Summary
Meet Callie Hancock of Corteau Vineyards! Managing 17 grape varieties over 13 acres, Callie balances vineyard duties with pursuing viticulture degrees. Visit Corteau Vineyards to experience her dedication firsthand!
July 2024 Grower Highlight – Callie Hancock of Corteau Vineyards
Maryland’s wine industry is one of inspiration and ingenuity. There are many growers who are well-deserved to be recognized, so that is just what I am going to do each month! Once a month, a Maryland grape grower will be highlighted to tell their story, give them a platform to speak to what they feel is important in the industry or to take the opportunity and discuss whatever they would like!
Although the demand of her duties as a Vineyard Manager in charge of growing 17 different varieties (3 of them are experimental rows) over 13 acres is great, she still carves out time to continue her viticultural education by taking classes towards a viticulture degree. Her passion for the outdoors and love of working in the vines has prompted her to work towards this degree, being followed by a business and horticulture degree to round things out. Involvement in academics and research has been something she has enjoyed, volunteering her vines and working with researcher Mengjun Hu from UMD as well as Joe Fiola in different disease and vine trials.
The vineyards she manages grows Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Sangiovese, Touriga Nacional, Pinotage, Gamay, Sangiovese, and Mourvedre for the reds. For the whites they grow Vidal Blanc, Albarino, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Viogner, and Petit Manseng. She particularly likes working with Tannat and Petit Manseng, as they seem to always do what they’re told (which is a rare quality in a grapevine!) and doesn’t much like working with Petit Verdot due to its less than cooperative nature and it being so difficult to keep up with. She has been employing regenerative farming practices in the vineyard to improve soil health and overall vineyard performance. Step one for her was focusing on the vineyard floor. She immediately traded herbicide sprays for under vine cultivation by a finger tiller that severs the roots of weeds and leaves them as a mulch covering the soil. She has also traded mowing for crimping of weeds and grasses in the vineyard to reduce tractor passes and build soil organic matter and reduce soil compaction. The next steps will be to incorporate biologicals into her spray program and work towards a composting operation on the farm.
Callie enjoys the seasonal aspect of grape growing, and looks forward to each stage of the growing season. Working in the vineyard is her happy place, and she loves the peace and satisfaction that a hard day among the vines can bring. As we all know, growing grapes in Maryland can be challenging, but Callie thrives taking on each new aspect of a vintage and being kept on her toes. When Callie is not in the vineyard she enjoys hiking and making jewelry with her friends in her local Craft Club.
I would encourage everyone in the industry to take a lesson from Callie in working and sharing knowledge with others. Though her passion for vineyards is great, what truly makes the grape growing industry in Maryland special for her is the people. I’d highly encourage everyone to take a trip to Corteau Vineyards and taste the fruit of Callies hard work for yourself!
If you’d like to be featured in one of our monthly grape grower highlights, please reach out to me, Glenn Lucas, at glenn@m-avs.com. I love getting to know the wonderful people in our industry and relish the opportunity to promote others.