Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard
Dickerson, Maryland
n acreage planted: 22 acres n grapevines aged: Twenty years or less n site description: The topography of our SMV generally consists of rolling hills with certain slopes facing east, south, and west. The vineyard is located at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain, and its name comes from that reason. The five blocks of the vineyard are oriented North-South, where the sun hits the east side in the morning and the west side in the afternoon. The soil textures are mostly clay loam and loam. n varieties grown: Reds- Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Teroldego; Whites- Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Viognier, Petit Manseng, Chardonel, and Albariño
From the mountain’ s peak to the rolling hills of Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, we can witness the power and wisdom of nature. Mother Earth is deeply connected to the grapevines, and each vintage showcases the unique character of its wine. The unpredictability of each growing season teaches us how to face various challenges, such as frost, rain, heat, drought, pests, etc. One crucial task is effectively managing the canopy in a timely manner during the growing season, allowing the wind and sunlight to pass through the vines and keep them healthy. These experiences cultivate resilience, not only during the grapevine growing season but also in our own lives. Nature communicates with us daily in this remarkable area known as the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve.
- manolo gomez, winemaker, sugarloaf mountain vineyard region. This would include the minimum and maximum winter and summer temperatures as well as rainfall and humidity. The mesoclimate is the climate of a specific plot of land and can be different than the macro-climate as it is subject to moderations cause by topographical features such as elevation and slope or the presence of a large body of water that can moderate the adjacent area.
Winter injury is the chief restraint to sustainable grape production in the state, therefore the minimum winter temperatures is the primary factor to consider. Different varieties of grapes have different temperature tolerances, but for most grapes it is best to locate your vineyard in an area where the minimum winter temperatures do not consistently dip below zero Fahrenheit; some varieties can tolerate down to minus five. The USDA differentiates two areas within Montgomery County regarding plant hardiness, and the region in the western corner of the Ag Reserve is a highly desirable meso-climate due to moderating effect of the Potomac River.
A major constraint to producing consistently high-quality grapes in the state is the length of the growing season. This can be expressed by the number of growing degree hours above 50 degrees Fahrenheit( GDD) or the number of days from the last frost in the spring until the first frost in the fall( FFD). Different varieties of grapes have different numbers of days from bud break to achieving full ripeness, but in general it is best to locate a vineyard in an area where there is a minimum of 3000 GDD, but preferably around 3400.
40 plenty I summer growing 2025