About Us
One of the staple crops on my Grandparents’ farms on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan was Concord grapes; work in the vineyard was rewarding. My parents moved to York and found vineyards with Concord grapes; we enjoyed them every fall. When my wife and I moved to Dover, I planted 9 Concord vines in remembrance of my families‘ way of life. Full harvests from my small vineyard started an evolution to wine in 2015. Since then, the vineyard has grown to include many varieties of grapes, where I with the support of my wife Laura and kids, continue my family’s heritage of rewarding work in the vineyard.
The foundation for great wine is made in the Vineyard
Attention to detail in the Vineyard yields more complex wine with increased character. Terroir describes the specific microclimate (sun/rain/temp), soil, elevation, and vine care; all of these factors influence the potential for wine quality and character. 9Vines works with 3 soil types in the vineyard: Sand Stone, Shale and Heavy Clay. Our Vineyard Terroir helps us pair Varietals to a specific Vineyard plot along with guidance from our primary vine supplier Double A Vineyards, but there's always some experimentation...
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Some Terroir vine stress is good, to a point. Vine stress yields greater character in wine; however over stressing can degrade the vine's core health, we work to maintain that balance.
​Part of our Terroir is how we approach vine root development. 9Vines does not irrigate established vines, however we do till the Vineyard floor at least once a year. This approach combination stresses the vine by cutting off surface roots and promotes deeper root set into mineral rich soil which helps drive complexity into the wine.
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Another part of our unique Terroir occurs during winter. During colder winters and early spring freezes our vines are challenged with lower than surrounding area temperatures due to our Vineyard's location in the valley between the Conewago Ridge and Pidgeon Hills, this creates a macro cold drain and further lowers our vineyard temperature…again stressing the vines.
9Vines LLC works with local trusted partners, such as Thunder Ridge Vineyards LLC for additional fruit supply.