by Patrick Zimmerer , Table Mountain Vineyards

2016 brought us an interesting growing season on many fronts . Winter was fairly mild , and as spring appeared , the temperatures stayed cold through April . It took our vines a while longer to wake this year from dormancy , delaying our growing season by two weeks . When things finally warmed up , the vines did too . The vineyards went from mere brown vines to bushy green fields in a matter of days . June was hot and dry , and made things a challenge to keep the vines adequately watered during the fruit development stage . Yet things were still lining up for record yields , including varieties which hadn ’ t produced fruit ever . July and August didn ’ t cooperate quite as much . We had two wet months , slowing ripening and sugar development . To add to the frustration , one vineyard was hit by hail , reducing its crop by over a quarter . But we persevered and finally got our grapes at adequate sugar levels . Our yields hit record highs , surpassing our entire 2015 production only a week into harvest . But like all things , it was too good to be true . With only about half our grapes picked , a hard frost showed up and ended harvest just as fast as it started .

Here ’ s our favorite fall / winter recipe to keep you warm as the weather changes and fall and winter are in the air :

Wyo Wine Toddy

Serves 8-10 2 Bottles of TMV Nectar Honey Wine 5 T . Aspen Mulling Spice ( or similar mulling mix ) Honey to taste Orange Slices , Cinnamon Mix wine , mulling spice and stir in crockpot . Warm on low , covered , stirring occasionally until hot for about 45 minutes . ( Note - Do not let the wine get above 170 degrees or else the alcohol will cook out .) Add honey to taste if needed and garnish with orange slice and cinnamon sticks .