Holiday Winemaker Dinner at Barona Oaks Steakhouse

Our 2010 holiday winemaker's dinner was a huge success with our guests.  The weather was perfect, cool and clear. We were thankful that the rain storm came the day after!


We really enjoyed the evening. We were touched by Barona Oaks Steakhouse’s generosity and kindness to us and to our guests.

We have fond memories of course after course of delicious food paired perfectly with our wines. The 5-course gourmet meal created by Executive Chef Duncan was paired perfectly with the Mahogany Mountain wines.

The evening was off to a fabulous start with a glass of Mahogany Mountain White Zinfandel paired with Cured Pork Rillette served with a cider mustard sauce– such a great pairing!

Next we enjoyed an appetizer of House Smoked Salmon with Root Vegetables Remoulade. The Mahogany Mountain 2007 Zinfandel paired wonderfully with this second course.

The following course was, presented in a cappuccino cup, a very unique and tasty Wild Mushroom soup. The Mahogany Mountain 2007 Merlot paired with this course was outstanding.

At last we were presented with the Main Course. Our guests had a choice of Dry Aged New York Steak with Mushroom Crust, Slow Cooked Scottish Salmon with Herb Fingerling Potatoes and Swiss Chard, Stuffed and Roasted Free Range Chicken with Roasted Carrots, Spinach and Sage Jus.  The main course was paired with the powerful 2008 Mahogany Mountain Mourvedre or the robust 2007 Mahogany Mountain Zinfandel.  I chose a beautifully presented Dry Aged New York steak served with Potatoes Au Gratin topped with delicious morsels of ham and Baby Asparagus.  Both of the wines, Mahogany Mountain Mourvedre and Zinfandel, paired so well with the juicy and tender steak. Yummy!

Knowing a delicious dessert would be waiting, I saved some room. The Mascarpone & Pistachio Stuffed Pear poached in Mahogany Mountain Port, Cinnamon Ice Cream and Warm Chocolate Sauce was unbelievably good together and definitely a sweet treat we would like to enjoy again. The Mahogany Mountain Vintage Port paired with this final course left us all smiling with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

The service provided by the Barona Oaks steakhouse’s staff was friendly, gracious and impeccable. We all walked away from the evening with many happy and delicious memories.

Many of our guests told us how much they enjoyed our winemaker's dinner at Barona and would look forward to the next one.

Our compliments to the Barona Oaks Steakhouse, Executive Chef Duncan, and Manager Scott.

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Prosperous and Happy New Year!

Cheers!

The most beautiful time of the year

I am thankful for the nice and cool weather we are having in Ramona. While the North East and Midwest regions are under some awful snow storms, we’ve had some rains. But other than that, our weather has been beautiful: cold mornings with a little bit fog and sunny afternoon. The last two weekends have been absolutely golden and warm. Our evenings and nights are chilly, but it’s a nice and snuggly kind of chilly weather. Our vineyards had the most gorgeous fall colors this year, thanks to the wacky (not typical Southern California) weather that we have had all year long. The grape leaves changed their colors daily. The vines and their leaves have a new look every day. God is very artistic after all.

Since we opened our tasting room, we have had a very positive experience. So far, the local folks in Ramona, especially the members of Ramona Vineyard Association and Ramona Wineries Association have been exceptional in their support of our tasting room. I am surprised and touched by the generous and collaborative spirit exhibited by the local winemakers in Ramona. People from all over San Diego County found out about our tasting room and went up the hill to Ramona to visit our winery, even when it rained. Our friends, neighbors and relatives have been wonderful. Despite the fact that they have tasted our wines many times, they still came by and bought some more. Without the support of these good and kind hearted people, our winery would not have had a chance for survival. I truly believe that it takes a village to nurture a boutique winery.

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday since childhood. As it turned out, our holiday celebration has started much earlier this year since Thanksgiving Day, thanks to invitations to holiday parties to which we could not say No. So far, there have been four holiday parties with good company, good food and excellent wines! My waistline can attest to that (I will go on a diet next year, after the Lunar New Year!). With all of the excitement of opening our tasting room and holiday celebration, I am a little behind in getting our Christmas cards mailed and presents wrapped. All that will have to wait until after our winemaker dinner at Barona on Saturday. Ah, c’est la vie.

We look forward to another out-of-this-world gourmet dinner prepared by Chef Duncan at the Barona Oaks Steakhouse. As we have anticipated, our winemaker dinner at the Barona Oaks Steakhouse is another sold-out event. Several of our wines will be featured and paired with food exquisitely prepared for us and our guests. Although there are other choices for the main course, I can’t wait to indulge myself eating a juicy and tender steak and drinking a glass of our Mourvedre or Merlot estate-bottled wine! Life is good!


Cheers! A votre santé!

Tasting Room Opening

After years and months of working toward the goal of opening a wine tasting room next to our vineyards, we finally did it.  No one in their right mind would want to go through this long journey that we've put ourselves through. But wine is love and love can be painful as it requires lots of TLC and sacrifices.

Our first weekend went well.  The Ramona Vineyards Association members and the Ramona residents were our great supporters this weekend.  It was really nice to have a chance to chat and get to know some RVA members and local people that we have not had a chance to meet.   We even received some gorgeous  flowers from Carolyn and Andy Harris which match our decor and paint color perfectly.   How sweet and thoughtful of them! Love the flowers!  Our winemaking mentor, the man who was responsible for igniting our passion for winemaking, Lum Eisenman, stopped by to see us too.  Michael's cousins, Paul and Hanni, stopped by and bought some wines for their Thanksgiving dinner. How nice! Hope our White Zinfandel and Merlot go well with their Austrian-American gourmet meal.

We also had visitors from all over the county, including one lady from Boston.   We had some brand-new customers who were referred to us by the Schwaesdall winery where they had stopped for wine tasting. Nice job, John and Shirley, keep up the good work!  

What a great weekend! We felt love and support from everyone who came through our door. Thanks to All.

Our tasting room hours are: Saturday and Sunday from 11 - 5 pm.  We'll close the Thanksgiving weekend as we all deserve a break after all of this work.  Besides, Santa needs to go Christmas shopping right after Thanksgiving!

Cheers!

P.S.:  Meet some of our Volunteer Staff Members! ;-)

Gourmet Winemaker Dinners planned for Dec. 11 and Dec. 18

The Holiday Season is fast approaching. We hope you can  join us in one or both of the Winemaker's Dinners that we've planned at Barona Oaks Steakhouse in December.

Our last winemaker's dinner at the Barona Steakhouse was a great success. Everyone enjoyed it and was glad that they attended.  Now, they've asked for a repeat!  I must say the wine-food pairing was expertly prepared and executed. OMG, it was a gourmet meal that one cannot easily forget.   Our wines were beautifully and deliciously paired with gourmet dishes that were delish.

So if you love wine and enjoy gourmet wine-food pairing dinners, RSVP as soon as you can as the seating is extremely limited. You'll enjoy an excellent culinary wine food pairing dinner prepared by a world-class chef.  There will be a 4-5 course meal including amuse-bouche, appetizers, choice of main course and dessert.

You can reserve one or both of the following dates:


Date: Saturday December 11 or Saturday December 18
Time: 6 pm
Price: $60.00/person

Seating is limited.

Must pay in advance by December 1st.
You can pay via Paypal from our website winelist: http://www.mahoganymountain.com/ or pay with cash or credit card.

Email or call us if you have questions.

If you wish to join us for both dinners, it would be fine as Chef Duncan will have a different menu for each dinner!

Cheers

Love + Faith + Technology = Life

It has been a very productive month! The harvest was all done just before the rain came. Thank God. Our timing couldn’t have been better. Our 2010 vintage is progressing nicely. All wine varietals were fermented and pressed. Although the harvest is over, we still have lots of wine making work to do between now and January.


Miracles do happen as we witnessed the rescue of Chilean miners this week. To commemorate the miraculous rescue of the 33 Chilean miners this week, we’ll name one of our 2010 wines, “Los 33”. The wine that will be named after the Chilean miners will have to demonstrate some if not all of the miners’ characteristics that we so admired: Hope, Faith, Strength, Courage and Love for Life.

Most of the summer, we all witnessed the despair and sorrow of the Chilean miners and their families. But their faith and hope inspired the whole world. Then through sheer determination, unity and love, the whole world came to their aid. How technology combined with faith and tenacity uniting the humankind would always be one of the few bright spots in a world that is sometimes filled with negativity and pessimism. Their story inspired us to live our dream and have faith!

Harvest Report

The harvest season is over at Mahogany Mountain Vineyard!

Our harvest season lasted for the entire month of September. Although we had a cool summer and lots of uncertainty in August, we ended up with a bumper crop. The fruits tasted and looked so good, much better than we had expected. If God is willing, our 2010 vintage will be a great one.

Our European friends had told us that during the harvest season, their whole village would show up at each vineyard to help harvest when it was time to harvest. We experienced the same level of support from our friends, relatives, neighbors and their friends. We felt so blessed and grateful for their love and support.

We started the harvest season a week before the Labor Day. Our friends, Carol and Jerry T., helped harvest the Merlot at 6 am. During the Labor Day weekend, despite the scorching heat wave, we were so touched when our friends and relatives (as far as Bakersfield) showed up to help harvest the Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre. Afterward, we all indulged a huge Mexican food fiesta that Carol T. and Carol I. helped prepare and set up the buffet. Everyone seemed to enjoy iced cold sangria, appetizers and the food and wine pairings. The following weekend, with help from Geoff and Amie, we harvested more Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. This weekend, our neighbors and their friends helped us harvest more Cabernet Sauvignon. Susie, our cousin, helped set up and prepared the harvest feast. Susie made all of the desserts including her famous chocolate fudge sauce. Needless to say, we are so thankful for each and everyone of you who came and helped with our 2010 harvest. Thank God for the bountiful harvest and for the priceless memories that we shared with our friends and loved ones!

We have another good news! Our tasting room has been approved and is open for business!!!




Cheers!

Welcome to San Diego Wine Country

On August 4, 2010, by a unanimous historic vote, San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors have approved a tiered winery ordinance allowing small “boutique” wineries to open tasting rooms and offer retail sales. Their vote represents four long years of hard work and lots of heartache (and heartburn). I’d like to salute a group of our winemaker and winegrower peers from Ramona Valley AVA; spearheaded by Carolyn Harris, for their courage, skills, legal knowledge, determination and perseverance.

Of course, it all came down to having the right sponsors who helped pave the way. The San Diego County’s Board of Supervisors and San Diego Farmers Bureau were the advocates for the ordinance and worked with San Diego county Department of Planning and Land Use to have a reasonable approach for wineries to have tasting rooms in light of zillions of requirements.

For those of you who may be concerned about tasting rooms popping up all over the place in your urban and suburban neighborhoods. Don't worry, there are measures that would keep that from happening. First and foremost, the new ordinance only applies to agricultural zoned land (A70 & A72). As you may have guessed, besides the local counties agencies, there are many federal and state agencies regulate wineries and tasting rooms. For example, all wineries are required to have a valid permit and bond issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and a current Winegrowers license issued by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. In other words, besides growing grapes and making wines for the fun of it, there are a lot of hoops, pains, frustrations and sufferings one must go through and deal with in order to establish and operate a winery and tasting room legally.


San Diego Channel 6 News and San Diego Union Tribune are among news worthy organizations that reported a balanced view of the new ordinance without bias.

Yeah, of course, we are delighted by the opportunities and possibilities the new ordinance has to offer to grape growers and winemakers in the county who like us have worked so hard in the last 15 years to establish San Diego County as wine grape growing region. From this point forward, we all can look forward to proudly telling our grandchildren of this historic day in San Diego County!


Cheers!

Veraison

Véraison is a French term meaning "the onset of ripening". The official definition of veraison is "change of color of the grape berries." Fête de la Véraison is a medieval festival held in the famous winemaking village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Fète de la Veraison takes place every year the first weekend in August. To celebrate the ripening of their grapes, villagers dress up in medieval costumes for parades, performances and a torch-lit banquet. It sounds like fun. Maybe, we should start having our own Fete de la Veraison, playing flute and dancing in our medieval costumes in our vineyards.

From the beginning of veraison to harvest, the berries will increase in volume, weight, and sugar content (brix). The 2010 growing season has been slightly cool in June and July, with occasional showers. We have had plenty of sunshine during the day which has helped our grapes to start their veraison on schedule. Phenology is the study of plant life cycles. Phenologically, we estimate it to be 5-7 days later than normal for the grapes. Having said that, it is hard to predict when the grapes will reach our desired Brix level. As we know from experience, August and September weather can define a vintage. With rare exception, Ramona Valley generally has hot August weather and sunny, pleasant fall weather. Stay tune for our next veraison to harvest report!

2010 Barrel Tasting Notes

We had a great turn-out for our 2010 Barrel Tasting. It was a beautiful day, sunny and breezy. The 2008 vintage was introduced to our friends, family and friends of friends. We felt so blessed that our friends, cousins and some neighbors were able to join us in our celebration of another great vintage which we were very proud to introduce to the world. As you know, up to this point, we do all this for the love of the wines. We were gratified that our labor of love was enjoyed and appreciated by a few of those who matter to us. Thanks again to all of you who came and spent a beautiful afternoon with us and showed us your love and support for our wines. We love y’all!

Everyone was first greeted with a Greek white sangria. I decorated and infused it with raspberries and white peaches that were soaked in brandy for several days. The beautiful sangria tasted just as good as it looked.

As I was in charge of the wine food pairings, I was relieved when I was told how much people enjoyed each dish that I had selected for each wine. The BBQ pork marinated in our port wine was tender, delectable and full of flavors. It was great with our 2008 Zinfandel and Merlot. It brought out the spiciness of the Zinfandel and the berry fruit flavor of the Merlot. The tri-tip beef marinated in our merlot wine and roasted until tender was juicy and a perfect companion for our 2008 Mourvedre and Cabernet Sauvignon.

I wanted to make sure no one drank on an empty stomach. So I had a spread of delectable appetizers and salads that were specifically selected and prepared to compliment our 2008 wines. I especially enjoyed the smoked salmon slices and feta cheese spread which were so good together, especially with a sip of our 2008 Zinfandel. The saltiness of the smoked salmon brought out the peppery spiciness and berry flavor from the wine. I also savored a little spread of the smoked salmon cheese ball on toast while sipping our 2008 Merlot. The antipasto platter was a perfect pairing for our red wines. It had all of the ingredients for a wine and cheese love fest. The wheat berries salad was a meal by itself for those who wanted to stay with a vegetarian diet. Yes, I know I overdid again in the food department. Oh well, it’d always be better to have too much food than not enough.

I told everyone to save some room for the desserts which were specifically selected to pair with our Port-style wine and White zinfandel. The homemade lemon custard dessert with fresh strawberries was a big hit. Our famous homemade brownies with port wine were yummy. For those who had to watch their weight (who doesn’t?), the big bowl of fresh fruits gave us an illusion that we were “good” (after stuffing ourselves all afternoon with other delectable dishes).

We all had a great time. Salute!

On Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, after an active weekend working on various projects around the house, the vineyard, and in our winery, we went to a BBQ held at our friends’ vineyard. We had lovely time. The weather was absolutely sublime, sunny and warm enough but not too hot. My contribution to the feast was a huge pitcher of Sangria infused with lots of fruits, mixed together with our red wine and brandy. It was a nice drink to go with the appetizers and grilled meat served at the BBQ. It was a hit. I also made a rum cake from scratch. The cake was soaked in rum that I bought and carried home from Grand Cayman. My piece of rum cake was yummy with sips of Sangria. It was quite a pleasant day. Of course, being among wine lovers and winemakers, we also have various wines from Ramona as well as other places in the world. Good food, good wines, wonderful company and lively conversation with lots of laughter. It was indeed a wonderful world!

Before the BBQ started, our friends had a Memorial service carried out with help from the local VFW chapter and a local couple who provided a cannon and a WWII Jeep. So there we were having our own private Memorial service for the veterans on Memorial Day. Sweet! As I listened to the speeches, the salute and music, and watched the whole scene played out in front of me, my heart was filled with gratitude for the freedom and liberty that I have enjoyed as an American because of the sacrifices of the men and women who serve this country with courage and honor. Then my thoughts went to the three important men of our lives who had sacrificed and served their countries with honor: Carl James, my God grandfather, my father and my father-in-law. Although they are no longer with us, they are always our heroes. To the present, I am thankful for having our cousin, Frank, in our lives. Frank has inspired us and continues to be our role model just by being who he is and what he represents. Frank has served in both Korea and Vietnam wars. His long service in the U.S. Marines meant so much to me and all of us in the family. What we have today is because of many people like Frank who have given so much to this country and to the world by their actions and sacrifices.

Wine: Natural is Better

Last Saturday, after our presentation on winegrapes growing, vineyard management and wine making at MiraCosta college in Oceanside, I found myself explaining our minimalist approach to grape growing and winemaking to the winemaking students. I told them that our philosophy was to grow grapes and produce wine as naturally as possible. Over the years, we had benefited from experimentation. In the final analysis though, after blind tasting our “natural” wines and wines that had been “adjusted”, we liked our “natural” wines a lot better because they retained the body, fruitiness, bouquet and natural flavors that the “adjusted” wines lacked. Although we cannot proclaim that we practice 100% organic and biodynamic viticulture, we can say that we focus on making wine as naturally as possible. It’s like the difference between a well cooked meal prepared with only fresh wholesome basic ingredients vs. trying to attain the same natural taste by cutting few corners and then relying on artificial enhancers to provide the ‘Missing’ flavor. You just can’t duplicate some natural occurring flavors, aromas, mouth feel, and other intrinsic qualities in wine via artificial means……. In our humble opinion.

My final advice to them was to start with high quality wine grapes at the desired Brix level as the best wines were made in the vineyard.

Presentation at MiraCosta College!

You are cordially invited to attend a talk that we plan to give this coming Saturday 4/24/2010 at 10 am at MiraCosta College – Oceanside Campus located at 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside, CA 92056. We’ll be in room Atztal B (next to cafeteria).

The topics of our talk will be on grape growing, vineyard management and wine making in San Diego County.


If you have questions, feel free to call us or send us an email.


Cheers
Michael and Kim

Impact of wine-grape growers and wineries on California economy

As wine drinkers, when we savor our glass of liquid sunshine, we enjoy the health benefits from drinking wine. But most of us only have a vague notion of the economic impact of California wine industry to California economy. According to the Economic Impact of California Wine and Grapes 2009 released by the Wine Institute and CAWG, the wine industry has a 61.5 billion impact on the state as a whole. The report’s numbers illustrated that the economic impact of the wine industry stretches far beyond the vineyards and tasting rooms. For example, in 2009 Napa County had a gross payroll of 79 millions and 319 millions for vineyard and winery-related jobs and 533 millions in tourist dollars and Sonoma had a gross payroll of 73 millions and 235 millions for vineyard and winery-related jobs and 263 millions in tourist dollars. Even more impressive, Statewide allied industries such at tourism, trucking, packaging, printing, labs, research and more account for 28,546 jobs with total wages of $921,421,000.

Although I was not surprised to see the economic benefits that Napa, Sonoma and a couple other well-known wine regions in California have reaped from their vineyards and wine businesses, I was shocked by the astronomical dollar amounts. Furthermore, the numbers from the rest of the counties listed in the report really surprised me, from Alameda to Tulare, the economic impacts were huge and significant.

I noted that San Diego county’s numbers were not highlighted in the economic impact report. What a shame, considering that San Diego county has much to offer compared to other counties such as Riverside. But yet, Riverside county was listed, thanks to the commercial success of Temecula wineries. This lack of representation was not a surprise as the wine industry in San Diego county has not grown much in the last 20 years.

I’ve recently had an interesting conversation with a wine-grape grower in Ramona who used to live in Sonoma County for 20 years. He and his wife decided to move to Ramona to be close to their children who live in San Diego. He told me that in the 80’s, the Healdsburg/Alexander Valley/Dry Creek area had about a dozen of wineries. Now, Healdsburg has so many wineries that one cannot possibly visit all of them in one weekend. Although it’s hard for any of us to imagine that San Diego County wine industry could ever achieve the economic numbers that other counties have done, this eye-witness account and the 2009 economic impact report tell me that nothing is impossible if we have public policy and American entrepreneur spirit work hand-in-hand.

The conversation about Sonoma county's wineries reminded me of the movie, Bottle Shock, which told the story of the historic Judgment of Paris in 1976, and the Napa vintners, Bo and Jim's struggles and ultimate victory as the owners of the Chateau Montelena winery who made the winning Chardonnay. This movie was based on a true story. Chateau Montelena took the top prize in the white wine competition. As a winemaker, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie not just because of the characters but also the story and history of the struggles that California wineries had to go through to make a name for themselves 30 yeas ago against the formidable French wineries. I highly recommend this movie to wine-grape growers, winemakers and wine drinkers who love wines and have an appreciation for the hard work that goes into grape growing and wine making.

In a nutshell, the economic impact report helps us hold on our hopes that our winery would someday reach its full potential and become a viable business. As for now, when our balance sheets are filled with red ink, we have to remind ourselves of an old adage, to keep ourselves from being depressed and discouraged, “It’d take a big fortune to make a small fortune in wine business” while hanging on to our dreams for a better future.

PIDWS = Exercise+Wine+Friendship

What do winemakers do in their free time to release stress besides drinking wine? For me, regular exercise is the best thing for releasing stress and keeping our body strong and healthy at the same time. I always feel great after exercising.

I am fortunate enough to have a group of friends who have been in the same aerobics class with me for several years. Our love for aerobics exercise and staying fit helped create a strong bond. Then, of course, our love for wines and each other's company helped seal the deal! One thing lead to another. One day, one of our classmates suggested that we should get together on a quarter basis to have a wine tasting party so we could enjoy each other's company in a more relaxed environment. What a great idea! Who could have said no to that? Our first wine tasting party was an instant hit! We had so much fun. Lorraine, who loved to entertain and had a perfect house and backyard for entertainment, even had a game night and invited all of our significant others to join. She was like a combo of Julia Child and Martha Stewart in one package! We were treated to a fabulous gourmet cookout and games! I felt like I was in one of those reality cooking/entertainment show. PIDWS was born and there was no turning back. PIDWS stands for Pumping Iron and Drinking Wines naming after our group's love for pumping iron and drinking wines. We have had many get-together's since then and also established our own annual Christmas get-together with a full-blown gourmet wine-food pairing and ornament exchange. It takes efforts and work to make these get-togethers happen as all of us lead such busy lives. But our love for one another keep these PIDWS get-together's going. I love the PIDWS. They have added much joy to my life. Life is short. Enjoy!

Year of the Tiger

Yesterday, we celebrated Tet, the Luna New Year, which fell on Valentine's Day this year! Our house was filled of red roses and red gladiolus flowers. For Valentine's gifts, besides the red roses, I also received a bottle of French champagne and a bottle of Italian Prosecco, along with a new treadmill machine, was it a subtle hint about my expanding waistline, I wondered.

We gathered at my aunt Lily's house in LA for the big family dinner. "Bring your best bottles of wines," was the marching order from Aunt Lily, not second best, but had to be the best, LOL. Since eating good food is the main reason for living in our family, our aunts and uncles created a great and healthy gourmet meal to go with our wines. Although it was an unusual pairing, but the eel and mushroom soup actually tasted great with our 2007 Zinfandel. Our White Zinfandel was an excellent choice with the green papaya and beef salad. There were so much food and so many wonderful and favorite homemade dishes that my taste bud was overworked, but very satisfied. Needless to say, our Red wine was heavenly with the red velvel cake that my cousin bought from her favorite French bakery.

So what should we expect in the Year of the Tiger? In the past, the year of the Tiger was often associated with turbulence and massive changes. I predict that the Year of the Tiger will be a wild year full of unpredictability!

From what I've read so far, well, 2010 is going to be a rather turbulent but exciting year, as Tigers are known to be unpredictable, volatile and dangerous. So be flexible for possible changes in your life and get ready for an exciting and wild rollercoaster ride in 2010! My personal advise is to stock up on good wines from your favorite winemaker for those times when you'd need a good glass of wine to calm your nerves. Cheers!

Good Luck and May the Year of Tiger bring you Love, Happiness and Exciting Adventures!

Pruning Season

This weekend weather could not have been more perfect for pruning our grapevines. Over the years, it has become an event we both dread in some ways and look forward to in others. It is a bit of an endurance test like running a marathon. You start out pruning one vine correctly then multiplying that times a few thousand. Each vine is similar in some aspects and completely different and unique in others. Pruning is a series of very quick decisions which cannot be undone, there is no ‘undo’ button and a mistake may take a few years to correct. Incorrect pruning can result in a severely reduced crop or a high volume crop which lacks many quality characteristics, and every variation in between.

Learning to prune is best started with a text book, then try your hand in the field and as my vineyard mentor John Schwaesdall says “Listen to everyone, then make up your own mind about how to proceed based on your conditions”, I’ve found this to be sound advice.

Pruning has basic principles which are true in all situations; however there are nuances which are specific to your varietal, microclimate, personal preference, wine-making technique and wine style. There are a few absolutes, but not many. Start out by speaking to someone in your area growing the same varietal successfully, this conversation and the peak at the freshly pruned vines is worth gold.

Here's to a Healthy New Year!

People often ask us how we stay fit and not become alcoholic, considering the fact that we are afterall wine drinkers who also love food and love to pair our wines with food.

On the one hand, we are thankful for having good metabolism and a certain amount of will power that helps keep us from over indulging ourselves too much. On the other hand, we believe that the physical aspects of grapes growing, maintaining a vineyard, harvest work, grape processing and winemaking work are plenty to keep us in good shape. Working on wine and pruning the grapevines during this winter season hopefully would help us take off some of the weight gained during the holidays.

Some diets do not allow wines. We would never go on those diets! We believe that having wine with dinner in moderate amount is a healthy habit, unless one has medical conditions that prohibit alcohol consumption.

Here is our final secret for staying fit in 2010: Keep eating wholesome and natural food grown by local farmers and drinking good wine made by your favorite local winemakers from locally grown grapes!

Salut!