by Don McClure
Though we did not realize our 2001 purchase of an 84 acre
farm might lead in the direction of viticulture, wine grapes
now add considerably to the legacy of McClure Farm.
Situated in the rolling hills of the Belfast Valley near Sparks
in north central Maryland, this historic old property dates to
circa 1690. It is included in Maryland's historic registry and
was originally known as "Abraham's Prospect" functioning
as a meeting place for the valley's settlers.
The notion of a McClure family common property and shared living environment prompted two of our sons and myself to embark on a residential farm life together. My wife and I reside here some months of the year enjoying the proximity of five of our ten grandchildren and their parents. Looking back over the years none of us understood agribusiness or how helping to support the growing wine industry in our state might become a major endeavor.
Most of my professional life involved entrepreneurial pursuits and a leadership role in business. I was quite fortunate to help guide the development of a national enterprise with 1200 associates. I was equally fortunate to be able to retire at age 56. It was remarkably short-lived and now I have been failing retirement for more than two decades.
After purchase, the families collectively struggled with land use and creating some form of preservation. Horses had become a component of our residential population but did not represent a legacy in my view. We experimented with haying and lease some acreage for other crop production. Those early years of ownership were focused more on renovating the original structure for one family, restoring outbuildings and construction of a second residence with an accompanying carriage house. Grand kids kept arriving!
In 2005 my personal farm focus shifted to researching the potential of developing a commercially viable vineyard. A life long fascination with the wine industry led me to several months of local interviews and assessment of the opportunity. Clearly the grape production shortfall within Maryland suggested a potentially attractive business case. Strong encouragement from Kevin Atticks of the Maryland Wineries Association, agri- business professionals from the University of Maryland and several winery principals influenced us to undertake a full evaluation of becoming a commercial grower. At no point did we consider the integrated model of also developing a winery. But could a novice reasonably expect to launch from a base of zero experience and minimal knowledge? Without someone to advise me and guide the vineyard development I thought my odds were poor.
On a referral from Bert Basignani who is one of Maryland's winery icons, I engaged Hunter McCulloch. Hunter is an industry veteran of 30+ years and well respected throughout the mid-Atlantic region. He concentrates on viticulture consulting and has experience in many aspects of winemaking. In short he understood what was needed and how to do it. But first he spent several weeks attempting to talk me out of "making a hobby investment". Influenced by his candid input and specific recommendations we launched site planning and soil preparation geared for planting in the spring of 2006. Selecting the most promising location we ripped and cross-ripped 10 acres of old horse pasture to 30 inches in depth. Soil testing told us we had potential but this investment in soil preparation has proved invaluable and is reflected in the health of our vineyard today.
Evaluating our site profile and climate characteristics we elected to laser plant Seyval, Chambourcin and Chardonnay. A small block of Vidal became an afterthought. In making these varietal decisions we needed to answer two vital questions:
• What will Maryland wineries wish to purchase?
• What can we grow successfully?
Our first growing season of 2006 incorporated a layout of 9 foot aisles and 6 foot vine spacing. With approximately 6,000 vines initially planted we utilized a design concept of less planting intensity and an objective of long term balanced growth. A VSP trellis system used all wood posts with 39 rows up to 1,100 feet in length. Given the local deer pressure we also elected to erect deer fencing at 11 feet in height. Does it sound like a large investment in vineyard infrastructure? Our thinking was building it for the long term.
Having just wrapped up our fifteenth growing season my sense is that we are generally meeting our benchmarks. Our performance metrics are tied to the quality of fruit produced combined with crop yields appropriate for the varietal. The vineyard has matured and expanded. Our viticulture practices continue to be fine tuned to our site and micro climate conditions. We anticipate the economic returns to match our efforts and expense. For example despite the "monsoon" weather conditions of August and September 2011 we were able to deliver 37 tons of fruit. Bird and disease pressures plus ripening of the clusters proved challenging as I suspect it became for much of Maryland. Each year we were working hard to earn a reputation as a reliable quality-driven grower.
McClure Family Vineyard's business plan scaled up in 2010 when we launched a separate vineyard management company [VMC]. Maryland Vineyard Management LLC was formed with partners Hunter McCulloch and Edin "Eddie" Estrada. Together we commenced supporting other growers and wineries in central Maryland. Jeannie Schmidt pioneered the development of VMCs in our state and specifically on the Eastern Shore. Jeannie proved very persuasive that we could become a positive contributor to the industry within our geographical range.
In our 11 years of operations we have learned much, expanded our equipment inventory and built a larger skilled labor pool. Quite recently we have added Glenn Lucas to our leadership team. Glenn's 8+ years of viticulture experience provides depth and expanded capacity to support our clients who may be in the planning stages or established vineyards. We recognize that every client is unique but the common objective remains quite simply....."help make my vineyard successful." led by Adelqui Portamarin who has been with us for 12 years. Coming back to the McClure Family Vineyards, we sincerely thank the many industry professionals and vineyard owners who have encouraged us. I am fortunate to work with a talented management team and hard working crew. We feel our future is bright. with an established role now as a key out sourcing resource for Maryland and southern Pennsylvania wineries and vineyard owners. Visit our website Maryland Vineyard Management.com for more information or contact me directly at dmcclurejr@comcast.net
The notion of a McClure family common property and shared living environment prompted two of our sons and myself to embark on a residential farm life together. My wife and I reside here some months of the year enjoying the proximity of five of our ten grandchildren and their parents. Looking back over the years none of us understood agribusiness or how helping to support the growing wine industry in our state might become a major endeavor.
Most of my professional life involved entrepreneurial pursuits and a leadership role in business. I was quite fortunate to help guide the development of a national enterprise with 1200 associates. I was equally fortunate to be able to retire at age 56. It was remarkably short-lived and now I have been failing retirement for more than two decades.
After purchase, the families collectively struggled with land use and creating some form of preservation. Horses had become a component of our residential population but did not represent a legacy in my view. We experimented with haying and lease some acreage for other crop production. Those early years of ownership were focused more on renovating the original structure for one family, restoring outbuildings and construction of a second residence with an accompanying carriage house. Grand kids kept arriving!
In 2005 my personal farm focus shifted to researching the potential of developing a commercially viable vineyard. A life long fascination with the wine industry led me to several months of local interviews and assessment of the opportunity. Clearly the grape production shortfall within Maryland suggested a potentially attractive business case. Strong encouragement from Kevin Atticks of the Maryland Wineries Association, agri- business professionals from the University of Maryland and several winery principals influenced us to undertake a full evaluation of becoming a commercial grower. At no point did we consider the integrated model of also developing a winery. But could a novice reasonably expect to launch from a base of zero experience and minimal knowledge? Without someone to advise me and guide the vineyard development I thought my odds were poor.
On a referral from Bert Basignani who is one of Maryland's winery icons, I engaged Hunter McCulloch. Hunter is an industry veteran of 30+ years and well respected throughout the mid-Atlantic region. He concentrates on viticulture consulting and has experience in many aspects of winemaking. In short he understood what was needed and how to do it. But first he spent several weeks attempting to talk me out of "making a hobby investment". Influenced by his candid input and specific recommendations we launched site planning and soil preparation geared for planting in the spring of 2006. Selecting the most promising location we ripped and cross-ripped 10 acres of old horse pasture to 30 inches in depth. Soil testing told us we had potential but this investment in soil preparation has proved invaluable and is reflected in the health of our vineyard today.
Evaluating our site profile and climate characteristics we elected to laser plant Seyval, Chambourcin and Chardonnay. A small block of Vidal became an afterthought. In making these varietal decisions we needed to answer two vital questions:
• What will Maryland wineries wish to purchase?
• What can we grow successfully?
Our first growing season of 2006 incorporated a layout of 9 foot aisles and 6 foot vine spacing. With approximately 6,000 vines initially planted we utilized a design concept of less planting intensity and an objective of long term balanced growth. A VSP trellis system used all wood posts with 39 rows up to 1,100 feet in length. Given the local deer pressure we also elected to erect deer fencing at 11 feet in height. Does it sound like a large investment in vineyard infrastructure? Our thinking was building it for the long term.
Having just wrapped up our fifteenth growing season my sense is that we are generally meeting our benchmarks. Our performance metrics are tied to the quality of fruit produced combined with crop yields appropriate for the varietal. The vineyard has matured and expanded. Our viticulture practices continue to be fine tuned to our site and micro climate conditions. We anticipate the economic returns to match our efforts and expense. For example despite the "monsoon" weather conditions of August and September 2011 we were able to deliver 37 tons of fruit. Bird and disease pressures plus ripening of the clusters proved challenging as I suspect it became for much of Maryland. Each year we were working hard to earn a reputation as a reliable quality-driven grower.
McClure Family Vineyard's business plan scaled up in 2010 when we launched a separate vineyard management company [VMC]. Maryland Vineyard Management LLC was formed with partners Hunter McCulloch and Edin "Eddie" Estrada. Together we commenced supporting other growers and wineries in central Maryland. Jeannie Schmidt pioneered the development of VMCs in our state and specifically on the Eastern Shore. Jeannie proved very persuasive that we could become a positive contributor to the industry within our geographical range.
In our 11 years of operations we have learned much, expanded our equipment inventory and built a larger skilled labor pool. Quite recently we have added Glenn Lucas to our leadership team. Glenn's 8+ years of viticulture experience provides depth and expanded capacity to support our clients who may be in the planning stages or established vineyards. We recognize that every client is unique but the common objective remains quite simply....."help make my vineyard successful." led by Adelqui Portamarin who has been with us for 12 years. Coming back to the McClure Family Vineyards, we sincerely thank the many industry professionals and vineyard owners who have encouraged us. I am fortunate to work with a talented management team and hard working crew. We feel our future is bright. with an established role now as a key out sourcing resource for Maryland and southern Pennsylvania wineries and vineyard owners. Visit our website Maryland Vineyard Management.com for more information or contact me directly at dmcclurejr@comcast.net