A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Oxley Estate’s current experiment with geotextiles. Murray and Ann Wilson of Oxley had mentioned that in researching the idea they met with – and learned from – a winery in Prince Edward County that has been using them. That winery was Sugarbush Vineyards.

Last week when I was in the County, I stopped in at Sugarbush to speak with Rob and Sally Peck – owners of Sugarbush – about their experience using geotextiles to protect their vines. They’ve been using them since winter 2011-2012. Rob explained that they tried them because they were looking for an alternative way to protect the vines because he doesn’t think burying them – which is standard in the County – is good for the vines or the soil. (Wineries in the County have bene burying their vines for years to protect them from the cold, harsh weather that often moves through Prince Edward County.)

Rob was generous with his time and was kind enough to allow me to video him answering my questions about geotextiles. Click here to see the video.

Their wines

After the chat about geotextiles we had a tasting of the three remaining wines they have in stock: Viognier, Riesling, and Cab Franc. (They’re running low but Rob assured us that they’ll restock soon – it’s just they’ve not had a chance to do any bottling!)  Of the three, we all went home with some 2017 Riesling – it was flinty and refreshing.