July
2010 |
30 Years, summer's here...
Summer's come in quite a bold manner- no hesitation, no doubt about it. I'm nearly in disbelief, but nature doesn't lie...we're nearly three weeks further into the growing season than is typical! This pack contains a bottle of 2009 Rose d' Cabernet Franc and a bottle of 2009 Semi-Dry Riesling...read on for details!
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May
2010 |
I think it is a great error to consider a heavy tax on wines...
We’ve got incredibly delicious wine to share with you all and summer is on its way. With this in mind, we’ve included some spring/summer oriented wines in this month’s pack. The 2008 Muscat Ottonel is dry, delicate and rewarding. The 2008 Traminette is nearly bone dry, thirst quenching and truly delightful. I hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor…
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March
2010 |
The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down...
Well folks, here we are already moving on into
spring again…the cycle of the seasons roll on! The
sleepy slumber of winter is fading and the land will
be waking up soon. It’s been quite a mild winter
here on Keuka Lake but a few feet of the “poor
farmer’s fertilizer” just fell from the sky last week.
There is nothing prettier than the snow covered
hillsides of the Finger Lakes! Typically ice will
cover the branches of the lake at least to the tip of
the bluff but not this year. The ice is still miles
north and south of us and I actually missed seeing it
creep up the lake…perhaps next year...The featured
wines in this month’s pack symbolize the transition
of winter to spring and will help tide you over
until your return to Dutch Street. The 2007 Rob
Roy Red is a rich and hearty wine that can warm
you up on a crisp, cold March evening; it’s like
a wool blanket for your soul! The 2008 Seyval
Blanc is bright, lively and energizing and makes
me impatient for shorts, flip flops and a sunset on
Keuka Lake… Cheers!
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January
2010 |
“Grapes are the most noble and challenging of fruits.” Malcolm Dunn, 1867
Here we go moving into a New Year again with quite
a bit to look forward to! I’m particularly proud to be
heading into the winery’s 30th year in business. We
opened our doors to the public back in 1980 after spending
nearly a decade as one of the first and only vineyards in
the area growing fine vitis vinifera European wine grapes.
As a nine year old it was incredibly exciting to glue labels
onto bottles and to see people tasting, enjoying and buying
them!
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November
2009 |
Here’s to the corkscrew— a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit...
There’s a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look
forward to! A milestone of sorts is on the horizon for
McGregor Vineyard: 2010 marks the 30th year we’ve
been a winery (and 39th year since establishing the
vineyard)…
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September
2009 |
“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”
Well folks, here it is September; fall has arrived and
my God, I really can’t believe it! Fall, more than any
other time of the year defines thankfulness. As grape
growers we sure are in Nature’s grasp, and this has
been quite a year...
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July
2009 |
The wine urges me on, the bewitching wine...
We’ve been holding picnics here at McGregor
Vineyard for going on 40 years and I still get excited
preparing for another one. Our “Clan Club Picnic”
has been held now for about 25 years in a row! We
have had torrential rain, gale force winds, thunder and
lightning but for some reason, the weather on the third
Saturday in August at McGregor Vineyard is usually
picture perfect for a picnic. June was rather soggy
here, but hopefully, the rain is gone for a while and
the odds are with us again for another beautiful day
this year. Details on the picnic are in this
newsletter…it’s not too far away, make your
reservations now!
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May
2009 |
God made Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.
May in New York is Riesling month and we typically
put a few of our latest Riesling releases in the May
Clan pack. However, I couldn’t wait to share our
newly bottled 2007 Pinot Noirs with the Clan Club
and have selected them for the May pack instead of Riesling. Pinot Noir is truly the McGregor family’s
favorite wine year after year and these 2007 Pinots are
incredibly drinkable now and will continue to develop
beautifully in the bottle for years to come.
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March
2009 |
"Filled with that good gift (wine)..."
The Finger Lakes just experienced what I like to
call “fake spring.” Every year in February it seems to
be the case that we are treated to a week or so of
unseasonably warm and mild weather.
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January
2009 |
"And there's a hand, my trusty fiere..."
Happy New Year’s folks! I hope that 2009 brings
you more happiness and well being than ever. Each
transition into a new year comes with a bit of
trepidation— will this year be a better one for me,
my family, friends and strangers alike? Clearly
nothing is set in stone and it ultimately comes
down to not only our actions, but how we choose to
respond and feel about our circumstances.
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November
2008 |
A gourd of red wine and a sheaf of poems—
It’s almost Thanksgiving— time to take stock of all that
we have and to be thankful! Even in these trying times,
things could be much, much worse. Here on Dutch Street,
business has slowed down, harvest is over, and nature in
upstate New York is preparing for a winter slumber.
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September
2008 |
“Summertime done, come and gone, my, oh, my! ” - US Blues Hunter/Garcia
It sure seems like everyone I talk to is in agreement
right now— summer flew by in a blink of an eye!
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July
2008 |
July 2008
Well, summer is in full swing, the vines are healthy, sunset hours are back again (read more about that inside) and our new building for our oak barrels is only a few weeks away from completion...
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May
2008 |
Broken ground, open and beckoning to the spring, black dirt live again!
Well folks, after a long, wet and icy winter, and an unseasonably hot start to spring, it appears we've settled back to some nice seasonable weather up here on Dutch street.
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March
2008 |
Here’s to the corkscrew—
Hey folks, let’s not take what we have for granted!
The economy may be shaky, the weather more
schizophrenic than ever and the political climate nearing
absurdity but rest assured we’ve always got a corkscrew
nearby! It’ll surely lighten the mood and refresh the spirit!
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January
2008 |
Wine Makes Everyone Hopeful
Hogmanay (Happy New Year Scottish Style)! Looking back at 2007 sure does make me feel that we've all got a lot to be thankful for and we've got a lot to look forward to in 2008!
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November
2007 |
Surprise for the Holidays!
We’re now knee deep in grapes… it’s the end of October
and we’ve experienced an incredible year for the vineyard.
After a mild winter and spring, we were treated to a long, hot and dry summer. Fall has been great— warm and sunny and
the vines are still covered with green, healthy leaves as we’ve yet to get a hard frost and the grapes continue to mature!
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September
2007 |
“I refuse to drink McGregor wines unless I am alone...or with people!"
Well folks, that’s now officially our unofficial Clan
Club motto! We had picture perfect weather for this year’s
Clan Club Picnic and about 400 of us took full advantage
of it! There were members from all over the country
visiting for the day and members spanning the full 20
years of the Clan Club in attendance.
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July
2007 |
“We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as a miracle...
But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven on our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy."
-Benjamin Franklin
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May
2007 |
“In a way it is the quality of the consumer..."
I started each session of the White Wine Barrel Tasting asking the "simple" question, "What is quality?" On the surface this seems like an easy enough question to answer, but when referring to wine we run into a bit of difficulty.
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March
2007 |
Water does not stay in a sieve, nor gold in a generous pocket
It's hard to believe that spring's once again on its way when not more that 60 miles to the northeast parts of New York have had 14 feet of snow in the past few weeks!
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January
2007 |
McGregor Vineyard Clan Club - 20 Years Strong!
Travel light in life- take only what you need; a loving family, good friends, simple pleasures, someone to love, someone to love you, enough to eat, enough to wear and a little more than enough to drink, for thirst is a dangerous thing! -Anonymous
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November
2006 |
Forsake not an old friend;
Time sure does fly by! It seems like it was just yesterday when I was enjoying seeing the vineyard turn green from the spring rains and sunshine and now the cool winds of November are upon us...
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September
2006 |
Please enter with a happy heart
It's always such a reward to find yourself surrounded by friendly caring people. Sometimes it's the little things that make a difference.
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July
2006 |
The Finger Lakes is God's Country!
Those of us fortunate enough to live in the Finger Lakes feel very lucky to be surrounded by such incredible natural beauty. It truly never gets tiresome to gaze out the window in awe of the spectacular setting surrounding us! The following little story is amended from the 2006 Naples Visitor's Guide...
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May
2006 |
Quality
Praise be to SPRING!!! We’re pretty much through
with the gut-wrenching threat of clear spring nighttime
skies accompanied by crisp frost covered mornings.
Summer is on its way and folks, I’m here to tell you,
the state of the vineyard is strong, happy, healthy and
something we should all be celebrating!
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March
2005 |
Gie her a haggis!
The milder weather this winter has kept the tasting and sales room busier than normal- thanks to those brave souls who brave Hyatt Hill Road and Goodwin Hill Road to visit us this time of year! If you're looking for a wintertime getaway, Keuka Lake is a great place to visit- the scenery this time of year is outstanding, the shops, restaurants and wineries are all quiet and eager to have visitors...
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January
2005 |
Looking Back and Moving Forward
Well, here we go! It's 2005 and it's arrived just like any other year, but it sure does feel like it carries more weight: McGregor Vineyard Winery is officially 25 years in the making!!! It's hard to believe we've been at it this long. Really, what's amazing to me is that project "McGregor Vineyard" actually spans about three and a half decades when my parents purchased this bit of land on Dutch Street back in 1971.
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November
2004 |
Happy Holidays!
Thanks for another year of support and for continuing to be a critical part of the winery's sucess. You've all managed to find our little slice of Heaven off the beaten path on Dutch Street and have chosen to incorporate our wines into your lives.
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September
2004 |
Wonderful Picnic
"...I mean that wine is Good; that drinking it is one of life's higher, physical pleasures..."
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July
2004 |
It's Picnic Time!
As you can see from the photo picnics at McGregor are a long-standing tradition and I learned the virtues of great wine, food and merriment at an early and impressionable age! Long before our Clan Club Picnics, my parents, Bob and Marge McGregor, hosted some pretty legendary picnics.
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May
2004 |
First Dibs!
One of the great benefits of membership is
getting the first chance at many of our very small
batch releases and many of the 2003 wines fall into
this category.
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March
2004 |
We do not own the wine we make, but our customers do.
This winter has been another test of our persistence
with vinifera grape growing in the Finger Lakes. Over 30
years ago my parents started this venture on a whim and
pulled myself and three sisters into what has come to be
an experiment of grand proportions. Back then, people
even mentioning the idea of growing these grapes in this
region were called crazy.
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January
2004 |
The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price
Happy New Year folks!!! I hope everyone enjoyed a
happy and healthy holiday season. The Clan Club is an
amazingly solid club with many, many members staying
with us for five and even 10 plus years- a testament to
what we believe here— quality, quality, quality and a
healthy dose of down-to-earth friendliness and relaxation.
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November
2003 |
Harvest! What a Fall!
It’s hard to believe that summer’s gone,
and fall feels like it’s just about given up on
keeping winter at bay. This month’s newsletter
is packed full of wine and gift specials, new
releases, and some truly wonderful wines to
grace your Thanksgiving table with.
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September
2003 |
It’s Almost Time for Harvest!
What a great picnic this year! We were rained on for
about five minutes during set-up and then Momma
Nature took it easy on us and it was a perfect picnic
day! Given the spring and summer, it’s hard to believe
she let the rain pause for that long– it’s been one heck
of a wet summer.
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July
2003 |
It's Fiesta Time!
Well folks, it’s hard to believe that summer
has finally arrived and we are back into “the
busy season.” That means it’s getting time to
start making your reservations and vacation
plans for our Annual Clan Club Picnic on Saturday,
August 16th!!! This year is going to be
GREAT!
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May
2003 |
Spring ... finally!
As our most valued customers, we try to send what we
feel are our best wines of each vintage. The March pack
was a perfect example. For those of you who love sweet
wines, the 2001 Late Harvest Vignoles is like liquid gold
and we had quite a case deal for you.
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March
2003 |
What a Winter!
It’s been one heck of a winter up here on Dutch
Street this year. After a good 3+ years of very mild
winters, Mother Nature is once again showing her
flair for unpredictability and lack of regard for
sticking with a trend!
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January
2003 |
Happy New Year!
We’ve had another year to remember here at
McGregor Vineyard. Harvest was outstanding—
quality fruit and lots of it! This year really pushed the
limits on space.
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