Thank you to all our volunteers, chefs, guests, sponsors and donors who made this event an amazing night. We are so grateful for your support. Here’s the recipe for the refreshing spirit-free spritzer that was served at the dinner using herbs from the community garden. It can be modified to feature whatever local herbs are on hand. Enjoy! Cheers to you! 

Herb Spritzer Recipe From Dinner in the Vineyard

• 1/4 c fresh thyme and mint
• 2 c water
• 1/2 c Sweet Mountain Farm Honey
• 1/4 c lemon juice
• ice
• sparkling water

Bring water to boil. Pour over fresh herbs and steep overnight (12-24 hours). The next day, strain out fresh herbs. Bring herb infusion to steam (do not boil). Stir in honey until dissolved. Cool. Serve over ice with sparkling water to taste.  

The Toast by Alessandra

Let’s raise a toast with Labrusca to community which went into every bottle — 

The grapes – the jewels that grow from sunlight, rain and soil. 

Harvested by a community of friends. Fermented on stem. 

The toil of tending and protecting the vines by Frank Stonaker, Russell Rolffs, previous years’ interns – pruning, spraying, insect netting. 

To the rose chafers who let enough buds turn to flowers turn to fruit.

To the temporary fence and James Kriegsman who helped install it and the deer and fox who heeded it in order to share some fruit with us.

The belief of Don Grasse who built Whitecap Winery in Ellison Bay to celebrate these and other local grapes. His generosity for allowing Gathering Ground to use crusher stemmer, his fermentation tanks, his pumps, his brushes, his cleaners, his wine bottle filler, more brushes and cleaners, his space and his knowledge of winemaking.

To Matt Poole, Casey Dahl, Erin Rasumusin, Russell Rolffs, Bob Purman, whose collective wisdom, trial and error, muscle and music echo in these bottles

To yeast, water, air. To flavonoids, anthocyanins, stilbenes.

To Finn Hagan whose beautiful art will soon grace the label on the wine.

It takes a village to raise a toast. Here’s to each of you. Thank you for being with us, for celebrating with us today!

CHEERS!