Moments with Melissa Archives - Simple Theory Wines https://simpletheorywines.com/category/moments-with-melissa/ Wine Bar in Frederick, MD Sun, 28 Jun 2026 13:38:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://simpletheorywines.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cropped-logo-simple-theory-32x32.jpg Moments with Melissa Archives - Simple Theory Wines https://simpletheorywines.com/category/moments-with-melissa/ 32 32 A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – JUNE 2026 https://simpletheorywines.com/a-moment-with-melissa-june-2026/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-moment-with-melissa-june-2026 Sun, 28 Jun 2026 13:33:54 +0000 https://simpletheorywines.com/?p=10957 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 […]

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A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – JUNE 2026

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.  

The vines at bud break
How the plants have been rebounding after the chilling freeze in April

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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]]> A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – March 2026 https://simpletheorywines.com/a-moment-with-melissa-march-2026/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-moment-with-melissa-march-2026 Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:02:54 +0000 https://simpletheorywines.com/?p=10875 We’ve finally hit that exciting part of the year where we know that a season of growth is right around the corner. These fluctuating temperatures with their peaks of summer heat and snaps into winter chills give us a little glimpse of the weather to come. So far, our vines are still mostly dormant, so these cold nights will not hurt too much right now, but that […]

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A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – March 2026

We’ve finally hit that exciting part of the year where we know that a season of growth is right around the corner. These fluctuating temperatures with their peaks of summer heat and snaps into winter chills give us a little glimpse of the weather to come. So far, our vines are still mostly dormant, so these cold nights will not hurt too much right now, but that will only last for a few weeks until we hit bud break. But before we talk about what’s ahead, let’s chat about what happened this winter.  

We had an unusually chilly winter with multiple snow/ice events that lingered for weeks. Our fear during ultra-low temperatures is bud-kill, or the actual death of the dormant bud and even the vine. The two most sensitive parts on the vine are the buds that will form this year’s growth, and the graft union, which sits about 4-6 inches above the ground. Each grape variety varies in the “lethal temperature” that will damage about 50% of the buds – which is an aspect we consider when making planting decisions. This winter, we know that our Malbec (first vintage to be released this summer!) is one of the most sensitive to these cold temperatures, so we used mother nature’s own insulation to help keep them warm.  

Lying the vines down onto the soil and holding them in place with a brick before the first snow fall allowed the 8 inches of “snow-crete” we received to build up on top of the buds. Since water freezes at 32 degrees, we used the warmth of the snow to insulate the vines from the negative temperatures that followed. As we evaluate buds this spring, so far it looks like our Malbec survived what otherwise could have been a killing freeze! In a few short weeks, bud break will start as the first signs of green life pop open on the vines. The next task is to keep the tender green shoots safe through unexpected and incredibly hard to control frost events until about mid-May.  

In the cellar, we blended and bottled the 2023 Action, Reaction and Merlot after aging for over 2 years in barrel. Delightful wines and although they need a bit of resting time before release, we cannot wait to share them with you! If you haven’t had a chance to stop by the lounge recently, this spring is a perfect time to come say hi. We just released the 2022 Reaction – our right-bank inspired blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. An equal but opposite sister to our 2022 Action, this wine duo shows exactly how blending percentages and decisions can craft two incredibly different wines.  

This season in the lounge, we’ll highlight a few new releases (something sparkling and pink plus a Georgian varietal!) along with expanded food offerings. With warmer weather, we will be open again on Mondays starting in April and can’t wait to see you in the Lounge for live music, our continuing Locavore nights, trivia, or just to relax with a glass of wine. 

Cheers!  

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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]]> A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – DECEMBER 2025 https://simpletheorywines.com/a-moment-with-melissa-december-2025/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-moment-with-melissa-december-2025 Mon, 29 Dec 2025 15:56:19 +0000 https://simpletheorywines.com/?p=10790 Winter in my house always feels a little cozier – as a true morning person, I cherish the darkness and stillness of the world before it wakes up. It means a warm cup of chai tea and perhaps a puzzle, some crocheting, or maybe even catching up on a few emails. This time of year […]

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A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – DECEMBER 2025

Winter in my house always feels a little cozier – as a true morning person, I cherish the darkness and stillness of the world before it wakes up. It means a warm cup of chai tea and perhaps a puzzle, some crocheting, or maybe even catching up on a few emails. This time of year is full of reflection – from being thankful for the experiences and lessons learned in 2025 and looking forward to the adventures and intentions ahead in 2026. As the world seems calm, life is slowly churning, especially underground.

After harvest and the series of frosts and cooler temps, the vines have fallen dormant for a deep sleep in winter. The energy they conserved throughout the season will help them survive the chilly nights and upswings to the warm days. This time of year is significantly less stressful on our team, as well as we don’t have to worry about the cold weather nearly as much as the rain during the growing season. However, vines aren’t completely resistant to the cold snaps we can have. Our baby vines planted at the Simple Theory Vineyards location this spring are especially vulnerable as they haven’t established a strong root system or a large callous along the graft union that sits about 4-6 inches above ground. Any negative temperatures can cause this fragile union to fail, resulting in dead vines come spring. We’ll be tucking them in with a little dirt to help keep them insulated, but fingers crossed (for both us and the vines!) that we don’t have any subzero temperatures this winter. If we do, we’ll be ok since most of our more established vines can handle temps down to -10F. So don’t worry – we’ll still have wine for a 2026 vintage, and we’ll start picking those grapes only 9 months from now!
 
As cyclical as the vineyard life seasons are, we have seen similar patterns in the Tasting Lounge. So many of you came by and supported us during the last 3 months, and we are incredibly grateful that you selected us to be part of your celebrations this year! From visiting for a glass of wine, picking up a wine kit to gift, partaking in our first Advent Calendar, or attending a class, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone and are looking forward to a calmer winter. Though we have decided to close on both Mondays and Tuesdays in January and February, we have built a schedule full of educational classes, eye-opening events (including wine vs wine alternative tasting!), and, of course, live music and trivia all winter long.
 
However you are planning to relax this season, even if you plan to take a break from alcohol, we hope to see you at Simple Theory when the time is right. We’ll be here with a glass ready for you!

Cheers, 

 

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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]]> A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – JUNE 2025 https://simpletheorywines.com/a-moment-with-melissa-june-2025/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-moment-with-melissa-june-2025 Wed, 18 Jun 2025 21:11:50 +0000 https://simpletheorywines.com/?p=10606 Another few months have passed, and there’s a lot of updates to share! First, let’s talk about everyones favorite topic: the weather. We’ll head back to January and February where our vineyard saw low temperatures below zero for the first time in several years. Once the buds started to pop in mid-April, it was clear […]

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A MOMENT WITH MELISSA – JUNE 2025

Another few months have passed, and there’s a lot of updates to share! First, let’s talk about everyones favorite topic: the weather. We’ll head back to January and February where our vineyard saw low temperatures below zero for the first time in several years. Once the buds started to pop in mid-April, it was clear that those chilly temps left lasting damage, specifically in some of the newly planted Barbera and Pinot Gris (←yep, coming soon!) vines. We’ll have to replant a decent portion of those next spring. Speaking of spring, we had an earlier than normal budbreak, which gives us a longer growing season to ripen all our grapes fully, but extends the frost risk period by several weeks. This year, we were hit with a few frosts, and though we tried to mitigate the effects with our frost fans, we did see some damage in our lower-lying vineyards. Fortunately, those vines have bounced back a bit and will still be able to produce a limited crop this year.

Maybe the most important weather aspect to chat about would be the excessive rain we’ve seen in the last 45 days. We’ve received almost double the rainfall this year in May and June than in 2024, and although we are no longer classified in drought conditions, intense and frequent rain like we’ve had puts a lot of stress on Eric and Parker as they try to mitigate early season rots and mildews which can decrease photosynthesis, yield, and ultimately, the top-notch quality we strive to achieve. At this point, we’d be glad if it didn’t rain again until November (grapes like the drought – more on that later!) So, if anyone knows an anti-rain dance, please share it with us!

Excitingly, in mid-April we gently broke ground on our new Simple Theory Vineyard location in Mount Airy, nurturing an old corn field into a site ready for a vineyard. We now have 5 acres of new no-spray and low-spray varieties from Germany and Italy gently nestled into the ground: Merlot Kanthus, Cabernet Volos, Helois, Johanister, and Monarch. Though new to us, we are thrilled to work with them in a few years when they start producing – and we can’t wait to share the experiment with you. 

Our Downtown Tasting Lounge has continued to be a blast of enjoyment as we meet new faces everyday and chill out with our regulars over a glass of wine and a bite to eat. We also offered our first Locavore event in May partnering with Perfect Truffle to showcase how what grows together goes together. We are excited to bring back Wine 101, introduce Wine 201, host a vineyard dinner, pair our wines with South Mountain Creamery‘s ice cream, Atwater’s cheese and hopefully some oysters, and provide a relaxed, approachable lounge with Music Mondays and Sunday Trivia. Oh, and we have a few new wines to share this summer – come visit us, cool off, and continue to explore our Maryland wines. Thank you to everyone for your continued support, and we cant wait to host you again soon!

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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]]> A MOMENT WITH MELISSA https://simpletheorywines.com/a-moment-with-melissa-march25/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-moment-with-melissa-march25 Tue, 25 Mar 2025 16:20:56 +0000 https://simpletheorywines.com/?p=10471 “Wow!” – It’s simply the first word that comes to mind while reflecting on the last four months since we’ve opened. From the outpouring of critical support during our soft opening weekend, to the many new friends and neighbors we’ve met while sharing a glass of wine, to the new events and experiences we’ve hosted, […]

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A MOMENT WITH MELISSA

“Wow!” – It’s simply the first word that comes to mind while reflecting on the last four months since we’ve opened. From the outpouring of critical support during our soft opening weekend, to the many new friends and neighbors we’ve met while sharing a glass of wine, to the new events and experiences we’ve hosted, every moment has been both eye-opening and wonderful. When opening a new winery and tasting lounge, there is a lot to learn and though we are still figuring out the fine details, we wouldn’t be able to share our love of wine and family without all of you. 

This month, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed teaching the Wine 101 series while meeting some of our new wine lovers and guiding them through the basics. As it ends up, I enjoy talking about wine so much that I almost always went over time. I can’t wait to launch our Wine 201 series soon! 

Special pairings and events with Serendipity Market, FireFly Farms, and McClintock Distillery showed the power of small business collaboration and you all came in force to support us! 

We are working behind the scenes to make more events downtown to welcome everyone as the weather warms (hint: flowers, massages, more cheese(!), oysters, and maybe even some caviar??). And in the cellar, we are bottling the 2024 whites and rosé while the reds are settling and easing into a gentle aging stage. With four new wines to be released in the coming months, there will be something new for everyone to enjoy on your next visit, either in person or online. 

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you again so very much for all the support in these first few months, and we are incredibly thrilled to be able to offer Maryland wine right in downtown Frederick!

Cheers!

This is the first in 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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