Digging for Truth

June 6, 2013–As any good archaeologist knows, you can learn a lot about the past by simply digging a hole in the ground.  At Silver Thread, we’ve always told visitors about our shallow, shale-heavy soils.  We know how shallow they are from the difficulty we’ve had driving new vineyard posts into the ground, and from walking along the crumbly gorge that runs through the middle of the property.  But a recent construction project has shed new light on the terroir of our site.

Last month, we began building a new storage barn.  While digging a trench to access the water line, we got a clear view of our soil profile.  Imagine how hard those vine roots need to work to dig through these rocks!  As the old saying goes, “the best wines are made when the vines need to struggle,” and we now have more convincing evidence than ever that our site is a prime one.

We’re excited about the improvements we’re making at Silver Thread.  The new storage barn will allow us to increase our production.  A new crush pad adjacent to the winery will make harvest more efficient.  Our children have been especially thrilled by the presence of heavy equipment, and the construction crew has been very gracious to let them ride in each vehicle.