WINE, DIET, EXERCISE AND SLEEP BOOST YOUR OVERALL WELL-BEING & HAPPINESS

So what is the bottom line on how to stay healthy and happy? Here are my recommendations that everyone can follow.

Eat natural and local grown foods to fill your body with natural vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Cook with spices and herbs like cinnamon, curry powder, chili powder, turmeric, oregano, fresh garlic, basil, parsley, onion and ginger.

Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise over the years has helped me stay in good shape and improved my overall mood when I have a bad day. Try to exercise every day whether taking an aerobics class, taking a brisk walk or jogging on a treadmill for at least 20 to 30 minutes.

Get enough sleep. Sleep helps us think clearly, reduce stress and boost our overall well-being. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep each night. Chronic insomnia can lead to depression and other health consequences.

Avoid stressful situations and environments. Try to have balance in your life. Don’t be addicted to having stress in your life to the point that you don’t know what to do with yourself when you don’t have anymore stress! Some people would go from one self-created crisis to the next, one stressful project to the next and never achieve the contentment, happiness and success that they strive to have. That leads to feeling unhappy, depressed and unappreciated.

Invest quality time with your family and loved ones. In this tough economy, people feel that they need to spend more time at work and then work extra hours in the evenings and on the weekends from home. With smart phones, internet and computers, some people end up working and spending more time with their co-workers than with their family.  This can create a false sense of intimacy and lead to all kinds of problems. Remember work does not take care of you when you are sick, your family and friends will.  We work so we can live a good life. Set your priorities correctly and have a work-life balance.

Drink wine with your meals! We believe that wine is an important ingredient of our overall happiness and well-being. Wine is truly a gift from God. There is no other natural drink that is so pure and at the same time packed with goodies that can improve your health. Wine is best when it is shared with friends and loved ones. After a hard day, a glass of wine can help you restore your sanity and even make you feel much better about life in general.

Cheers!

Mother's Day Celebration at Mahogany Mountain Vineyard and Winery

We love our moms.  Celebrate love, motherhood and Mother's Day at the Mahogany Mountain Winery this weekend.   Treat Mom and yourself  to a special wine tasting paired with cheeses and chocolates.  RSVP: 760-788-7048 or Email: mahogany_mountain@yahoo.com


Happy Mother's Day!

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