Like the snow drops and crocus above, defying this morning’s snow, we are ready for spring.  Vines are pruned, first robins and bluebirds are back, and we’re busy racking 2012 wines.  Soon, we will start bottling whites for release in late spring or early summer.

We begin this new vintage year with optimism.  The 2012’s are showing very nicely in the barrel, and tasting feedback from subscribers, friends and critics confirms this.  It’s true we’re always more optimistic in spring, but this year seems more so from the growing confidence in our direction.

Starting our ninth growing season, we know our Austrian focus is the right match for our soil, climate and vineyard site.  I’m often asked why we chose these oddly-named grapes (like Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt) instead of more familiar ones, and usually I say, “The soil and climate here is the same as Austria”.  Well, there’s more to it than that.

We knew that world class wine is produced in Austria, but we also knew that there wasn’t yet a place in the U.S. where its grapes were grown for world class wine.  Just as Napa Valley mirrors Bordeaux with Cabernet Sauvignon, and Willamette Valley mirrors Burgundy with Pinot Noir, could Hunterdon County mirror Burgenland, Austria with Blaufränkisch?

We couldn’t prove it in 2005, but we did a lot of insane things to test our hypothesis.  In fact, we still can’t prove it but the evidence is growing.  Proof will come when there are ten or more wineries in Hunterdon making high quality Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt.  As German wine critic Stuart Pigott wrote after visiting us in December, “This could easily become a happening place”.  Until then, I simply remind myself that no one smirks at Napa Cabernet Sauvignon or Willamette Pinot Noir anymore.