True, it seems late for cold weather, after all it is nearly June. However, my weather diary (most farmers have one) shows that in the last five years a frost has occurred after Mother’s Day 7 times.
 - Ground level frost and a functioning frost drain.
Although it’s somewhat difficult to tell in this photograph our vineyard is situated at about 1250 feet above sea level. Someone just asked why we planted it clear up there. The answer, so that frost can drain away. As you may be able to tell in the picture from the South end of our largest vineyard, the ground slopes sharply away on all sides. If you look closely you can see a difinitive line where the May 17, 2012 ground level frost did not make it into the vineyard, although it very easily could have, had the temperature dropped a few more degrees. This type of frost rarely causes much damage as it is only at ground level, still fascinating to note where it developes.
In this pic. Willow the dog makes good use of frost drainage technology.
And finally, here comes the sun to send the evil cell bursting frost back to the dreary, gloomy, frightful pits of winter from whence it came.
Posted by: admin on: May 11 2012 • Categorized in: Home
Have you ever been at war with nature?  Some days it feels like nature is at war with me. The robins fired the first shot, or so I first suspected. Intrigued by his own reflection in the windows at the winery a rather plump fellow tried to attack “himself” in the windows every day wreacking mess and havoc all over the sills and panes. Next a rather noisy robust female robin decided to make her home in the beams above the pergola. Amused by her choice of nesting sites, I decided to allow the interloper to stay. Having raised her young, she and the four squatters have since moved away. Next, came the early migration of baby robins to and from the bottle supplier in the frame of my trailer. Yes, a small rather homely looking robin decided to build her nest in the front of my 5th wheel trailer. Right again, the one I use for picking up and dropping off supplies here at the winery. For about a month now, this bird brained mother has allowed her young to travel near and far, first as eggs then as featherless little blobs and now just like you’re neighbors delinquent children who come over but never leave, sadisticly annoying you all the while, the four little juvenile hatchlings ride the road.  In fact just this morning the avian avengers made a trip with me to Massillon ( about 80 miles round trip). It started out with me hitching the trailer to the truck then pulling out of the driveway. The mother robin rocked all the way to the end of the drive then jumped ship, Tweeeedily deeedilly deeting until I returned her brood, according to by-standers.  Todays journey was to a large home improvement store to purchase drainage pipe, as we were loading the pipe, the (whatever the opposite of ambitious is, insert adjective here) man in the enclosed area where you load such drainage pipe, informed me that he could here birds tweeting, I said, “No, that’s just the kids.” He raised his eyebrows, nodded and sped off on his forklift. Could it be that this generation of robins is seeking retribution for the sins of my BB gun toting childhood? Could this just be a precursor of things to come. Envision Alfie Hitchcock’s bird movie with robin’s as the main players. If your bored this weekend stop out at Twigg Winery, I’ll be glad to give you a tour of the carnage, while filling your glass. However, if you pull in and the buzzards are circling, then the robins are still around.
Festidiously fighting the fowl flock,
Your Winemaker,
BB
 Several years ago, a fellow orchard grower came to visit my farm. Now, this gentleman lives and farms near one of the suburbs of Cleveland. Rural Carroll County seemed like another planet to this friend from the North, and after arriving at our farm he commented, “Why, your so far off the beaten path, ya probably gotta have your own tomcat.” I was not insulted, in fact, I was proud to know that it required more than one glance at the map for my friend to arrive. These days, its all about technology. I’ve always been an early adopter of new and fantastic gizmology, but on the other hand, I consider myself a “Polymath”. Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Galileo Galilei, Copernicus, Francis Bacon, Brent Baker. My expertise in so many subjects sometimes prevents me from rejecting the old technologies to embrace the new. “Brent, what dost thou babble on about?” you might ask. Satelites in outer space, that is what I dost babble about. Global Positioning Systems, commonly referred to as GPS also commonly used to get to Twigg Winery or at least close to Twigg Winery. You know what I mean, a handheld receiver that if in plain sight of four or more Satellites in outer space can locate your position anywhere on or near the Earth. What a wonderful piece of technology. I don’t own one yet but I have used the technology in a former life as a field cosultant when soil sampling large fields for farmers. Garmin, Tom Tom, Lowrance, Magellan, all brands of GPS receivers that will get you there. Now as I have already stated I am an expert on many subjects; however GPS technology is just a little foreign to me, and likewise as it seems the rural routes and address numbering systems used by the governing bodies of Carroll County addressation, are sometimes foreign to your GPS receivers when attempting to enter 4155 Meter Rd, Mechanicstown, Ohio 44651. John Cabot, Jaques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, Christopher Columbus, all found their way with a compass and dead reckoning. That is how I get there. This is normally how it goes when on a family vacation, everyone and everything loaded up, wife asks, “got the map?”, for the hundredth time in our 15 year relationship, I remind her that Brent Baker does not rely upon any silly old map, or silly old GPS unit, follow my nose, the setting sun, the wind in my hair, moss on the West side of the tree ( or is it the North), instinct, dead reckoning my dear. Many, many times while on a family trip, our vacation has been greatly enhanced because of my ability to get us there. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of additional scenic miles that my family has gotten to experience because I didn’t use a map. Stop and ask for directions, not this guy! For example, I remember the time we were camping at Old Man’s cave with friends. A shortcut brought us haphazardly down a two track road into the wonderful little town of New Straitsville. It just so happened, that particular weekend was the annual “New Straitsville Moonshine Festival.” I rest my case, lives enriched. Or what about the family vacation to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. A great time was had by all, and to increase the joy, I decided to travel home through the mountains of Virginia on nothing but two lane roads.
 Not only did we get to spend the day in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, but the night also, in the car, with no food, or a hotel room, or gas. I digress. I can honestly say, I have never been lost. Don’t ask my wife, she will lie to you.
Lost is what happened to the likes of Mikey, The Jamaican Bobsled team, Elian Gonzalez, the Where’s the Beef lady, the American kid who got caned in Singapore, Holly, Janice and Dian from the Price is Right. Yes, they have been lost to us, but I don’t think a GPS would have helped, nor a map. If you ask me, you are only as lost as you want to be. Lost in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Nah, I knew all along we were in Virginia.
If you need to use your GPS to get to Twigg Winery and to great wine, try entering the following:
Lat: N 40 39′ 58.2″ Lon: W 81 0′ 16.9″ ( It’s the seat under the picture of the grape cluster).
You could also try the non existant address 4215 Meter Rd NE, it seems to work just as well.
See you soon,
Brent Baker
Renaissance Man.
New Hours Starting Friday, February 3 2-8 PM Wed. Fri. Sat.
Open Wed. February 1, 11-9 PM
Always something! Lots of excitement at Twigg this week. We are introducing two new wines.
Rose’- A semi-sweet aromatic blend of multiple grape varieties including Frontenac, Dornfelder, Blaufränkisch, Noiret, and Vidal. Some have described it’s delicate bouquet as that of strawberries and cotton candy. Racy acidity leads to a crisp, clean finish.
Traminette- Those familiar with Gewürztraminer will instantly recognize the spiciness and floral aromas of this wine. Resulting from a cross between French American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416 and the German Vitis vinifera cultivar Gewürztraminer, Traminette does not disapoint! This new release is being offered under our White Table Wine label.
In addition to the release of two new wines, we are also pleased to announce a burgeoning relationship with Donna and Paul of Donna’s Deli in Carrollton. Donna’s is a locally owned Delicatessen offering many delicious soups, salads, subs and desserts all homemade and unique.
Other News—
Mud! Rain! Snow! Melted Snow! More Mud!!!!!! I started pruning the vines this week, normally a labor I love. However with 5 pounds of mud clinging to each size 11 LaCrosse boot I was soon dreaming up ways not to sink into the terra not so ferma. The “Old Farmer’s Almanac” says to expect a colder than average February. I am a young thirty-something farmer so technically I am not even allowed to look at this insider info, however, I hope the ground freezes someday soon.
Stop out, chat, enjoy some wine,
-Brent
Posted by: admin on: September 10 2011 • Categorized in: Featured
We planted our first vines in 1998. Since then the vineyard has grown to include seven varieties of both vinifera and hybrid grapes. Twigg Winery offers both red and white, fruit and grape wines. In the future, guests will also enjoy our homemade hard cider, produced from Manfull Orchards apples, our family farm for seven generations.
Currently, we offer:
- Peach Wine from our estate-grown fruit
- Apple Wine from our estate-grown fruit
- Whites, reds and rose-blend wines
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