COTSWOLD SHEEP PROJECT: Several years ago my husband bought some Cotswold Sheep. They are a rare and ancient breed brought by Romans at the time of Christ to England. These sheep gravitated to the Cotswold Hills in Wales and southwest England as they were the only breed to thrive in these harsh conditions. Greenbrier Cotswold is growing a flock of pure Cotswolds. At this time there are both pure Cotswold lamb  and partial Cotswold lamb for sale. Ground lamb, chops and, my favorite, leg steaks are available. Call 304-667-8843 for prices.

SPRING: Where is it? I can see purple, white and yellow crocus in bloom. And some daffodil buds. But I also see snow. In the vineyard all the pruning is done. The vines are still  dormant awaiting to bud and bloom.  In the winery bottling of Blackberry is complete. Sweet Charlotte is next.

NEW WINES: Just as there are trends in fashion and colors, there are trends in wine preferences. Frank and I are seeing an increased call for very sweet wines i.e. Moscato. While we cannot grow that grape we can sweeten our wines to that degree. Thus, Sweet Charlotte, Sweet Lucie and Blueberry and Elderberry have been sweetened to meet the demand for sweet wines.

WINE SPECIAL: 2009 LEON MILLOT now selling for $10 per bottle. Or buy two bottles receive one free. That's 3 bottles of 2009 Leon Millot for $20. That's a great deal!

AWARD WINNER: Our Chambourcin 2009 was award a gold medal in this year's Wine of the South competition sponsored by the University of Tennessee.

Check out www.WVFarm2U for more information about us. It's a great site with stories about farmer's markets, restaurants that serve local foods, wineries, people and generally interesting info.

The tasting room has available several gift items...insulated wine bags in lovely prints made by my sister in Alaska, useful kitchen towels, cocktail napkins and coasters.  The wine crackers we serve are also for sale. We can also do a gift basket for your holiday giving.

LIFE IS GOOD! See you at a festival or at the tasting room. Our wines are also available at retail outlets in West Virginia. Inwood Farmer's Market has a great selection of our wine and other wonderful and local food products and crafts.

Watts Roost Vineyard is owned by Frank & Barbara Tuckwiller. What had started out as a retirement dream has turned into reality. There were a few bumps along the way, but now they tend to 9,000 plants on 9 acres and welcome visitors who stop by. Established in 1998, the vines flourish at the foot of Muddy Creek Mountain near Lewisburg, WV. The French hybrid vines are nurtured by the early morning sun and warm rains on an eastern slope. Award-winning wine is created on-site. The winter 2011 issue of the Greenbrier Valley Quarterly (www.gvquarterly.com).   has a wonderful article on our vineyard.  We've come a long way.  We were previously featured in 2008 April/May issue of West Virginia South magazine, pages 10-12. Check out the PDF or TEXT of the feature "Watts Roost Vineyard: A visit worth savoring".