MDCrush News
July 15th, 2008
Now taking orders for Fall 2008 Crush
We're now accepting orders for the 2008 Fall crush. Check out the Grapes for Sale section for details on what grape varieties will be available. Additionally, we have two juice runs planned for Maryland Vidal Blanc and Maryland Pinot Grigio. These outstanding juices will be available in 6 gallon buckets.
MidAtlantic Open Wine Competition Results
The MDCrush sponsored MidAtlantic Open Wine Competition completd this year with an excellent showing from wines vintfied with local grapes. This year the competition had 18 entries with wines made from Maryland, Virginia, California, and South American grapes.
The 2008 MidAtlantic Open Wine Competition results:
White Wine Category
- 1st - 2007 Pinot Grigio, MD - Robert Hamilton
- 2nd - 2005 Sauvignon Blanc, Chile - Robert Hamilton
- 3rd - 2007 Pinot Grigio, MD - Dave Morris
Red Wine Category
- 1st - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon/Cambourcin, VA - Pete Coderre
- 2nd - 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Merlot, VA - Pete Coderre
- 3rd - 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc, CA - Robert Hamilton
Fruit Wine Category
- 1st - Black Raspberry - Robert Phillips
- 2nd - 2000 Blueberry, NJ - Robert Hamilton
- 3rd - Blueberry - Robert Phillips
All wines entered were of excellent quality and in most categories, fractions of points separated entries in the scoring. Some other trends worth noting are how well the wines made from fresh local grapes competed with some of the finest growing regions in CA. Local wines made from Maryland and Virginia grapes beat out grapes from the Russian River Valley, CA and the Sonoma Valley, CA. It reinforces the idea, that in a good local growing season, fresh local grapes can make excellent wines. Additionally, it looks like Pinot Grigio is one of Marylands best kept wine grape secrets.
Robert Phillips fabricates Chiller
I've always liked the age-old adage Necessity is the mother of invention... Nothing exemplifies this more then the very cool glycol chiller unit which was recently on display at the MDCrush European Juice tasting and MidAtlantic Open Wine Competition.
MDCrush customer, Robert Phillips, fabricated this chiller unit for about 1/2 the cost of a commercial unit of similar size. The pump is on the left, and the compressor is on the right, and yes, that is an Igloo cooler in the center which houses the coolant. The supply tree on the left has three branches which can each drive a chain of tanks. We successfully demonstrated the chiller (no leaks!) at the last MDCrush event and it works great. Robert is interested in offering this unit for sale. Drop us an email if you would like some additional information.
April 25th, 2008
South American Grapes hit the MDCrush crushpad!
Grape quality is excellent for the fourth straight season!
Celebrating our 4th season of providing quality wine grapes out of South American (SA) regions. We continue to be amazed at the quality of these grapes which travel such a long distance. The SA winegrowing skills are excellent, but more importantly, the packaging and shipping is completely dialed in. We're not sure what kind of mojo our SA connections have going, but all we can say is keep up the good work!
Our supplier totally rocks. Our grapes arrived on time as scheduled and as expected. MDCrush was there to meet the first shipment and we received the first grapes off the truck. Kudos to Walter and the guys! Getting those grape stacks off the truck is an art form.
Grape quality is excellent! Numbers are right down the middle! We shot readings on the loading dock with a hand held refractometer. Malbec was shooting 26 Brix, with Syrah, and Sangiovese shooting around 24 to 25 Brix. I'll have full Brix, TA, and pH numbers posted shortly.
Taste is definitely there. Tasting a couple Malbec grapes fresh off the truck had us experiencing an amazing explosion of that distinct spicey Malbec flavor we've all come to know and love. So good in fact that we negotiated putting more on our truck. We are completely sold out of the Malbec this year. Even being a huge Malbec fan, overall the winner this vintage is the Sanviovese. Nice big clusters and taste is outstanding with a nice balance on the palate.
The MDCrush crushpad will be operating this Saturday from 12 noon till dark, and Sunday 12 noon till 4pm. We will be processing Malbec first and all other varieties next. The second shipment is due in Monday or Tuesday of next week.
April 21st, 2008
Spring South American Crush Looms Large!
Kicking off our 4th season of quality grapes from South America. Everything is on track for an end of April crush. Customers with orders will be receiving confirmation shortly. Our chillers are fired up and cooled down. We are just waiting for word from our suppliers on grape arrival. Full processing will be available at pickup on our crushpad.
European Juices in full Spring!
Our MDCrush European juice program is in full swing. We're now taking orders for our second shipment. We still have a couple full orders of Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Muscato remaining. First come first served. Early reports from MDCrush customers mow making wine from these juices are excellent.
We will be hosting a European Juice tasting on Saturday, June 28th, from 1-5pm. Stop by if you're interested in trying wines made from these juices.
Maryland Chardonnay Bud Break!
On the local front: We've had sightings of bud break on Maryland Chardonnay. Here's to hoping for another spectacular growing season and vintage like 2007.Jan 27th, 2008
Wineries Unlimited Trade Show
March 4th-7th, 2008 Wineries Unlimited 2008 - the largest wine industry event of it's kind in the East. This year Wineries Unlimited will be held at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, PA. If you've never had a chance to get to this event, just crusing around the exhibit floor is a great experience. Lots of vendors have samples of their products available such as corks and oak chips. Great things to use in your cellar!
MDCrush has free exhibit floor passes for the trade show running on March 5th and 6th. This two-day pass allows you onto the exhibit hall on each day of the trade show. Includes grazing lunch with wine on day two. The Free Pass represents a $35 dollar value. Give us a call or email if you would like a pass. Quantities are limited. Preference to 2007 MDCrush customers...
MDCrush Customer Open House
The Spring MDCrush Customer Open House will be on Saturday March 1st from 1 to 4pm. Stop by to say hi and feel free to bring along a sample of your latest works. Light fare provided. Call or email if you need directions.
We will be featuring our barrel aged 2007 Argentinean Tempranillo, 2007 Argentinean Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 Argentinean Sangiovese, and our 2007 Maryland Pinot Grigio.