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I'm not too far from you and had similar temperatures. My Frontenac has shown a little damage thus far. The Itasca and Petite Pearl I have barely looked like it took any damage from the cold. I don't have any Foch or Marquette for comparison, but you may be in better shape than you think. Prep...

Congrats and it's great to hear things are going so well. My little operation is well on it's way. I'm curious to see how we do this year. Having more demand than supply is a good problem to have I'd say. Good luck this year!

I'm a newbie, but I'll have a go at this. Looks like you have some vines that are growing on some form of Geneva double Curtain. I see a few rows with cordons that are low and canes that grow upwards (looking like some kind of VSP) and ones with cordons that are high. If I had to guess since...

I'm just south and east of you in the western suburbs. Pictures would be helpful if you have them. We might be able to ascertain what kind of system they were using before. You can replicate it this season, and then adjust it as you identify the vines.

Good to know. I've got a few concords as well on TWC at my place. It looks to me like you've got 4 potential candidates for cordons. I would pick 2 (one going right and one going left) and then remove the other two. Leave your healthiest ones. If you have any buds on these canes below the wire...

'tis the season. I'm looking forward to getting started on pruning mine in a few weeks. I find it to be rather fun. A few questions: What variety are these? What type of trellis system are you looking to have? That will help the good folks here get going on recommendations.

I second the notion of visiting local wineries if they exist. The benefit of visiting other Wineries nearby is that you'll get the opportunity to taste some of these varieties that you're planning on planting. Not that your wines will exactly mirror what they have, but it'll be a good place to...

I would caution against stealing someone else's plant, even if they don't know that what they have is special.

This might not be your case but I've gotten cloudy refractometer readings when I've got a bubble or two on the glass. They clear up when I get rid of them.

I read up on things and it looks like freezing the vines is more for a late frost after bud break. Thanks for the info everyone. Also I concur with the assessment about variety selection and zones. Go with one zone hardier than the USDA map says if you can. I've got Vidal (Which I expect to...

You won't regret it. I was using a double lever corker for years. It was considered quite the skill to be able to land a cork at the right depth. The floor corker I have now makes me wonder why I ever waited to get one. For the longest time my friends and I thought it looked like a device from...

Hmm. My DBA is set up as a "vineyard" as well and for the first few years only about 30-40% is going to come from the property. I'll say that I didn't notice this and we've gotten 2 COLAs approved without them so much as a question with regards to the name. Not a lawyer here, but this would be...

To my fellow cold climate growers. I'm staring down -50 windchill in two days. Ambient temperature is supposed to get to a low of -26. I have pretty good wind breaks in trees and structure around the vineyard, but I don't think I'll be lucky enough to avoid the worst of the cold. I've seen some...

If I had my way, the TTB wouldn't exist. Since I can't have my way, I want them to do things swiftly.

Ditto from me on the Vented Silicone Bungs. When I'm out of them I use bung with an airlock.

In Illinois it is a little over a dollar a gallon. I'm finding it adds up rather quickly. Fortunately we don't have to pay the state excise tax until the wine is sold. It's good while I'm turning what cash I have left over into inventory.

I've got that one in the barrel right now. So far so good.

I don't anticipate that your county would change it's status easily. I imagine the lobbying would be an uphill grind. Also some states have crazy restrictions about who can sell such as county-owned or state-owned liquor stores. The majority of my annual overhead is Insurance and licenses to...

That'll be the profit (Revenue-Expenses). My break even point on the investment is years away I think. I'm hoping when all is said and done this year that I've got a small profit under my belt. My understanding is that since I'll have taken 3 years of write offs as I've established the...