Mahogany Mountain Syrah and Merlot Medalists at Finger Lakes International Wine Competition

More good news from the 2011 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition for Mahogany Mountain Vineyard and Winery!  We entered two wines and both have won medals in the same competition! In addition to the Gold medal that our Mahogany Mountain 2007 Syrah has won at the 2011 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, we've found out in the mail that our Mahogany Mountain 2008 Merlot also won a Bronze medal.  The actual medals were shipped to our winery last Thursday April 21, before Good Friday! 

The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, in its eleventh year, 64 judges, all with national and international credentials, from multiple markets in North America, Canada, South America, Australia and England, Germany, Israel, and France judged 3279 wines. In perhaps their tightest competition ever, entries arrived from 18 countries, 50 states, and 4 provinces in Canada.

We are very grateful for the medals which help bolster our morale and confidence in our wine making skills.

Cheers!

Salute to Women

With March being Women’s History month, I’d like to dedicate today to the women in my life who have inspired, supported, encouraged and sustained me through the peaks and valleys of my life. With a grateful heart, I count my blessings daily for having strong, smart, talented women who have believed in me, loved me for who I am and nurtured some of my wildest dreams.

Last but not least, I salute my fellow women winemakers, winery owners and women working in organizations and businesses that nurture and support the growth of San Diego wineries.   You’ve come a long way, Baby!

Check out San Diego's Women's Week, which runs March 30 to April 2, at:
California Center for the Arts Escondido
340 North Escondido Boulevard
Escondido, CA 92025
(760) 839-4138
This event is designed to inspire, empower and connect women from all walks of life and professions.

http://www.sdwomensweek.com

Cheers!

United States surpasses France as top wine-consumption nation

Ag Alert, the weekly newspaper for California Agriculture, reported in their March 23, 2011 edition that the United States surpasses France as top wine-consumption nation, with wine shipments to the U.S. from California, other states and foreign producers growing 2 percent in 2010 from previous year to nearly 330 million cases. The estimated retail value of these sales was $30 billion, up 4 percent from 2009, according to the wine industry consultants Gomberg, Fredrikson & Associates in Woodside.  While wine consumption is still a low 2.6 gallons per capita, Americans’ interest in a lifestyle with wine and food has grown and more Americans believe that moderate consumption of wine is part of a healthy way of life.

According to the report, California wine accounted for 61 percent volume share off the total U.S. wine market with sales at 199.6 million cases, up 1 percent from the previous year.  Chardonnay remains the leader, up 5 percent with 53 million cases. Cabernet Sauvignon also grew rapidly, rising 6 percent to nearly 33 million cases.  Other California bottled varietals growing significantly in sales included Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Riesling and Muscat.

The facts reported by the Ag Alert newspaper could have happened at a better time for those of us in the wine business in Ramona Valley.  We’re thrilled by the news. As the interest in Ramona Valley as a wine destination region grows, the enthusiasm and can-do attitude along with a unity sentiment have grown stronger among the members of the Ramona Valley Wineries Association (RVWA) and the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA). 

We continue to be amazed by the Ramona community and San Diego County’s support for the local wineries.  Everyone who showed up at the two meetings that were held at our winery was excited about the emerging Ramona wine trail.   Among the attendees, we had people from all over San Diego county as well as visitors from out of town.  Both meetings were well attended, especially the RVVA meeting which was standing room only.  There were at least 50-60 people attending the last RVVA meeting held at our winery last week.  When I watched the excitement and confidence expressed by the attendees at the gathering, I got goose bumps because it reminded of a scene in the Bottle Shock movie when the Napa Valley vintners got together at the Chateau Montelena winery to decide who should represent them at the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting held at the Intercontinental Hotel. A bottle of Montelena Chardonnay 1973 took the top prize in the white wine competition; Stag's Leap Wine Cellars' Cabernet Sauvignon 1973 took the honors in the red wine category. This twist of fate forever changed the fortunes of Napa Valley wineries and the global wine industry as a whole, as it was revealed that French wines were in fact not unbeatable.  TIME Magazine published George Tabor's article about the event that changed the way the world perceived wines from American and put Napa Valley on the map.

Cheers

Pruning Theory

Pruning is actually a parental task, it requires us to supervise and correct our unruly prodigy. It is actually a painful task at a certain level, like spanking a child you love to prevent an unsafe condition from being repeated or promoted. It is difficult and unnatural to culminate perfectly viable and healthy foliage from future life, and I do feel sad at the loss of future potential, but I celebrate the greater good. The pruning of life promotes growth albeit lateral growth, in the needed direction and hopefully in the needed location.

Pruning as I have said before is the process of making thousands of decisions very quickly with the hope and faith that most of these decisions are correct. Not all can be correct, we will make mistakes like correcting a child, and sometimes we will wish we were less harsh or more lenient.

My great grandfather and great grandmother were Native American and believed that family is the most important element of life; they went to great lengths to protect family and to promote family. My great grandfather was a viticulturist and vintner and he treated the vines as family. He believed the vines should be treated with respect and manipulated on a minimal basis. I think he believed that nature should not be circumvented, let the bees, yellow jackets, birds have what they need to survive. There will be enough for the wine remaining, because we respect them……

I enjoy working the vines with my son, we do not engage in copious verbal communication, we rely on non-verbal communication as my great grandfather, grandfather, and father would have understood. The vines understand our purpose and forgive our transgressions; the vines understand they are a means to an end, not an end unto themselves.

I truly respect the vines and the land, like harvesting a deer or rabbit I consider the bounty sacred and not to be wasted or taken for granted.

When pruning I’m not in a hurry, time stands still for me. The ‘oxen is slow but the earth is patient’ has meaning for me. I don’t think of the 10,000, I concentrate on the one in front of me and then move on to number two.

I respect the land and the land gives back to me its bounty……..

Happy Valentine's Day!

What are you going to do to celebrate Valentine's Day with your sweetheart? Dining out at your favorite restaurant? Cooking your sweetie's favorite dish? Dancing away at your favorite nightclub?  Whatever you do, don't forget to share with your sweetie a bottle of Mahogany Mountain wine made with lots of love.

While we celebrate our Valentine's Day on earth, a celestial rendez-vous is scheduled for today. Check out some really cool pictures:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/feb/13/nasa-craft-set-for-valentine-rendezvous-with-comet/

XOXO

Love is in the air! Wine and Chocolate Weekend at Mahogany Mountain Winery

Be Our Valentine! On the weekend of Feb. 12 & 13 from 1 - 4 pm, we’ll have a wine and chocolate pairing. We’ll feature each of our wines with yummy chocolates. Hope to see you there!

Cheers!

Happy New Year again! Happy Lunar New Year 2011!

The Lunar New Year falls on the first day of the first moon on the lunar calendar. For 2011, that day lands on Thursday Feb. 3. Most Lunar New Year announcements for 2011 will call it the Year of the Rabbit, as the zodiac depicts in China, Japan and Korea. The Tet New Year is the most important and highly celebrated cultural holiday of the Vietnamese people around the world. The Vietnamese people represent the rabbit years as cat years.  As the folklore goes, the pronunciation of the rabbit in Chinese is similar to how the cat is pronounced in Vietnamese language.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2011 is the year of the golden rabbit, the fourth sign in the Chinese zodiac which consists of 12 animals. The rabbit is believed to bring a year of calm and quiet after the year of the fierce tiger in 2010.

The Vietnamese year of the cat symbolizes sensitivity, gentleness and kindness.

Although we’ve survived the year of the Tiger in 2010 just fine, from what I read about the Rabbit or Cat Year, I really look forward to the Lunar New Year 2011.   Imagine a calm, peaceful year for wine making, wine drinking and wine food pairings!

Cheers!