I’m not sure if the grapes hanging on the vine call this the ‘dog days of summer’, because I can almost hear some of those clusters talking to me, saying ‘Mmmm Mmmm Good’ in response to this stretch of sunny, warm weather we are in the middle of! We’ve had a whole string of days with high temperatures in the mid-90s, and nice cooling overnight, we typically wind up with early morning temperatures in the high 50’s, so the grapes are nice and cool every morning in anticipation of their daily warm up! We are hoping to harvest one ton of fruit off our estate this fall from vines planted in 2013 and 2014. Other fruit will be coming from some of the same vineyards we purchased from last year: Zenith, in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Walnut Ridge, Grace Hill, Sunrise, and Aurora Colony. We are projecting to produce perhaps 50% more wine this fall vs. 2015, and it looks like mid-September is a likely target for harvest and the start of the 2016 crush.
Guest visits to the tasting room has been pretty steady, and we’ve been adding new wine club members at a good pace throughout the summer. Our first social event was ‘Meet the Winemaker’ at the end of June with a yummy catered dinner from Forks and Corks in Corvallis, and the second was our very first Wine Club and Friends party held near the end of July, with food off the Bluebird Hill grill and great music by Jesse Meade from Eugene. Everyone seemed to have a really good time, and our ‘winery photographer’, Rick Obst, took a great set of pictures capturing the event, you can see them here. Rick’s day job is in mortgage banking, but he is really a talented photographer and has produced spectacular shots of the winery and vineyard every time he has stopped by. Rick also has another hobby, keeping up a tourism and travel Facebook page, “365 And More Things To Do in Lane County, Oregon”,
Now, our eyes are focused on ‘Pinot on the Patio’, which is a public event, open to all guests and friends; POTP will be Sunday evening September 4th with music by Cardboard Caravan and food prepared by Forks and Corks catering. Cardboard Caravan plays 1920’s Jazz along with Ragtime, Swing, and other fun numbers. We’re also having games and contests including trivia. Wine will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle. Ticket price is $25/person through August 28 and $30/person August 29 through September 4 (depending on availability) - Advance tickets are required. Seating is limited. Call Sue at (541) 424-2478 or email us to purchase your tickets.
Also, we’re partnering with our friends at Diamond Woods Golf Course on Territorial Road in Monroe to offer a wine tasting event immediately after a golf clinic provided by their golf pro. You can participate in the wine tasting with or without attending the golf clinic, the date for this event is Friday, August 26th. The golf clinic starts at 5:00 pm and the wine tasting and dinner afterwards, around 5:30. Advance registration purchase required and spots are limited so call (541) 998-9707 ext 3 today.
Following the activities of harvest and crush, we’re going to be hosting our second Wine Club and Friends event on Sunday evening, October 16th, with music by Breakers Yard. The tasting room will be open for your holiday wine needs on the Thanksgiving Weekends – immediately before, and immediately after Thanksgiving. We’ll be planning some music and special food for those weekends as well. Check out our Events page for details on these and more events we have planned over the next few months.
Hope to see you all soon!
Cheers,
Neil & Sue Shay