Dan Hoffman: 0:08

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Rouse Review. We are, we are episodic. We are episodic. I sometimes say edition. Episode sounds kind of weird, but it's, this is the show.

Sarah Frey: 0:20

It is a show. It is a show.

Dan Hoffman: 0:22

With episodes. So we are episodic. Uh, with me on this episodic adventure is Sarah Fry, our PIO.

Sarah Frey: 0:28

Hello Dan.

Dan Hoffman: 0:29

Hello. Um, I'm going to start off talking about tomorrow night's council meeting. Um, Uh, and then we're going to talk a little bit about what's coming up. We're going to interview Molly Minch from our parks department. Uh, we're going to interview, uh, Tremaine Hatch, Virginia, Virginia vineyard grower of the year. Uh, and hopefully you enjoy it, but let's start off with, um, well, first off, I'm going to start off with the fact that Apple Blossom is almost here. It's getting warmer. We're starting to emerge from the winter. There's blossoms on the trees and Winchester looks fantastic. So, thank you to all of our public services employees that help keep our roadways clean and clear. Thank you to our park staff that keep our parks looking lovely, our facilities team for making sure places like City Hall and the Walking Mall are all prepped and ready to go for the season. It is a beautiful time to be in Winchester. And it's a beautiful day. It's a time to be at our city council meeting too. If you are interested in the budget, tomorrow night is the next step in our budget deliberations. Really, the main decision point in front of council at this point is whether or not to increase the meals tax to fund some of the things that have been requested of them. We are ready to implement, uh, any direction they might give, whether it's keeping the rate the same, uh, whether they increase it by a half a percent or 1%, uh, that is their decision and, um, they need to make one tomorrow night. So, uh, there we go. So, tune in, uh, or stop by if you have an opinion about that. Uh, also on the agenda, there's some administrative items. Um, the other thing that generated more, more discussion than I was, uh, anticipating, uh, in a previous meeting was adopting People, Inc. As a community action agency for us, for those of you who are not aware, community action agency, it's, um, you have to be designated by the state to be a community action agency. Uh, what happens is if the city council decides to recognize them as our community action agency, then, uh, we will join Frederick County, Flark, Flark County, Clark County. Um, I'm just going to start. putting them together. Frederick and Clark. It's Clark County.

Sarah Frey: 2:53

Clark.

Dan Hoffman: 2:53

Clark. We are surrounded by Clark County. Uh, they use People Inc. Uh, People Inc. is a large organization. They do a lot of community development work. Um, particularly they are designated, they have that designation so they can go after certain federal funds that we cannot go after. Whether or not council decides to designate them or not, it really doesn't change much about our day to day. The city is not giving them money. The city, unless city council directs me to, there's no intent to fund them. Um, and I know they've done a bunch of outreach since the last meeting where there was some concerns raised. So it's at the feet of council. They can decide whether or not to do it. Uh, you know, the reality is they will probably do some assistance. To local nonprofits, they will maybe do some affordable housing projects, uh, for the city using some of that federal money, but, uh, it is in council's hands tomorrow night. So that is tomorrow night. Uh, you know, I don't know if it's, it, there's still two more meetings before we really fully adopt the budget. So, uh, the first meeting in May and the second meeting in May, that will conclude our budget process. Uh, so, show up. This is probably the point at which, um, Um, you know, if you're, it's the final chance for really council to make any last minute tweaks or changes to the budget, but the city has cut a significant amount of money from the budget this year to try to stay within our rates and, and the city budget, uh, is. All set and ready to go even if they choose to not, uh, increase the meals tax, so.

Sarah Frey: 4:40

And it won't impact our bond rating or dip into savings.

Dan Hoffman: 4:43

Exactly. I think that is a very important point. Thank you, Sarah. Uh, we do not balance our budget by spending our savings account. We borrow money. We have a, we are triple A bond rated community. Our financials are incredibly strong because we do, uh, budget conservatively, regardless of what you might hear. Uh, we budget conservatively and, um, the bond ratings agencies look to make sure that we can actually pay our bills, that we're not, uh, blowing through our reserves to try to balance a budget. Uh, so yeah, they, they, they watch these decisions. Absolutely. They want to make sure that we're keeping up with our infrastructure, which we are doing our best to try to do. Um, so it is, it's another step in the process. So, uh, show up tomorrow night. If you are so inclined, otherwise you can watch it, uh, online. And with that, uh, let's take a quick break. And Sarah's gonna talk about what's coming up next.

Sarah Frey: 5:50

Do you have a four legged member of the family?

Dan Hoffman: 5:53

Yes.

Sarah Frey: 5:53

Do they bark?

Dan Hoffman: 5:55

Unfortunately, yes.

Sarah Frey: 5:56

Then it's time to get them their 2025 dog tag.

Dan Hoffman: 5:59

Let's do it.

Sarah Frey: 6:00

Alright, all dogs, four months and older. must wear a city dog tag. This helps them get back to where they belong.

Dan Hoffman: 6:10

Absolutely. For a variety of reasons, it's helped us. It helps us manage the pet population. That is a city function. You know, the state requires us to, to do this, uh, not just because it's a good public health measure, but because it's also good for our four legged friends. And there's two things to remember here. All dogs go to heaven. All dogs need a dog tag. So,

Sarah Frey: 6:34

Yes.

Dan Hoffman: 6:35

Where can they get one?

Sarah Frey: 6:36

They can get one between April 1st and April 30th at www. winchesterva. gov. Um, the application is on the website. Take your check into the Treasurer's Office. Mail it into the Treasurer's Office. They've got a drop box outside the Creamery Building at the Treasurer's Office.

Dan Hoffman: 6:51

There you go. Super easy.

Sarah Frey: 6:53

Super easy. Barely

Dan Hoffman: 6:54

an inconvenience.

Sarah Frey: 6:54

Get it done before Apple Blossom. That's your deadline. Speaking of, Apple Blossom's just around the corner. So or later this week if you start your celebrations with Winefest. So if you want to be prepared. And you want to know where the road closings are, when the road closures are, if you want to know when and where you can walk your dog, where you can park, when the parking garages are open, how much the parking garages charge for special events like Apple Blossom, what not to take downtown, who to call if your car gets towed because you didn't listen to my parking instructions on the website. It's all there.

Dan Hoffman: 7:31

WinchesterVA. gov.

Sarah Frey: 7:33

All of it. Right there. It's on the homepage. It's a button. You click it. It's Apple Blossom information. You can also get to it from thebloom. com. They've got a link to our page right on their homepage. All the information you could ever want and need about road closures, parking, anything to do with your car, your pet, what to bring, what not to bring, safety, where to find medics. We got you covered.

Dan Hoffman: 7:51

Yes.

Sarah Frey: 7:53

All right. Later in this podcast, we're going to be talking about maybe my favorite thing of the summer, neighborhood nights, but the. First one is going to be held Thursday, May 9th at Whittier Park. It's going to start with a pickup party from 5. 30 to 6. 30 and then family friendly activities at 6. 30. With this month, we are featuring a touch a truck, not just with public services and their heavy machinery and buses and all kinds of garbage trucks. No, we're also going to have police there. We're going to have fire there. It's going to be amazing. And then, once dusk hits, we're going to be watching a movie in the park. So bring out a blanket, a chair, get cozy, snuggle in with your family, and watch a movie. In your neighborhood park. Sounds

Kit Redmer: 8:32

like a blast.

Sarah Frey: 8:34

We're so excited. It's a busy time of year in the city, but we hope to see you at some of these stuff.

Dan Hoffman: 8:49

And welcome to the show, Molly Minch. Molly Minch of Parks and Rec. Uh, we're going to, uh, We just recorded, well, no we didn't just record, we just had an entire conversation with Molly and Sarah forgot to record it.

Sarah Frey: 9:02

Listen, it's never happened before and it's never going to happen again.

Dan Hoffman: 9:05

Oh, I know, I know. These things happen because you know what? Residents of Winchester City employees are human too. So now I get to do it better the second time around. Molly Minch, 20 year employee of the city, which is shocking to me, uh, because a lot of times when you hear someone say that, Oh, I've been with the city 20 years, you know, they, they. You might look at that person and say, yeah, it seems like about right. But no, I look at Molly and I'm like, you do not look like you've worked here for 20 years. Like there's no way.

Sarah Frey: 9:42

There's no way you've worked anywhere for 20 years. Exactly. That's, that's my

Dan Hoffman: 9:46

point. So, uh, so 20 years with the city, you've been in a bunch of different jobs.

Molly Minch: 9:50

Yep. Um, all with Parks and Rec, but in the various different divisions, most of the time, obviously being a high school student and then a college student, I was a part time employee. I actually worked as a nurse for six years. That's actually what I went to school for. And, um, but I always had my love with the city of Winchester and with Parks and Rec. So, you know, I just hung in there with that part time employee, worked in every single division within Parks and Rec until one day I just decided, you know, there was a full time opening and I applied for it, was honored enough to get it and have just kind of swapped in some different full time roles as well. But yeah, 20 years total.

Dan Hoffman: 10:28

And this is a family affair. Your dad also works for us.

Molly Minch: 10:31

He is, he is, which I love. I love getting to see him and, you know, it, passing by, obviously, because we work in different departments, but he loves the city. He raves about it, tells me about it every night. That's awesome. He loves working here. I love working here. And, you know, I've got a couple other family members that are, you know, either coming into like the age of, you know, you know, 16, one job, one part time job. And they're like, is there anything for me? And, you know, so I'm like,

Dan Hoffman: 10:58

well, it is, he's a, he's a good dude. And we're happy to have both of you here. And you are here today to talk to us about neighborhood night neighbor or neighborhood nights. Cause there's going to be more than one of

Molly Minch: 11:10

us.

Dan Hoffman: 11:10

Tell me about neighborhood nights.

Molly Minch: 11:13

Um, so Neighborhood Nights is, you know, our way of trying to get onto these different community parks. Um, that was really the initial idea of it, because I'm new into this full time role as the Community Recreation Coordinator for Parks and Rec. And, You know, we really wanted to get out into these neighborhood parks that people don't know about and try to connect these local neighborhoods with the parks and city residents, get them out there and, you know, interacting. And, uh, Sarah actually was kind of working on a project of her own. And so we just teamed up to work on these neighborhood nights. And trying to have fun with it, interact with the residents of Winchester. So

Dan Hoffman: 11:51

what's going to happen during a neighborhood night?

Sarah Frey: 11:52

So we're going to start with a good old fashioned pickup party at 530. Awesome. 530 to 630 is our standard first Thursday ish of the month, minus, you know, July when it's um, Fourth of July and Apple Blossom notwithstanding. So May and June don't, or May and July don't follow the pattern, but we aim for the first Thursday and pickup parties, don't forget. 5 percent stormwater.

Dan Hoffman: 12:15

You can get up to 40 percent off if you attend all of them, so.

Sarah Frey: 12:18

Yeah.

Dan Hoffman: 12:18

And now you get a, you get all this fun stuff that goes along with it too.

Sarah Frey: 12:21

Yeah, so after the pickup party, Molly, tell us what happens because this is where the fun comes in.

Molly Minch: 12:25

Yes, so Parks and Rec kind of brings the party, uh, to the pickup party with some family friendly activities, different games, um, there's going to be food, which You know, Sarah, I know has worked really hard on and can touch on as well. Um, different city divisions are going to bring out like, we're going to have a touch a truck event, um, things like that. So I don't know if you want to touch on that.

Sarah Frey: 12:48

Yeah. So we're so excited. This parks and rec driving force biggest, biggest piece of this has been parks and rec, but it's not just parks and rec. It's every department in the city.

Dan Hoffman: 12:59

Who else has that?

Sarah Frey: 13:00

So, starting with public services.

Dan Hoffman: 13:03

Mm

Sarah Frey: 13:03

hmm. God bless those folks in public services because they do They do amazing

Dan Hoffman: 13:07

work.

Sarah Frey: 13:07

And they do everything.

Dan Hoffman: 13:08

Absolutely.

Sarah Frey: 13:09

And they do it without any complaints. Yep. And they are just there and silent but mighty.

Dan Hoffman: 13:14

They're picking up your trash. They're keeping, uh, You know, they also work with parks to make sure, you know, a lot of the grounds are nice and clean. They pick up your, they do all the storm water work. Oh, they drive your buses.

Sarah Frey: 13:30

They drive your buses. They make sure our streets are good. Oh yeah.

Dan Hoffman: 13:33

Street cleaning, all that stuff. Oh,

Sarah Frey: 13:34

so they're phenomenal. And they are bringing out all of their big equipment and helping us set up a touch truck for the May event. And we're so excited because my four year old this morning driving in to daycare went and It's a garbage truck! It's a garbage truck! Mommy, it's a garbage truck! So, you know. I know I'm not the only one. Oh, no, I got a two year old that's excited, too.

Dan Hoffman: 13:58

I'm happy to be out of that phase. Uh, but, you know, even a grown man like me gets a little excited when he sees a trash truck, so.

Sarah Frey: 14:04

I mean, that. Mainly

Dan Hoffman: 14:04

because I get to wave to the guys because I know

Sarah Frey: 14:06

them.

Dan Hoffman: 14:07

Well. But that's, uh. That's

Sarah Frey: 14:08

fair, that's fair.

Dan Hoffman: 14:09

But it's also, yeah.

Sarah Frey: 14:09

But I bet you also get excited about seeing, like, the excavators and the front end loaders. Oh, yeah. And who doesn't love big, heavy pieces of machinery? The last, the last

Dan Hoffman: 14:16

touch a truck thing we did out of public services, We let the kids paint the, uh, the bucket on a, I think it was a bulldozer or something. It was a snow

Sarah Frey: 14:25

plow.

Dan Hoffman: 14:26

It was a snow plow. That's right. It was the plow on a snow plow. And they let the kids basically finger paint on the big scoop in front of the snow plow. So, very fun.

Sarah Frey: 14:35

And if I remember correctly, I think Dan did more finger painting than the kids

Dan Hoffman: 14:38

that day. I did. I did. I dunked my hands in red paint and put my hands on it. And then I, I didn't think. I spent the next, uh, 10 to 15 minutes trying to scrape as much red paint off my hands as I could. But it was a lot of fun.

Sarah Frey: 14:54

Yeah. So, and on top of that, they're also running our pickup parties, which are just incredible. Yep. Anyway, I could gush about public services for days. So I will stop. But we've also got fire and rescue involved. They're going to be running and taking over all of the activities at our June event. And they're going to be doing like, how to make sure your car seats are installed correctly, making sure there's awareness about how to prevent fires at your house, letting the kids climb all over the fire trucks, seeing firefighters in turnout gear so it's not scary, all of that cool kind of stuff. And then

Molly Minch: 15:32

Yeah. And then in July, we actually have the police department coming out to interact. Um, that's going to be the one at Timbrook Park. And they're going to be there to play games with the kids, offer fingerprinting, just interact with the kids, um, you know, form those good bonds. So again, you know, you see a police officer, it's not scary. And then they're going to see if they can get McGruff, the, uh, crime dog out there.

Dan Hoffman: 15:52

Awesome.

Molly Minch: 15:53

Visit the kids.

Dan Hoffman: 15:54

And these parks, you know, they're places that, you know, Some folks might not know where they are. I mean, Weaver's a pretty big one, you know, just down in that kind of the ward three part of the city, uh, off of Pleasant Valley, South Pleasant Valley road. That one's a big one. Folks know Whittier, uh, up off of Amherst. Folks know that one, but Park Place might be, might be one you're not particularly familiar with. Park Place is over off Harvest and Beehive. Very beautiful playground out there. Uh, that's one that, you know, you might not be aware of. And Timbrook. is actually right next to the police department. Yes, it

Sarah Frey: 16:28

is.

Dan Hoffman: 16:29

Uh, community garden. There's a few other things out there too. Basketball courts, playgrounds,

Sarah Frey: 16:33

swing sets. It's a pocket

Dan Hoffman: 16:35

park right over there.

Sarah Frey: 16:35

Yeah.

Dan Hoffman: 16:36

Yeah. And that's, you know, a lot of that, we have these pocket parts because it's a stated goal of the city council that they want to put a, a park within a 10 minute walk of every resident in the city. We still got a couple of holes, but you know, parks like these, Help fulfill that vision, including the new ones we've added, like Poles Park and, uh, enhancements we've made to Douglas Park and some of the others. Uh, cause of course it's, although we, uh, Jim Barnett Park is the, is the crown jewel. It's our, it's our central park, right? When we, it is always going to be the biggest one, uh, and it's always going to have the most stuff in it. Uh, but you know, a lot of these other parks, they're, they're, they're Hopefully within a 10 minute walkie.

Sarah Frey: 17:15

And a lot of them have shelters and playgrounds and just a great place to go and be with your family.

Dan Hoffman: 17:20

Absolutely.

Sarah Frey: 17:21

Well, and the other thing about Neighborhood Nights is we didn't even get to the crown jewel of Neighborhood Nights and why this conversation between Molly and I started. That.

Molly Minch: 17:32

Yeah, so, you know, nothing better. Like, everything is so expensive nowadays. Going to the movies is, you know, no exception to that. And, so, Parks and Rec is actually going to be hosting, um, having movie nights out at these parks.

Dan Hoffman: 17:44

Oh, that's awesome.

Molly Minch: 17:44

These neighborhood parks. And, uh, so, yeah, it's a good time to bring a blanket, bring out some chairs, sit with your family, and just finish out the night and watch a movie together.

Sarah Frey: 17:53

Rumor has it, um, Fire and Rescue is even going to hook us up with some popcorn for this.

Dan Hoffman: 17:57

That's awesome. Yeah. So, four of them. Starting May 9th, Whittier Park. June 6th, Park Place. July 1st, Timbrook.

Sarah Frey: 18:07

July 11th.

Dan Hoffman: 18:08

Thank you very much. July 11th, Timbrook. And August 1st, Weaver Park. So, check one of those out. If somebody wants to find out more information about them, Sarah.

Sarah Frey: 18:20

www. winchesterva. gov

Dan Hoffman: 18:23

Fantastic. Uh, anything else that folks should know? No.

Sarah Frey: 18:28

Come out and learn more about your neighborhood parks, get to know your neighbors, get to know the city. We're going to have cool stuff from the city at these events. Find out all the services that we offer because I guarantee you, you don't know them all. I don't think I know them all.

Dan Hoffman: 18:42

We do a lot.

Sarah Frey: 18:43

We do a lot and we want to make sure we're making sure that you know what we can do to help you.

Dan Hoffman: 18:49

There will be city staff out at all these events to answer any question you might have. Absolutely.

Sarah Frey: 18:54

Absolutely.

Dan Hoffman: 18:55

Thank you guys very much. Uh, this sounds like a ton of fun again, winchesterva. gov, uh, if you want more information and come join us at one of these, uh, over the summer. Thank you guys very much. Uh, we're going to take a quick break and when we get back, we're going to interview Tremaine Hatch, Virginia Vineyard Grower of the Year.

Sarah Frey: 19:23

I'm being joined today by our communications director, Kit Redmer. Say hi, Kit.

Kit Redmer: 19:28

Hey, Cara. Hey, everybody.

Sarah Frey: 19:30

And Tremaine Hatch, who is a local resident and most recently won Grape Grower of the Year by the VVA, which is the Virginia Vineyards Association. Hi, Tremaine. Howdy. All right. So we have a lot of great information that we're going to be getting out of Tremaine, but I'm going to hand it over to Kit to start off this conversation.

Kit Redmer: 19:55

Yeah, I, you know, saw the article that came out in the Winchester Star, I think a few weeks ago, Tremaine, and it detailed your award and a little bit of your history and the science behind the award. And I think that really piqued our interest in both Sarah and myself, you know, to learn a little more about, you know, what kind of projects you're working on, but also kind of the state of wine growing here in Winchester. I'm fairly new to the community, so, um, You know, admittedly, I'm ignorant, but I did never really thought of Winchester as kind of, you know, like a peak wine, uh, focused area. You know, you generally think of other parts of Northern Virginia for that. And so maybe talk to us a little bit, I guess, you know, start with maybe, um, your history, kind of what led you into this area of work and, you know, what is this area known for and how does it contribute to the sector?

Tremain Hatch: 20:43

Sure, sure. There's a lot there, but, um, I'll start with my history first. So I grew up on a dairy farm in Leesburg, Virginia, just out in Loudoun County and the dairy industry wasn't doing so hot. So we got out of, uh, milking cows in 1986 and switched over to beef cattle. And then right around 2000, we started selling beef cattle. Beef at farmers markets directly to consumers and so that helped us kind of switch the farm around and selling directly to consumers. We tried strawberries and that didn't work so well and then in 2002 we planted our first grapes and now we run cattle, we um, produce some meat lamb and we grow grapes and make wine and sell that wine directly to consumer.

Kit Redmer: 21:35

And let everybody know what's the name of the farm and where's it located.

Tremain Hatch: 21:37

Sure, sure. So there's actually two, uh, names. So the entire farm is called Mill Road Farm, and it's just south of Leesburg. And then the winery is called Zephaniah. As we're selling alcohol, we've got to have a different entity for that component of the farm.

Kit Redmer: 21:52

Gotcha. Okay. So, that led you into, you know, a whole variety of areas, um, then how did you follow up on that? How did, did you go somewhere to study about wine, um, how did it become a profession for you?

Tremain Hatch: 22:05

Sure, sure. So, again, that took a couple steps, but, um, I did a study abroad. During college, and I actually went to Northern Italy on the eastern side. So near Austria and Alto Adige. And that was like a fairy tale in a sense, but we were on a vineyard and I really enjoyed the work and I was able to tie it to what my folks were doing at home. Then, after undergrad, I went back and I got a job at that site just because it was a great experience and I had a lot of fun there. And that really verified that, you know, growing grapes is something that I'm really interested in. So I came back to Virginia and got a job at a local winery in Loudoun County called Willowcroft. And I learned a lot, um, but I had a lot of questions about why we were doing a lot of activities in the vineyard that we were doing. So I enrolled at Virginia Tech for a master's degree in viticulture. And there's not a viticulture department. I was working in the horticulture department and focusing on grapes. That introduced me to the A REC just south of Winchester, which is a Virginia Tech facility that focuses on tree fruit and wine grape research and extension activities. And um, I did my fieldwork there in, here in Winchester and then my classwork in Blacksburg, Virginia. So that really, um, tied a lot of things together and that was my first time living in Winchester when I'd be at the AREC working during the summers and that was in 2008 and 2009.

Kit Redmer: 23:40

Alright, that's fascinating. And I have to say, I learned a new word today. Viticulture?

Tremain Hatch: 23:44

Mm hmm. Yeah. So that's really how grapevines exist in the environment and the study of how, um, how the environment can influence them. Fascinating.

Sarah Frey: 23:55

That is fascinating. So since you've left Virginia Tech in 2008, do they now have more of a viticulture focused master's degree program or is it all still just under horticulture?

Tremain Hatch: 24:06

It's still under horticulture. There is, I believe, a minor in viticulture now that's open to folks that are studying plants.

Sarah Frey: 24:14

Okay.

Tremain Hatch: 24:15

And there's, fermentation sciences.

Sarah Frey: 24:19

Oh, that's cool. Because I know that the alcohol industry in Virginia has just exploded in the last 15 years. So it's just interesting to see how the research and the academics are backing it up.

Tremain Hatch: 24:30

Sure, sure, sure.

Kit Redmer: 24:31

Yeah. And talk to us a little bit about the ARAC facility.

Tremain Hatch: 24:34

Yeah. So there's been a long history of tree fruit in the Shenandoah Valley. And so the ARAC has a long history here in Winchester and, um, Originally, there was a site here in Winchester City, um, on Valley, uh, near, now there's a Wells Fargo on the, kind of headed south on Valley.

Sarah Frey: 24:55

Um, over off Hope Drive.

Tremain Hatch: 24:56

Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Right. Right. And then, in, I believe it was 1993, that facility moved out to its current location, uh, down Middle Road and off Laurel Grove Road. And so, there's a 124 acre farm. that conducts research on tree fruit and wine grapes. Um, And how those production systems can be enhanced in, in our environment here in Virginia.

Kit Redmer: 25:20

Oh, that's really cool. And so how does that, I mean, just kind of be devil's advocate, I mean, how does that then help the industry? How does that help the sector? Sure. So You know, the research that you're doing there.

Tremain Hatch: 25:29

So farms don't really have research and development on farm. And so we do that at the state level. And then that information is made available to growers across the state. And the facility here in Winchester is part of the network, so there's more than a dozen of these stations around the state that deal with, uh, turf, uh, to aquaculture down in Hampton Roads. And then it makes sense that the facility here, uh, in the Northern Shenandoah Valley focuses on tree fruit and wine grapes.

Kit Redmer: 25:57

And thereby helping our vineyards be more competitive?

Tremain Hatch: 26:01

Yeah, and just to enhance their production and efficiency, find ways to reduce risk in a challenging environment.

Sarah Frey: 26:10

Um, so you were talking about how we all know we have our long history of fruit growing and the apples and apple blossom and all of that. Have you seen any orchardists switching from tree fruit to grapes or is the land just conducive to that up here? What's kind of that background look like?

Tremain Hatch: 26:27

Yeah. So the production systems are pretty similar between a wine grapes and tree fruit where it's a perennial plant that's going to be in the ground for a number of years. Um, I am not aware of any tree fruit growers right around here that have moved into grapes, but there's a couple examples in central Virginia in Nelson County where, uh, there's, uh, growers that grow tree fruit and, uh, wine grapes as well.

Sarah Frey: 26:52

Oh, fantastic. I have another, um, question. Question for you. What is the best type of varietal that we grow around this area?

Tremain Hatch: 27:00

Uh, that's a tricky Are you showing off, sir?

Sarah Frey: 27:02

I'm just, I'm just genuinely curious.

Tremain Hatch: 27:05

Yeah, so there's about a dozen varieties that grow really well in Virginia. And so, um, wineries have an option between these, you know, dozen or so varieties that work pretty well. And then it's a focus of what works best, a variety that they can market well, that they want to make that wine from. Interesting. That is really

Kit Redmer: 27:26

interesting. And talk to us a little, again, congratulations for your award, you know, Grape Grower of the Year. That's pretty awesome. Um, what was that award based on? What did you have to do to win that award?

Tremain Hatch: 27:36

So I, I, I, I, first, I, I really, uh, enjoy working with the industry. And so for the past 11 years, um, I worked for Virginia Tech and I was a research and extension associate, really focused on wine grapes. was the viticulturist for the state, Dr. Tony Wolfe. And so I really got to be at the forefront of conducting research, but also answering questions, kind of, uh, leading the extension side of his program, which is really troubleshooting in vineyard. So when something goes wrong, Trying to address what potentially happened or providing information for people that are interested in developing new vineyards, you know, new grow workshops, that sort of thing. So I, uh, it allowed me to work in the industry and have a lot of fun. And I really, um, appreciate everybody in that industry. So it means a lot to be recognized by them.

Kit Redmer: 28:35

It does. You've made us all proud, Jermaine. And you are a Winchester resident? I am, yes. You're here with your family? Yes, yes. You said you guys live up in the North End? Mm hmm. And you've been here since 2015, is that right?

Tremain Hatch: 28:48

So, yeah, um, we moved to the North Side in 2015. Uh, I guess I moved into town in 2010, permanently. Very cool. So you obviously like Winchester. I do, I do. It's a great community and it's been, uh, um, just a fun time. I

Sarah Frey: 29:06

love it. I love to hear it. Um, so what do you think people don't understand about growing grapes in Virginia that you kind of wish they did know about? If you could educate the folks on whatever you wanted to, what would it be?

Tremain Hatch: 29:21

So, Grapes are a challenging crop to grow, like a lot of perennial crops, but there's a great market for the wine that they can produce. So I liken it to say that Virginia is probably one of the more difficult places to grow grapes across the world, but we're in one of the best wine markets in the world. And so, that, uh, there's an advantage to folks that can grow high quality fruit and make it into wine around here because there's consumer interest in that wine.

Sarah Frey: 29:49

Interesting. I hadn't considered it that way. So it's more of that agritourism piece of the puzzle than it is necessarily the grapes are just so fantastic and they just make such high quality Napa style wines out here.

Tremain Hatch: 30:01

Sure. Sure. Sure. You know, um, one of the tricky things in the wine industry is a lot of folks say, well, I really enjoyed this wine from Tuscany. What, how can we make that wine in Virginia? And that's a really difficult approach to take, to say, how can I make something that's identical to something grown in this other environment? How? How? How? What we're trying to address is how can we make the best quality wine for Virginia that's going to be known as the Virginia wine and not a wine similar to what you can find in Napa or Tuscany or some other place.

Sarah Frey: 30:34

That's interesting.

Kit Redmer: 30:35

That is, yeah. Interesting.

Sarah Frey: 30:37

Is that part of getting people used to the different varietals and the things that actually grow well here?

Tremain Hatch: 30:41

It is. It is. And that's a really fun part of what I did with Extension. We helped facilitate conversations between growers and winemakers so that we can increase the learning curve so that folks that have been in the industry for 40 years share the information that they've gained with folks that are just starting in the industry and helping that conversation grow. Because it's a perennial crop, we don't want to plant a vineyard and then replace that vineyard in one or two years. We want to make the best informed decision from the onset. So that we've got high quality fruit being produced.

Sarah Frey: 31:15

Because, what's the life cycle of a grapevine? Like, I know apple trees only last, what, like 10 or so years, so.

Tremain Hatch: 31:22

Yeah, so, ideally we'd want a vineyard to be in production for 20 to 25 years. And it's not so much that the grapevine, falls apart after that time duration, but the infrastructure, the posts, the wires of the trellis, you know, 25 years is a long life for a post out of a vineyard. And also stylistically, as we're a new industry, we learn a lot. So in 25 years, the planting techniques that were used are pretty outdated and it's time to think about how to make, how to renew that block.

Sarah Frey: 31:56

I hadn't considered that part of it.

Kit Redmer: 31:58

Speaking of fruit and a low hanging fruit for the

Sarah Frey: 32:02

vineyards that you work with. Yeah,

Kit Redmer: 32:03

so you like the pun? I love

Sarah Frey: 32:05

it.

Kit Redmer: 32:05

What, what are some low hanging fruit that you talk to some of the vineyards about? I mean, what are some of the practical things they can do to improve their crop that

Tremain Hatch: 32:11

you see? Well, the most important thing is where the vineyard is situated. Okay. And comparing grapes to something like livestock, grapes are set in place. And so when we have a really cold temperature, spring frost, we need that to be in the most protected place on that farm where, for example, with spring frost, if they're in a low lying area, they're just in more risk to being frost whether it, than if they're on the high ground. And so there's been a lot of information gained by the tree food industry around here of where on a landscape, you're going to have the most. Uh, sustainable production and where on a landscape it's going to be more difficult to produce fruit.

Kit Redmer: 32:56

Wow. So in other words, you might want to get the word out this week, is what you're

Tremain Hatch: 33:00

saying.

Kit Redmer: 33:01

Mm hmm. Fantastic. Or, or should I say four weeks ago?

Sarah Frey: 33:06

I say, full disclaimer, we, we recorded this before you're hearing it. So it's currently a, chilly March day for us here in Winchester.

Kit Redmer: 33:16

Yes. That day has long since passed when you're hearing this.

Sarah Frey: 33:20

I'm hoping by today it's warm and 70.

Kit Redmer: 33:24

I think it's supposed to get colder.

Sarah Frey: 33:26

Don't tell me that. Spring has sprung. I'm ready for spring.

Kit Redmer: 33:29

You're here.

Sarah Frey: 33:31

Well, Tremaine, thank you so much for sharing. all of this information with us. Um, you have just been a wealth of knowledge. And, um, if anybody does have questions about growing grapes in the area, where can they go to find that? Like, what's the easiest way to get that information?

Tremain Hatch: 33:49

Sure. So there's a great network, uh, through Virginia Cooperative Extension and Virginia Tech. And so, uh, they can count, contact their county agent, uh, here in North, um, Virginia. It's, uh, Mark Sutphin, who's a great resource in the area. And then if they want more detailed information, there's a viticulturalist at Virginia Tech, Dr. Drew Harner, and he's a great resource for folks that want to learn more about growing grapes in the environment.

Sarah Frey: 34:14

Fantastic. Awesome. Well, Tremaine, thank you so much for joining us. It's been an absolute pleasure. I think we all learned a ton that we did not know beforehand. And thanks so much.

Tremain Hatch: 34:25

Oh, sure. Thank you all so much. It's been fun. Thanks, Tremaine.

Dan Hoffman: 34:36

Thanks for joining us on the Rouse Review. Next time we'll be talking about the neighborhood design districts, uh, which many of you, uh, may already know about if you attended, uh, the open house regarding the Cedar Valley district, um, last week, uh, there, but we're also going to be talking about Blue Ridge United. I'm sure we're going to be talking about the new fields out at out at Jim Burnham Park. Right? Strong possibility. Very strong possibility. Uh, so please tune in next time and until then, we'll see you around City Hall.