In theory, summer is supposed to be a relaxing time, but it is busier than ever for us at the winery!
We have a new addition to the winery grounds: A beautiful gazebo! That, added to our lovely patio with fans, allows us to provide a more complete and comfortable experience to our customers. The gazebo will be a great stage for musical guests providing entertainment at events as well as a pretty location for weddings held at the winery.
Another new addition to the winery is our video intern, Kaitlin. You may see her around the grounds behind the camera. She comes to us from Wilmington University and is helping us to establish programming that will promote the winery beyond our property as well as inform our customers while visiting the winery. For more information on Kaitlin, you can read her introductory blog post here.
We are currently at 68 wine club members. Last month Harvest Ridge owner, Chuck Nunan, promised a surprise for the first 100 people to sign up to be a wine club member. Wine club members get access to member-only events at the winery, special discounts, and first crack at tickets for winery events. If you want to be part of that group, contact the winery at 302.343.9437. We are preparing for our second pick up party on August 9 and you won’t want to miss it! (Current wine club members will be receiving their email invitations shortly. Watch your inbox!)
Mark you calendar now for the Delaware Wine and Beer Festival! DWB14 is scheduled for October 11. On October 12, there will be a brunch associated with the festival held at Harvest Ridge Winery. The brunch is sponsored by the Delaware Wineries Association and will have drinks provided by the Association members including Harvest Ridge, Fenwick Wine Cellars, and Painted Stave. For festival information, read here.
Are you ready to STOMP??!! Our biggest event yet takes place on September 27. Join Harvest Ridge Winery as we STOMP out Children’s Cancer! Proceeds of this event to go to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital. Next month’s newsletter and blog post will have full details of this event that will be fun for the whole family. If you would like to learn more about getting involved in what will be an exciting, fun, and inspiring day, contact the winery at tastingroom@harvestridgewinery.com for sponsorship opportunities.
October 11. Mark it on your calendar now!! One of the best events in our area is the successful Delaware Wine and Beer Festival in October. You know: that time in the fall when it is sunny, but not too hot. Crisp. The perfect temperature the spend the day outside… drinking.
We are excited to be a participant in the festival once again. The first year we were participated was prior to even opening (which is a nod to how excited we were about the event– we were there even before we could sell wine). The second year, 2013, we had wine to sell and were preparing to open our doors. In fact, the night prior to the festival we hosted our first public event: the Delaware Wine and Beer Festival dinner. (Talk about starting off with a bang!) This year we will be at the event, of course, but we will also be hosting a Sunday brunch on October 12, in conjunction with the festival. (More news on that to come.)
The festival and the events connected with it allows people in our region to support the local wine and beer industry that is really beginning to take hold and make a name for itself. Within Delaware, we have multiple award winning wineries and breweries, and Painted Stave – the award winning distillery. Make sure to set October 11 aside as a day to celebrate and support the beverage industry in Delaware, to “drink local,” and to enjoy yourself!
The event is held at the Delaware Agricultural Museum in Dover from 12-5PM. For more information on the 2014 Delaware Wine and Beer Festival (including a full list of vendors as well as ticket purchase) check it out here.
We are fortunate to have Kaitlin, a video intern from Wilmington University, working for us at the winery for the next several months. She will be helping us by filming video footage for placement on our YouTube channel as well as projecting it (and still photos) throughout the winery. Some of what she will be producing will be informative for our customers and visitors, some of what she will be producing we will be able to use for promotional purposes. Here’s a short Q and A with Kaitlin so everyone can get to know a bit more about our favorite video intern. (Clearly you can see that she is a smart cookie. We are lucky to have her!)
What you are in school for? I am going to Wilmington University to obtain my second Bachelor’s degree in Digital Filmmaking. My first Bachelor’s degree was in English and Film from University of Delaware, and I also have a Master’s in Human Resource Management from Wilmington University.
When do you expect to graduate? Summer 2015
What would you like to do after graduation? After graduation I would like to start my own videography business where I film and edit special events (no matter how big or small) for anyone who is interested. I would also like to eventually make my own feature-length movie (at least one!) that I write and edit myself.
What are your hobbies and/or interests? I make it a point to spend as much time as I can with my family and friends, especially my 1-year old nephew, Atticus. I love to travel the US with my boyfriend, Kenny. Last year we drove from Los Angeles to Philadelphia and this year we are planning on driving from San Diego to Seattle. I also love to take care of my 6-year old Corgi, Hoagie. We rescued him from Hartford County Animal Shelter in Maryland last year, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. He’s a great dog! And lastly, as you could guess from my degree, I am a huge movie and television buff, and I spend much of my free time catching up on both.
What drew you to the intern opportunity at Harvest Ridge? First, I love wine. Second, I have an affinity for learning, and I was interested to see how wine was made. I was also excited to have the opportunity to capture my learning experience through film. Harvest Ridge is close to where I grew up in Townsend, Delaware, so I was excited to hear there was even a winery down here!
Take a moment to view this fantastic video produced by Shorevines & Wines. They are making a series that highlights the winemakers in the Delmarva Eastern Shore and our very own winemaker, Milan, was the first to be featured. Watching the video you get a great sense for the potential of wine in this region while getting to know Milan (and Harvest Ridge) a little better!
Perhaps you weren’t able to join us for our Memorial Day Weekend Barbeque. Perhaps you have been meaning to stop in to the winery but haven’t done so yet. Perhaps you are dying to come to the winery but live too far away. Fear not! Our new video intern, Kaitlin, was on site for the event, got some great footage and put together a sweet video that highlights the fun we have at our events. Hoping you can join us for our upcoming events, but until then, visit us “virtually.”
It’s been a great start to the warm weather months! We would first like to say that we are so grateful that we were unaffected by the tornado that came through our area on May 22. We lost power for a bit, but other than that were ok. We were especially thankful for all the concern that all our fans showed with facebook and twitter posts, phone calls, etc. >We had fantastic turn outs for our Mother’s Day events: the spa day a the winery followed by the Italian themed “Dinner in the Vineyard.” And, thanks in part to Mother Nature’s cooperation, we had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Many people opted out of sitting in shore traffic to “Beat the Beaches” and join us at the winery. Games, music by Paul Donovan and Jim Rezac, and food by Backyard Louie’s were all a hit. We also released 3 new wines: Pinot Gris, Traminette, Chambourcin. (If you haven’t had a chance to try them, make sure to stop in soon!)
Thanks to all that came and made it a great time! And to round out the month of May, we had our first “Pick Up Party” for the Harvest Ridge Wine Club. It was a member-only event that allowed members to taste new wines, enjoy some appetizers, chat with winery staff and Milan our winemaker, and pick up their 3 bottle club packs. If you are interested in joining the Wine Club, call the tasting room at 302.343.9437 or email us at tastingroom@harvestridgewinery.com. >We’ve enjoyed getting out and about and hitting some off-site festivals and other events away from the winery. It has allowed us to meet many that have not yet been able to make it to the winery: National Harbor Fest and King Farm Fest to name a couple. We will continue to get out to local festivals throughout the rest of the summer. In June we will be at the Southern Sun and Music Festival in Prince Frederick, MD, Ocean City MD Wine in the Park, Manassas Wine and Jazz Festival, a festival at Layton’s Chance Winery in Vienna, MD, and more. Hitting a festival and want to know if we might be there too? Email us at tastingroom@harvestridgewinery.com or call us at 302.343.9437!
If you are looking for something to do in June we have several upcoming events.
– On June 5 from 6:30-8 we will have the second of our Wine Culture Classes. Nothing stuffy, nothing intimidating. Just a great chance to gather in an intimate and informal setting, sip wine, talk about it, ask questions, and have fun. $20/person and reservations are required for this event. Please call the tasting room to make your reservation. 302.343.9437
– Friday, June 6 is the first of our Food and Music Weekends! No reservations required >and cost is dependent on individual food and wine purchases. Backyard Louie’s BBQ will be back after their great showing at our Memorial Day event, and the musical guest will be Mike Weyrauch. Our food and music events will be happening during extended hours, so join us from 6-9PM on June 6th!
– Thursday, June 26 from 5-8PM we will have an Uncorked Canvas Party! $40/person will include a wine tasting and painting instruction through a painting that participants get to keep! (We believe that wine helps the creative juices flow.) Space is limited so call the tasting room to reserve your easel today! 302.343.9437
– Saturday, June 28 will be another Food and Music evening at the winery. 6-9PM, no reservations required. As we have updated information on who will be joining us that evening to provide food and entertainment, we will post it. Stay tuned.
Please note: We will now be open 12-8PM on Fridays and Saturdays!!! So come in for a happy hour after work, stay later on Saturday! (Regular 12-5 hours remain in effect for other days.)
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Seeds… (a peek at things to come)
– September 27, we will be having a HUGE event that will benefit Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children Oncology Program. Think getting dirty, think Lucille Ball, think raise money for a very worthy cause. Stay tuned for upcoming details about The Stomp!
– Coming this fall we will begin offering a premium tasting option at our winery. Our current $5 tasting will still exist, but if you are looking for the chance to try more wines, and experience more at the winery, you will want to follow our updates on this new feature.
We have a new addition to the winery grounds: A beautiful gazebo! That, added to our lovely patio with fans, allows us to provide a more complete and comfortable experience to our customers. The gazebo will be a great stage for musical guests providing entertainment at events as well as a pretty location for weddings held at the winery.
