Cellar fun in the cooler months

There are plenty of things to do at the winery around the year but the pace and intensity shifts dramatically in the cooler months.  The visibility to the activity shifts as well.  In the spring and summer months, you can see the changes in the vineyards from week to week.  Everything from the work with  the vines to the keeping the grounds mowed.  There are also a lot of festivals, wine-walks, music on the patio and groups enjoying picnics!  Then comes the intensity of harvest where we are very dependent on volunteers and time is precious.

As the weather cools and the days get shorter, there is still plenty of activity but it is in the cellar - out of view for most folks and people wonder - what do you do in the winter months?  This is when wines begin to finish their primary and secondary fermentation and for wines destined for barrels, a whole new process begins!!  We are in that phase right now - since we have barrel space in the cellar, we are starting to think about our choices starting with, to oak or not to oak?

For whites, that is a little easier decision - for us, we know the Seyval is the right white to be oaked so then we think about the degree of oak.  How many barrels?  Which type?  Which cooperage?    Ideally, we want to combine separate lots of filtered oaked and unoaked wine to create a blend with the right level of oak influence.  Hoping for the perfect barrel to make that happen is a long shot!!  The Vidal Blanc and the Vignoles varietals don't really benefit much from the oak and those varietals are best enjoyed fresh and fruity!

For reds, the decision is a bit more complicated.  We know we will leave some wine completely unoaked (Loft Red) but past that, we have several semi-dry to dry reds and these are very popular with our guests.  More thought and design will go into the decision about these barrels ranging from oak source, to the level of toasting, to barrel heads (toasted or not), size of barrel, etc.  The desired tannin (wine dryness which provides structure for red wine) comes from the grape skins, seeds, stems and oak.  The wood tannin contributed by the oak is a key component in our reds - it acts as a wine stabilizer, helping it age longer by protecting aroma and flavor.  Our group that joined us in Italy learned all about the benefits of aging and storing wine in barrels and the noticable impact to the wine flavors and experience.  It allows the wine to age longer in the bottle too and as wine ages, tannin develops a softer, silk-like texture.  The reality is, oak, like every other part of the winemaking process is a series of decision leading to the final wine and ultimately, the wine experience.

Harvest recap 2014

The 2014 harvest is done! We thank all the volunteers (57 of you) who joined us for the various harvests and 1 of you (Karen) who joined us for each and every one! We had many folks that joined numerous harvests and some one time folks that gave it a shot! Thank you all for giving up your Sunday and your personal time! For us, each harvest is very unique and special - here's a quick run down: - usually, our first harvest is a private one where we collect the fruit ourselves and test out the equipment and processes. This year, the weather and grape chemistry didn't enable that so -- we harvested Seyval as our first public harvest and in the new winery! It was a hot day and quite humid. We ended noonish like we planned but it was a hot day!! Sangrias and sparkling wine set the mood for the day with crush in the new winery!! - we harvested the Vignoles the next day with a much smaller crew - who the heck would give up Labor Day Monday?? Thank you Richard, Rick & Kevin! This one was very different - foggy and rainy - we had a great time discussing music, science, sports and the generational differences - youngest picker - 13; oldest one - 72! We had a lot to talk about and probably one of the most memorable harvests of the season. - Vidal was the next up - our largest white harvest and we had the math down by this point! Again - done by almost noon but this time - the weather wasn't as hot and we had lots of red wine lovers in the mix. More importantanly - this was the Chief's season opener and we still had volunteers so we opened up some private red wine - red wine not destined for the tasting room! Red wine that is being trialed for CELLAR 57 and considered our private reserve! We were happy to share and it was well received by the group! - Chambourcin is the next harvest - foggy day; aerial photographer Jeff Knight is out with his remote control cameras and this block is close to the tasting room so we get MUSIC for the picking!! We picked almost all the grapes (left a few rows for a 2nd picking for the Rose) but finished listening to music!! We opened up some unreleased Rose for the lunch and had lunch while we waited for crush! - Next day - grapes were picked and processed for the Rose! - Last harvest party of the season was last Sunday (September 21st) - we had a last minute cancellation so a smaller group than we had planned but, it worked our for the best! We were a small group but as nature would have it - the right group. As it turns out, September 21st was our 8th anniversary of having purchased the land for the vineyard. How appropriate that the last harvest team was Rick (who helped with the early days of planning and planting), Richard (who was our viticulture coach), Karen (who has never missed a planting party, weeding party or harvest party) and Shirley (new energy and a fresh perspective - and someone who hadn't heard our stories before so appreciated them)! The six of us enjoyed and intimate lunch on the patio and while the harvest went a little longer than planned, it was a beautiful day and a great finale to the season!! So, we harvested 31,310 pounds of grapes and now, we are busy in the winery! The very last chance to see grapes on the vines is this weekend (Sunday, September 28th) for the grape stomp. Come out and pick some Concords for jams, jellies and homemade wine and once we are done, we will have a grape stomp - get in there and stomp grapes I Love Lucy style! This is a great season to visit a vineyard!!

CELLAR 57

(not written by William this month) Why another club? Why launch it on May 7th - the middle of the week when we aren't even open? Why not wait until the new building is done? To answer that, we need to share some perspective... CELLAR 57 isn't just another club. It is a premise, turned into a passion, turned into a promise! A few years ago, in a 'just imagine' moment - we had a premise - what if we created a concept that was different than all the rest; something that celebrated what is unique about our property and our guests; something that was a treat, a night out or a special hideaway; something quiet and secluded, yet highend and classy; something private and indulgent but accessible and attainable; something that celebrates the area we are in and allows us to express our passions and our personalities. That was the premise. Then, we had some health issues to deal with and the premise turned into a passion - something to plan for and look forward to; something to strive for and drive towards. The passion lead to a promise - a present to William - fight the fight, hang in there, be strong and get to May 7th, 2014. On May 7th, William turns 57 - something he did not believe he would see. The promise - turn 57 and we will launch CELLAR 57 to celebrate your birthday! 57 wasn't a random goal. The numbers 5 & 7 have played an important part in William's life for, well, 57 years but these numbers have played a role in the vineyard and winery as well: - this vineyards were started 7 years ago - the winery is 5 years old - the land we bought is the 57th piece of land we looked at - our federal and state winery license numbers end in 57 - and on, and on and on! So, with CELLAR 57, we celebrate the premise, the passion and the promise!! Happy 57th Birthday William!!

Moving forward in May

This is the time of year when the vineyard changes daily! We have started the 'walk in the vines' series and they have been different from week to week. This is a great time to visit the vineyards and wineries. Go on a slow day or a slow part of the day if you want some extra time and attention with the winemaker and tasting room staff. This is also festival season - that means you have the best of both worlds!! Go to the festivals to see the visiting wineries that you may not get to otherwise. At the festivals, be smart - take snacks and water so you are stay hydrated and are resetting your taste buds in between wineries. If you love a wine at the festival, BUY IT but make sure you don't stash it in a warm car for the day. But festival season also means the crowds are at the festivals so the tasting rooms have a little lighter traffic. Use this time to ask about the wines, viticulture and nuances of the wines you are tasting. This is also when wineries are releasing their spring wines. So, if you love a wine from a previous vintage, BUY IT. The few cases the wineries have left might be it as wines tend to change from year to year based on the grapes, the season and the particular choices the winemaker made. We are LOVING the reactions folks are having as they revisit us - it's a balance between the curiosity of the new building and folks that want to visit the original building before we move because they have memories in this building and want to visit it one more time! It is a very heart warming reaction and our current plans are to leave the original building alone. We have very warm memories of the place we started as well and we aren't ready to transform it into anything else at this time. Stay tuned for more and in the meantime, hit the festivals and visit the tasting rooms for a fresh spring perspective!! Cheers & Make Friends!

Reflections

We haven't put anything out here in a year - we got busy 'doing' and if you are reading the newsletters and are watching on Facebook, we have had a very busy year with the new building! However, as we were getting ready for our anniversary weekend, we took some time to revisit where we started and realized just what a journey this has been (and more to come). The very cool part of the journey has been the discovery (the land, the grapes, the wines, the guests, the partnerships - the entire experience). It is interesting how the questions in the tasting room have changed along the way - early day questions were more like "really? a winery here?" and "do grapes really grow here?". As the wine industry has grown in this area, the guests have become much more educated and the questions have evolved. Questions now are about the type of grapes, the wine style and the nuances of American oak versus French oak! More and more guests relay preferences based on grape varietals, sugar levels and even the type of glass they like to use. It is very exicting to see this growth and to have been a part of it. With so many more wineries and wine trails in the area, there are so many more options for guests to enjoy the wine experience and share the experience with friends and family that visit from other areas. We are grateful for the support we have had in our journey so far and look forward to growing with the industry and continuing to be part of the wine experience for our guests!