"We can truly say our grapes are air-dried by the Chesapeake," said Peter Ianniello.
The Ianniellos moved to Mount Felix, a 15-acre property with sweeping views of the bay, in 2005 and refurbished its 1830s Georgian-style Colonial house. In the spring of that year, they planted 3,000 vines - one every four feet, in rows six feet apart. They chose Chambourcins, often called workhorse grapes, for their versatility and adaptability.
Their children, ages 7 to 12, have quickly learned "canopy management" and rarely go into the vineyard without pruning shears. They know a bottle of wine starts in the vineyard with much hands-on work to make sure grapes are consistently exposed to sunlight.
Each vine could potentially yield 10 to 15 pounds of grapes. Since a bottle of wine takes about 2 1/2 pounds of grapes, there might be 15,000 bottles of Mount Felix wines from the harvest this year. Last year's harvest produced several vintages, available at the newly opened winery on Route 155. The first official tastings last weekend drew steady customers, the couple said.
"We have met the greatest people and gotten the most positive feedback," Mary Ianniello said. "We even met Smitty Mitchell, the great-great-great-grandson of the original builder of Mount Felix."
There will likely be a 2008 Martha, from the grapes the Ianniellos shipped to Emon's winery. In addition to tending his own vines, Emon purchases from growers who "ring the bay," he said. But the Ianniellos' crop is the only one that arrives by skipjack.
"We will press them tonight," Emon said before boarding the skipjack Thursday. "That way we will really capture all the flavor of the vineyard and the bay."
