‘Epic’ Bottling After Largest Harvest in 10 Year History
Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery Completes ‘Epic’ Bottling After Largest Harvest in 10 Year History
Nearly 3,500 Cases Include Nine Favorites and the New “Twilight Delight Maryland”
Vienna, Md – April 30, 2020 – When Jen and William Layton, owners of Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery, completed their second of three bottling series this year, they felt as if they had run a very long marathon – with hurdles.
“Last year, a combination of factors came together to create our most abundant harvest ever,” said vintner William Layton. “Lots of rain intermixed with the perfect amounts of drying time in the sun created a tremendous opportunity for our estate grapes. Norton (?) was particularly plentiful, which gave us opportunities to consider developing a new wine.”
The winery – which is the Mid-Atlantic region’s first and only Certified Craft Winery – is introducing Twilight Delight Maryland, a medium-bodied dry-to-off-dry Cabernet Franc with notes of sour cherry and cranberry.
“Twilight Delight Maryland is inspired by the spectacular sunsets that take place over the vineyard,” said William Layton, who developed it in his lab on the property. “It is crisp and light, making it perfect for dinner of fish, pasta and poultry, or for relaxing on the porch on a summer evening.”
The Laytons’ delivered more than 41,000 bottles of wine in two days.
Jennifer Layton, ‘Jen’eral Manager of the winery, said, “The pandemic really threw a wrench into this bottling because we had to make sure everyone could social distance while getting the job done. We all wore masks and gloves and were exceptionally careful with a process that already has so many health and safety steps included. It was pretty ironic to bottle our largest quantity ever with the smallest crew ever to work the process.”
Jennifer and William were joined in the bottling process by William’s father and winery co-owner Joe Layton, their daughter Alison and son Stephen, and Sales and Marketing director Pam Payne. The crew bottled outside (which is usual) using mobile unit brought in for the event.
Wines bottled include:
- White: Joe’s Cool White, Lazy Day White, Farm White
- Blush: Twilight Delight, Harvest Blush
- Fruit: Alison’s Watermelon Wine
- Red: Farm Red, Rise Up Red, Freedom
- Reserve: 1,000 bottles of one the winery’s most collectible wines, Vidal Reserve
Layton’s Chance Vineyard & Winery is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2020 with the release of a series of new wines (including Twilight Delight Maryland), a special issue of 10th Anniversary Joe’s Cool Red, monthly specials and a number of open-air events planned for the summer. The winery is the first and only Certified Craft Winery in the Mid-Atlantic (as certified by the Craft Wine Association), recognized for its dedication to small batches, traceable grapes and sustainability.
