Fall means Fire Pit Fridays & Football

Frimly in the grip of fall now sliding into early winter, we are enjoying the fire pit, the mulled wine and the football frenzie.  We have also switched to more indoor events (Pinot Noir tasting coming up) but we have one more harvest on the calendar.   This will be new for us - the grapes should have been harvested a month ago but we bird netted them and let them hang.  This will be our first late harvest.  For those joining us for the harvest, be patient with us - we haven't done this before so we are figuring it out.

We also revised our wine club for 2012 and have included pick-up parties now.  Started with a Friday night pickup and quickly got feedback (hello e-mail) that one day isn't enough.  So - we switched it to a pick-up weekend this time around and we'll see how it goes.

We have been barrel tasting the Chamborcin and Norton - the Chambourcin will be bottled in the next month and Norton soon after that.  Considering throwing out a Norton barrel tasting night - thoughts??

Glad it's fall and we are able to enjoy all the fall things we love! 

Hello Autumn

It had to happen - the weather had to turn cooler at some point!  Haven't we had the best weather for the last few weeks but it is now getting nippy!  We are still holding out for sitting outside as much as we can so have continued with movies on the patio (often posting last minute) to make it happen, one more time!  The movies have been great fun because people share a new experience, together, over a bottle of wine.  Even folks that have seen the movies before say it was a new experience for them.

The Autumn chill has reawakened our taste for mulled wine and because we could never keep up with the demand, we have switched from the campfire kettle to the 50 cup urn!!  In fact, the mulled wine is perfect for the movie night as well.

Many of you have asked (and thank you), how we did with the harvest (given the heart surgery).  We harvested the Seyval and the Vignoles and fermented it before the surgery.  We also harvested the Chambourcin but sold those grapes as we didn't have time to ferment those.  The Concords are being used for our Grape Stomp weekend and the Vidal Blanc are netted with the hope that we will harvest them in November for a late harvest wine.  Yummy!

Looking ahead?  We are back and are excited to get folks back to the winery so we are planning blending workshops, barrel tastings and wine education classes over the winter.  We are back.  :)

Thank you & we appreciate your support!

Thank you for the support you have all given us through this very stressful time!  We have really appreciated the support you have shown us.  From all the help at harvest to the offers to look after things while we are focused on William's surgery to the company (and distraction) you provide when you visit - thank you!

Being closed for almost a month is disruptive (we apologize to the musicians we had to cancel and the private events we had to reschedule) but plan to be back stronger and with creative new events and offerings.  Of course, we will celebrate when we are back and we still plan to pull in one more harvest so there is lots to look forward to.  Having so much support from everyone is giving a lot of strength - thank you!

Harvest time!

At the end of the day, viticulture is agriculture - we have the same set of issues - pests, weather and lots of uncontrollable factors.  We don't have to replant every year but we do have to maintain the vines and keep them healthy year after year. 

This time of the year holds it's own excitement - what are the sugar levels (we test daily)? will the rains impact the sugar levels? hey, we need volunteers to help us harvest - what if the weather is bad on the one day we have helpers?  what if no one shows?  what about the birds? bees? etc......  The vineyards look great right now - full canopy, beautiful clusters of grapes and all the potential of the next vintage hanging right there!  If you are photographer, now is a great time to be in the vineyards.  If you are a nature lover, now is a great time to be in the vineyards (bees, butterflies and birds galore).  If you are a wine lover, now is a great time to be in the vineyards - the mind races to what this will taste like in the bottle - builds anticipation.  If you like the process of wine making, now is the right time to be in the vineyards - every small vineyard we know of will say thank you when you show up to help harvest!  Our harvest for the Seyval is Sunday, August 21st - can't wait!

Excitement is building

The vineyards are beautiful right now - you can see the fruit set and start to imagine what the harvest will be like in 10 - 12 weeks.  We're going through and doing some cluster thinning and starting to do our planning for the fall.  The weather has been pretty good for the most part and the sunsets are amazing!  Have you seen the latest pictures posted on facebook by Sarah and Jennifer?  Check them out if you haven't.

This is the season of 'fests' - we just participated in the Waterfest and will be at the Winefest on the 16th.  We will also be at the BBQ Fly-in and at the Dog show so - find us at these fests or visit with us at the tasting room.

Summer Solstice Party & Father's Day Barbeque

We've been focused on the vineyards - the vines are lush, the fruit set is beautiful and we can honestly get lost wandering in the vineyards for hours.  When we're not doing that, we're at the picnic tables by the pond or on the patio making new friends.  The Missouri Wine Passport program has brought lots of new guests out and we've enjoyed watching them progress to the various level as they explore the Missouri wine industry.  We've even had some visits from other vineyard and winery owners as we all get to know each other better and learn from one another.  We've added 6 kinds of berries, some nut trees, maple trees to line the driveway and several varieties of herbs on the patio.  New events for the year have included doggie days, a weekend pass to the vineyard, Fire Pit Fridays and several new musical artists.  We've even added picnic benches and a new 11 foot fire pit!  Now - we look forward to one of our favorite weekends - the weekend closest to Summer Solstice and our summer party!  Enjoy music, the Father's day BBQ and just celebrating the summer!  Cheers!

Busy time at the vineyard

It is a busy time at the vineyard.  We're training the new growth, brushing off suckers and even thinning some shoots already.  The trellis wires are tightened and we even planted some lavender on the patio for color and fragrance.  We have now started our music series on the weekends and the Fire Pit Fridays are on in full swing.  We have also signed up for about 6 festivals and will be looking for help from friends and wine club members.  The newest summer event will be the 'weekend pass to the winery' - the ability to camp and sleep at the winery.  We'll have to see how that works but that is currently planned for June 17th.  That is also our barbecue weekend.  This weather has been unpredictable but we are determined to spend this year focused on the basics in the vineyards and the wine making.  The rest will take care of itself!