"All is safely gathered in, 'ere the winter storms begin." 2011 was a very successful and fruitful harvest. By mid-October a total of 25.7 tons of grapes had been picked (by hand, one bunch at a time) and processed. This exceeded our expectations and capacity. We were happy to sell some bulk wine to other vineyards. From the 2011 vintage we expect to bottle 2657 gallons of wine. That's 13,285 bottles.

The structure of the vines is very visible now. The cold and rainy weather caused the leaves to change color, then wither and fall. After a delightful trip to Disneyland with our daughter and her family it is time to start pruning. With nine and a half acres of vineyard this will take 3 1/2 - 4 months using neighborhood employees.

Frank and I do not operate this vineyard by ourselves. Joey, Ed, Terri, Meagan and Justin are a valuable, knowledgeable and hard-working part of Watts Roost Vineyard. We can't say "thank you" enough for their labors. All are pleasure to have around.

We continue to meet new folks at the tasting room. We love the interaction that often results when two strangers start to talk, listen and share experiences. And we enjoy having people return and purchase our wine when they are in the area. It's too chilly to sit on the porch, but visitors wander the production area and ask challenging questions of Frank.

The tasting room now has available several gift items...insulated wine bags in lovely prints made by my sister in Minnesota, useful kitchen towels, and vacu-vin pumps for saving your wine if you don't drink the entire bottle in one sitting. We use this product in the tasting room

Three of our wines were awarded silver medals in the Wines of the South Competition: Leon Millot 2009, Muddy Creek Mountain Red 2009, and Elderberry. Five of our wines have sold out: Chambourcin 2008, Hern's Mill Red, Vidal Blanc, Calico White and Sweet Charlotte.

Calico Red and Sweet Lucie make excellent spice or mulled wine. Gently warm with appropiate spices and enjoy.

LIFE IS GOOD! See you at a festival or at the tasting room. Our wines are also available at retail outlets in West Virginia.

Watts Roost Vineyard is owned by Frank & Barbara Tuckwiller. What had started out as a retirement dream has turned into reality. There were a few bumps along the way, but now they tend to 9,000 plants on 9 acres and welcome visitors who stop by. Established in 1998, the vines flourish at the foot of Muddy Creek Mountain near Lewisburg, WV. The French hybrid vines are nurtured by the early morning sun and warm rains on an eastern slope. Award-winning wine is created on-site. The winter 2011 issue of the Greenbrier Valley Quarterly (www.gvquarterly.com).   has a wonderful article on our vineyard.  We've come a long way.  We were previously featured in 2008 April/May issue of West Virginia South magazine, pages 10-12. Check out the PDF or TEXT of the feature "Watts Roost Vineyard: A visit worth savoring".