Trillium Ridge times

by Fumie Thorpe and the Crew at Thorpe Vineyard “The Little Winery on the Great Lake!”

© 2012

8150 Chimney Heights Blvd. Wolcott, New York 14590 * 315-594-2502 * www.ThorpeVineyard.com * Spring 2012

Spring Greetings! After having such a mild winter, we’ve kicked off our 24th year on April Fools’ Day! Isn’t it soooo fitting to the way we are? We cordially invite you to come visit our Wine Shop this season again.

Wine Travel Card your next day trip or entire FOODEX JAPAN 2012 vacation. So get the card today, Here’s something new this year: and discover the wineries and I got an honorable duty from the Thorpe Vineyard is now one of the attractions in our region! New York Wine & Grape destinations of the Wine Travel Foundation to attend FOODEX Card! And this is how it works: Sunset Tasting JAPAN 2012, near Tokyo, to First you purchase the Wine Travel represent and promote the wine Card for $15 from any We will be offering extended and grape industry of New York participating businesses (a list is tasting room hours every Saturday State in March. It is the largest available at our winery); the card during the summer. We’ve named food and beverage expo in Asia is valid until the end of 2012. it the Sunset Tasting --- it starts at (they call it “the biggest frying pan Present it to the destinations 6pm as our regular day’s business in Asia!”) and this was their 37th while you travel. The offer varies comes to an end, and lasts until year. depending on where you are --- it sunset, weather-permitting. is accepted not only by the We plan to offer a light snack with The New wineries but restaurants and the wines, and you are welcome York Wine accommodations in the Finger to bring your lawn chair to sit and & Grape Lakes, Lake Ontario and Niagara watch the sunset over the Lake. Foundation’ Regions as well. s booth at FOODEX Come and relax --- that’s what we JAPAN Our offer here at Thorpe Vineyard want you to experience. 2012. From is $5 off on $35 or more of wine left: Alan purchase. And you can get that It will start around the summer and Ed Chin discount as often as you wish solstice, and end at the Labor Day of Ma Lung during this year. Other Lake weekend. We will post the details Winery, Fumie Thorpe, and Andrew Ontario Wine Trail members (Casa on our Facebook and website as Balmuth of Nagano Trading Co. Larga, JD and Young Sommer) are they become available. Hope you also the destinations with their will join us! The show lasted for 4 days and own special offers. So get the card had about 2400 exhibitors from 75 when you travel our Trail! nations and regions of the world. This year it was attended by more You can purchase the Card online than 73,000 people from the at: WineTravelCard.com. The industry (it was not open to the website also gives you the list of general public). I would estimate the destinations and their latest that our team at the booth of the offers. You can easily plan for Foundation poured the samples of the fine New York State wines for heard and saw the newscast, and the entire railway system would more than 1500 interested often followed their media online. come to a halt for one minute to visitors. New York State wines It totally became a daily routine to observe the moment of the last were quite unknown to most of find the radiation reading year’s quake. We walked around them, but once they tried they observed in their air; however, I the grounds of the temple, had were all impressed by the quality was aware that no matter what I lunch then went back home. of NY products. I presented a few saw or heard, I was here while of my wines at the show, and was their lives went on out there. amused to find out that Fialka and Maréchal Foch were still the When I landed at Narita Airport, favorites of many tasters. my father came to help me get to the hotel near the event location. Fumie Once I finished checking in, we stands went out for a light meal before calling it done for the day. We next to found ridges and dents on the the shelf There was the memorial brick sidewalks every now and of the ceremony for the victims of the then --- he wondered if they were fine disaster organized by the Japanese still from the earthquake last year. wines government in Tokyo at the time I knew from the news that the made in of last year’s earthquake. The event location was near the area New York Emperor made an appearance where the ground kept sinking State. accompanied by the Empress --- long after the major quakes he just had a stent put in his artery subsided. We walked while trying It was also a great occasion for me and went back to the Palace to to avoid stepping on those bricks. to get to know so many fascinating rest a few weeks prior to the

people from different parts of the ceremony. While it was being The last day of the show was on industry. I met an enologist who planned, he insisted to attend the Friday and I stayed at the hotel happened to know the staff at the ceremony despite his own health one more night before heading to Experimental Station in Geneva, situation. His doctor allowed him my family residence. I was tired New York. I also had a chance to to be there for 20 minutes. After from picking up the booth at the chat with a viticulturist who was observing a minute of silence, he end of the show. TV programs concerned about the urban heat came in front of the monument, had all sorts of specials all week island phenomena that seemed to bowed, made his speech then left long as the anniversary neared. I affect how grapes grew these days with the Empress. went to bed around midnight. in their vineyards in the mountain Then I woke up to something I region of Japan. I also found that A year ago that day I went to the hadn’t experienced for a long time a young Japanese woman, who US National Weather Service --- it was an earthquake. The attended RIT, shares a common homepage first thing in the whole building was shaking. It friend who moved away from morning as my daily routine. The was 2 in the morning the day Rochester and now lives in Maine. entire West Coast to Alaska and before the anniversary. I was sure I came home with a handful of Hawaii were under tsunami it was one of the aftershocks. The business cards from those who warning. I instantly felt something quake didn’t get any worse and became “friends” during the trip. was terribly wrong --- Magnitude soon the silence of the night 8.9 (was said to be so at first). returned. I went back to sleep. A Year from the 8.9!! Then the whole world had

Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster seen the unthinkable. To The anniversary was Sunday --- for Japanese people, perhaps the a working family, it was the only When I was getting ready for the biggest slap on their face was that day everyone could take some trip to Japan for the trade show, I their decades of preparedness all time off. We got on a commuter noticed that I would be there to came to naught, at least for those train to pay a visit to a Buddhist spend an anniversary from the who in the hardest hit regions temple. While we were riding, devastating disaster that had when confronted with this mega- there was an announcement that struck the nation last March. I quake. Their winter was long and cold this walked out from the back door of CONJUNCTION year. TV news showed light snow the winery building one day. It in the northern Japan while went by so quickly so I couldn’t As some of you already know, people gathered for the tell what it was first. It was the brightest planet of our Solar anniversary. I came back here in flying across the street then System, Venus, and the second the balmy weather and witch landed on a tree branch in the brightest, Jupiter, have been hazels were already in bloom at neighbor’s yard. I was slowly enjoying their rendezvous in the the bottom of the drumlin. It walking toward the house while evening sky for a month or so. resembles the snow scene when waiting for it to stop moving. I Now they are waiting to have could tell it was watching me, their tiny yellow petals obscure their closest approach in the too. I’m sort of a bird watcher, the back ground marsh. We must middle of March, between the but couldn’t figure out what kind th th not stop making an effort. I think 11 and 15 . You even don’t of bird of prey it was. We kept quite need the clearest western of their cherry blossoms now in looking as we wound up horizon to see this as they are so April wishing to send my prayers surprising each other. higher up in the sky. Just look up within. to the west shortly after sunset Since then I to spot Venus. (If you know The following articles realized the where she is, you can even find are from Thorpe presence of her before the actual sunset.) Vineyard’s Monthly the bird Then the mighty God, Jupiter, Online Newsletter. nearby. He will emerge from the evening Not on the list? Visit often perched glow not far from Venus. The ThorpeVineyard.com on the time is about right for the

to sign up. telephone pole summer birds to migrate in; if it right next to is a warm evening, you may hear my mail box. wood thrushes and nighthawks THE ONE AND THE ONLY… Or sometimes he was in the in the brush. Here near the woods behind the vineyard. water there may be a chorus of As the New Year rolled in, After seeing his streaked under frogs from the Bay. Thorpe Vineyard on the Lake has parts through the binoculars a become the one and the only number of times, I was getting After enjoying the brilliant Thorpe Vineyard in the world. It fairly confident that he was a conjunction in the western sky, was a fun and exciting young red tail hawk. Then came don’t forget to turn to the east. experience to have the satellite a rare stormy day of this winter, Now there is the red planet, store on the Ridge. We met he was in the squall struggling to Mars, half way between the many new people, especially get to wherever he was hoping eastern horizon and overhead. when we hosted the events out to. One moment he spread his He is now the brightest in two there during the past two tail wide to keep the balance years and visible all night long. seasons. In the end I decided finally showing me the entire If you step that consolidating our efforts at rusty red tail. He gave up going out a little one location would be a better against the winds and glided later when choice for my operation. So back into the woods. the bright there is now only Thorpe pair starts Vineyard here on the Lake again. He doesn’t seem to hang around to sink Come out for a walk on the as much these days. As he grows toward the Chimney Bluffs then stop by for a up, perhaps his radius of activity western horizon, you will find casual talk with a glass of wine expands and goes further for a Saturn rising in the east. He grown and made right here on prey. The days are getting never gets as bright as his the shore of Lake Ontario. longer and year-round robins planetary siblings, but the subtle appear in sight more frequently. golden color always seems to THE RED TAIL I’ve started to look forward to a have a calming effect. As the return of northern harriers warm season is just around the Something big flew by right in across the street in coming days. corner, get out and enjoy the front of my nose. --- That was beautiful scenes our planets the impression I got when I have to offer! Thorpe Vineyard brand wines can be found at: Tasting Room Hours

Wolcott Liquor & Wine Store: 315-594-9544 April - June In downtown Wolcott Sat. & Sun. 12noon-6pm Lyons Liquor Store: 315-946-9102 In the village of Lyons on Rt. 14 just north of Rt. 31 The Liquor Cabinet: 315-589-5889 July - Labor Day At the intersection of Rtes. 104 & 21 in Williamson 12noon-6pm Andrew’s Wine Cellar: 315-342-5850 In Canal Commons in downtown Oswego Sunset Tastings Moyers Corners Wines & Spirits: 315-652-5799 In Kimbrook Plaza at Rtes. 31 & 57 in Clay on Saturdays through sunset Marketview Liquor: 585-427-2480 (weather permitting) In Henrietta Plaza on Jefferson Road Country Club Liquor Mart: 585-586-7722 Sept. & Oct. In Country Club Plaza just outside of East Rochester Perinton Liquor: 585-223-4120 Fri-Sun 12noon-6pm In Courtney Commons across from Perinton Square Finger Lakes Wine Center at Sonnenberg Gardens: 585-394-9016 Nov & Dec In the Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua Sat. & Sun. 12noon-6pm Sodus Bay Heights Restaurant: 315-483-4767 At Sodus Bay Heights Gold Club on Bayview Drive Off Rte. 14

Note: The varieties of wine carried by the Retailers vary. We suggest you call ahead to see if they have what you are looking for on their shelf.