and charcuterie plates or a selection of a la carte items:

In the Vineyard

We've completed the tasks of trimming and tying the canes for the entire vineyard on schedule, but as always, trellis work continues. Bud break occurred yesterday, with the tiny buds loving the warm temperatures and intermittent sunshine. Our two red French hybrids, Chancellor and Marechal Foch are usually the first varieties to show and they didn't disappoint.

To take advantage of the unique properties of our microclimate, we are adding two new red-wine grape varieties to our vineyard: Lagrein, which is an ancient grape variety from northeastern Italy, and Zweigelt, the most widely planted red-wine grape in Austria. In preparation for the young vines, we are tilling the soil and pulling stones out of two vineyard blocks. We expect the first harvest of these grapes will be around 2024. With time in the cellar, release of the wines will be a year or so later. The path to making great wines is a long one that requires patience!

In the Wine Cellar

This month, Vinny and George will be bottling the 2018 Vignoles and 2018 Pinot Gris.

Vignoles
From the semi-sweet 2018 Vignoles, a bright and silky wine,  you can expect mouthwatering, complex aromas with flavors of honey, tropical fruit, and caramel apple.

Club Members will receive an exclusive preview of this vintage at our party on June 15th. If you would like to be notified when this delicious wine is available, please sign up here.

Pinot Gris
While the 2018 Pinot Gris will return to the cellar for aging, our 2017 Pinot Gris is now available for purchase. This crisp wine offers juicy notes of sweet and spicy orange blossom mixed with vanilla crème and tangy white peach and pear flavors finishing with a rounded, vibrant feel.

New May wine releases include the 2016 Blaufränkisch which will join our amazing red wine lineup as well as our 2013 Sparkling Gewürztraminer which will replace the sold out Blanc de blancs.

We are proud to share our latest review from Wine Enthusiast which gave our 2016 North Block Five Pinot Noir 90 points!

"Light ruby in color, aromas of tart red berries and pomegranate frame the nose, with delicate accents of red flowers and woodland spice providing depth. There's a real sense of vitality on the palate. It's loaded with fresh acidity that props up all the tangy red-fruit flavors, with shades of spice and granite broadening out the feel." -A.P. June, 2019

SHOP NB5 PINOT NOIR NOW

Greetings!

It's so exciting to hear the sweet warbling sounds of the Eastern Bluebird as we welcome spring to the vineyards!

The official bird of New York State is one of the first birds to return north each spring and we welcome them back with nesting boxes throughout our property.

These boxes provide shelter, and in return, the Bluebirds help us with pest control. It's a real win-win and part of a commitment to managing our vineyards in a sustainable fashion.

In the Vineyard

It's such a busy time for us in April. We are experiencing fairly typical weather patterns and the vines are looking good. With a little under three acres left to prune we've switched gears a bit to focus on repairing and replacing broken posts. We need to make sure our trellises are tight and strong enough to carry the weight of the crop. There's  only a short window to get this done because the next step in vine prep is literally tying the canes to the wires.

Ideally this should be accomplished by the beginning of May when we expect bud break. If we don’t have the canes tied down by then, we'll have to slow down so we don’t break off the tender shoots. We wrap the canes along the wires and secure them with twist ties (like the bread bag ones, but paper coated). This helps to spread the growth out along the trellis so we get as much sunshine and airflow to the fruit as possible to help with disease prevention and ripening. 

In the Cellar

Spring season ushers in our newest Rosé wine. It's back! Our Bubble Pinot Noir Rosé has been bottled and is for sale in the tasting room and on our website. We've doubled production on this popular wine this year, hope you get a chance to try some.

Other new releases this month:

• 2016 Gewürztraminer/Chardonnay - Skin Fermented "orange wine"  with a sleek new label.
• 2017 Cabernet Franc 
• 2017 Pinot Gris 

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