A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – March 2026
March 23, 2026
We’ve finally hit that exciting part of the year where we know that a season of growth is right around the
Well, where exactly do we start. The last few months have been anything but normal. I’m sure by now most have heard of the devastating freeze on April 21st. Though it’s been 2 months since the incident, the effects are lasting. As I type this with our vineyards in the background, it’s easy to see just how far behind the growing season is. Let’s start by breaking down what happened exactly.
At 5:30am on April 21st the temperature at our vineyard dropped to 24 degrees. Though we had our frost fans running and had initiated other protective measures, none of them could overcome the drastic temperature drop to 8 degrees below freezing. In the matter of a few short hours, the vines suffered immense damage by not only freezing the primary bud (the most fruitful), but also most of the secondary buds which would have provided a decreased crop load. The remaining tertiary bud is alive on most of our vineyards, keeping the plant alive while not providing any fruit. We are anticipating a 90% yield loss for 2026, which is still hard to wrap my mind around. In specific blocks, we’ve also seen the freeze of that last remaining tertiary bud which has caused vine death. We’ll have to pull these plants and replant them in 2027 or 2028. The most notable to receive the harshest damage was unfortunately our Barbera.
Although the story could easily end with the doom and gloom of a suffering vineyard, there are some exciting opportunities ahead of us. To compensate for the lost crop, we’ll be contracting with renowned growers across the USA to deliver grapes to our winery door, allowing us to work with new and exciting varieties we haven’t made wine from before. Think Grüner Vetlinier, Sangiovese, and Syrah to name a few. Perhaps we’ll love these so much we’ll decide to add them to our vineyard one day as well.
In Downtown Frederick, we have a wonderful expansion project underway as we’ll be occupying both the first and second floors at our current location! Once the renovation is completed in a few months, we plan to move our daily Lounge operations to the first floor, offering a more convenient and visible experience with an expanded food menu, too. We’ll convert the current upstairs space into our Society Loft, offering an exclusive club member space, special events and private event bookings. We can’t wait to expand and share more of our MD estate-grown wines with Frederick!
Although it’s been a challenging start to the year, the moments I get to connect with all of you still brighten my days. Thank you so much for supporting our small family business, and in times where most vineyards from NY to NC are struggling with the freeze loss, my only ask is that you continue to drink local wine, wherever your summer adventures may take you!
This is an occasional series by vintner Melissa Aellen, who founded Simple Theory with her cousin, Parker. Together, they represent the third generation of Aellen family leadership in viticulture and winemaking in Frederick, MD.
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