We have three more local events scheduled:
Friday night May 15th we will be pouring at the Silver Creek Country Club to help support: Parents Helping Parents and Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence. The event runs from 6PM until 9PM and tickets are $75: http://svbta.org/
Saturday May 16th we will be pouring at VinoCruz in Santa Cruz from 3PM-5PM. Tickets will probably be $10 and they usually refund that if you buy a bottle. We will be pouring our 2007 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah, 2006 Uvas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Chaine d'Or Chardonnay. http://www.vinocruz.com/newcontact.htm
If you are planning to come to that event please let us know in advance. The drive back to San Jose at 5Pm kind of sucks so we will probably stay for an early dinner in Santa Cruz and maybe we could put together an 'after party'.
It is also time for our annual Friends of the Winemaker Dinner. This years dinner will be held over two nights; Saturday May 23rd and Sunday May 24th. There will be just 16 seats each night. The event starts at 5:30 PM and will feature our wines paired with 4 courses prepared by Paul and Stef. Tickets are $50 for FOW members and $60 for non members.
http://www.fowca.org/home.shtml
It will be a good chance to check out the new mini vineyard and see the growth of our new Mourvedre plants.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Suckering and Vine Rehab
I know I shouldn't post right on top of Paul's blog so soon, but I can't help it.
Over the weekend we got some together time in the vineyards and it was a blast. It's silly and a little goofy, but I love to sucker the vines. (it's especially fun because we get to hang out, kind of like a day off, but it's really work)
It's a lot like when I talk about pruning, it's something we do opposite each other down each row and the mindless work lets us hang out. I really enjoy it, even when he gets ahead of me or jumps to the next row. There is something therapeutic about walking at a leisurely pace, thinning the upper spurs as necessary and bending over to nip off any suckers. It kills my back for sure, so the chiropractor yells at me, but it's great for my thighs and buttocks, so the trainer at the gym cheers me on. It's very Yin and Yang.
One thing I like about this task is that it lets me view each plant and get an overall feel for the vineyard for the upcoming year. The first shoots of spring are very indicative of how well yields will be and how healthy the site is. Paul mentioned doubt about the new pinot site we are taking care of and after our visit over the weekend, we're both feeling confident about the grapes we'll raise there.
The plants had been poorly maintained last season so we did an aggressive pruning to help bring them back to life and to a more "normal" state of training - and it worked. I'm not getting too far ahead of myself I don't think, but I'm confident we'll have plenty of quality fruit for our next Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot.
As for the "estate" vineyard in suburban San Jose, it's doing fantastic! I'll do more photos in another few weeks, after the shoots make it to the cordon wire. At least now the wire farm looks like it has a purpose finally.
Over the weekend we got some together time in the vineyards and it was a blast. It's silly and a little goofy, but I love to sucker the vines. (it's especially fun because we get to hang out, kind of like a day off, but it's really work)
It's a lot like when I talk about pruning, it's something we do opposite each other down each row and the mindless work lets us hang out. I really enjoy it, even when he gets ahead of me or jumps to the next row. There is something therapeutic about walking at a leisurely pace, thinning the upper spurs as necessary and bending over to nip off any suckers. It kills my back for sure, so the chiropractor yells at me, but it's great for my thighs and buttocks, so the trainer at the gym cheers me on. It's very Yin and Yang.
One thing I like about this task is that it lets me view each plant and get an overall feel for the vineyard for the upcoming year. The first shoots of spring are very indicative of how well yields will be and how healthy the site is. Paul mentioned doubt about the new pinot site we are taking care of and after our visit over the weekend, we're both feeling confident about the grapes we'll raise there.
The plants had been poorly maintained last season so we did an aggressive pruning to help bring them back to life and to a more "normal" state of training - and it worked. I'm not getting too far ahead of myself I don't think, but I'm confident we'll have plenty of quality fruit for our next Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot.
As for the "estate" vineyard in suburban San Jose, it's doing fantastic! I'll do more photos in another few weeks, after the shoots make it to the cordon wire. At least now the wire farm looks like it has a purpose finally.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday Update
Saturday morning we headed out at 9:30 to visit the Vista Verde Vineyard. The vines are doing better than we expected. They had been poorly pruned and trained last year and we thought this year would be a recovery year. The vines seem to have taken well to our pruning though and were in very good shape.
The weeds between the rows need to be weedwhacked this week. There is a lot of very high Spanish Alfalfa in the vineyard. We usually try and plant a cover crop the will discourage this plant but it was already established here when we took over this year. It will take a couple years of cutting the grass before it seeds and planting alternative crops to get it under control.
The weeds between the rows need to be weedwhacked this week. There is a lot of very high Spanish Alfalfa in the vineyard. We usually try and plant a cover crop the will discourage this plant but it was already established here when we took over this year. It will take a couple years of cutting the grass before it seeds and planting alternative crops to get it under control.
This vineyard is very steep. At harvest we will have to rent an ATV to haul up the 30 pound bins full of grapes to the road. The site is too steep to ask a crew to go up and down multiple times with a full load.
Next we headed to Chaine d'Or. It is only 4 miles away, but it takes about 25 minutes. We drive down one ridge line, back to the valley, then back up another ridge line. I finished the Bentonite fining on our Chardonnay. I added the mixture to the chilled tank and gave it a good stir to get it going. Stefania was already in the vineyard suckering and green pruning.
Vines will throw 'suckers', or new growth from their trunks, and this has to be removed by hand. Imagine doing about 2000 squats over 2 acres. When we took over Chaine d'Or the spurs had gotten very high into the trellis. We're also in the process of fixing this. It will take three years total. What we will do is prune the spur normally with two buds. We will also encourage a shoot or sucker lower on the spur. When this shoot grows, it will become the new spur next season. It's expert work though to choose what to keep and what to remove, so it's something just Stef and I do.
We headed home fairly early at 1:30 to have lunch and take a short nap. At 5:30 we headed off to pour wine at a charity event in Los Gatos. We poured four different wines, and were able to get home by 8:00 PM to see the last part of the Sharks game.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Drinking Windows
I sent this in email to a friend in Kansas and he re-posted it up on Wine Spectator. I thought I'd share it for everyone. His question was on suggested drinking times for our wines.
The Syrah is probably a little easier to target since Stef and I have had vintages from other producers up to 10 years old. The Ranch really seems to be best with 3-4 years in bottle. Reports are that our 2005 is very good right now at 4 years old. The pH's are in the 3.7-3.8 range, so I would think 10-12 years would be the maximum before the wine looses freshness.
The Pinot Noir is a lot harder to call. The numbers are all very sound with a pH at @ 3.5. The vineyard is 30 years old and I'd expect the wine could be long lived. The vineyard has a checkered past though and stopped production from 1995-2002 so we don't have recent samples of aged wine to know how it's doing.
We've had older vintages 1983,84,89 but they were pretty roughly made and it's hard to separate the rough tannin in those wines to say how they age. The best modern example is Windy Oaks which is very near by. Many people think Windy Oaks should be aged for a long time, but they've only been producing since 1998, and my experience is those wine are best at age 3-5. I've had examples at 5+ years and thought they were fading.
I'm telling people have the Pinot Noir younger vs older. 2-4 years should be optimal. There's every chance it could go 12+ years, even up to 15-20 but there's just not a good history yet from the area to really know how they'll age. All the factors are there for it to develop well in bottle for a long time, but at this point it's theory vs experience.
I'll add a bit about our cabs. We do make them so that they will age and develop for 10-20 years. The pH's are good and the tannins ripe and fine. The areas the grapes come from also have great track records of long lived Cabernet Sauvignon. Stefania and I have a few bottles of 1966 'Uvas' from the same area as our 'Uvas Creek Vineyard', that are still fresh, fruity and complex.
But, I also take a lot of effort in the winery and vineyard to make the Cabs enjoyable at release. I think ideally open one a few weeks after your shipment arrives, then check in on them from time to time. I suspect they'll be really good from 5-10 years old.
The Syrah is probably a little easier to target since Stef and I have had vintages from other producers up to 10 years old. The Ranch really seems to be best with 3-4 years in bottle. Reports are that our 2005 is very good right now at 4 years old. The pH's are in the 3.7-3.8 range, so I would think 10-12 years would be the maximum before the wine looses freshness.
The Pinot Noir is a lot harder to call. The numbers are all very sound with a pH at @ 3.5. The vineyard is 30 years old and I'd expect the wine could be long lived. The vineyard has a checkered past though and stopped production from 1995-2002 so we don't have recent samples of aged wine to know how it's doing.
We've had older vintages 1983,84,89 but they were pretty roughly made and it's hard to separate the rough tannin in those wines to say how they age. The best modern example is Windy Oaks which is very near by. Many people think Windy Oaks should be aged for a long time, but they've only been producing since 1998, and my experience is those wine are best at age 3-5. I've had examples at 5+ years and thought they were fading.
I'm telling people have the Pinot Noir younger vs older. 2-4 years should be optimal. There's every chance it could go 12+ years, even up to 15-20 but there's just not a good history yet from the area to really know how they'll age. All the factors are there for it to develop well in bottle for a long time, but at this point it's theory vs experience.
I'll add a bit about our cabs. We do make them so that they will age and develop for 10-20 years. The pH's are good and the tannins ripe and fine. The areas the grapes come from also have great track records of long lived Cabernet Sauvignon. Stefania and I have a few bottles of 1966 'Uvas' from the same area as our 'Uvas Creek Vineyard', that are still fresh, fruity and complex.
But, I also take a lot of effort in the winery and vineyard to make the Cabs enjoyable at release. I think ideally open one a few weeks after your shipment arrives, then check in on them from time to time. I suspect they'll be really good from 5-10 years old.
Friday, April 24, 2009
How I Spent My 'Day Off'.
Today I took a PTO day from my day job. I actually try and do that as little as possible since I need all of those days at harvest time. Today though was a have to day off.
The EPA decided for some reason unknown to absolutely everyone but themselves to declare that Sulfur Dioxide Gas used to disinfect barrels is now a Restricted Use Chemical. This has lead to general chaos in the wine industry as everyone has to now go out and get a license and pass a test that most have never had to do before. To make things worse no one in state or local government seems to know what we're supposed to do to take the test or prepare for it.
Bill Cooper from Cooper Garrod though stepped up and worked with the Wine Institute to put together a list of requirements and set up a training class for local winemakers today from 8am - 1pm. There were 15 of us, Jeffery Patterson from Mount Eden, Bradley Brown from Big Basin, Bill Cooper and Jan Garrod from Cooper Garrod, plus winemakers from Woodside, Bonny Doon and 1/2 dozen other wineries.
One thing we quickly established was that each of us had been told something different by our county Ag Office and the instructor from Sacramento said that Santa Clara had it the most wrong, followed by Santa Cruz, with San Mateo, 'About 70% right". I won't bore you too much with the details, but we went through the study guide and sample test and it turns out only 4 of the 105 questions we'll get have anything at all to do with using SO2 in Wine Barrels, even though this permit is just for using SO2 in wine barrels.
I scored 104/105 on the sample test and thanked Bill for putting everything together then headed off for the winery. I had to start mixing the Bentonite for fining tomorrow and do a few other minor tasks at the winery. In all I spent about 90 minutes there before heading down the hill to visit the Harrisons. We put a small Syrah vineyard in for them two years ago, and they wanted to expand it on their own.
I purchased the vines for them. Since I buy vines regularly I get a good rate from the nursery, about 50% of what they'd pay to order 75 vines, so I added their vines to my order. I spent a few minutes showing them how to plant the vines and also explained how to sucker and when to start tying up the young vines.
It was 4PM before I headed home. A full day of work on my day off. I didn't mind at all though, it's all fun work for me to do, and I enjoy the pretty rare chance to catch up with all the other local winemakers.
Stefania said to add it's Friday night, we're watching the Giants game, cooking ribs and having a margarita.
The EPA decided for some reason unknown to absolutely everyone but themselves to declare that Sulfur Dioxide Gas used to disinfect barrels is now a Restricted Use Chemical. This has lead to general chaos in the wine industry as everyone has to now go out and get a license and pass a test that most have never had to do before. To make things worse no one in state or local government seems to know what we're supposed to do to take the test or prepare for it.
Bill Cooper from Cooper Garrod though stepped up and worked with the Wine Institute to put together a list of requirements and set up a training class for local winemakers today from 8am - 1pm. There were 15 of us, Jeffery Patterson from Mount Eden, Bradley Brown from Big Basin, Bill Cooper and Jan Garrod from Cooper Garrod, plus winemakers from Woodside, Bonny Doon and 1/2 dozen other wineries.
One thing we quickly established was that each of us had been told something different by our county Ag Office and the instructor from Sacramento said that Santa Clara had it the most wrong, followed by Santa Cruz, with San Mateo, 'About 70% right". I won't bore you too much with the details, but we went through the study guide and sample test and it turns out only 4 of the 105 questions we'll get have anything at all to do with using SO2 in Wine Barrels, even though this permit is just for using SO2 in wine barrels.
I scored 104/105 on the sample test and thanked Bill for putting everything together then headed off for the winery. I had to start mixing the Bentonite for fining tomorrow and do a few other minor tasks at the winery. In all I spent about 90 minutes there before heading down the hill to visit the Harrisons. We put a small Syrah vineyard in for them two years ago, and they wanted to expand it on their own.
I purchased the vines for them. Since I buy vines regularly I get a good rate from the nursery, about 50% of what they'd pay to order 75 vines, so I added their vines to my order. I spent a few minutes showing them how to plant the vines and also explained how to sucker and when to start tying up the young vines.
It was 4PM before I headed home. A full day of work on my day off. I didn't mind at all though, it's all fun work for me to do, and I enjoy the pretty rare chance to catch up with all the other local winemakers.
Stefania said to add it's Friday night, we're watching the Giants game, cooking ribs and having a margarita.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
New Orleans Shrimp & Jazz Fest & Art
How I miss New Orleans. When Paul brought home the head-on shrimp I knew right away I wanted to make BBQ Shrimp. Which, if you've ever been to NOLA, you know that BBQ Shrimp don't go anywhere near a grill or bbq.
The ingredients for ~1 pound of shrimp are:
1 lb. whole shrimp (not peeled, with heads on)
Olive Oil
Butter
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
1/4 c. rough chopped tomato
Dark Beer
Worcestershire Sauce
Liquid Mesquite Smoke*
Juice from 2 small lemons
Oregano
Basil
Rosemary
Bay Leaf
Thyme
Cayenne
Paprika
Ground Jalapeno*
Salt/Pepper
Sautee garlic and onion in butter and olive oil, add tomato while the garlic is still semi-raw but the onions are starting to become translucent. Toss in and stir dry ingredients, then 1/2 cup of the beer, a couple of dashes of worcestershire sauce, a dash or two of liquid smoke and the lemon juice.
I use a 12" skillet, and like the sauce to be about an inch deep and burbly before adding the shrimp. Adjust the amount of beer to your liquid preference -- the whole bottle will leave you with lots of juice to soak up with crusty bread, use 1/4 of the bottle and you get a rich dense "dry" shrimp dish.
*The liquid smoke and jalapeno powder are not traditional, they are my "secret" ingredients.
The shrimp will cook up pretty quick, try to put then in a single layer and once they are showing signs of pink on the bottom, either turn them over or cover the pan with a lid.
OK, next on the New Orleans Agenda: JAZZ FEST, is this weekend and next.
And, if you do get to the Big Easy, please stop by and visit friends of ours: Ronda and Walt are the owners of Louisiana LoomWorks in the French Quarter just up the street from Jackson Square (where we got married!).
http://customragrugs.com/custrugs.htm
Ronda made a custom rug for me last year and it's my favorite piece of usable art.
The ingredients for ~1 pound of shrimp are:
1 lb. whole shrimp (not peeled, with heads on)
Olive Oil
Butter
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
1/4 c. rough chopped tomato
Dark Beer
Worcestershire Sauce
Liquid Mesquite Smoke*
Juice from 2 small lemons
Oregano
Basil
Rosemary
Bay Leaf
Thyme
Cayenne
Paprika
Ground Jalapeno*
Salt/Pepper
Sautee garlic and onion in butter and olive oil, add tomato while the garlic is still semi-raw but the onions are starting to become translucent. Toss in and stir dry ingredients, then 1/2 cup of the beer, a couple of dashes of worcestershire sauce, a dash or two of liquid smoke and the lemon juice.
I use a 12" skillet, and like the sauce to be about an inch deep and burbly before adding the shrimp. Adjust the amount of beer to your liquid preference -- the whole bottle will leave you with lots of juice to soak up with crusty bread, use 1/4 of the bottle and you get a rich dense "dry" shrimp dish.
*The liquid smoke and jalapeno powder are not traditional, they are my "secret" ingredients.
The shrimp will cook up pretty quick, try to put then in a single layer and once they are showing signs of pink on the bottom, either turn them over or cover the pan with a lid.
OK, next on the New Orleans Agenda: JAZZ FEST, is this weekend and next.
And, if you do get to the Big Easy, please stop by and visit friends of ours: Ronda and Walt are the owners of Louisiana LoomWorks in the French Quarter just up the street from Jackson Square (where we got married!).
http://customragrugs.com/custrugs.htm
Ronda made a custom rug for me last year and it's my favorite piece of usable art.
Belated Shrimp Update
Monday Stefania put up a note on Facebook that I was returning from Ranch 99 with head on shrimp. It took a few days but I have an update on the evening menu.
Stef prepared the shrimp. She prepared them New Orleans style. I'll leave it for her to comment on the recipe and technique.
I decided to make some red beans and rice to stick with the theme. It was kind of ironic as Stef had been doing laundry all day. Red beans and rice is traditionally served on Monday's in New Orleans. It was the day everyone did laundry and the dish was an easy all day recipe that could be prepared with little fuss while laundry was done.
I had to cheat a little and use precooked beans, but it still came out well. I got the task of picking out the wine. Not an easy task for these two dishes. Both are very spicy and full flavored. A rich Chardonnay tends to get overwhelmed by the spice, and I'd rather save most of our Rieslings for Hot Pot. Stef wanted a red anyway so I searched through the cellar. I thought a Pinot Noir would be too light bodied, and a Cab would be too dry, so I settled on Syrah and was after something fruity but not jammy with a good nose and refreshing acidity.
I poked around for a little while pulling out bottles: Lagier Meredith, Copain, a Cotie Rotie, then went 'duh'. There was a case of our 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah sitting on the floor waiting to go into our 'reserve'.
As I came back from taking the picture of the wine on the bar and the irony of the evening I snapped this picture:
This is a piece of art we purchased in Alexandria Virginia. It's woven metal, made from small strands of wire. I liked this right away and thought it would go well with our collection of metal sculptures and art. The artist was in the gallery that day and we chatted with her about the piece. Guess what? It's titled "Hits of the French Quarter". She was inspired by a trip to New Orleans to use the colors of Mardi Gras and the shapes of the iron work on balconies in the French Quarter.
We thought that was a pretty neat happenstance. As she set up shipping she asked what we did. "Grapegrower and Winemaker", and her reply was, "Me too". Her and her husband grow grapes for several wineries in Northern Virginia. Another irony.
The shrimp turned out great, the red beans and rice were spicy and good, and the wine went well. A nice evening at home.
Stef prepared the shrimp. She prepared them New Orleans style. I'll leave it for her to comment on the recipe and technique.
I decided to make some red beans and rice to stick with the theme. It was kind of ironic as Stef had been doing laundry all day. Red beans and rice is traditionally served on Monday's in New Orleans. It was the day everyone did laundry and the dish was an easy all day recipe that could be prepared with little fuss while laundry was done.
I had to cheat a little and use precooked beans, but it still came out well. I got the task of picking out the wine. Not an easy task for these two dishes. Both are very spicy and full flavored. A rich Chardonnay tends to get overwhelmed by the spice, and I'd rather save most of our Rieslings for Hot Pot. Stef wanted a red anyway so I searched through the cellar. I thought a Pinot Noir would be too light bodied, and a Cab would be too dry, so I settled on Syrah and was after something fruity but not jammy with a good nose and refreshing acidity.
I poked around for a little while pulling out bottles: Lagier Meredith, Copain, a Cotie Rotie, then went 'duh'. There was a case of our 2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah sitting on the floor waiting to go into our 'reserve'.
As I came back from taking the picture of the wine on the bar and the irony of the evening I snapped this picture:
This is a piece of art we purchased in Alexandria Virginia. It's woven metal, made from small strands of wire. I liked this right away and thought it would go well with our collection of metal sculptures and art. The artist was in the gallery that day and we chatted with her about the piece. Guess what? It's titled "Hits of the French Quarter". She was inspired by a trip to New Orleans to use the colors of Mardi Gras and the shapes of the iron work on balconies in the French Quarter.
We thought that was a pretty neat happenstance. As she set up shipping she asked what we did. "Grapegrower and Winemaker", and her reply was, "Me too". Her and her husband grow grapes for several wineries in Northern Virginia. Another irony.
The shrimp turned out great, the red beans and rice were spicy and good, and the wine went well. A nice evening at home.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Our Smokey Green Bottles
Earth Day seemed like a good time to write a bit about our packaging and shipping.
Foils - We don't use them. They serve no purpose and are 100% decorative. They are not generally recycled.
Corks - We are a drop off winery for Recork America:
http://www.recorkamerica.com/
You can either drop your used corks with us or at the winery and we will package them and send them in to Recork America to be recycled. You can also mail or ship your corks back to us. We'll take any cork, not just ours.
Bottles - Are recyclable of course. We use the lightest bottle possible to cut on shipping costs and fuel use. They are smoke colored, not green, but they are as 'green' a bottle as you can get.
Packaging - We ship in 100% recyclable pulp and cardboard. Styrofoam is not recyclable. We don't buy it. We will accept your used Styrofoam shipper from other wineries though to re-ship. At least it gets one more use and stays out of the land fills a little longer.
When we started out and made all these packaging choices we were not really making a direct effort to be 'green'. At each point we just tried to make what we thought was the right decision and making sure things are recyclable and the environmental impact was as important in the choice we made as any factor. The sum of little choices though has added up over the last 5 years.
Foils - We don't use them. They serve no purpose and are 100% decorative. They are not generally recycled.
Corks - We are a drop off winery for Recork America:
http://www.recorkamerica.com/
You can either drop your used corks with us or at the winery and we will package them and send them in to Recork America to be recycled. You can also mail or ship your corks back to us. We'll take any cork, not just ours.
Bottles - Are recyclable of course. We use the lightest bottle possible to cut on shipping costs and fuel use. They are smoke colored, not green, but they are as 'green' a bottle as you can get.
Packaging - We ship in 100% recyclable pulp and cardboard. Styrofoam is not recyclable. We don't buy it. We will accept your used Styrofoam shipper from other wineries though to re-ship. At least it gets one more use and stays out of the land fills a little longer.
When we started out and made all these packaging choices we were not really making a direct effort to be 'green'. At each point we just tried to make what we thought was the right decision and making sure things are recyclable and the environmental impact was as important in the choice we made as any factor. The sum of little choices though has added up over the last 5 years.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Logistics
A lot of what I'd call 'winemaking' is really an exercise in logistic management. You have to bring together a wide range of items at the right place and time.
In a way even harvesting is just a logistics exercise. You have to bring together the people, bins, and trucks, right when the grapes are ripe. Then you have to get them to the winery and make sure you have everything there you need; equipment, storage, barrels, ect.
Stefania is going through a logistics 'hell' right now. It's her first time coordinating all the factors in running a bottling. She's doing it on her own for the first time. Here's the list of vendors to work with on a bottling:
Bottling Truck
Electrician
Delivery/Trucking Company
Glass Company
Foil Supplier
Cork Supplier
Fork Lift Rental
Gas Rental
Lab
Bentonite and Filter Supplier
Graphic Artist
Label Printer
Plus of course there is the TTB to deal with.
We also need to coordinate labor for the day which means 3-4 staff and 2-3 helpers.
Things have to happen in the right order too. The forklift has to show up before the bottles are delivered for instance and all that has to happen before the bottling truck arrives. If the fork lift arrives after the truck is set up, we have no room to drive it down to the pad and the hill is too steep for it to drive up from the bottom of the vineyard. In fact once the forklift goes down from the first driveway, there's no way to get it back up. It has to wait until you are finished and then be driven to the bottom of the vineyard for pick up.
Then around this all the winemaking needs to get done. Sulfur additions made, and the wine prepped in tank before the truck starts. There is always some drama. One time there was an accident on Highway 84 the day before bottling. Somehow the truck with the bottles got through, but the truck with the forklift did not. We had a 28 foot truck with no way to unload it for several hours.
By the time she's done with her checklist of things to remember and things to do and things to order, it will be over 100 items long. From major items like "Order bottles" to minor ones like "Make sure the bond stamp has ink". I'll help where I can, but it's still a lot for one person to pull together.
In a way even harvesting is just a logistics exercise. You have to bring together the people, bins, and trucks, right when the grapes are ripe. Then you have to get them to the winery and make sure you have everything there you need; equipment, storage, barrels, ect.
Stefania is going through a logistics 'hell' right now. It's her first time coordinating all the factors in running a bottling. She's doing it on her own for the first time. Here's the list of vendors to work with on a bottling:
Bottling Truck
Electrician
Delivery/Trucking Company
Glass Company
Foil Supplier
Cork Supplier
Fork Lift Rental
Gas Rental
Lab
Bentonite and Filter Supplier
Graphic Artist
Label Printer
Plus of course there is the TTB to deal with.
We also need to coordinate labor for the day which means 3-4 staff and 2-3 helpers.
Things have to happen in the right order too. The forklift has to show up before the bottles are delivered for instance and all that has to happen before the bottling truck arrives. If the fork lift arrives after the truck is set up, we have no room to drive it down to the pad and the hill is too steep for it to drive up from the bottom of the vineyard. In fact once the forklift goes down from the first driveway, there's no way to get it back up. It has to wait until you are finished and then be driven to the bottom of the vineyard for pick up.
Then around this all the winemaking needs to get done. Sulfur additions made, and the wine prepped in tank before the truck starts. There is always some drama. One time there was an accident on Highway 84 the day before bottling. Somehow the truck with the bottles got through, but the truck with the forklift did not. We had a 28 foot truck with no way to unload it for several hours.
By the time she's done with her checklist of things to remember and things to do and things to order, it will be over 100 items long. From major items like "Order bottles" to minor ones like "Make sure the bond stamp has ink". I'll help where I can, but it's still a lot for one person to pull together.
Friday, April 17, 2009
MiniVineyard Update and Photos
I promised an update of the mini-home vineyard project. Below are recent pictures of the front yard. I'll do the backyard in another couple of weeks when the roses are in full bloom.
The Crimson Clover is just starting to come up between the rows and I still need to plant an assortment of Lavender, Sage, and Rosemary to fill in the parking strip and up near the front of the house.
So far, no complaints or unwelcome commentary from the neighbors...as they quietly water their green grass lawns. I'll ask Paul to comment on this blog about our water usage for our front "lawn" vs. how much we used to water when it was grass.
The Crimson Clover is just starting to come up between the rows and I still need to plant an assortment of Lavender, Sage, and Rosemary to fill in the parking strip and up near the front of the house.
So far, no complaints or unwelcome commentary from the neighbors...as they quietly water their green grass lawns. I'll ask Paul to comment on this blog about our water usage for our front "lawn" vs. how much we used to water when it was grass.
A couple of weeks ago the first signs of green cover-crop growth started to make an appearance.
I planted Crimson Clover between the rows with a wildflower mixture.
Taken today, 4/17. Signs of bud break in the Mourvedre. This is my front yard, the tract house is the same as the one in the next picture...across the street.
The view outside the living room window, through my arch looking at the neighbors matching arches. Signs of spring and green growth. The vines upper left are Syrah and Grenache. The vines in the parking strip are Thompson Seedless.
Below: One more close up of bud break on the Mourvedre, so far, all 25 plants show signs of life.
Follow Up on Events
So I got a few emails asking what was up with the new flurry of local events we've been doing?
It's official. As of April 1st we signed up with Central Coast Boutique Wines:
http://www.ccboutiquewines.com/index.htm
They will be representing us in Northern California and helping us get our wines into select retail shops and restaurants.
This was something Stefania and I targeted as a primary objective for 2009. It's been frustrating for us to not be able to direct people somewhere when they want to try our wine. For our customers around the country who deal with mailing lists and order forms, it's been no big deal, but locally most people are puzzled by the idea of having to sign up and wait to get wine.
Neither Stef or I are great sales people and we don't have a lot of time to go knock on doors to sell wine, so we knew this was the best option. Now my Mom will be able to tell her friends where to go to get our wine :)
We evaluated dozens of companies starting late last year. By January we had it down to three that seemed like good fits. We finally picked Central Coast as the best match for us. Stef and I will be out helping the sales team get our brand launched. More pourings, more events, and maybe even a winemaker dinner or two.
We've budgeted in an allocation amount going forward for Central Coast so that they will be able to keep accounts stocked. Right now they will not be selling some of our lower production wines as those are already 100% allocated. Our Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Stefania 'Chaine d'Or' Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon will only be available via mailing list.
As we get information about placements in restaurants and retail outlets I'll try to get those posted up.
It's official. As of April 1st we signed up with Central Coast Boutique Wines:
http://www.ccboutiquewines.com/index.htm
They will be representing us in Northern California and helping us get our wines into select retail shops and restaurants.
This was something Stefania and I targeted as a primary objective for 2009. It's been frustrating for us to not be able to direct people somewhere when they want to try our wine. For our customers around the country who deal with mailing lists and order forms, it's been no big deal, but locally most people are puzzled by the idea of having to sign up and wait to get wine.
Neither Stef or I are great sales people and we don't have a lot of time to go knock on doors to sell wine, so we knew this was the best option. Now my Mom will be able to tell her friends where to go to get our wine :)
We evaluated dozens of companies starting late last year. By January we had it down to three that seemed like good fits. We finally picked Central Coast as the best match for us. Stef and I will be out helping the sales team get our brand launched. More pourings, more events, and maybe even a winemaker dinner or two.
We've budgeted in an allocation amount going forward for Central Coast so that they will be able to keep accounts stocked. Right now they will not be selling some of our lower production wines as those are already 100% allocated. Our Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Stefania 'Chaine d'Or' Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon will only be available via mailing list.
As we get information about placements in restaurants and retail outlets I'll try to get those posted up.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Events This Weekend
Friday night from 6 PM until 9PM we will be at Vino Locale:
http://www.vinolocale.com/location/index.htm
We'll be pouring the 2006 Chaine d'Or Chardonnay, 2007 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah, 2006 Uvas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon. Cost is $10 and that is refunded if you purchase a bottle.
This is very late notice, but we are filling in for Grey Wolf Cellars who had to cancel at the last minute.
Saturday we will have the winery open for Pick Up Day. The winery will be open from 11 AM until 3 PM. Come join us for wine tasting featuring our Spring Releases: 2007 Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch and 2007 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains. If you placed an order from our Spring Release your wine will also be available for pick up.
Directions can be found at: http://www.chainedor.com/directions.html
We will have light snacks available and please feel free to bring a picnic. The vineyard is just starting to bloom and the hill will be open for picnics. We will also be giving away free Thompson Seedless grape vines. I will provide a planting demonstration to get you started.
http://www.vinolocale.com/location/index.htm
We'll be pouring the 2006 Chaine d'Or Chardonnay, 2007 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah, 2006 Uvas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon. Cost is $10 and that is refunded if you purchase a bottle.
This is very late notice, but we are filling in for Grey Wolf Cellars who had to cancel at the last minute.
Saturday we will have the winery open for Pick Up Day. The winery will be open from 11 AM until 3 PM. Come join us for wine tasting featuring our Spring Releases: 2007 Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch and 2007 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains. If you placed an order from our Spring Release your wine will also be available for pick up.
Directions can be found at: http://www.chainedor.com/directions.html
We will have light snacks available and please feel free to bring a picnic. The vineyard is just starting to bloom and the hill will be open for picnics. We will also be giving away free Thompson Seedless grape vines. I will provide a planting demonstration to get you started.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
More Random TTB Fun
TTB ID: 09099001000132
Basic Permit: BW-CA-5631
Serial Number: 090502
New Status: NEEDS CORRECTION
Previous Status: ASSIGNED
That's the message I got from the TTB.
So what needs correction? Take a quick look at each label:
Find the problem? 
Basic Permit: BW-CA-5631
Serial Number: 090502
New Status: NEEDS CORRECTION
Previous Status: ASSIGNED
That's the message I got from the TTB.
So what needs correction? Take a quick look at each label:
Find the problem?
Of course you didn't. When I opened the application to see exactly what the problem was it was noted:
Vineyard percentage must be noted and add to 100% on the label. ???? Really ????
Look again. They approved the 2006 label without percentages noted, but rejected the 2007 label. This is what makes dealing with the agency so frustrating, expensive and time consuming. What is approved one year, is rejected the next. The 'law' seems to be open to interpretation by whatever inspector you get.
My complaint isn't really that these laws are silly, although one could certainly debate that. It is that they are random. Look again at the back label above. See the line between www.stefaniawine.com and the government warning? We had left that out initially and the label was rejected. It was out in our 2005 label. The night it was rejected we went to the supermarket and turned around about 50 bottles to see them. Guess what? It was about 50/50. Half had the line, half did not.
So is the line required? Who knows? Some people at the TTB think it is, some people don't. Some people think if you put the vineyard name on the label you must put the percentage from that vineyard. Some people don't. I don't know which one is right. I suspect no one does.
We'll work with the designer again today to make a correction and resubmit the label. The good part is once it's been assigned to an inspector, it goes back to the same inspector, so they aren't likely to find anything else wrong, or more correctly 'feel' that anything else is wrong.
At least the front went through fine!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Cold Stabalizing our 2008 Chardonnay
Saturday morning we headed to Chaine d'Or to start the process of getting our 2008 Chardonnay ready for bottling. Actually the process had started Thursday when the internal tank was turned on to lower the temperature in advance of Saturday.
The day started with the introduction of a new member of the Chaine d'Or family. Anne Anderson brought down 'Ghillie' for us to meet for the first time. She will join Sophie as a new vineyard dog. Sophie was just about this size the first time I worked at Chaine d'Or. Sophie is adjusting well to having a new sister and playmate and was much less interested in hanging out with us in the winery with a new friend upstairs.
We divided up the tasks as usual. My first job was to sweep out the winery. Stefania got the lab ready for the readings we'd need. We wanted to measure free and total sulfur in the Chardonnay so we could make any needed additions now as the wine went into tank.
I then pumped the 4 barrels of Chardonnay into the waiting tank. It's a bit of a tricky process. I always try and not let any air get in the hoses but it's more critical with a white wine to keep oxygen out. I also can't just stick the regular racking wand in the barrel. The bottom of the barrel is full of the fine lees (muck) that the Chardonnay is aged on and you don't want that in tank. I used a small bamboo rod that I taped on the wand as an additional block to keep the wand from hitting bottom and that way only clear juice was put in tank. Controlling the speed is crucial for the pump. Too slow and air will get in the hose. Too fast and the wine will slosh around going into the tank.
Even though the tank has a chilled jacket around it we still add additional insulation to make sure it gets cold enough. This is the tank almost wrapped all the way. We added one more layer of insulation to the bottom after this picture was taken.
Everything went smoothly and we are on schedule to bottle on May 7th.
The day started with the introduction of a new member of the Chaine d'Or family. Anne Anderson brought down 'Ghillie' for us to meet for the first time. She will join Sophie as a new vineyard dog. Sophie was just about this size the first time I worked at Chaine d'Or. Sophie is adjusting well to having a new sister and playmate and was much less interested in hanging out with us in the winery with a new friend upstairs.
We divided up the tasks as usual. My first job was to sweep out the winery. Stefania got the lab ready for the readings we'd need. We wanted to measure free and total sulfur in the Chardonnay so we could make any needed additions now as the wine went into tank.
I then pumped the 4 barrels of Chardonnay into the waiting tank. It's a bit of a tricky process. I always try and not let any air get in the hoses but it's more critical with a white wine to keep oxygen out. I also can't just stick the regular racking wand in the barrel. The bottom of the barrel is full of the fine lees (muck) that the Chardonnay is aged on and you don't want that in tank. I used a small bamboo rod that I taped on the wand as an additional block to keep the wand from hitting bottom and that way only clear juice was put in tank. Controlling the speed is crucial for the pump. Too slow and air will get in the hose. Too fast and the wine will slosh around going into the tank.
I started by filling the tank with Argon. The Argon will act as a buffer from oxygen while the wine is in tank. The wine is then pumped into the bottom of the tank to prevent any oxidation. We cold stabilize the wine to eliminate any tartaric crystals from forming. By chilling the wine down the crystals will be left in the tank. The process will take a couple of weeks.
Stef took on her usual job of washing out the barrels. I also drew off a sample to send to the lab for fining trials. The first sample came back with a rather cryptic "Marginally Heat Stable" rating, which we all agreed was useless information. We check heat stability to make sure that there are no proteins or yeast in the wine that will make it cloudy if it gets warm on a store shelf. We really needed to know if it was heat stable or not. Marginally was a poor answer.
The second test though will tell us if we need to add Bentonite as a fining agent. Bentonite is a clay that will attract the yeast and protein in the wine and fall to the bottom of the tank where we can remove it. If we do have to use Bentonite, we will also filter the wine to make sure all the Bentonite is out of the juice.
Even though the tank has a chilled jacket around it we still add additional insulation to make sure it gets cold enough. This is the tank almost wrapped all the way. We added one more layer of insulation to the bottom after this picture was taken.
Everything went smoothly and we are on schedule to bottle on May 7th.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Colds and Shipping
Stef and I are both almost over our colds and fever now. It was a pretty rough week with at least one of us out of commission at all times.
Stef did manage to get most of the shipping out last week. All the California, Arizona and Nevada orders went out GSO and have been delivered. About 50% of the UPS orders went out to the rest of the states. More will go out Monday and the final bit should go out Tuesday.
Today we will be in the winery working on the 2008 Chardonnay. We will be transferring it into tank for cold stabilization and a light fining with bentonite. I'll take pictures of the process and get a blog up today or tomorrow.
Stef did manage to get most of the shipping out last week. All the California, Arizona and Nevada orders went out GSO and have been delivered. About 50% of the UPS orders went out to the rest of the states. More will go out Monday and the final bit should go out Tuesday.
Today we will be in the winery working on the 2008 Chardonnay. We will be transferring it into tank for cold stabilization and a light fining with bentonite. I'll take pictures of the process and get a blog up today or tomorrow.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Review from San Diego
I've been down all late last week and weekend with a bad cold/fever. My voice is gone now from the sore throat and coughing but the fever seems to have stopped. That's why there have been no blogs this weekend. Stef's been busy keeping soup and water in me.
We did get a nice review from the San Diego event this morning though that I wanted to share:
San Diego Tasting Review
We did get a nice review from the San Diego event this morning though that I wanted to share:
San Diego Tasting Review
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Our Next Event
We will be pouring at another event this coming Tuesday in downtown San Jose.
http://www.ccboutiquewines.com/html/events.php
We are really excited about this event, it's our first in the city of San Jose, and the location is fantastic. The cost is $50 and it runs from 5 PM until 7:30 PM.
I planning on pouring four or five wines, including our 2007 Syrah. Please stop by and say hello.
http://www.ccboutiquewines.com/html/events.php
We are really excited about this event, it's our first in the city of San Jose, and the location is fantastic. The cost is $50 and it runs from 5 PM until 7:30 PM.
I planning on pouring four or five wines, including our 2007 Syrah. Please stop by and say hello.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Our Hiatus
We arrived back in San Jose Sunday afternoon. It had been more days in hotels over the last few weeks than at home, and we've spent the last few days catching up on tasks and a lot of paperwork in the winery.
We visited Nashville last week. My sister had moved there last August and it was our first trip to see her and family. My Mom joined us for the trip and we left our computers at home. We arrived Wednesday night and had dinner with the family. Thursday Stefania and I went out exploring central Tennessee. We stopped at a winery, which we later found out was owned by one of the Brooks and Dunn country singing pair. I had no idea who the owner was while at the winery although the cheesy picture of the owner on all the handouts should have clued me in.
We also visited the George Dickle distillery. No small feat. One of the hobbies of folks in Tennessee is to steal road signs to the George Dickle distillery. We closed Thursday evening watching the Sharks play the Predators then listening to live music in downtown Nashville.
Friday we explored downtown some more and had dinner at our friend Gerard's house. Really great smoked steaks and lots of good wine. Saturday there was a little tornado scare. Mostly the newscaster was in a complete emotional melt down and scared, but the storm passed through fine and we went to a wonderful wine dinner at Flyte in downtown Nashville. We had aged Hermitage Blanc (interesting), some older Bordeaux (very good) and a host of other great wines. It was a great multi course 5+ hour dinner. I brought along some of our 07 Syrah and 07 Pinot Noir for everyone to try.
We're settled back in now and should have more regular updates on our activities as Spring starts.
We visited Nashville last week. My sister had moved there last August and it was our first trip to see her and family. My Mom joined us for the trip and we left our computers at home. We arrived Wednesday night and had dinner with the family. Thursday Stefania and I went out exploring central Tennessee. We stopped at a winery, which we later found out was owned by one of the Brooks and Dunn country singing pair. I had no idea who the owner was while at the winery although the cheesy picture of the owner on all the handouts should have clued me in.
We also visited the George Dickle distillery. No small feat. One of the hobbies of folks in Tennessee is to steal road signs to the George Dickle distillery. We closed Thursday evening watching the Sharks play the Predators then listening to live music in downtown Nashville.
Friday we explored downtown some more and had dinner at our friend Gerard's house. Really great smoked steaks and lots of good wine. Saturday there was a little tornado scare. Mostly the newscaster was in a complete emotional melt down and scared, but the storm passed through fine and we went to a wonderful wine dinner at Flyte in downtown Nashville. We had aged Hermitage Blanc (interesting), some older Bordeaux (very good) and a host of other great wines. It was a great multi course 5+ hour dinner. I brought along some of our 07 Syrah and 07 Pinot Noir for everyone to try.
We're settled back in now and should have more regular updates on our activities as Spring starts.
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