I have been preaching the value of patience to my adult children since we began this project we call ELFS FARM WINERY AND CIDER MILL. Patience about the fruit, patience about bottling the wine and patience about earning a reasonable living from a new business. The business was just beginning to take off, when a potential tragedy struck.

Shortly after the firemen put the blaze out at the winery, Saturday night, I learned how well my sons had listened and learned. They are truly men, in the full sense of the word. They are John Wayne class men. I am proud to be their Father!

The Frey family will rebuild and my sons, wife and daughter will turn this potential tragedy into a positive life experience. We will work patiently thru the fire damage and rebuild. We will harvest this years grape crop and turn it into wine and we will share a glass with you our friends. But first we will thank all of the first responders. Thank you! The Freys

In a few short weeks, ELFS Farm will be part of the 2011 Clinton County fair. The former Grange Hall has been renamed and re-purposed by the Adirondack Coast Visitors Center, as the Agricultural Building. The purpose is to showcase local Agricultural producers. So, we will be joining other local farm value added producers to show and sample our products.

Please come and visit us at the fair this year and show your support for the localvore movement. ELFS Farm, will be joined by three other farm wineries, maple producers and other farmers.

For the first time in fair history you will be able to sample our wines and cider at very reasonable sample prices. Our wines will be available for purchase. Mention this blog and receive 15% off any one bottle purchase.

However, we argued between ourselves about what was the perfect style of wine for the region. Sweet like the mountain air or semi sweet, similar to the fresh streams pouring into Lake Champlain. Possibly, dry with a hint of oak like the woods and forests that surround the region.

Not able to reach a decision among family members we decided to let you help. We produced three versions of Adirondack Apple Wine, each named for one of us. It is our Goldi-locks approach to this apple wine. Dry, semi and sweet – one should be just right!

Please try our DADS BLEND, SEANS BLEND and KEVINS BLEND of Adirondack Apple Wine, available at fine local stores. Vote which one you prefer and why, via email or facebook. Thank you, the Frey Family.

It was Saturday and it was my turn to open up the doors at the winery. I got there at the normal time to open up for our 11am opening. Did a quick walk through of the processing building to make sure all the wines were playing nicely with each other. Checked all the systems to verify we were a go. Walked into the hi-tunnel to check the temperatures. ( As a quick aside, we are growing a variety of cold climate grapes in a hi-tunnel as part of a USDA study). It was shortly before opening and my two sons arrived.

Kevin is the marketing guy and he had planned a special day for members of the Chamber of Commerce. The members had been notified about the day only a couple of days before, so we really had no concept of what to expect. But, we were ready!

Almost before the doors were open our first guest arrived. They were not from the Chamber, but were a couple from Oneonta, NY, visiting their daughters friend at Paul Smiths College. What a nice couple and what a great way to start the day wine tasting.

The afternoon seemed to fly by. I met quite a few members of the Plattsburgh Chamber of Commerce. I was genuinely impressed at how nice, friendly and interested the people were. The overall consensus seemed that of surprise and glee that there really was an operating winery in Plattsburgh, NY(yes Virginia, you can grow grapes in the Northcountry). Everyone, I believed had a great time at the winery that day.

It was not, as you might think, just from their slightly altered perception from wine tasting. The tours of the processing building and wine making area added. Seans dipping into various tanks and barrels to dole out still fermenting samples added. Kevins fun insights on tasting wines added. The sun shining on a beautiful sunny spring day added. And, I believe that the good energy from the new friends I met that day summed up all the additions into a ball of feel good.
Drink wine daily, laugh often, love much and live long.
The Headelf