Discover Delmarva: Salted Vines Vineyard & Winery
FRANKFORD, De- Salted Vines Vineyard and Winery in Frankford offers award-winning products and stunning views for visitors. Owner and Operator Adrian Mobilia tells us they have broad appeal for anyone looking to “fill up” their glass! “For the people who like sweet wines. We have got a lot of native American varieties. Concord, Niagara, Delaware, stuben,”
Their vineyard surrounds their tasting room and wine-making operation. Where all the magic and science happens to bring the grapes off the vine to your glass. Believe it or not, Mobilia tells us the science behind growing these grapes all starts right beneath your feet. “Your first part is trying to understand your soil type and your climate. And you have to talk to nurseries and figure out what varieties can grow here and within the variety, which clone.”
We went outside to check out the soil. Being so close to the coast, the sandy nature of the soil can bring some challenges for the grapes, but Mobilia says the soil is the lesser of the issues here. The bigger problem? The Ocean! “So when we get these very humid nights, and you go out as we did earlier, and you touch the berries, and all that water is coming off of them. If we don’t have a good breeze in the morning, plus sunlight to dry out quickly. The longer the incubation period is.”
Challenges from the climate and soil are hard enough, but a new set of issues arrive as that sweet candy starts to ripen on the vine known as “veraison.” Mobilia says, “Veraison typically begins in mid-August, and that’s when the fruit starts to turn color. The grapes start to build sugar as they ripen, and then we’re going to drop the bird netting to protect the candy out there from the deer and the birds.”
Protection from wildlife helps preserve the sweet stuff-so they can make their delicious catalog of wines. After growing the grapes and ironing out the scientific process in wine making. The most important question has yet to be answered. What style of wine should be made? Mobilia says this is a very challenging part of the process: “The styles that the twenty-something year olds want today vs what the older generation wants, where they’re buying wine to put away. Two different styles.”
With great views, their venue lends itself to a perfect way to spend an afternoon. Whether you like red, white, dry, sweet, or even slushy, you’ll find your way to the right vine.
Adrian says they have a packed calendar over the coming weeks, with a variety of live music and food trucks. They’re open seven days a week- and they offer tastings for as little as $25 per person. To plan your tasting, check out their website.
