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!

Spring Exploration

We are getting to that time of the year when we are close to giving up the soups and simmers for the season, spring break and the time change are around the corner and the gardening catalogs are showing up again!  The tasting rooms closed for the slow season are starting to open again and most will return to their regular hours in the next month or so.  Wineries have their new releases and the farmer's market fliers get us all ready to explore fresh flavors and new combinations.

So, get out there!  Whether it is exploring the new seasonal menus in restaurants, picking a new ingredient each week to experiment with or trying wines you wouldn't normal try, try it!  If you are a die hard red drinker - try an oaked white; only drink whites - try a fresh young red; don't drink dessert wines - try a port; not a fan of Vignoles - try a dry Vignoles, etc.   When you go exploring, choose a wine (or varietal) based on your mood that day - or explore blends.  Ask the server or the tasting room team to suggest recommendation for food and wine combinations - you may discover some fun and unusual pairings.  If you have an event coming up, take the menu or the recipes with you and get some ideas on wines that work well with your menu!

If you want time to explore and ask questions, pick a quiet time to visit the winery (when they first open or on a Sunday).  If you have more than 4 people or are taking snacks with you, call ahead so they can save some space for you and be more attentive to your needs.  And, use the pour bucket - if you are visiting several wineries in a short time frame or tasting a lot of wines to find the right ones, use the pour bucket to pour out samples you don't like or choose not to finish.  

Enjoy the exploration!  And if you find something you like, tell your friends!  Share the experience!  

Cheers!

What is the experience? Specifically, the wine experience??

What is the wine experience?  We have spent a lot of time wondering about this over the last few months.

Simply put - we grow grapes, we make wine and we sell wine.  We enjoy doing it.  We spend enough time in the vineyards and the winery that we also add things we like so that we enjoy being there (experimenting with cocktail, movies on the patio, live music, art, firepit, fireplaces, travel, food, etc.).  And we enjoy the people that we are getting to know so we also look for opportunities to spend time with them and create fun opportunities (walk in the vines, grape stomping, etc.).  We enjoy learning so we are constantly trying new things and evolving but also like to share the educational experience (blending workshops, paired tastings, etc.).  And, we need help from time to time so welcome the generosity of guests for things like harvest.  So - simply put - we grow grapes, make wine and sell wine.  This is our experience.

As we designed the new space and have been working on it - we have often thought about the experience for guests.  What is the experience they are after?  And since we can't make everyone happy, what are the experiences we should focus on?

Here are some of our thoughts - feel free to share yours.  We want our guests to be immersed in the wine experience - yes, it's a long drive up the drive way but as you wind up and around the vineyards, your view unfolds.  And we aren't as close to a highway or on blacktop as our guests would like but the land we are on is perfect for grape growing and wine begins in the vineyards and with the grapes!  From the gate you see the white block on the left and then as you round the bend, you see the Chambourcin block unfold.  [We grow grapes.]

Once you park, you see the pond with the picnic benches, the patios with chairs and tables and (if you visit at dusk or in the evening), bright lights lining the buildings.  It is a longish, windy path to the tasting room but you walk within a few feet of the vineyard block and depending on when you visit, see grapes ripening on the vines!  Some times you see hoses and tanks on the side of the Vintage building and sometimes you see barrels.  In the Vintage building you can hear the hum of the chiller and in the new building you can see the entire crushpad and some winery equipment outside.  During harvest you can see crush and how the grapes get from the vineyard to the tanks.  [We make wine.]

As you enter the Vintage facility or the new space, you see a tasting bar (with chairs) and plenty of options (indoors and outdoors) for enjoying a glass of wine. We have added an indoor/outdoor bar so you don't have to go far to get another glass and can continue to enjoy the movie, the music or your conversation without disruption.  We offer by the glass, by the bottle and innovative options for exploring (sangrias, mulled wine and wine cocktails). [We sell wine.]

So that is us translating our experience into what we hope you experience - take a breath, enjoy the views of the vineyards and the grounds as you take the winding path to the tasting room and savor the full experience.  Of course, if you enjoy your experience (and like the wine), you might want to spend time there so, we share and extend our things we like to do with what our guests like to do - sometimes they like what we like and sometimes they don't.  Rarely does someone think back to a pleasant wine experience and only remember the wine (flavors they tasted, mouth feel, aromas, etc.).  It happens but rarely.  What people do remember when they think about a pleasant wine experience is who they shared a glass with, where they were and how they felt that day, the stories they shared and the time spent.  With that in mind, we have tried to think through the details to help create the wine experience.  Of course - this is all subjective (and no, we won't make everyone happy so we won't worry about it)!

We grow grapes, we make wine, we sell wine and we LOVE doing it!  Cheers!

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!!