Label Announcement

Tuesday, Jan 27th, 2009

The labels are in!  After signing a final draft approval and some weeks of nervous anticipation, I felt like a kid at Christmas as I ripped open a box to reveal the culmination of nearly a year’s worth of brainstorming, planning and tough decisions.  I couldn’t be more proud of the works of art that I found in that box, and all the credit goes to the highly skilled and dedicated team at Insite Design.  They took an initial concept and managed to translate it into a beautiful and original label that I truly feel represents my family’s vision for the journey we are about to embark upon.  I always felt that the reality of starting this winery wouldn’t hit me until I saw that first bottle with a label on it, and I can now fully attest to that.

Through carefully writing in the required info and applying each label by hand, I feel a neat personal connection to every bottle.   Notwithstanding a few crookedly applied labels,  I’m thrilled about this prospect and intend to continue doing so as long as I can.

After “borrowing” my parents’ old kitchen table, we now have a space in our barn that is set aside for guest tastings, and I encourage anyone interested to contact us and set up a time.  It is my intention to personally conduct all tastings and give our guests a peek into future vintages as well.  All those who support us through wine purchases during this initial phase will be rewarded by always getting first choice when it comes to future limited releases.

Available wines include our 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ($300 per 6-bottle case), 2007 Pinot Gris and 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (both $150 per 6-bottle case).  Descriptions of all these wines can be found in previous blog entries.

 

Longing for the Beauty of Fall

Monday, Jan 12th, 2009

 

With some extremely cold days bearing down on us later this week, I can’t help but find myself nostalgic for a beautiful fall day.  I hearken back to the memorable November day when we wrapped up our 2008 harvest by hand-picking some very ripe Cabernet Sauvignon.  The end of harvest is always kind of bittersweet because it represents a time when, thankfully, the stress is gone, but so is the fast-paced, daily excitement and a bond to something you’ve tended with care all season.

I remember that day on many levels.  The crisp aromas in the fall air, the wonderfully rich colours filling the escarpment, the small dark clusters of Cabernet, lugging picking baskets onto the wagon knowing that I was going to pay for it the next day, worrying that I might not have enough bin space to accommodate both rows of grapes, then forgetting all my worries listening to a Fleet Foxes song on my iPod….ahh to be back just for a moment!  As I rode back to the barn with this last load, I remember thinking that I must be the luckiest guy on earth to be able to do something I love surrounded by nature, family and friends.