Shindig at Chuck's place

The "meeting" this month was at Chuck's place.  FBV members were invited to help intertain at an open house that Chuck held for local dignitaries to celebrate the opening of his vineyard and his demonstration farm emphasizing local, sustainable agriculture.  Alan, John, Cynthia, and Ron brought the wine, most of it home made and we picked up some potential new members from some of the guests who were interested in the whole wine making venture.

a tour of chucks demo garden

Chuck's greenhouse where he is able to root muscadine grapes.  This is a tough task since mountain muscadines do not really want to root from cuttings. 

New growth is cut, the ends are treated with rooting hormone, and then the cuttings are dept at a warm temp, and a high humidity in this greenhouse until the roots are established

Socme of Chucks vines

This is not a muscadine.  It is a grape that is suffering from black rot.  It has been a wet year, this vine really is too young to be having offspring, so the occasional grape that is allowed to be born has not been sprayed with anything.  This shows what happens when they are left on their own.

Here is the French Broad Vigneron wine table.  Good stuff and it was free.

A show of Alan (in the horizontal stipes).  He brought an assortment of fine tasting wines.

Chuck's garden is artistic as well as functional