New Vineyard Blocks

We are currently planting - weather has presented a little challenge but we are still confident we plant on Memorial Day weekend!  I haven't had a chance to put a lot of details here but over the coming two weeks - I will be posting pictures of the progress to this space.  Stay tuned!

Spring 2016

Yes - the spring has been odd - a little late winter (snow and hail last week) and an early spring (weather in the 60's and 70's a few weeks ago) but that is a pretty amazing thing!!  Our vines are pruned, we are working on servicing the tractors and sprayer, working on soil samples and the spray program.  We feel the vineyards will start budding early but really hope that we actually do get a little more moisture in the coming weeks.  For all those that are complaining about 'being done with winter', I would say - what winter?  And we need the moisture so let's accept that April showers bring May flowers and that rain (not torrential downpours) are welcome!  So, we watch the weather reports daily and adjust as necessary.

We are welcoming the longer days, the seasonal visitors back to the winery and all the folks in the area for wine fests, wine dinners, weekend getaways.  We are ready to start the movies and are excited for the music on the patio (we love them in the tasting room but if there is a crowd, it is hard to hear at the tasting counter).

2015 was our year of survival - 2016 is our year of rebuilding.  And with that - we are rebuilding!!  The new deck is built so the Assemblage room will soon be in use.  We are replacing the overhead canopy in the coming weeks (oh yes, we are welcoming strong volunteers), we are working on getting the inside/outside serving window open, rewiring the AV for the movies, adding more speakers for the music and getting the front fountain installed!!  As always, our to-do list is long!

 We are on the eve of our 7th anniversary as a winery - April 10th is our 7th anniversary as a winery.  Our very first customers were Colette and her family - Colette continues to be a good luck charm for us sending us prayers and good wishes whenever needed (and they paid cash which was great since my credit card machine wasn't working yet!).  While they are not heavy wine drinkers, they are great supporters in all the ways that count - thank you!  The next set of customers (Bernadette and Christine) have become family - we have traveled to Italy, done numerous projects around the winery and they have been and continue to be a respite for needed downtime.  And, they are trustworthy - I sent them home with several bottles of wine the night I met them with no currency exchanged - they didn't have cash or a cheque and I didn't have a working credit card machine so we agreed on trust and they not only came back the following week with money but 10 friends who have also become part of the support system at Fence Stile - thank you!!

Along the way, we have met INCREDIBLE folks who have provided support, guidance, friendship, advice, muscle power and a shoulder to lean on (and occasionally cry on).  One of these great souls is Karen - you know her - you have seen her at the winery frequently.  She is the 'Norm' of Fence Stile - if you are a regular, you know Karen!  Karen has been at the winery before we were a winery - she has been at every planting party, every weeding party, shooting thinning party and most harvest parties (she only missed the 2015 parties due to health issues).  Karen is turning 80 on July 23rd and we are celebrating!  Mark that date - more details to come but the winery is celebrating Karen on July 23rd!

Well, the Assemblage room and deck will open soon.  We are enjoying our Soulful Sundays and painting parties (planning on a painting party where the painting is of Becca)!  We have a new winemaker (her introduction is coming next time).  We will launch TravelStiles in the next month.  The Cellar 57 space is almost ready, the labels have been submitted for approval and the wine is bottled!!  We are even considering adding the 4 acres of vines William had planned on - yes, we would love help getting those planted!!  And we are getting ready for the upcoming winefest season!!

Cheers and Thank You!
We appreciate your friendship and loyalty - Shriti, Amrish & Becca

Love Lock

We are grateful we are nearing the last of the 'firsts' but have been blessed to have been supported by so many friends and an incredible number of strangers that just care.  

The first lock on the Love Lock wall says what we spent our entire time together doing - and today (Jan 25th) is another one of those 'firsts' - today would have been our 10th wedding anniversary.  And most likely, we would have been working on the long list of things that need to get done but we would have done it together!  

It is fitting that our first day in the new building was Valentine's Day last year and this year, the first seating in the caves will be on Valentine's Day weekend.  Anyone that has seen the caves will agree - a lot of love and care has gone into designing and building the space. And, so there is no misunderstanding, much work remains to be done and in loving memory of William, we are continuing to build upon what we started!  As I shared previously, 2016 will be our year to 'refine or perhaps redefine'.  Thank you for sharing in the journey, for all the help and for all the support.

P.S. sharing a Valentine's Day card from 2013!

Happy 2016 (& goodbye to a bitter sweet 2015)!

A brand new year - a new calendar - a new cycle - a clean page - a new set of goals - new beginnings!

In 2015, our goal became just to survive the year so 2016 is the year to 'refine' or perhaps to 'redefine'!  The first day of a brand new year (especially a bright sunny day) carries hope, promise, wonder and anticipation.  We are very grateful to have the support of our friends and family as we face the new year and all the challenges we know lie ahead as we continue to find our way and 'redefine' our new normal!  Thank you for your continued friendship and support!

Happy New Year - we hope it is filled with peace, joy & love!

Gratitude

Canadian Thanksgiving was a few weeks ago and American Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away. For us, it has been a season of Thanksgiving. We have been showered with, impressed by and grateful for all the help we have received in the past few months. The kindnesses shown have been big and little; subtle and obvious. Just a handful of examples of the thoughtful and gracious acts of kindness we have experienced: 

• Help picking up the patio at the end of the weekend
• Help on Fridays to setup for the movies or get the fire started for FirePit Friday
• Folks that drove from other states (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma) for harvest weekends
• Help in the tasting room and tours
• Gardening, mowing and landscaping
• Painting and staining
• Moving furniture and tanks
• Garage & loft cleanup
• Folks who call to see if I need company or even better, come in on a rainy day knowing I need to be there but it will be a slow day so want to make sure I am not alone
• Folks who attended Amrish's sporting events and kept me company on the bleachers
• Folks who helped look after the tasting room so I could attend Amrish's sporting events
• Texts reminding me to eat (and in the early days after William passed away, to shower)!
• Hugs - and some of you are excellent huggers!!
• and most importantly - helping me decipher the WillGyver codes 

The list of things we are grateful for is much longer but what we have come to realize is that when we are faced with obstacles, confused about the choices and decisions that need to be made and afraid of all that still lays ahead, being grateful gives us perspective.  Acknowledgement of the help we are getting and the amazing people giving us the help has strengthened the relationships we have cultivated.  We have become a very strong community bonded by a shared passion, strengthened by shared sorrow and determination not to fail.

We are very thankful for the loving community that has enveloped us.  We have learned to ask for help.  You have given us more than we asked for and continue to be there - good days and bad.  We know it's not over - we have a long ways to go but knowing you are just an 'ask' away is a tremendous relief.  We can never repay the kindness (although we will do our best - just ask) but know that it has not gone unnoticed.  Thank you!

A lifetime in 10 years!

This is an odd and personal post but for the last week or so, I have been thinking about today – June 17th and wondering how I would react to today. 10 years ago today, on June 17th at 6am, I met William on a random happenstance. By 9am he knew. It took me longer but not by much. We had just shy of 10 years together. Seems like a long time but, really, just the blink of an eye. I look back at what we have done in 10 years – more than many do in a lifetime! 

For starters, William has been an amazing influence on Amrish – hard to step into a 4 year old’s life but William and Amrish formed an amazing bond and friendship and William shaped Amrish into an remarkable young man. The vineyard and winery – we started this project from scratch – everything you see at Fence Stile is a reflection of us and personal! William spent 7 days a week for 9 years working on Fence Stile and even our Love Lock on the wall says “Building a life together” – it’s personal! And me – he tried his best to get me to slow down, relax and enjoy each day - his motto - 'life is good'. He spoiled me with fresh flowers each week, indulged me with my passions and supported me with various ‘honey, I’ve been thinking’ ideas! He was a tower of patience and all he wanted in return was to see the ocean at least once a year! 

So today – while I miss William and wish I had many more decades with him, I am grateful for the happenstance meeting with an amazing individual with whom Amrish and I shared the better part of a decade, made us better people and created Fence Stile for us. I miss the fresh flowers, the twinkle in his eyes, the scruffy pony tail, the tattered ball caps, the napkin drawings of our plans, the MacGyvering of anything needed (now fondly termed ‘WillGyvering’), the care and love he gave Amrish and most of all, I miss my best friend. I miss my life partner. But I am grateful for the almost 10 years we had.  It wasn't enough but....

Nothing will be the same again.  As we make decisions to move forward, I know we aren't doing things exactly the way William and I would have made them but ...  we are trying to define the 'new normal'.  And while things aren't the same (and never will be), we will work hard to honor William's memory and passion.

And to keep my promise, Amrish and I will be taking William’s ashes to the Bahamas this summer so he can sail the oceans, Buffet style!

Spring forward

The vineyards are pruned, the patio events are resuming, the new tasting room is pretty much finished, and the work we were having done in the in tunnels will be finished this week!! Time to look at the next list -- get the new vineyard blocks ready for planting, finish the Cellar 57 club space, plant the Cellar garden, and replant the missing/damaged vines in the existing blocks. We are also starting the TravelStiles regional tasting this month to continue to learn about the wines from around the world. Spring sure inspires an extra burst of energy!