Frigid January

The extreme cold is disruptive and a little depressing - on the other hand, it is the perfect excuse to sit by the fire.  :)  So, that is what we have been doing on the weekends.  When guests come in, we sit by the fire with them and chat.  It is a slower pace for us but it has given us time to create some new friendships and deepen a few others.

We are going to hold off pruning for another couple of weeks.  We know that a lot of the vineyards have started already but February will likely be our starting time given the coldness and the length of the forecasted winter.

We will also be attending the Missouri Wine and Grape Conference the first weekend in February so hopefully, that will give us lots of great ideas and new things we can be doing!

Happy New Year

Hello 2011!  We took two weeks off so we could get 'caught up' on a few things and visit other wineries and renew friendships!  It has been a great break but we have missed being at the tasting room.  We are ready to start up again this weekend and to hear all the great stories of everyone's holidays.

2011 will be a very busy year for us - we have some additional plans for irrigation, additional tank space and MAYBE some additional vines (still debating that one).  Whatever the year holds, we know we are looking forward to the continued friendship of the folks we encounter at the tasting room.  Welcome 2011.

Happy Holidays

Hard to believe the year is almost over and yet, so glad to be getting some time off.  YUP - we are going to close for two weekends in a row!  We will be closed from December 20th to January 7th - reopening on January 8th.  There is just so much going on for everyone at this time of the year that we have decided to take some time off and collect ourselves.  We hope the coming year is a busy one again and this time, we plan to have a full harvest so it is time to get the 'to-do' list down to a 'done' list.  The break will be used to  travel a little and then crank through the small items that are on our list but we never get around to doing them.  And yes, there will be some resting, relaxing and playing in that timeframe.  We hope to get out to the other wineries we seldom get to visit because we are open the sametime they are!  Some of them we visited quite a while ago but they have grown and expanded and we haven't seen their progress or their success.  Others are new and while we meet them at conference, tailgate meetings and classes, we haven't stopped to visit with them.  So, this holiday season, we will be cleaning up our house and making the rounds with the other wineries.

I have some thoughts on changes we will be making for next year but I will save that for another time - for this one, I just want to wish everyone a happy holiday season.  Be good to each other, be safe and enjoy what you have!

Cheers!

December Energy

What a fun time of the year!  It doesn't matter what faith you are or your belief system - this time of the year seems to have an energy of it's own and it is infectious!  From the holiday cartoons on the T.V. to the decorations on absolutely everything; the school plays and concerts to the holiday open houses and neighborhood parties; the team lunches to the holiday parties -- absolutely everyone is buzzing with energy, good will, plates of food and holiday cheer.

The activity at the vineyard right now is all social - lots of groups getting together for holiday parties, shopping for holiday gift baskets or even just taking a break from shopping.  Lots of smiles, hugs and kisses all around.  Yup - a December Energy - it's infectious!

Fire

While each season has a place and a pace, there are a few days in each season where I'm not quite sure what the day is trying to be.  This time of year is one of those times when the leaves have already fallen and we have some gloomy days.  The colors of fall have given way to brown and more brown and it could be my imagination but we don't have as many truly sunny days either.  It is supposed to be the start of the festive season with Thanksgiving gatherings and family visits but it isn't quite festive yet (no snow, no decorations, no lights).  I'm just plain cold and I don't enjoy being outside. 

Well, actually, I do like being outside but only if it's by a fire (see the picture taken by a guest at the winery firepit a week or so ago).

Maybe it's the nice glow with the warm colors, maybe it's the warmth and the great smell or maybe it's because whenever you sit by the fire, people show up.  If you're sitting at a table, it is unlikely that people you don't know are going to just take the seat next to you but sit by the fire, and the chair next to you will be occupied in no time!  Everyone stares at the fire and starts to talk.  Stories are openly shared without pretense or formalities.  Bottles of wine are passed around to fill empty glasses as if we're one big group and everyone takes turn poking the fire or adding more wood.  Folks who were leaving will stop by the fire for a quick warm up and end up staying 'a bit longer'.  Jackets and blankets get shared and before you know it, you've made new friends.  Ah - that is the warmth of the season feeling after all!

Change of pace

The vineyard work is all done for the season.  The wine is in the tanks.  The days are getting shorter and while it is a beautiful fall, the chill in the air tells me we are closer to winter than I'd like.  It's a different pace now - with Halloween just behind us, and Thanksgiving right around the corner, the year will be over before we know it.  The challenge for this time of the year is to stay active and yet, not overcommit!  With football (and hockey) in full swing, school activities ramped back up and the list of chores that we didn't get to while we were focused on the vineyard, thinking of what to do next isn't a problem. 

With the clock being turned back this weekend, we are reminded that it will be darker earlier.  We pondered - do we change our hours or will folks still come out Saturday evenings?  We decided to keep our hours the same and add some fun stuff to do - last year we didn't have the indoor space to continue the music through the winter but this year, I think we have a cozy space for folks to gather in so, we've booked music on Saturday afternoons now.  The firepit has always been a draw (and I am sure we will head there right after the music each saturday).  And, as we were clearing another block so we can maybe plant more vines next year, we came across a rockpile so we are moving the rocks over by the pond to build a second, much bigger firepit!  This is the season to gather with friends and family so we figured we'd provide a couple of cozy options!  We certainly enjoy hanging out there so we are looking forward to this season where we can sit and chat with folks as they come in.

Fall Fun

What a great fall we are having.  So the new portion of the building is now open and last weekend we had lots and lots of folks come out and have a look.  Now we are adjusting schedules - we have been open friday evenings and that has been great so we will play it by ear for the coming few weeks.  It is also time to bottle more Viagem so we will also be offering the 'port blending' workshop in the coming weeks.  Another point on the scheduling - we weren't open last year on the day after thanksgiving but we had several calls asking if we were so this year, I think we will consider it - any thoughts?

It has been exciting to host the last few events - we've had a wedding reception, 3 rehersal dinners, a couple of family reunions and a few private parties.  So - now that we have the new space, I'm curious to see how people will use this space.  It's quite open, private and has direct patio access.  I know that we love it because we can be working outside, see someone coming and run in to greet them!  All the natural light is just great and I know that the new space was handy when we had the fire spinner last week!

So, in the coming weeks - port blending workshop and re-introducing the spices (including the mulling spices)!  If you have any requests or suggestions, please let us know!