December 16, 2020 / News
All,
We are changing over to our winter schedule here at Links Bridge Vineyards, and we’re writing to let you know.
Between now and the beginning of February, we will be open by appointment only. If you’d like to come by to taste some wine, or buy some wine to go, just give us a call at 301-466-2413 and we can set up a time that works for all.
From the beginning of February onward, we’ll be back to our normal weekend schedule, opening Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-6pm, and by appointment on other days.
As we write this, snow has begun to fall here at Links Bridge. We’re expecting something like a foot or so today and tomorrow, so talking about winter hours seems appropriate. But more importantly, it brings to mind the upcoming holidays. We hope yours are happy and memorable, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year!
All the best,
Bob & Joan
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November 10, 2020 / News
Bottling 2017 “River Rocks,” January 2019
Links Bridge Wine Club
We have just announced the December Links Bridge Wine Club selection to club members (more details below), and we’re sending this message to our general mailing list just in case some of you might want to join the club.
This post includes (1) a summary of how the club works, (2) a description of the December selection, and (3) instructions on how to join the club.
We hope to see you soon at Links Bridge Vineyards!
Best wishes, and stay well.
Bob & Joan
1. Here’s how the club generally works:
- If you join the Links Bridge Wine Club, we will provide you with four selected bottles of wine three times each year. These selections may include current wines that we think are especially good, wines reserved for club members, and/or new wines that have not yet been released.
- About a month in advance of the pickup period for a given selection, we will send you an email that describes the selection, the pickup date or period, and a deadline date for making adjustments to the selection.
- The price of each selection will be our normal retail price for the wine less a 15% discount, plus Maryland alcohol tax. For club members we will extend this discount to any additional wines you order along with the announced selection (and to wines you purchase at other times of the year).
- If you wish to substitute a different wine for one or more of the selected wines, you can let us know by the deadline date. We will make those adjustments, and then on the day after the deadline date we will charge your credit or debit card for the adjusted amount due.
- If you wish to opt out of a selection entirely, no problem—just let us know by the deadline date and we will not charge you for that selection.
- If you have not requested substitutions and have not indicated that you wish to opt out, we will charge your credit or debit card for the current selection on the day after the deadline date.
- We hope you will come by Links Bridge during the pickup period for each selection, as we enjoy your company and will often have members-only events on these dates that feature the selected wines, wines still to come, or both, and keep you informed about what’s going on at Links Bridge Vineyards.
- If you’re unable to be here during the pickup period, we’ll hold the wine for you until you can come by. Or, should you instruct us to do so, we will ship the selection to you at your expense.
- Finally, with each selection, we will also include certificates for two of our normal sit-down wine tastings that you can use yourself or transfer to a friend.
2. The December Selection
Our December selection will include one bottle each of: 2016 Cabernet Franc Bin 10, 2019 Albariño, 2019 Vidal Blanc, and 2017 River Rocks.
The pickup weekend for this selection is December 5-6 (11am-6pm). Come on by, taste some wine, and chat with us for a while. As our small granddaughters would say, it will be a good time for some “cheersing!” (If you are unable to come by during the pickup weekend, we will of course hold your selection for you until later. Or if you request us to do so, we will ship the selection to you at your expense.)
The deadline date for requesting substitutions, etc. is Saturday November 28.
Of the four wines listed, the first is an old favorite. The second and third will be released for the first time as part of the December selection. The last is also one that we have not yet released, but we will make it available before the December wine club distribution in case anyone needs a bottle or two for Thanksgiving. Taking them in that order:
2016 Cabernet Franc Bin 10 ($28). We are down to about fifteen cases of this popular red and it will disappear soon from our menu. As most of you already know, it is a medium-bodied cab franc with notes of pepper and red fruit. We hate to see this one go, but we have some good reds coming to replace it in the spring! ABV 12.5%.
2019 Albariño ($25). After the near-continuous deluge of 2018, our 2019 albariño harvest was small—but the vines put their heart and soul into making seven cases of wine. This albariño is delicate in fragrance, fruity in taste, and silky in texture, making it Joan’s favorite of all our 2019 wines. We’ve been saving it for members of the wine club, and we’re thinking of keeping some of what’s left after our club distribution for another kind of distribution: Christmas presents. (And possibly for a little personal consumption!) ABV 12.7%.
2019 Vidal Blanc ($20). Pale gold, with an aroma of honeysuckle and a taste of melon, this Vidal reminds us of lunch in a summer garden. (Joan says “Bob wrote this, so take it with a grain of salt!” But speaking of salt, casual empiricism tells us both that this wine pairs very well with Tostitos and a spicy guacamole.) This is a wine we hope you will love. ABV 13.2%
2017 River Rocks ($35). This is our first try at a sparkling wine made using the “traditional method,” and we are very excited about the result. We made the base (Vidal Blanc) in fall 2017, harvesting the grapes a bit early in order to create a bone-dry wine with relatively low alcohol and good acid. In January 2019 we added a bit of extra yeast and sugar and bottled immediately. The secondary in-bottle fermentation thus begun added additional alcohol, a lot of bubbles, and (over time) a nutty, yeasty taste to the wine. In October 2020, after aging the bottled wine on its lees for another 23 months (and coddling it considerably), we began disgorging the old yeast remains and leveling up the bottles. The final sparkling wine is dry, packed with tiny bubbles, and delicious (we think) to drink either in a celebratory toast or with a wide variety of foods. We hope you’ll like it as much as we do! ABV 13.5%
After the Links Bridge Wine Club 15% discount and Maryland’s 9% alcohol tax, the price of this selection for club members is $100.06.
As always, you may substitute other wines for those in the selection, add extra wines (also at the member discount), or both. Just email us at linksbridgevineyards@gmail.com by the deadline date, Saturday November 28, and let us know what you’d like to do.
3. How to Join the Links Bridge Wine Club
We invite you to join the wine club simply by purchasing our December selection.
To get this started, send us an email before the deadline date (Saturday, November 28) at linksbridgevineyards@gmail.com. Use WINE CLUB as the subject line. Please include in your email:
- Your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number.
- Whether you would like to make any substitutions. (For information about our other wines, look at the “Our Wines” page in our website—just click here.)
On the day following the deadline date, we will send an invoice to your email address that bills you for the December selection, adjusted for any substitutions you requested. This invoice will come to you from Square, the same well-known point-of-sale system that we use for transactions at our tasting room. You will be invited to pay this invoice online with a credit or debit card.
At the same time, Square will also present you with the option to save your card details in order to facilitate subsequent wine club transactions. We will need you to do this in order to make our wine club system work. Please note, however, that your card information will be housed securely with Square rather than at Links Bridge Vineyards.
Once you’ve purchased the December selection and placed your card information on file with Square, you are officially a Links Bridge Wine Club member. (And our communications about subsequent wine club selections will be a lot shorter!)
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October 28, 2020 / News
Links Bridge Vineyards Blue Moon Watching Party
Hello all!
The second full moon in October, called a Blue Moon, will rise at 6:29 on Saturday, October 31, just after sunset. We invite you to watch this spectacle with us from 6:00-7:30 that evening.
We will fire up the fire pit and turn on the patio heaters (all two of them). To help you watch the moon, we’ll serve something that might be Smoking Bishop, a mysterious beverage mentioned by Charles Dickens, but in any case will be a delicious hot mulled wine. We’ll pair the wine with moon-worthy cheeses, bread, and chocolate. Bring a blanket or warm jacket and help us drink a toast to the moon! (Costumes not required, but please bring a mask.)
The cost is $25 per person. Our space is limited, especially given the present social distancing rules, so you’ll need a reservation. If you’d like to join us, send us an email to reserve a table, letting us know how many people will be in your party.
Send your reservation email to: linksbridgevineyards@gmail.com. If you have questions, give us a call at 301-466-2413 or 301-602-5733.
Hope to see you here!
Joan & Bob
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August 25, 2020 / News
Goat Yoga in the Morning!
We are excited to tell you that Goat Yoga is returning to Links Bridge Vineyards on Saturday August 29 from 10am-Noon.
Before your one-hour class, savor a glass of sangria. After class, enjoy a glass of wine on our new tasting room terrace. Take a stroll along the Monocacy River. Bring a picnic or try one of our charcuterie platters. Buy a bottle of wine and enjoy the rest of your afternoon up on the terrace or down by the river.
Relax, exercise, and enjoy!
Register for the class here on the Goat for the Soul website. Sangria, the goat yoga class, and the after-class glass of wine are all included in the $39 ticket price. Children are welcome (for goat yoga, not for wine!).
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July 9, 2020 / News
Wine Barrel Furniture on Display
At our tasting room, July 18-19 and 25-26
We are fortunate to live just up the street from master woodworker Roger Crist. Roger has been making wine and cheese trays for us almost since we opened. Not long ago, when we realized we would need a way to keep wineglasses from blowing over in the breeze during outdoor tastings, he created a new serving tray for this purpose and on short notice made a couple dozen of them for us
Lately, Roger has also been dismantling our retired oak wine barrels and making very stylish furniture from their component parts. We will have his creations on display at the tasting room over the July 17-19 and 24-26 weekends. We invite you to come by to take a look!
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June 29, 2020 / News
Goats Yoga is Here Again!
We are excited to tell you that Goat Yoga is returning to Links Bridge Vineyards on:
Saturday, July 18, 3-5 pm
Saturday, August 29, 10 am-Noon
Saturday, October 3, 3-5 pm
Goat yoga is a special, heartwarming kind of yoga, fun for yogis at every skill level. Cute, engaging, and lovable, these little goats will participate in the class, encouraging you to new physical and mental heights.
Before your one-hour class, savor a glass of sangria. After class, enjoy a glass of wine on our new tasting room patio. Take a stroll along the Monocacy River. Bring a picnic or pre-order one of our charcuterie platters. Buy a bottle of wine and enjoy the rest of your afternoon up on the patio or down by the river.
Relax, exercise, and enjoy!
Register for the class here on the Goat for the Soul website. Sangria, the goat yoga class, and the after-class glass of wine are all included in the $39 ticket price. Children are welcome (for goat yoga, not for wine).
After you register, please call us or send an email to reserve a cheese and charcuterie platter (cost $18, serves two to four) to enjoy with wine after the class (301-466-2413).
Phone: 301-466-2413
Email: linksbridgevineyards@gmail.com
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