Sunday, June 10, 2007
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Staff photo by David LeamingAnd where most people see a nearly non-existent grape growing heritage in Maine, Blakney sees an open market, just waiting to be tapped.
Where most people like Blakney might be called optimistic, in truth he is enthusiasm unleashed.
"This is a dream," he says.
Blakney and Ron Rudolph have joined forces to create Unity Winery and Vineyards and Silver Fox Vineyards, a combination organic vineyard and winery that will, in time, comprise 25 acres along the Albion Road and make up one of, if not the, largest vineyard and winery in the state.
Though just the first 1,200 vines went into the ground last week, in his mind Blakney can already see how it all will be. There is the post-and-beam wine house overlooking the vineyard and the stage where a band is playing softly. He sees the customers -- all of whom Blakney already considers friends -- sitting at a table, enjoying a glass of wine and munching on cheese as they take in the view of the mountains in the distance and a soft breeze keeps them cool. He can even see the artwork that will hang inside the wine house, beckoning local artists to come show their work. "Artists and bread and cheese and wine go together," he says. "They really do."
The vision started taking shape last year when Rudolph, a town selectman, heard about Blakney's small grape-growing project on his small piece of property near the downtown. Rudolph, who had purchased heavy farm equipment with the idea of raising Alpacas and then ran out of money, showed Blakney a house that was for sale just up the road from Rudolph's farm. Blakney and his wife, Jeri, who is originally from Levant, loved the house.
But what really sold Blakney was the adjacent field that sloped slightly all the way to Rudolph's farm and spread wide, leaving space for a spectacular view all the way to Sugarloaf Mountain. Facing almost entirely south, the field was nearly the perfect site for a vineyard, Blakney thought.
Rudolph recalled Blakney rushing around the vacant home and saying, "I'll take it."
"I was giddy," Blakney agreed.
He left his six-figure information technology job in Seattle and last month and he and Jeri moved east. Blakney is taking a month to get the vineyard started and remodel the house before going back to work.
"Everything is falling into place, always falling into place," Rudolph said. "I thank God for that."
Blakney has been an amateur vintner for decades. He first learned from his father while growing up in Oregon, and then with growing in Washington State, which is one of the largest wine producers in the country. "I mentored with a lot of vintners and that's what really got me going," Blakney said.
Though he has experience with growing grapes and producing wine, this is Blakney's first attempt at organic farming. According to Rudolph's research, the grape growers will be one of only about 12 organic vineyards in the country.
"I specifically chose this area because of the community spirit and because of its connection with organic farming," Blakney said.
He also hopes that by joining the Unity-based Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association the vineyard will have greater sway, if needed, with lawmakers in Augusta. There are only about 10 wineries in Maine and only about half of those make grape wines, said Elmer Savage of Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery in Union. Savage Oakes is one of just three combination vineyard and winery operations in the state.
"MOFGA has a tremendous voice, and organic has a tremendous voice, so I said, 'Let's make these work together," Blakney said.
He has been overwhelmed by the community spirit and support he has received from groups, such as the Unity Barn Raisers and Unity College, to neighbors, like Phil White Hawk and Connie Bellet of Palermo, who spent more than two days helping plant the vines.
"That's why Unity was such a cool place to do this project," he said.
Blakney also counts on Ron's knowledge of the area and his equipment, like the 10-inch, tractor-powered augur, and the men used to plant the vines.
"I couldn't do this without Ron," Blakney said.
With global warming making the climate more tolerant to northern vineyards, and a plethora of fields that could be converted from hay or corn to more profitable grapes, Blakney believes the Unity area could be the next Napa Valley. By 2100, he predicts, all wine production will have left Sonoma Valley in California and moved east and north due to the rising temperatures. Already, he notes, New York is the third-largest producer of wine in the nation. He wants to help set the market in Maine.
"It's very satisfying to bring in a new industry and get everyone involved," Blakney said. "I would like Unity to go on the map of Maine as being the wine region."
Jim Luby, professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota, said there has been an increase in the number of cold weather vineyards thanks primarily to the variety of winemaking grapes that can now be grown in cold weather climates. Elmer Swenson, a pioneering grape breeder who developed many of his cold-resistant grapes at the University of Minnesota, deserves much of the credit for giving northern vintners a chance to grow grapes of sufficient quality to be made into wine, Luby said. "It's had this explosive growth," he said. "In the long run we'll see how it settles out."
Though Luby believes wineries in colder climates like Maine and Minnesota can be successful, it will likely never replace California and the rest of the West Coast, he said.
"I don't see industry developing into a huge bulk quantity like you have in Italy or California," Luby said. "It's going to be more specialty wines and part of it will be related to tourism and things like that. In the long term it's really going to rely on the wine makers making a good quality product."
Even with the hybrids designed for cold weather, Maine's environment is still hostile to vineyards, said Savage, who produces about 1,000 cases of wine each year from his three-and- half-acre vineyard.
"The climate is difficult to overcome," he said. "You have to pick the right variety and you have to have a good location. They are difficult to grow. They are very difficult."
Blakney and Rudolph, however, are ready to face that challenge. They already have plans to buy cranberries from Stanley Luce in Troy and make cranberry wine in time sell for Thanksgiving. The men must first get a license from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
"Cranberry is the perfect wine for the holidays," Blakney said.
Now 55, Blakney said the vineyard and winery will be fully operational in five years, just in time for him to enjoy it.
"I didn't want to wait until I was too old," he said. "And I couldn't pass up this deal."
Craig Crosby--861-9253
ccrosby@centralmaine.com
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