This October, we will be making our first batch of wine from California and New York grapes. And, you can be involved in this educative process.

I have hired a professional wine maker to take us through the lessons of making wine from fresh grapes at Lakeland Winery. I have tasted his wines in years past, and they are exceptional. I’m sure you will be happy to crush, press, ferment, punch the cap, rack, blend & sip, and basically just coo over your wines. Taste the subtle changes as your wine ages from month to month.

We are making Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon wine from California grapes, and Cayuga White from New York Cayuga grapes. You can ‘adopt a jug’ or ‘custom crush’ your very own 6 gallon batch of wine. This makes about 30 bottles of wine. Sorry, this first year we will not be making any other varieties. Of course you can blend the two red wines if you like to your own specifications. The cost will be $250 for a jug of red, and $200 for a jug of white. This includes everything from soup to nuts: Wine, bottles, corks, labels and shrink caps. Plus, a whole lot of training! Did you know that grapes actually scream when they are pressed? Come find out.

The first year I made a batch, I thought it would take me 2 years to drink. A year later when it was ready to drink, it was gone in 4 months. WOW! Was it ever delicious! Six gallons is gone in four months after drinking only one glass each night for your health.

Stayed tuned for the first day when we unload the truck of grapes. It will be so exciting to see those grapes and taste the difference between each variety. I will keep you informed, but until then e-mail me at andy@LakelandWinery.com and let me know if you want to participate. Or respond to this e-mail.

Andy