If you are interested in learning about how our lovely wines get from vine to the Tasting Room,
we invite you to join our friendly and energetic team of volunteers.
“The more (volunteers) the merrier (the team & the experience).”
Bottling
Bottling the wine is typically done on a Saturday morning. There are many stages in the bottling process and the work is fairly fast paced. Each person is assigned to one or more stages in the process. The bottles are first disinfected, then filled with wine, corked, and labelled. All of these actions are done using various machines. The completed bottles are boxed and stored.
Time Commitment: 2 - 4 hours
Harvesting
The harvesting of grapes starts at the end of August and goes through September. It is the most labor-intensive phase of the vineyard cycle. Using pruning sheers, the grape clusters are cut and tossed into bins underneath the vines. Grapes must be picked when they have the perfect balance of sugars, acids, and tannins so that the wines have the desired structure, flavor and aging profiles. Since the timing of the harvest depends on picking each grape variety at its optimal ripeness, volunteers are often given only a day's notice of when their help is needed. There will be several passes through the vineyard during the harvest months so volunteers can expect more than one call during the harvest season.
Time commitment: 4 hours
Wine Festivals
The winery hosts tables and booths at several wine festivals that are held both locally and in other Northern Virginia counties. Winery staff and volunteers pour samples of our wines for festival attendees, provide information on the wines, answer questions, and respond to comments. Volunteers will receive training prior to the festival events. Our next event is:
Summer Seafood Boil at Amissville Market - September 6