Winter is here. The sun made an appearance today which was very nice of it. We have had very cold (30 is cold to us) nights and nice days (45-50). There hasn't been a lot of rain so far. I'm not complaining.
The wine from the 2008 harvest is settling down. Most of the reds are tucked away in barrels and the whites are in tanks. We just bottled our 2007 Huxelrebe and Honey Mead. It was fun to see the gang back together.
Tim has moved up to the Portland area but can still be spotted around the winery. He is trying his hand at selling wine (specifically Mead) to some wine shops near where he lives. So far, so good. We miss his sweet spirit and uplifting ways. I miss smelling coffee all day. Tim can drink a lot of coffee! Tim will always be one of us, he is like family. If things go right, he might be down for the Memorial Day weekend wine event. Time will tell.
David, our winemaker, is moving back to New Zealand. After 10 years at Chateau Lorane he has decided he would like to broaden his wine making experience. He will be leaving the winery in a couple weeks and leaving Eugene on February 23. We will miss his sense of humor, wonderful accent, skill with wine, and his friendly smile. The winery will not be the same without him. David has been the "gang's" unofficial leader. He will be missed. Some lucky winery will get an outstanding winemaker.
I will prepare for the next wine club shipment starting next week. I am gathering all the information needed and rounding up the wine. We will be sharing our 2006 Viognier, 2006 Pinot Noir, and Marechal Foch Port. We decided with winter here there is no better time to have some port. Look for an email very soon.
I think I have shared more than enough information for many of you. This coming year will be a year of changes and hopefully growth. The winery will continue as usual but with significant transitions. I will try to keep things updated on the blog. Have a great Valentine's Day.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Wine Club Release Party!!
We have scheduled a release party! We have two dates; October 24th from 6 PM - 8 PM and October 25th from 2 PM - 5 PM. These times are tentative. This event is for wine club members and their guests. This party will take place at our special event site. More news: for this event wine club members will receive 30% off new releases instead of 20%. Can't make it to the event? You can purchase these wines online and in the tasting room for the additional discount October 18 - 31. Club members will be getting more information soon including the wines that will be released and on sale.
Crush is in full swing. We have some hard working guys burning the candle at both ends. Hours are long and things are sticky. The rain and cold are not making things easy for our growers. It is a gamble with the weather. The age old struggle with farming and mother nature!
The sun is shining and things are warm. The gray mornings are creeping in and we feel that another season has passed and another is here. The leaves are changing and cool days are here. Soon the trees will be sleeping for the winter which is exactly what I want to do with cold, dark days.
We wish you much hope as this Fall season is upon us!
Crush is in full swing. We have some hard working guys burning the candle at both ends. Hours are long and things are sticky. The rain and cold are not making things easy for our growers. It is a gamble with the weather. The age old struggle with farming and mother nature!
The sun is shining and things are warm. The gray mornings are creeping in and we feel that another season has passed and another is here. The leaves are changing and cool days are here. Soon the trees will be sleeping for the winter which is exactly what I want to do with cold, dark days.
We wish you much hope as this Fall season is upon us!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Bottling behind us
Good news!!! Bottling did happen a couple of weeks ago. Of course it wasn't without a few glitches. The labels were running a few days late so we rescheduled for a day later. We got one day of bottling taken care of but the following morning Sweet Cheeks had no water. You can't bottle without water. It was like juggling for a few days. I have to say the finished product was worth the wait. We now have the Tempranillo Rose, Sweet Camille, and D'Vine Red ready to go! Our website is updated. I have pictures of bottling day and a few other things of interest but I have a computer situation now.
We have been getting some grapes in for crush. The weather is not really cooperating right now. The next dry patch we will probably get a large quantity of grapes. It is pretty exciting around this time. It is interesting to see where the wine starts and what it goes through on its journey.
Check back soon, hopefully I will have pictures up soon.
We have been getting some grapes in for crush. The weather is not really cooperating right now. The next dry patch we will probably get a large quantity of grapes. It is pretty exciting around this time. It is interesting to see where the wine starts and what it goes through on its journey.
Check back soon, hopefully I will have pictures up soon.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Winemaker's Dinner Pictures
Before dinner, mingling on the patio. It was a warm, sunny afternoon that turned into a lovely evening. We served our soon to be released Tempranillo Rose. Everyone loved it!
David speaking about the wine that would be served with the second course. He did a great job.
Dinner! It was a nice sized group. We even celebrated two birthdays. One was Dorothy who turned 90 and Tim our piano player.
Trish, our favorite tasting room member and wonderful friend. She is always there when we need her.
Me with a funny look on my face but hey, I have a bottle! The 2005 Malbec was a huge hit. We didn't have any left. Even after dinner, people still wanted more.I have a few more pictures to post in the next couple of days.
Tracy
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Dinner
The Winemaker's dinner was tonight. I am making an entry in my blog so that nobody will be disappointed. David did a great job talking about the wines. The staff did a wonderful job supporting the rest of us...Trish, that's you I'm talking about. The food was awesome and we had a great time. Sign me up for the next winemaker's dinner! I will have some pictures to post in the next couple of days. Some of the pictures will be mine but some will be from Steve Hunnicutt. Steve, you make me laugh! You are the backbone of the wine club!
Everything went very well. We had a wonderful dinner and Jeanie, owner of Flavors Catering and Events, did a fabulous job. The food was to die for and I'm very lucky to have had a seat at a table. Thank you Barbara Adler for letting me be Jack for an evening!
Look for some pictures that will be coming soon. We did miss Rob, our happy wanderer. I guess he decided he had better things to do for the evening. I will have more to write soon. Happy Birthday Dorothy, she celebrated her 90th birthday with us this evening. Tim, our resident tasting room/winery staff, had a birthday today. Happy Birthday Tim!
Tracy
Everything went very well. We had a wonderful dinner and Jeanie, owner of Flavors Catering and Events, did a fabulous job. The food was to die for and I'm very lucky to have had a seat at a table. Thank you Barbara Adler for letting me be Jack for an evening!
Look for some pictures that will be coming soon. We did miss Rob, our happy wanderer. I guess he decided he had better things to do for the evening. I will have more to write soon. Happy Birthday Dorothy, she celebrated her 90th birthday with us this evening. Tim, our resident tasting room/winery staff, had a birthday today. Happy Birthday Tim!
Tracy
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Bottling, bottling
Today was bottling day again. We bottled our 2006 Pinot Noir, 2005 Syrah and 2006 Syrah. Things went just fine. David starts about 6 AM or earlier to start sanitizing the bottling line. Actually, he starts the day before, setting the machine up and making sure everything is just right. Anyway, an early day. The bottling was finished around 6 PM. Then David has to clean the machine again. It makes for a very long day...David you deserve a pat on the back.
The labels are off to the TTB. I can't believe we finally got everything done on our end. Now it is just hold our breath and cross our fingers that they will pass the TTB. I hope we can get them off to print by the end of the week! It's celebration time once they are at the printer. I hope they are fast.
The Winemaker's Dinner is less than a month away. I'm really excited about the menu. If you would like to see the wine and food we will be serving, visit our website www.chateaulorane.com and go to "wines" then "wine merchandise". The menu and ordering are right there.
The labels are off to the TTB. I can't believe we finally got everything done on our end. Now it is just hold our breath and cross our fingers that they will pass the TTB. I hope we can get them off to print by the end of the week! It's celebration time once they are at the printer. I hope they are fast.
The Winemaker's Dinner is less than a month away. I'm really excited about the menu. If you would like to see the wine and food we will be serving, visit our website www.chateaulorane.com and go to "wines" then "wine merchandise". The menu and ordering are right there.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Labels still
Labels are my life, at least for the time being. I wait with anticipation for the proofs to come to my inbox. Today is the day. My hands shake and my knees tremble...will this be the last revision? OK, I'm not that crazy but I feel like I should be. Hopefully they will be final today.
Good news, the capsules came yesterday! They look good. I'm happy that one more piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. I can't wait to see the whole package together once everything is ready.
Since there isn't much to report on from the winery I will tell about my outing on Saturday night. Some of you may recall a couple months ago I went to Chef's Night Out and found a band I loved, Mood Area 52. Since then I have been wanting to see them. Last Saturday night they played at Sam Bond's Garage in Eugene. Rob knows the ins and outs there so he said he would get there early and save us a seat. My hubby and I got there and had dinner (I recommend it). We were hoping the rest of the winery crew would make it but it didn't happen. The music started and the place was packed. We ended up sharing our table with 2 couples. One person happened to be Doug LaVelle, owner of LaVelle Winery. It's a small world. I had a great time. The music was good, food was good and there was plenty to see. You just never know who you will run into when you leave home!
Good news, the capsules came yesterday! They look good. I'm happy that one more piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. I can't wait to see the whole package together once everything is ready.
Since there isn't much to report on from the winery I will tell about my outing on Saturday night. Some of you may recall a couple months ago I went to Chef's Night Out and found a band I loved, Mood Area 52. Since then I have been wanting to see them. Last Saturday night they played at Sam Bond's Garage in Eugene. Rob knows the ins and outs there so he said he would get there early and save us a seat. My hubby and I got there and had dinner (I recommend it). We were hoping the rest of the winery crew would make it but it didn't happen. The music started and the place was packed. We ended up sharing our table with 2 couples. One person happened to be Doug LaVelle, owner of LaVelle Winery. It's a small world. I had a great time. The music was good, food was good and there was plenty to see. You just never know who you will run into when you leave home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
