UPDATE - OUR MOTHER'S DAY BRUNCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. 


Bring mom to Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery for brunch and wine on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, from 11:30 am to 2 pm. Carey Weir of Off the Vine Catering will prepare a fabulous spread of food to complement our selection of white, red, rosé, and sparkling wine.

Mother's Day Brunch Menu
Breakfast sliders with cheddar and herb biscuits filled with smoked ham, cheddar, and Dijon-roasted garlic aioli
Breakfast sliders with cheddar and herb biscuits filled with egg and cheddar
Frittata with potato, bacon, and smoked gouda
Frittata with wild mushroom and herbed goat cheese
Fruit and imported cheese platter with homemade Asiago, sea salt crackers, herb and sun-dried tomato grissini 
Roasted fingerling potatoes flavored with caramelized Vidalia onions, garlic, and fresh thyme topped with chive crème fraiche
Bacon with a brown sugar, cracked black pepper, and rosemary glaze
Brioche French toast bread pudding with blueberry and lemon-infused syrup

Cost (gratuity and tax included) is $38/person, children are $25. Mothers will receive a craft cocktail courtesy of Shriti and Fence Stile. Please make reservations by emailing events@fencestile.com.

Happy Spring! We have a few announcements, reminders, and events planned just around the corner, including a spring bonfire, Mother's Day buffet, and live music. 

Sip N Shop - Saturday, April 21
Pop out to the Tasting Room for wine and fun shopping from local vendors, featuring a wide array of jewelry, apparel, arts and crafts, specialty foods, home furnishings and more. It's a perfect opportunity to shop and find a get for Mother's Day or to treat yourself. 

Spring Bonfire - Sunday, April 22
Fence Stile will host a spring bonfire on Sunday, April 22nd, behind the Tasting Room building in the area behind the crush pad. Join us on Sunday for the bonfire and wine. We'll have hotdogs and s'mores, plus sweet-and-savory bags of popcorn and our usual Nibbles menu of cheese, sausage, bread, and more.

We've accumulated a mighty pile of deadwood and brush from our service road upgrade last year. Also, vineyard manager Shawna Mull has been busy over the winter pruning the vineyards and adding the clippings to the woodpile. Burning the woodpile is a final goodbye to wintery weather and salute to spring while taking responsibility to properly and safely manage the resources of our land. 

Wine Club Pickup Party - Saturday, May 12
Wine Club members, save the date for the quarterly Wine Club pickup party, wine and tasty bites. Not a Wine Club member yet? Contact Shriti at info@fencestile.com to learn more details. 

Mother's Day - Sunday, May 13
Save the date and make reservations for a Mother's Day buffet on Sunday, May 13, 11:30 am to 2 pm, at Fence Stile. We're finalizing the menu and will announce it early next week, but you (and moms) won't want to miss it. Cost (gratuity and tax included) is $38/person, children are $25. Mothers will receive a craft cocktail courtesy of Shriti and Fence Stile. 

Spring Music
Now that the weather is turning warmer (Right? Right!!), it's a great time to venture out of the house, spend an afternoon at Fence Stile, and enjoy live music on Saturdays. Unless otherwise noted, performances are from 2 to 4 pm. 

April 21st - The Good Sam Club Band (1 pm)
April 28th - Brad Allen
May 5th - Steve Sterner and Sundown
May 12th - Rick Lally
May 19th - 3 Bricks Shy
May 26th - Brad Allen
June 2nd - The Good Sam Club Band
June 9th - Laura Lisbeth
June 16th - David Knopf

Below: (Top row, left to right) - Brad Allen, Good Sam Club Band, Laura Lisbeth. (Bottom Row, left to right) - David Knopf, Rick Lally, Steve Sterner and Sundown.

Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery celebrated its 9th Anniversary on Saturday, April 7, and Sunday, April 8, with many activities including a display of fire-spinning by vineyard manager Shawna Mull. 

She performed a 20-minute set on the front flagstone patio as dusk fell. A crowd of onlookers took a break from celebrating, storytelling, and visiting over wine in the Tasting Room to watch in awe as Shawna wielded various instruments lit with fire and performed carefully choreographed routines. Check out the gallery at the bottom of the post for more photos of her in action. 

The weekend's celebratory activities included live music on Saturday from 2 to 4 pm by David Knopf (above, right). This month, join us in the Tasting Room for a wine tasting, a bottle of wine, and music from other talented musicians.

Enjoy live performances on the following dates: 
Jim Thomas at 2 pm on April 14th,  
The Good Sam Club Band at 1 pm on April 21st 
Brad Allen (above, left) at 2 pm on April 28th.

While at Fence Stile, tour our winery and wine cave. Enjoy a tour of the property, the vineyards and the winery and then conclude with a candlelit tasting in the CELLAR57 club room and the wine caves. Guests keep the tasting glass & enjoy 10-percent off the wines purchased on the tour!  $35/person. To reserve a spot, email events@fencestile.com. 

Upcoming winery and wine cave tour dates 
April 13th - 6:30 pm 
April 14th 12:30 pm & 4:00 pm 
April 21st - 12:30 pm 
April 27th - 6:30 pm

Wine Xenos at Fence Stile
Check out our new Wine Xenos Photo Stand in the Tasting Room. Take a photo with your friends or a loved one. Post the photo on social media and don't forget to tag #FenceStileWinery! We also have Wine Xenos logo wine glassware and T-shirts available.   ​

Spring Wine Savings
Get ready for spring patio downtime. Stock up on our estate white wines and receive 10% off when you purchase a 10-pack (mix-and-match) of wine. Take home a pair of our new Wine Xenos wine glasses as a thank-you gift (while supplies last) with a purchase of 10 bottles or more of estate white wine. Offer runs through April. 

Save the Date
April 20 - Spring Bonfire and Wine Party. Check our Facebook page for details. 

April 21 - 4 pm, Sip N Shop. Enjoy a glass of wine and shop. Local vendors have jewelry, apparel, home furnishings, specialty food and more. 

April 21 - 2 to 4 pm. Fence Stile Wine Tasting at Grain to Glass (1611 Swift, North Kansas City). Can't make it to our Tasting Room? Drop by Grain to Glass and taste our wines. Grain to Glass sells Fence Stile wines by the glass and bottle. ​

Fence Stile's winery ambassador Kevin Snedden has been involved with the winery since its 2009 debut. Kevin will share stories of the origins of Fence Stile and treasured memories during the winery's 9th Anniversary Celebration this weekend on Saturday evening, April 7, after 6:30 pm. Winery guests and friends are invited to share stories by the fireplace, play winery trivia, enjoy a bottle of wine, and join in the fun. After dusk, vineyard manager Shawna Mull will perform a fire-spinning demonstration (weather permitting). 

The anniversary celebration continues on Sunday, April 8. See bottom of the post for the full listing of anniversary events.

Kevin and his wife Christine first discovered the winery's original tasting room in the old building (next to the current Tasting Room building) before the winery was officially open. Wine and conversation led to friendship and opportunity. Kevin's relationship with the winery and friendship with owner Shriti Plimpton developed into a role where he became Fence Stile's ambassador, unofficial historian, and storyteller. 

"The anniversary party will be celebrations of monumental moments from the winery's past and present," Kevin said. "I remember an event where a permit was pulled for a small fireworks display at a previous anniversary celebration. We set up the display at the far end of the parking lot, where there was no danger to the crowd on the patio of the Tasting Room."

Well, the fireworks display fell over with exciting results. 

Kevin said, "The display shot balls of fire across the parking lot as some people were getting ready to leave."

No one was harmed, but the fireworks display became a legendary memory. 

Another memory involves an early performance of Pyrosapiens, a fire-spinning troupe consisting of Kevin, vineyard manager Shawna Mull, and Tony McInturff. The trio performed their fire-spinning act at dusk. 

"Pyrosapiens performed for the first time at Fence Stile," Kevin said. "It was a hobby of our performing arts crew. It was fun for us as performers and the audience."

This weekend's events will be a chance to share and capture stories from Kevin and our guests. Fence Stile will have a Wine Xenos photo booth on display, where guests can create a photo to share on social media (tag #FenceStile) and others. See the event listings below for the full schedule. 

​9th Anniversary Celebration Events

Saturday, April 7
Kevin Snedden will lead winery and wine cave tours with a candlelit wine tasting on April 7th at 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm. Tour the property and the winery. Finish with a candlelit tasting in the CELLAR57 club room and the wine caves.  Keep the tasting glass and enjoy 10% off the wines purchased on the tour!  $35/person. To reserve space, email events@fencestile.com.

Take a souvenir photo in our new Wine Xenos photo display. You have to see it in our Tasting Room! Tag #FenceStile when sharing photos on social media.

Listen to live music by David Knopf on Saturday, April 7, from 2 to 4 pm.

Guest chef Pete Dulin will be in the kitchen preparing savory and sweet small plates, while supplies last. The menu includes: 
• Lentil, chickpea, mint, and radish salad with lemon-mint dressing
• Blueberry and blue cheese spread with crostini
• Mushroom leek soup with sauteed asparagus and Parmesan cheese

After 6:30 pm on Saturday, April 7, Kevin will share stories of the winery's history. Guests are also invited to share stories and favorite memories during a fireside gathering. Play winery trivia and board games. Enjoy a bottle of wine for a cozy evening. 

Shawna Mull will perform her fire-spinning display on Saturday, April 7, after dusk (weather permitting). The winery's gates will close at 6:30 pm. Guests are encouraged to arrive early. purchase a bottle of wine, and stay for the performance. 

Fence Stile has new T-shirts with a Wine Xenos logo on the front and the Fence Stile logo on the back. Available for purchase, the shirts come in men's and women's sizes, a variety of styles and colors. Pick up the latest in Fence Stile's Vineyard LifeStiles spring fashion this weekend. ​

Fence Stile also has new glassware that displays the Wine Xenos and Fence Stile logos for our anniversary. To get ready for spring, stock up on our estate white wines and receive 10% off when you purchase a 10-pack (mix-and-match) of wine. Take home a pair of our new Wine Xenos wine glasses as a thank-you gift (while supplies last) with a purchase of 10 bottles or more of estate white wine. 

Sunday, April 8 
Kevin Snedden will lead winery and wine cave tours with a candlelit wine tasting on April 8th at 1:00 pm. Tour the property and the winery. Finish with a candlelit tasting in the CELLAR57 club room and the wine caves.  Keep the tasting glass and enjoy 10% off the wines purchased on the tour!  $35/person. To reserve space, email events@fencestile.com.

Meet winery owner Shriti Plimpton and say hello. Winery dogs Becca and Kai will also make a rare joint appearance at the Tasting Room. Drop by, say hi, and snap a photo of our four-legged friends. 

Take a souvenir photo in our new Wine Xenos photo display. You have to see it in our Tasting Room! Tag #FenceStile when sharing photos on social media.

Enjoy savory and sweet small plates, while supplies last. The menu includes: 
• Lentil, chickpea, mint, and radish salad with lemon-mint dressing
• Blueberry and blue cheese spread with crostini
• Mushroom leek soup with sauteed asparagus and Parmesan cheese

Pick up a cool new Fence Stile T-shirts with the Wine Xenos logo. 

Stock up on white wine for spring and receive a pair of Wine Xenos logo glasses. Receive 10% off when you purchase a 10-pack (mix-and-match) of Fence Stile white wine. Take home a pair of our new Wine Xenos wine glasses as a thank-you gift (while supplies last) with a purchase of 10 bottles or more of estate white wine. 

Promoting his latest album release, Rick Lally performs a solo show on Saturday, May 12, 2018, at Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery's Tasting Room. Lally will also perform  with the band 3 Bricks Shy on Saturday, May 19, and another act, R2 Alchemy, on July 12.  

Lally's new album, It's High Time, is a reference to the span of time it took to write, record, and release his work. The album is a retrospective of songs he wrote from 1989 to 2017. 

"I've been writing and playing music since I was a teen," Lally said. "I've always done it as a way to make sense of my thoughts or feelings."

"Falcon Hill," a song Lally wrote as a 13-year-old teenager, was inspired by his childhood upbringing. 

"I grew up in Illinois. From 10 to 16 years of age, I lived in a suburban neighborhood," Lally said. "My backyard merged into underdeveloped park that was very much a small forest. In one section there was a clearing with a hill. I spent most of my time playing in nature and every inch of the park. I always saw all kinds of birds from that hill and would frequently see a falcon. My friends and I always called that area Falcon Hill. As I was learning the four chords in my song 'Falcon Hill,' I wrote the lyrics to express how I felt when I was out there in nature."

Lally wrote the album's title song "It's High Time" to himself.

"I have written a lot of songs. I've probably forgotten as many as I remember," Lally said. "'It's High Time' was intended to remind me and push myself to get my unrecorded songs recorded. It was also intended to urge me to pull the songs out of me that I either need to finish or start. In essence, the song was me being a cheerleader for myself!"

True to his muse, Lally writes music at his own pace and his songwriting has developed over time.

"Many of my earliest songs were just a stream of chords. Many lacked a bridge or a reprise. I have progressively improved in that area," Lally said. "I never have forced writing a song. It either happens or it doesn't. Sometimes it can take a song a long time to stew and simmer before it's ready. I have one song I wrote in a half-hour and it never changed. Others that have taken years to complete. I'm definitely a better guitar player now so that helps a lot."

The songs on the new album vary in genre. 

"'No Jive' has a bluesy southern rock feel, while 'I Can't Breathe' has the feel of smooth jazz," Lally said. "'Slippin' Away' is currently playing on a Tropical Rock radio station. 'It's High Time' and 'Paralyzed' were both born to rock. Everything else is either folkie or folk rock."

Lally is also an artist. One of his paintings, "Sun Glass," is displayed in the Tasting Room. 

"I have always been somewhat artistic, but never put much time into it. When I started painting, I dove in head first and began painting a lot," Lally said. "During that time, my band 3 Bricks Shy had a song called 'Screw The Cracker' with a line in the song, 'Polly wants wine.' Somehow, that song got us started with playing at wineries."

Lally's inspiration for "Sun Glass" traced back to performing at Fence Stile during the summer when it was sunny. 

"I really appreciated that we continued to get chances to play at Fence Stile," Lally said. "I decided that Fence Stile would be a good home for a painting it mostly likely inspired."

It's High Time is available at iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify. Visit ricklally.com for more information on his music, art, and performance dates. Check Fence Stile's calendar for upcoming music performance dates from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. 

Below: Rick Lally as a young musician. Right: "Sun Glass" is a painting inspired by Rick Lally's performances at Fence Stile.

Hey friends, Fence Stile has been nominated for the Best Winery category in the Feast Magazine - Midwest 50 Awards.
Please vote for us. Here's how. Clink on the link below. Scroll down and select Fence Stile and enter your email address (required) to vote.
Vote until 5/13 @ 12:00am Central. Feel free to vote for as many or as few categories as you like; you can vote once per category per day.
Enter your email address for a chance to win a pair of tickets to Taste & Toast on Sun., May 6.
Vote daily for us! Thank you.

http://stltoday.secondstreetapp.com/2018-Feast-50-Awards-2/gallery?category=1458268

As winter draws to a close, the team at Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery has been working outdoors in brisk weather to prune and tend to the vines. 

"The intent of pruning in general is to control the size of the vine, optimize the production potential of the vine, and to maintain the balance between shoot and fruit growth," vineyard manager Shawna Mull explains. 

Between fall harvest and spring bud break, pruning is necessary to review each vine in each row to monitor its condition. Dead, diseased, or severely damaged parts of the vine are removed. This step helps the vine concentrate its growth on healthy sections later in the year. When pruning, the best canes and spurs are identified that will yield fruit. This blog post explains the spur pruning process in greater detail with illustrations on cane pruning vs. spur pruning. 

Vignole, Vidal, and Seyval grapevines are pruned in that order to mirror the order that white grapes will be harvested. Chambourcin and Concord are pruned last and, subsequently, harvested last in fall.

The photo gallery and videos below illustrate the important work involved with pruning. Pruned canes are gathered in piles and removed by tractor for composting or burning later.

As the weather warms up, Fence Stile will announce opportunities for volunteers to work with the team and help with "suckering" the vines. Once early growth begins in spring, the vines send up shoots, or suckers. 

"Suckering is necessary to remove all unnecessary and unwanted growth so that vine's energy can be redirected to the important growth," explains Shriti, Fence Stile's owner. "We end up doing this numerous times in a season. Personally, I enjoy walking the vineyards, looking at each vine, and seeing the progress."

Check the website and Facebook page in coming weeks for more information on volunteering to help with the vines. Meanwhile, the winery's Tasting Room returns to its normal operating hours. Join us for wine tastings on Thursday, 3 pm - 7 pm, Friday 3 pm - 9 pm, Saturday 11 am - 8 pm, or Sunday 11 am - 5 pm. Visit our home page or calendar for event listings and winery tour dates. 

Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery offers a FirePit Red wine blending workshop on Sunday, March 4th, at 1 p.m. The workshop (registration details below) is a rare, invaluable opportunity for wine drinkers to experience firsthand how unfinished wine from different grapes, such as Chambourcin and Norton in this case, is blended. 

Unfinished wine refers to grape juice pressed after harvest that has undergone fermentation. Stored in stainless steel tanks, the wine is monitored to determine how its flavor, aroma and other characteristics develop. At this stage, the winemaker has not refined the wine to the point where it is ready to bottle. 

"There are a number of reason and ways to blend wines," explains Shriti Plimpton, owner and founder of Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery. "The goal of blending is to create the best wine possible with the elements you have to work with. Blending creates a more balanced wine (and often a more complex wine). Winemakers may blend different varietals, different lots of the same varietals, different barrel lots, lots from different geographical areas of the same grape, different vintages or even different styles. Some wines lend themselves to blending in order to improve aromatics, round out the harshness or tannins or improve color. Blending can happen as early as fermentation, throughout aging or right before bottling."

Blending wine is part of the craft of winemaking that begins with harvest and crush in fall and continues in the wine production facility. Blending is typically not an experience accessible to the public. Fence Stile's blending workshop is a chance for a select few guests to "peek behind the curtain."

"To create a blend, we start with the goal," Shriti says. "The goal for FirePit Red was to create a smoky wine that you would enjoy by the fire. We want to develop a wine that is light enough to enjoy without a meal. Yet, it has the aromatics and familiarity of a warm fire."

Samples are drawn from the available target wines in the winery's tanks and barrels for the workshop. The fun and learning begins in the Tasting Room as participants work in pairs as a team. They taste each wine to understand its nuances, flavors and characteristics before blending.

"Then we create sample blends, working to highlight the strengths of each as well as account for missing elements," Shriti says. "We may have a sample that is nice and smoky but too harsh. It may need to be softened with an off-dry wine or perhaps a more fruit-forward wine. We create numerous combinations with the elements we have available to strike the right balance. The availability of the elements for us to work with often determines the quantity we are able to bottle."

WINE BLENDING WORKSHOP
The 2017 FirePit Red Wine Blending workshop is limited to 14 participants that will work in pairs (7 pairs total). Individual participants that sign up will be paired with a partner. After a discussion on wine blending led by Fence Stile's team, participants will briefly taste three unfinished red wines to assess their flavor, aroma, and other qualities. Using these samples, the participants will create up to three blends. Each pair will select one wine from their three blends, share the blend, discuss its attributes, and explain why they chose it.

Cost for the workshop is $15 per person ($10 for Wine Club members). Limited space available. Email events@fencestile.com to reserve a spot and list the participant name(s) for up to two people.

Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery offers a wine blending workshop on Sunday, March 4th, at 1 p.m. Participants will learn about the nuances of creating a blend by working hands-on with a variety of unfinished wines. The workshop is limited to 14 participants that will work in pairs (7 pairs total). Individual participants that sign up will be paired with a partner. 

“Guests will learn about the delicate balance of working with unfinished wine to create a finished product, how to capitalize on the best qualities of each wine, and how to create a harmony that is the finished wine,” says Shriti Plimpton, owner of Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery.

Initially, Fence Stile team members will discuss the 2017 harvest and winemaking process for that year’s wines. Then participants will briefly taste three unfinished red wines to assess their flavor, aroma, and other qualities. The unfinished wines originated from Chambourcin and Norton grapes picked during the 2017 harvest.

Using these samples, the participants will create up to three blends. Each pair will select one wine from their three blends, share the blend, discuss its attributes, and explain why they chose it.

Ideally, the goal is to develop a blend for the 2017 FirePit Red, one of Fence Stile’s most popular red wines. Participants will taste an older vintage of the wine from Fence Stile’s library and assess which blend most closely matches the bottled wine. 

Cost for the workshop is $15 per person ($10 for Wine Club members). Limited space available. Email events@fencestile.com to reserve a spot and list the participant name(s) for up to two people.

Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery has the only wine cave in the region. While the main section of the man-made cave is reserved to store our bottled and barreled wine, our wine cave is also used for special events. 

The room has been a setting for a concert video watch party, Eclipse education event in 2017, and candle-lit wine tastings as part of our winery and wine cave tour. Fence Stile can also host live music in the caves, wine and food gatherings, private parties, and speaking events with some audiovisual support available. 

The wine cave may be reserved for private events separately or in conjunction with our other winery spaces in the upstairs Tasting Room. Contact us at events@fencestile.com for more information, rates, or to arrange a visit for event planning.

Introducing Mûre Blanche – Fence Stile Vineyard and Winery's latest release available in early February only in our Tasting Room. Mûre Blanche is a blackberry Vidal Blanc dessert wine made using juice from late harvest 2017 grapes and estate-grown blackberries. Packaged in 375-milliliter bottles, this young wine was created to drink with the arrival of spring and not meant to be aged. 

The grapes were harvested in November rather than September to develop character and sugar levels. Tasted fresh off the vine, the grape's juice yielded intense golden raisin notes and honeyed sweetness. Blackberries, harvested from Fence Stile's bushes last summer, were added to the Vidal Blanc grape crush. A wine bladder press was used to collect the fruit juices for this small-batch, limited-edition wine. After aging in a stainless steel tank, the unfiltered wine was bottled at the beginning of the New Year in early January.

Mûre Blanche was purposely unfiltered to preserve the wine's character, resulting in a slightly hazy appearance. The addition of blackberry juice infused the wine with a cranberry-rose color. Delicate berry and cranberry flavors finish with subtle sweetness. 

We hope you'll pick up a few bottles of Mûre Blanche, a fresh and bold addition to our wine list for a limited time only. The wine, featuring original painted artwork on the label, is perfect to share over brunch, a romantic toast for Valentine's Day, as a gift, or to simply add vibrant color and joy to the muted colors of winter.

Check our Facebook page and our website for more details on the February release of Mûre Blanche. Remember, this limited-edition wine is only available in our Tasting Room. These cases of Mûre Blanche won't last long. 

Winter is a time to wind down, reflect, and spend time with others. Fence Stile Winery's Tasting Room offers the ideal venue for a leisurely wintertime getaway. Enjoy a brief excursion from the city and town, head past rolling hills and scenic country roads, and visit our winery just outside of Excelsior Springs.

Staying at The Elms? The hotel has a shuttle that will bring you to us. 

Once you have arrived, we invite you to do a wine tasting (five pours for five dollars) to explore our red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, ranging from dry to semi-dry to sweet. Our Tasting Room team will guide you through the wines to arrive at something you may enjoy by the bottle or glass. Ask about our newest limited-release wine.

During winter, try a glass of warm mulled red or white wine to shake off the chill. Also, we have a delicious fall spice sangria that's hard to resist. 

When the temperatures dip, we have our fireplace available to keep you warm.

Finally, order food from our Nibbles menu, featuring cheese, sausage, olives, nuts, bread, and more, if you care for a light bite. Guests may also bring food into the tasting room for a winter picnic. 

Want to bring a group for a private event? We can reserve tables, our Assemblage Room, and other space for a gathering. Email us at events@fencestile.com with details and to receive information on options. 

Break that cabin fever and visit us at Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery. We have live music, wine cave tours, and other events. Check the calendar or our Facebook page for upcoming events. We'll see you soon!

Fence Stile Vineyard and Winery owner Shriti Plimpton decided to leave the grapes on a few rows of Vidal Blanc during the 2017 fall harvest. Depending on how the grapes developed on the vine, she planned to have the grapes harvested later in the year. Juice from the late harvest Vidal Blanc grapes would be made into a new, limited-release wine for early 2018.

​Previously, Fence Stile used late harvest Vidal Blanc grapes to produce Ishq, a sweet dessert wine with a rich gold color and the flavor of golden raisin. However, this new wine would have its own identity, look, and character. 

Bird netting was placed over and around the rows of Vidal Blanc to preserve remaining fruit from birds and other predators prior to harvest. Long, heavy grape clusters hung on the vine until mid-November. As temperatures dipped, the vines dropped their leaves and no longer gained fuel from sunlight.

The grapes, pale green-colored in summer, deepened in hue with a palette ranging from a deep green-gold to light purplish-bronze. The additional time on the vine enabled the grapes to build sugar level, or Brix, as well as develop its flavor and aroma profile. Picked off the vine, the grapes exhibited a concentrated flavor of caramel and hint of golden raisin.

The bird netting was carefully rolled off the rows on a brisk November morning. The cool, gray day was a stark contrast to the warm, sunny harvest days in September, where valued volunteers helped picked grapes eight to ten weeks earlier. Wearing several layers of clothes for warmth, the team began the harvest and moved down the rows at a steady pace. The clusters were easier to spot since the vines bore no leaves. White five-gallon buckets, full of grapes were hauled to the winery production facility.

Since the harvest yield was much smaller than fall harvest, a wine bladder press was used to press the grapes rather than the larger, high-volume press normally used on the crush pad. A slotted metal screen forms the cylindrical body of the tri-legged press. Grapes are packed inside the press around a bladder in the center. Water is pumped into the bladder so it expands and pushes, or presses, the grapes against the walls of the cylinder. Grape juice is expelled through the slotted screen and collected in a tray that drains into a storage container.

In this case, a second fruit was also included in the grape crush – blackberries.

Last summer, Fence Stile's team harvested blackberries from its bushes near Concord grapevines located just off the private patio behind the old winery tasting room building. The blackberries, frozen for preservation until November, were added to the crush. Bright magenta berry juice and grape juice trickled down the walls of the press.​

Wine from this juice was the culmination of planning, patience and development in 2017. The result is something to behold and taste – soon!

Scheduled for release in early February 2018, Vidal Noir is a blackberry Vidal Blanc dessert wine. Fence Stile's newest release is a product of several seasons – summer's bounty of homegrown berries, a late fall harvest of grapes, and wine craft over winter. We're excited to release and share this limited-edition wine. 

Check back on Fence Stile's blog and social media for more details about the wine's appearance, flavor and bottling. As a limited-edition, small batch dessert wine that's meant to be consumed young rather than aged, Vidal Noir is a wine that won't last long on the shelves in our Tasting Room. 

Grapevines require training during the first few years after planting to guide growth and optimize production. Even after they are established, grapevines need attention, care, and pruning at different stages of the seasons. During the winter transition between fall harvest and bud break in spring, leaves fall off the vines once temperatures drop and the weather turns cold. Bare grapevines require pruning and maintenance from January through March to remove dead wood and prepare for optimal growth in the following year. 
​
Spur Pruning
The illustration below depicts several methods for training young grapevines and pruning. Fence Stile uses the spur pruning method on all cultivar varieties, such as Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, and Chambourcin. 

"The intent of pruning in general is to control the size of the vine, optimize the production potential of the vine, and to maintain the balance between shoot and fruit growth," vineyard manager Shawna Mull explains. "The decision on how to prune can be dictated by the cultivar. Some cultivar produce better or a more even crop by cane pruning or other types of pruning. Spur pruning creates a strong cordon over the long term."

In the vineyard, the cordon is the part of the vine that looks like arms. A cordon refers to the vine's growth in a cord-like shape along a linear path that may be single or doubly split from the main vertical root vine. The cordon provides support for spurs, or shoots that grow from the vine and will produce fruit.

A formula is used for each variety of cultivar, or type of grapevine such as Seyval or Chambourcin, to calculate how many nodes/buds will be left on each vine to produce the optimal amount of fruit it can ripen.

"This number is a starting point as each vine is surveyed and treated as an individual," Mull says. "Ultimately, we are trying to achieve balance. We try to keep the spurs an even distance apart and balanced on both sides of the cordon. While making these decisions, we try to consider how each new shoot will affect the next as it grows. We try to alternate the direction to keep them from potentially creating too much shade for the neighboring spur and shoots. We always try to save the best cane that is also closest to the cordon at that spur interval. This keeps the fruit weight close to the cordon and reduces the chance of breakage during storms."

Pruning in Orderly Fashion
Fence Stile conducts pruning in the vineyard in the order that the vines would be harvested. 

"The Vignoles would be first. They will also take the most time because of their vigor," Mull says. "The Seyval are the least vigorous so I would do the Vidal next and then Seyval. The Chambourcin and Concord are the latest harvests so they would be last of the established blocks."

Newer blocks of planted vines, such as Cabernet Dore, at Fence Stile "have a lot of vines that will have strong cordons already so we can prune to one bud per spur," Mull says. "Some of them, along with the Crimson Cabernet, are just making it to the wire. We will prune to one bud below the wire or to the first green internode, if not to the wire yet. We want to promote vigor in these young vines to grow strong trunks and cordons so they will be ready in a couple years to bear their first crop."

The amount of pruning that can be accomplished in a day depends on the weather. Also, pruning is specific to the cultivar's vigor and the number of canes.  For example, the Seyval vines were not as vigorous as the Vidal and Vignoles. 

"It takes longer to prune a hearty Vignoles vine because there are more canes and the canes are larger.  If the weather is good, we can spend more than an hour or so outside at a time," ​Mull says. "One person can average 100-plus Seyval vines in a day. It may take two days to prune 100 of our Vignoles vines."

Pruning at Just the Right Time
Timing matters in the pruning process before bud burst occurs. As the term suggests, bud burst denotes when the vines first produce springtime growth. New buds will burst as shoots grow and, in time, develop leaves and flowers.  

"If Stephen [Fence Stile's winemaker] and I start the first week of February, then we should be able to finish all the pruning by the end of March just in time for bud burst," Mull says. "We don't want to start pruning too early as the pruned plants become more susceptible to winter or cold injury.  However, it is important to have all the pruning done before bud burst.  The biggest fear is always that late spring frost that can cause bud damage."

Different Goals for Different Grapes
Pruning methods vary, depending on the type of grapevine and the goals for production.

"We will leave more buds on the Vignoles because we want to make the vine produce more clusters," Mull explains. "Our Vignoles produce a large amount of foliage and can become unbalanced with vigor. They are hearty with large, strong trunks and cordons. If we leave five to six nodes per spur, then we will average about 60 nodes total per vine."

Doing so insures the plant will focus its energy on clusters and not so much vigorous growth. Comparatively, the Seyval and Chambourcin are much less vigorous.

"We will leave fewer nodes per plant so that we insure enough vigor or foliage to provide ample photosynthesis to ripen the crop load," Mull says. "In simple terms, more buds per plant equates to the more clusters you should get. Fewer buds make the vine think it must grow foliage to survive so clusters are fewer. We always want balance in the vine so there's not too much vigor and just the right amount of clusters for that vigor to ripen."

Vine training
Once planted, Fence Stile's vines are trained to grow into a double cordon formation. In other words, the upper cordons will form a T-shape at the top of the vertical root vine. The vine is tied to the cordon wire of the trellis for support. New fruit producing shoots will grow from the cordon spurs every spring. 

"At Fence Stile we use two types of double cordon training," Mull explains. "High wire cordon training is used for cultivar that naturally like to grow downward. We purposely prune their spurs to point downward."   

Other cultivar prefer to grow upward. "We use the Vertical Shoot Position to train the cordon and prune spurs pointing upward," Mull says. "The cordon is kept lower to the ground and the shoots are supported by the positioning wire built into the trellis, helping them to grow upward. The fruiting zones on either training system is kept close to the cordon at the supporting wire."

Fence Stile uses the Scott Henry training system for Concord vines. This method allows for grape clusters to grow closer to the ground for easier access while harvesting. ​

​Missouri Wines has announced the date for the MVP Extravaganza, the ultimate reward for the most dedicated MVP members, that will take place on March 24, 2018. The evening will feature gourmet food and wine pairings, plus the opportunity to engage with the owners and winemakers from many of Missouri's award-winning wineries. This experience requires 50,000 points. Register at missouriwinemvp.com. Deadline to redeem points: January 31, 2018. 

Missouri Wine Program Quarterly Sweepstakes

Enjoy a weekend getaway in Excelsior Springs!

Win a fabulous weekend getaway in scenic Excelsior Springs. You and a guest could enjoy an all-inclusive Wine Trolley Tour. The tour includes gourmet brunch paired with wine at Willow Spring Mercantile, transportation aboard the trolley, a souvenir wine bag and full-tasting experiences at three wineries, including Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery. Then relax, renew and rejuvenate during an overnight stay at the beautiful Inn on Crescent Lake, Kansas City's most romantic getaway. This MVP experience is brought to you by the Inn on Crescent Lake and the Excelsior Springs Chamber of Commerce.

During your stay in Excelsior Springs, explore the town's other attractions, including the Hall of Waters, Elms Hotel, Excelsior Springs Museum and Superior Well Pavilion. This historic area of the town is located along the East Fork of Fishing River with winding stream valleys leading into the river and hills. Explore more than 90 acres of parkland and walking trails within the city limits. Golf enthusiasts may wish to check out the Excelsior Springs Golf Course.

By redeeming 500 MVP points for this reward, you will be entered for a chance to win. The total estimated value of this reward is $400. The entry for this sweepstakes will close on 11:59 p.m. CST on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. The winner will be notified on Thursday, March 1, 2018.

Wineries on the Wine Trolley Tour include Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery, Four Horses and a Dog Vineyard and Winery, and Van Till Family Farm Winery. Winery Trolley Tours run the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, starting April 28 through November 10. For the best date selection, winner will need to select the date and finalize their reservation by May 15, 2018.

A Fence Stile gift certificate makes the perfect gift for the wine enthusiast in your life. Whether you treat a spouse, partner, family member, friend, or co-worker, a gift certificate is versatile and thoughtful. Remember, the gift certificate may be purchased now and used at a later time. 

Visit our Tasting Room, call 816-500-6465, or email us at info@fencestile.com to purchase a Fence Stile gift certificate. 

Gift Ideas at Fence Stile
• Fence Stile gift certificates may be used toward the cost of a guided winery and wine cave tour ($35/person) or other shopping at the
Tasting Room.

• Purchase and bundle the gift certificate with a bottle of Fence Stile's red, white, or sparkling wine to add to the experience.

• Our tasting room also has stocking stuffers, such as Champagne bottle openers and stoppers, wine bottle gift bags, and bottle sealers designed to keep oxygen out. Add these wine-related goodies and a gift certificate to your gift package. It's a classy gift for any wine-loving recipient. Our team can help assemble a customized Fence Stile wine gift bag along with a gift certificate.  

• The Elms Hotel and Spa, located two miles from Fence Stile in downtown Excelsior Springs, is another way to create a luxurious gift package combined with a Fence Stile gift certificate. After all, The Elms operates a shuttle to and from the winery upon request. Surprise someone with a hotel stay and a reason to visit Fence Stile with a gift certificate in hand. 

• Pair a Fence Stile gift certificate with an autographed copy of author Pete Dulin's new book, Expedition of Thirst: Exploring Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries Across the Heart of Kansas and Missouri. This travel guidebook covers regional wineries in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. 

To obtain a Fence Stile gift certificate, simply visit our Tasting Room, call 816-500-6465, or email us at info@fencestile.com. 

Happy Holidays!

Fence Stile procured three whiskey barrels from J. Rieger & Co. before Thanksgiving 2017 and filled them with Norton wine for aging. The barrels are stored in Fence Stile's one-of-a-kind wine cave (which may be viewed on a guided tour).

J. Rieger & Co. was originally established in 1887 by Jacob Rieger in Kansas City's West Bottoms. Andy Rieger, Jacob Rieger’s great-great-great grandson, and Ryan Maybee re-opened the distillery in 2014 . In short order, the distillery has earned acclaim for its whiskey, gin, vodka, and other spirits. 

Seeking to expand its barrel-aging program, Fence Stile leaped at the opportunity to work with this historic distillery and obtain barrels used for aging spirits. The barrels were originally owned by Heaven Hill, a Kentucky distillery, for aging their bourbon and then by MGPI for corn whiskey before J. Rieger bought them. The barrels had the first whiskey in them for four years at Heaven Hill and at the latter distillery for 10 years. J. Rieger aged corn whiskey in the barrels next and emptied them in late November 2017.

Char from the barrels, made from white American oak per federal law, the oak itself, and the prior spirits will impart flavor and aroma to the Norton wine. Typically, whiskey barrels often impart notes of vanilla and caramel to its contents. It's tempting to lean in, breathe deep, catch aromas from the barrel exterior, and imagine what the results will be.

At this stage, it remains to be seen how the Norton will interact with the barrel and what qualities it will absorb in its character. Each barrel is unique with its own characteristics. Depending on the results of aging, wine from each barrel may be blended in a specific ratio to produce the most desirable results. Careful monitoring, tasting and testing over time will help determine how the wine evolves and when it will be ready for bottling and release.  

Now that the summer/fall farmers markets are closed for the season, we're shifting to winter comfort food for the weekend specials at Fence Stile. Friday through Sunday (unless otherwise noted on our Facebook page), we will have panini sandwiches and soups to tempt your tastebuds. Here's a peek at what we have planned. Whether the temperatures are chilly or mild, we hope you'll join us for a light bite and a glass or two of wine. 

Nov. 24-26 (Thanksgiving weekend)
Panini:  Goat cheese, Granny Smith apple, baby spinach
Soup: Ginger carrot with creme fraiche and crackers

Dec. 1-3
Soup: Lentil soup with bread

Dec. 8-10
Panini:  Arugula, olive tapenade, mozzarella cheese
Soup: Five-bean soup with crackers

Dec. 15-16
Panini: Chipotle pepper, caramelized onion, and cheddar cheese
Soup: Potato chowder with grated cheddar cheese and bread

We'll resume our weekend winter menu in late January after everyone has a chance to recover from holiday eating!!

​

 
Winery friends, read below for more details on this Wine Trolley Tour sweepstakes prize.
______
 
Win a fabulous weekend getaway in scenic Excelsior Springs. You and a guest could enjoy an all-inclusive Wine Trolley Tour. The tour includes gourmet brunch paired with wine at Willow Spring Mercantile, transportation aboard the trolley, a souvenir wine bag and full-tasting experiences at three wineries.* Then relax, renew and rejuvenate during an overnight stay at the beautiful Inn on Crescent Lake, Kansas City's most romantic getaway. This incredible MVP experience is brought to you by the Inn on Crescent Lake and the Excelsior Springs Chamber of Commerce.
 
During your stay in Excelsior Springs, you can explore the town's other attractions, including the Hall of Waters, Elms Hotel, Excelsior Springs Museum and Superior Well Pavilion. This historic area of the town is located along the East Fork of Fishing River with winding stream valleys leading into the river and hills. Explore more than 90 acres of parkland and walking trails within the city limits. Golf enthusiasts may wish to check out the Excelsior Springs Golf Course.
 
By redeeming your 500 points for this reward you will be entered for a chance to win. The total estimated value of this reward is $400. The entry for this sweepstakes will close on 11:59 p.m. CST on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. The winner will be notified on Thursday, March 1, 2018.
 
*Wineries on the Wine Trolley Tour include Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery, Four Horses and a Dog Vineyard and Winery and Van Till Family Farm Winery. Winery Trolley Tours run the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month, starting April 28 through November 10. For the best date selection, winner will need to select the date and finalize their reservation by May 15, 2018.​

Fence Stile Vineyards and Winery held its annual Grape Stomp on Sunday, Oct. 8th, to close out the harvest season. After 7-8 weeks of harvesting grapes each Sunday, this ritual is a fun way to squash some grapes, celebrate with our guests, and enjoy some wine.

There's no need to dress up in a traditional outfit like Lucille Ball in the classic "I Love Lucy" grape-stomping scene. Guests step into the tub of grapes and stems, step high, and start smashing. Before long, the grapes yield bright, aromatic juice. 

Of course, the juice produced from squishing grapes isn't actually used for making wine. That's how it was done in the early days of winemaking. The alcohol produced during the fermentation process is high enough to kill microbes before wine is produced and consumed. 

We enjoyed having harvest volunteers and guests out for a sunny day to play in the grapes. And the remaining grapes and juice? All of it returns to the vineyard for composting. It's part of the cycle to nourish the vines as a tribute in hopes that they flourish once again next year.