Foursight Wines Inc.

The Alcohol Business and Taxes in the U.S.

2012-03-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

The more I read and watch about America's tumultuous past with the alcohol business, the more interesting it gets. Granted, taxes or U.S. history are not typically our favorite subjects to casually discuss, but the facts are so incredibly interesting. Here are just a few tidbits:

The Booze Business Used to Fund Much of Our Government
Did you know that, before prohibition, beer, liquor and wine manufacturers funded up to 75% of the federal government?

"...Before the modern personal income tax in 1913, Uncle Sam relied mainly on customs duties and liquor taxation. From 1870 through 1912 receipts from these two taxes alone accounted for more than two-thirds of federal revenues (and in many years accounted for more than 75 percent). Liquor taxes trailed only customs duties as the largest single source of revenue during the half-century preceding the modern income tax, with liquor taxes accounting for about a third of federal revenues. ..." -- Donald J. Boudreaux, economics professor at George Mason University and author of "Alcohol, Prohibition and the Revenuers"

Many speculate that the end of prohibition was brought about at least in part because of the need for revenue. Right as America was headed into the Great Depression, and federal income tax revenues fell drastically, the repeal movement gained swift political traction.

Mr. Boudreaux also writes: "... And sure enough, Prohibition’s repeal did indeed generate higher liquor-tax revenues. As a percentage of federal government revenues, liquor taxes jumped from 2 percent in 1933 to 9 percent in 1934 to 13 percent in 1936. Repeal did not fully compensate for lost income-tax revenues, nevertheless it promised a sizeable stream of additional revenue. ..."

Hmmm...

The 1980's - Taxes, The Price of Alcohol and Its Effect on Consumption
Alcohol consumption decreased in the 1980s, particularly due to additional taxes that made it more expensive to purchase.

Clark Smith wrote in a December 2011 Wines & Vines article: "... When the federal wine tax per gallon soared in 1984 from 17 cents to $1.07, gallon jug prices tripled overnight from $2 to $7. The big bottles immediately disappeared from shelves as consumer shifted en masse to 750ml bottles. .."

He also went on to explain that consumers made up for it by purchasing higher alcohol bottles, thus helping to give traction to the trend of bigger, extracted, high alcohol wines produced widely in the 90s and still produced today.

Although this is only one factor that contributed to the movement toward higher alcohol wines, it was one I hadn't particularly pondered before.

***
Alcohol taxes were also increased under Clinton, as part of a budget balancing effort, and in the past few years several attempts have been made at increasing tax on alcohol, but were rejected. With the economy as bad as it has been, it was hard to contemplate paying extra while businesses were struggling to survive. "Sin taxes," as they're commonly called, are a popular idea to increase revenue, so I'm sure we'll see additional attempts in the future.

A great documentary was recently made on Prohibition. Highly recommended: http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/

What Wineries Currently Pay to the Government
As it currently stands, a large winery pays a per gallon excise tax to the federal government. If the winery produces under 100,000 gallons per year, it can receive a small producers tax credit of 90 cents per gallon. This is for the "privilege" of being able to be in the alcohol business. The tax rate also increases if you produce wines over 14% alcohol.

$1.07 per gallon for wine 14% alcohol or less,
$1.57 per gallon for wine 14.1% to 21% alcohol,
$3.40 per gallon for sparkling wine.

Sales tax is also paid per bottle of wine sold, to the amount that the local county has set (Mendocino County will be 7.375% in April 2012).

Use Tax is paid to the government for everything we pour in the tasting room, serve at events, or generally use or sample but don't sell. This is the amount we pay for all the packaging used to make that bottle of wine (corks, capsules, glass, labels, etc.). Amounts to a few bucks a bottle.

An annual fee is paid to the ABC to renew our license (or that state's alcohol bureau).

And I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting. It adds up to a lot of paperwork, let me tell you!

When the federal wine tax per gallon soared in 1984 from 17 cents to $1.07, gallon jug prices tripled overnight from $2 to $6. The big bottles i

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The 2009 Reviews Start to Arrive & Wine Dogs Book

2012-02-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

We've been very lucky in the review department since our first vintage, which scored 90 points or above in every major wine publication. Within a few months after its release, Wine Spectator invited us to pour at their New World Wine Experience event in NYC, and we took them up on that offer.

Because we're small and our family does everything from growing the grapes to making the wine, getting a positive score or review means a lot. It's outside validation that the wines we're making do measure up, and often very favorably. After all, a lot of us (time, energy, and a lot of hope) went into making each bottle.

Now, scores aren't everything, I do admit. In the tasting room it matters most what people taste and like. Personal preference does reign. However, I do think scores and reviews are a great guide for people looking for some assistance with new releases or delving into an unfamiliar variety of grape. They're also a great way for a small winery to reach new customers. My advice to most wine drinkers: find a wine reviewer who you mostly agree with (it will never be 100%), and follow them, regardless of the publication, whether it's big and well-known, or small and focused.

Today we had a photographer here for the Wine Dogs books (the first to be published; apparently the regional books came later). I was excited because we've always complained about how Mendocino County doesn't have its own winery dogs book. Well, Wine Dogs covers the entire U.S., and, cross my fingers, Ozzie the Foursight tasting room dog will be in the next one! The photographer knew just how to get him to pose: lots of dog treats and a squeaky toy! Too cute.

Here are some recent reviews of our new and upcoming releases:

2010 Charles Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (available soon!):
- 90 point & Editor's Choice, Wine Enthusiast Magazine (May 2012)

2009 Clone 05 Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir:
- 90 points, Wine Enthusiast Magazine (May 2012)
- Pinot Geek Icon/94-98 points, PinotFile (February 22, 2012)
"Moderate reddish-purple hue in the glass. Earthy, savory, and succulent dark fruits on the nose and palate with a complimentary hint of spice, and a lingering subtle note of refreshing citrus on the very long finish. Quite distinct from the Charles Vineyard blend bottling in that it is richer, slightly denser, more assertive on the mid palate, and is structurally more firm, yet the tannins are perfectly proportioned. A beguiling expression of Pommard clone that really shines the next day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle."

2009 Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir:
- Pinot Geek Icon/94-98 points, PinotFile (February 22, 2012)
"Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. Intensely fruity on the nose featuring aromas of dark red berries and black cherries with the slightest spice, leather and oak. Picks up interest over time in the glass. Fills the mouth with broad flavors of red and black stone and berry fruits with complimentary oak-driven notes of toffee and cola in the background. Modest tannins with inviting crispness and a good cut of acidity on the finish. Flat-out great later in the day from a previously opened and re-corked bottle. I like this wine for its presence without pronounced weight."

2009 Zero New Oak Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir:
- 90-93 points/Very Good, PinotFile (February 22, 2012)
"Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. Very fruity nose featuring black cherries. Crisp and juicy black cherry and cranberry flavors with a hint of spice. Mild, soft tannins and smooth in the mouth. Lacks a little mid palate richness, structure and finishing persistence of a typical oaked Pinot Noir but has its own charm in the purity of its unplugged fruit flavor. ..."

Follow these links to see additional reviews, or articles and other news about Foursight.

The First 2011's Go Into Bottle!

2012-02-23T15:07:00.002-08:00

On Tuesday we bottled our 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and 2011 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir. Barely. But they did end up in bottle at the end of the day, and we're really excited to see the first of a new vintage.

Joe supervises.

This is the first year we've made a vin gris, which is a fancy name for rose', more or less. Grey wine, it actually means -- white wine made from red grapes. We whole-cluster pressed Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir grapes and let the juice sit on the skins for just a few hours. The wine tastes like fresh strawberries. We're really excited to have something fun and new in the tasting room for the spring and summer.

Our vin gris is very light in color -- like a blanc de noirs bubbles but without the bubbles. Basically, we didn't add mega red or mega purple to make it that nice, vibrant pink color. Being more of the natural winemaking persuasion, we're anti grape juice concentrate, which is commonly added to deepen the color but makes the wine sweet as well. It just seems wrong to doctor up a perfectly delicious wine for color's sake.

Our 2011 Charles Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc tastes very much like our vineyard and past bottlings of this wine, but will be more delicate due to the very cool vintage. Yum.

However well you think you have it planned, bottling is always ripe with calamities. This year our glass company simply never delivered our glass! Having something to bottle IN and a cork to seal it up are the most important elements. You can always bottle your wine in "shiners" (unlabeled bottles) and run them back through the line later for labels, if need be, but you can't bottle without the vessel to put it in.

Bottling zoom out from the machine.

Knowing this was the last piece of the puzzle, the first thing I did on Tuesday morning was check on the glass. Of course, it wasn't there. Apparently a temp put the wrong delivery date into their system, meaning the glass was actually scheduled to arrive the next week. In fact, it was split between two separate warehouses in two counties! Luckily, we had a few hours to deal with it.

After several phone calls and a good, stressed out hour, the company agreed to send two separate trucks with the glass so we could bottle the same day. We'd be late, but it would get done. So, we waited for the trucks, and, after they arrived and were unloaded, one of the warehouse guys asked me if I wanted to run the green or clear glass first. WHAT??? Green glass? We weren't supposed to have any green glass in the mix. At all. Cue mini heart attack.

I had him double-check the color of the glass, even though the boxes were indeed labeled as antique green. Thank goodness, the glass inside was actually clear. Whew!

After all of those issues, we started bottling, and things ran smoothly after that. The lesson in it all? On a bottling day, always expect something to go wrong. Because it will. Whether it's the label guy who didn't count correctly last year or capsules inexplicably being smooshed and unusable the year before, something always goes awry. You have to have a cool head to be in the bottling business full-time. Of course, it also helps when it's not your wines you're worrying about.

What I also find helpful on bottling days: having the winemaker present. There are always tough questions about very technical things, like dissolved oxygen in the wines or vacuum on the line, that I don't always feel comfortable answering by myself. Theoretically, I know the acceptable ranges of most things, but if there are follow-up questions, forget it! That's where Joe comes in.

Here 's a short video from this week's bottling. This is a pretty big line. The one we typically use at the winery is MUCH smaller (think a horse trailer full of bottling equipment).

Wine Beserkers in Telluride, CO

2012-02-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to turn around after Hawaii and head to Telluride, CO, for the first annual Wine Beserkers Ski, Wine & Dine Festival. Foursight Winemaker Joe Webb is part of the Beserkers forum, and when he heard ski and wine, we were booked for the weekend.

We drove out this time, lugging five pairs of skis and four cases of wine. It's been a long time since I've driven through Nevada and Utah, and I forgot how long, straight, and high (altitude) those roads are. It does have a certain beauty, though, especially as you drive in and out of little pockets of rain and snow, which disappear as soon as you hit them.

We arrived in Telluride (actually, Mountain Village, next door to Telluride) and it was as ski town as I was expecting. Log chateaus, snowy mountains, and lots of people gimping around in ski boots. Reminded me of Squaw Valley on steroids, actually.

See a few of my photos at the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150603833227042.408157.798637041&type=1&l=9450fcbc5c

The Ski, Wine & Dine event kicked off Thursday evening with a welcome dinner. People brought some great bottles of wine, and it was a pleasure to chat with everyone (you know it's a good event when you hold the same plate of food in your hand for an hour).

Friday started the formal tastings at The Peaks Resort, with a small group of distributors and wineries pouring their bottlings for attendees. A winemaker dinner followed at 221 South Oak in Telluride proper. This was a beast of a dinner. I've never seen so many choices for the attendee. Everything was delicious, however -- so much so that I was full way too soon. A great evening altogether with some great table-mates!

Saturday was our final tasting at The Peaks. We took advantage of our morning down time to ski and relax, which was a lot of fun given the scarce snow in Lake Tahoe up until recently. The mountain is impressive, with lots of runs, countless restaurants and wine bars ON the mountain, and even double blue runs -- totally my comfort zone.

We actually paused on our last ski day and went into Alpino Vino -- the highest restaurant in North America, they claim, at 11,966 feet. It's a cute little restaurant where you leave your skis outside and relax in the warmth inside. It's a wine bar and restaurant, and the selections impressed even us (I mean, ON a ski resort? Seriously?). We ordered a Pinot Noir flight and old-world white flight and an antipasto platter with cured meats, cheeses, truffle honey, chianti mustard, etc. Delicious and highly recommended.

Overall, Telluride was gorgeous. Very high -- we were staying at 9,000 feet -- but lots of amenities open seven days a week, which is much appreciated on a vacation schedule. I can understand the allure.

Hawaii 2012

2012-02-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful, week-long Hawaiian vacation this past month. The whole family (minus brother Matt, sadly) went. It was warm, and much needed. The only bad thing is that I caught a cold from someone on the plane over (and it lasted for two weeks). However, when you get too few warm vacations because your husband is a ski bum, you take some Dayquil and move on with the trip. We snorkeled, we did a helicopter tour, we shopped, we skied the volcano, and, of course, we ate and drank entirely too much. A lot of beer (gasp!), and some Foursight wines of course.

Photos can be seen on our Facebook page.

Here are a few videos we took:

Skunks & Vacation

2012-02-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Joe and I just returned from two weeks away: one week in Hawaii with the family (heaven, except for the tropical cold I brought back), and one week at the first annual Wine Beserkers tasting event in Telluride, CO. I have plenty of great photos to post from our trips, including us skiing the Big Island's volcano (yes, you can seriously do that). I'll put them up soon. But first, let's talk about our homecoming yesterday.

One of my aims when moving back to Boonville and starting this blog was to share a little of the experience of moving back to the country and back into the house I grew up in. After spending your childhood in a small, rural area like ours, then leaving for college, towns with banks and chain coffee shops (imagine that!), and work in an office, it's definitely an adjustment to come back to a town of 700 people (on a good day). Things that I wouldn't have thought twice about as a kid give me pause now. It's a very different experience. One of these things I'm having a difficult time adjusting to is the resident wildlife, particularly those things that like to harass our dogs and try and live under our house.

We arrived home yesterday, worked a bit, and diligently starting unpacking, doing laundry, and the like. Just as we were relaxing with a nice glass of wine, about 10:30 last night, my nose starts to detect that offensive odor that I know too well: skunk spray. I assumed that one of our dogs, who were outside, were just sprayed by a skunk. It happens several times a year, without fail. Our tasting room Lab, Ozzie, never seems to learn.

I called in the dogs, but oddly enough they didn't smell, nor did the outside of the house much. I shrugged it off, and sat back down. As we watched some TV the next hour, the odor became worse and worse -- to the point where the inside of my nostrils burned. Again, I assumed that a skunk had sprayed outside somewhere, but that it would be fine in a bit. I attempted to go to bed, but the inside of our house reeked with that oily, disgusting smell. That's when I persuaded my husband (one of the many good point of having a guy around) to go investigate. Unfortunately, he only confirmed that it was much worse inside than out. Great!

Around here this situation likely means one thing: in our two-week absence a skunk had crawled underneath our house and was now spraying in fear as we moved around up top, making everything inside reek. I did the sensible thing and moved into the cottage next door for the night. Yes, my back hurts and I woke up with a dog on my pillow, but at least I could breathe.

This morning, when it was light enough to see, we went investigating. That means actually opening up the access to underneath the house, sticking my head through, and shining a flashlight around. Yes, it terrified me that I was going to be sprayed in the face or attacked by some overwrought skunk. It's dark and scary under there (and full of cobwebs and mouse poison). As I'm opening the access, waiting for something to spray or jump out at me, I was wishing I was back in my duplex rental in Santa Rosa, where the worst thing I had to worry about under the house was a stray cat who wandered through every once in a while.

As I stuck my head under there .... AHHHHH!!! Actually, that was only the sound in my head. There was nothing under the house, thankfully. As we finally figured out, a skunk had sprayed right into one corner of our house, where all the vents go underneath the floor. The spray was sucked in under the house while it also leaked through a cracked window which holds our wine cellar air conditioning. It permeated the entire inside of the house instead of just drifting away in to the wind.

Welcome home from vacation!

Things Keep Rolling Along: Moving into 2012

2012-01-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Wowsa. That's pretty much all I can say about the past month. Sometimes running a small winery is unbelievably busy, complicated and exhilarating all at the same time. That's certainly been the case recently. I know that I often find myself bouncing around, doing everything from sales tax reports, to pruning, to janitorial, to marketing all in one day. ... I think I have whiplash, actually. :)

In December our family (brothers, father, mother, hubby and I -- the whole group) sat down to look back on 2011 and make some goals for 2012. I'm really proud of what we accomplished last year and have already starting tackling some of our 2012 to-dos. Then the holidays happened, and we ate entirely too much and had some great wines (an Australian friend brought a lovely Henschke, thanks Liz), plus some other treats. Now it's back to business.

In the past month we've tasted our wines at restaurants and wine bars in Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley. We set out to hire a broker for California (and particularly the Bay Area so our wines are more accessible to our customers there), and it looks like we've succeeded. (More on that to come.) We also have been selling out our small lots of wine and looking forward to some really yummy 2010's, although it looks like we're going to have to start making some more wine!

We pruned the vineyard last week, then dobbed it (separate post on this), so everything looks so neat and tidy. But it's back-breaking labor.

We close the tasting room in January to be able to do things like this, take a break, re-seal the concrete floors (just did it!), and take a vacation. It's amazing how dirty a tasting room can get when it has a resident dog. (Dog hair, yuck!) Our family is also headed off to warm locales soon. We'll reopen the tasting room in early February, for our normal hours: Fri-Mon, 10-4:30.

I certainly hope you come see us this year! We've rearranged the room, added some fun new merchandise and toys, and are mixing up the pouring order of the wines. We're even looking at starting some food & wine pairings, so it should be fun!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

We may be hard at work today, but over the next few days we'll be enjoying the company of family and friends, along with Christmas treats like fresh dungeness crab and standing rib roast (it's always about the food and wine here!). We hope you'll be doing the same, regardless of what holiday you're celebrating.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and here's to a fantastic 2012!

The Foursight Family

Our Favorite Lake Tahoe Spots: North Lake Restaurants and Wine Bars

2011-12-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

My husband (and awesome Foursight winemaker Joe Webb) and I have been participating in a ski lease in Lake Tahoe for two winters now. We've found it's really the only way we can cut down on work and have some fun together during our slow time.Yes, we ski, but we also spend a good deal of time eating and drinking -- probably our favorite hobby. :)

This past week we actually brought our wines and did a number of tastings for our favorite restaurants and wine bars in the area, and I thought I'd share them with everyone. What follows is a highlight reel of the places we love to eat and drink in North Lake Tahoe. If you're going up this winter (or summer), stop by one of these places -- you won't be disappointed.

Uncorked, Squaw Valley: They've got big, they've got lean, and they have glasses of just about whatever you could want. The selection is fun and eclectic, but they don't neglect the big names either. Cool people too.

River Ranch Restaurant (on Hwy 89, near the bottom of Alpine Meadows): We're spoiled in wine country, and this place serves up everything from a fantastic steak to wild game, lamb -- you name it -- all at a price that makes you feel like you more than got your money's worth. Nice wine list, of course, and friendly people. Also a great place in the summer as they have a huge patio right next to the river.

PlumpJack Cafe, Squaw Valley: Another favorite of ours, we unfortunately miss out on the dining room most of the time because we go up mid-week. However, the bar is just as great and way more casual. The wine list is mind-blowing, and they serve everything from a high-end burger to fig and blue cheese pizza, to full entrees. Yum is my rating.

Evergreen Restaurant, Tahoe City: My favorite thing about this place (besides the great food and wine) is that it's family run. Even the kids help out in the summer. The food is excellent, they have a cozy bar, and the restaurant is literally across from the lake, making it a scenic place to eat summer or winter. Highly recommended.

Pianeta, Old Town Truckee: This high-end Italian food restaurant impressed both my husband and I and my parents -- not an easy thing to do. The ambiance, with the big wooden bar and old brick walls, is cozy, warm and rustic, and the food wows. Fun wine list, plus a ton of stuff on offer at the bar. I would go in for a drink just as easily as I would a meal.

If you have any favorites of your own around the lake, we'd love to hear about them!

New Harvest Video: Pinot Noir Crush 2011!

2011-12-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Watch the Foursight family and friends get down and dirty to make our Pinot Noirs!

Rockin' Video #2: Harvest 2011 Begins!

2011-11-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

Last year we started creating crush videos, but refused to set them to soft jazz or instrumental (snore). So, to that end, we're kicking off 2011 with the Beatles -- definite rock icons. Because of the massive amount of footage we took this vintage, there will several installments.

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone out there is having a fantastic holiday! On this day I wanted to say a big thank you to all our customers, wine club members, and friends and family who have supported us during the past few years. We're thankful for you, and all you've done to help us realize our dream. (air kisses!) :)

Now down to the serious business: what am I eating today? The normal turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce (albeit my nana's apple and cranberry from scratch - yum!), along with roasted sweet potatoes, a broccoli ring with hollandaise (no idea where it came from, but hollandaise and butter makes everything delicious) and rolls with my mother's homemade jam. It's all too delicious.

What are we drinking? Bubbles to start -- probably Roederer Estate Brut. Foursight Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Gewurztraminer cut through the thick hollandaise and butter, plus the Gewurzt is awesome with turkey. Then Pinot Noir, of course, which I love with simply roasted sweet potatoes and the not-too-acidic cranberry sauce. Pumpkin pie for dessert, with our 2009 Semillon (just try it - it's amazing together).

Happy Eating!

Foursight in the Press!

2011-11-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

We've been very lucky to be mentioned in some great publications this fall, as well as being discovered by some up-and-coming writers. And we've just barely released our 2009 Pinots. I have to admit, however, that I've gotten so caught up with posting on Facebook, Twitter and the like, that I've been neglecting to put it all on our blog! Smartphones make it too easy...

So, to that end, here are links to some fantastic articles about our tiny winery. Enjoy, and have a fantastic Thanksgiving! We're headed to the in-laws house, then back here for the tasting room. We'll be open all Thanskgiving weekend for those looking for some fun with the family!

FOURSIGHT IN THE PRESS

Foursight's 2009 Zero New Oak is "Wine of the Week" from Elin McCoy, also a wine columnist for Bloomberg News: www.zesterdaily.com/drinking/1111-foursight-zero-new-oak-pinot-noir

We're featured in VIA Magazine: http://www.viamagazine.com/road-trips/californias-highway-128#relatedlinks

Foursight's entire line-up in the Aspen Daily News: http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/entertainment/149983

Our little winery is in the Sacramento Bee, among many others: http://www.localgetaways.com/2011/10/anderson-valley-the-perfect-weekend-getaway/

Will Global Warming Force Us to Change Varietals?

2011-11-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

It's a big question that no one in the industry really wants to have to address, but one that's been tugging at the back of our minds for some time. Will we eventually be too warm to grow the grapes that we currently grow?

Yesterday's NPR article summed up the concerns nicely. If we are able to breed new grapes that are more drought-tolerant and heat-resistant, will we be able to sell them? If we have to make up new names for new grapes to adapt to the new climate, will they be commercially successful if consumers still want Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir instead?

It's a bit scary to think about, especially since the NPR article states that we might have to worry about it as soon as 2040 :"According to a recent study from Stanford University, about 2 degrees of warming could reduce California's premium wine-growing land by 30 to 50 percent. That could happen as soon as 2040. Water supply is also expected to be an issue...."

One thing that's slightly comforting to me is that Anderson Valley is starting out as the coldest commercial grape growing region: region one. That means that, if we continue to warm over the next 30 years, then maybe we'll just shift toward region 2 or even 3: the new Napa. Cab everywhere! Of course, it will break our hearts to not be able to grow Pinot Noir, and, if that trend continues and we have to keep replanting to adjust to a changing climate, then we're not much ahead of the game.

As for water, well, that's a dissertation in itself, not a blog post. Here locally, the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association helps to fund a river gage that tracks the level of the river, including during frost and irrigation season. The majority of grape growers here aren't allowed to access the river and instead have ponds that catch winter rain, but it's still important to keep an eye on the state of our water.

Any way you cut it, climate change is something that could have a big effect on what we grow, and what's available to consumers to drink. I imagine if it really shifts and we all have to replant, that many farmers will reconsider their dedication to farming anything at all, especially finicky things like wine grapes.

France and Napa vs. Anderson Valley

2011-10-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it amazes me to think about how tiny Anderson Valley is by comparison to any other well known appellation within California. It's even more interesting to compare it to famous winegrowing regions internationally. For an extremely small valley like ours to have any kind of reputation for premium winegrapes and wine is a big accomplishment, and it makes me proud to be a part of it.

Seven Top French Wine Regions by Acres of Vines

Languedoc-Roussillon 528,000 Acres
Bordeaux 306,000 Acres
Rhône Valley 188,700 Acres
Loire Valley 158,000 Acres
Burgundy 125,000 Acres
Champagne 75,000 Acres
Alsace 34,000 Acres

Paso Robles has 26,000 planted acres, and Napa Valley has 45,000. Russian River is a mere 10,000 planted acres.

Guess how many planted acres Anderson Valley has? 2,244. That's it. Two thousand, two hundred and forty four planted acres. Mostly of Pinot Noir. A drop in the bucket, but a passionate drop. :)

Click here for the official 2010 vineyard census.

Vintage 2011 in Anderson Valley

2011-10-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting harvest, if nothing else -- one that we won't soon forget. The second-latest on record for Foursight's Charles Vineyard (three days earlier than 2010), it seems we've had heat, rain, and everything in between. How does that mean the wines will turn out? Well, that depends...

For those of us lucky enough to have everything off the vine before the rains started, it was a good harvest. I believe the majority of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir falls into this category (50%+). The 2011 growing season provided a longer-than-usual hang time for the grapes, but without the 2010 heat spike that caused some sunburn. Indian summer conditions helped to ripen everything in September, just in time for the rains, which truly started Monday, October 3rd.

Rains followed the next week, off and on, bringing us about 3 inches on the valley floor (totaling up all the storms). I think that the grapes that were the closet to being ripe suffered the most -- sugar setback, rot, and the like were all problems to be faced after multiple inches of rain. Those people trying to get 25+ brix for their Pinots likely had to hang through the rain.

Many producers picked their remaining fruit this week, getting everything off the vine while it's sunny and warm again. There will still be some bigger reds and whites out there, and late harvest grapes of course. As moisture promotes botrytis mold, which then helps dehydrate the grapes and sweetens them up, this may actually be a great year for dessert wines!

Overall, it's going to be a tough vintage for many, but like last year I think we were saved by the noble Pinot Noir grape. As it's adapted to cool climates, it also tends to be earlier ripening, meaning that many -- like us -- were able to escape the bad weather.

At Foursight, we're extremely excited about how the Pinots are looking. Everything was brought in during our perfect window: 23-24 Brix. Acids are naturally high, and flavors are good. The stems and seeds managed to to ripen enough for us to do our typical 30% whole cluster fermentations and the fermentations via wild yeast all went through perfectly. We've now been pressing the Pinot in our basket press, and starting to barrel it all down. We're looking forward to everything winding down and some rest!

The Rain Arrives

2011-10-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

Rain arrived in Anderson Valley at about 5 a.m.-ish (took me a few minutes to wake up enough to realize it was rain, then to look at the clock). It sounded like it was absolutely pouring at our house under the trees, but the rain gauge only reported less than 1/4". Not so terrible so far...

I would estimate the majority of the fruit here has been picked, but the ridge top and slope vineyards are still hanging both whites and reds, as well as fruit at the deep end (closest to the coast). Some of our neighbors again picked all night last night. After the chaos of the past week, it's probably a nice job to process freshly harvested fruit today while it sprinkles outside. I know from talking to the picking crews, while we were sorting fruit in the vineyard yesterday, that they're glad for the time off.

The forecast predicts some showers tomorrow, then into Wednesday, but nothing more in the 10-day. Let's hope for all the farmers out there (not just of grapes) that the rain moves through quickly and then hot weather dries it back out!

2011 Foursight Harvest Experience

2011-10-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had an amazing day with an intimate group of Foursight Wine Club Members. For our first-ever Harvest Experience, we invited club members to join us for a day that explored the behind-the-scenes winery and vineyard work (everything you don't see when you simply visit the tasting room). Even though it was drizzly and gray, it was a fantastic day of touring, tasting and eating -- the perfect trio, in our humble opinion.

While Ozzie our winery dog supervised (also known as begging), we had some sparkling wine and small bites in the tasting room, then headed out into the vineyard for a tour with Foursight Winegrower Bill Charles. We tasted berries, then the corresponding wines, and discussed grape growing and how the vineyard is represented in each of the wines. We tested the sugar levels of grapes still hanging, and chatted about the challenges of farming.

Ozzie, satisfied after an entire pulled pork sandwich!

Family recipes - perfect with bubbles!

After our vineyard tour, we headed back to the winery to taste just-pressed Semillon juice, then Pinot Noir juice through the stages of fermentation, and finally the finished Semillon and Pinot Noirs. Our winemaker (and my wonderful hubby), Joe Webb, walked attendees through our winemaking process and invited everyone help us do punch downs (thanks guys!). It was great to see our club members getting dirty!

After wrapping up in the winery, we enjoyed an al fresco lunch of pulled pork and other treats, and of course more wine!

Bill Charles enjoys a glass of wine.

Thank you to everyone who attended. We truly enjoyed showing you the other side of our business here, and it sounds like we'll have to do another Harvest Experience in the future!

Here Comes the Rain!

2011-09-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Rain is always a threat in late harvest years. We always cross our fingers and hope it holds off until all the grapes are picked, but in farming the only certainty is that there can be no certainty with Mother Nature. And, of course, it now looks like we may get 1-2" of rain starting on Monday.

Lucky for us, our last pick for Foursight is Sunday!

Gary Bates, a family friend, and some Pinot destined for Foursight's first dry rose'

OUR FINAL PICK
We'll be bringing in three tons of Sauvignon Blanc on Sunday morning, just ahead of the bad weather. My parents will still have some SB hanging for another winery, but that's due to a number of factors. They very smartly pulled some leaves on our rows, exposing the fruit to more sunlight and ripening the fruit more rapidly. This can be risky in years like last year, where many farmers pulled leaves and then we had a heat wave, causing sunburn and lots of raisined fruit. However, if you play it right, it can make the difference between being able to get the fruit off the vine ahead of the rain, or having to hang it through the rain.

Now, where rain's concerned, anything above an inch is worrisome. Mold increases, and if the rain doesn't let up, the grapes can simply turn to mush on the vines (more or less). Because of this chance, grape growers have been picking frantically all week. It's been hard to get a crew and even harder to get a truck to take the fruit to the winery. The local crews have been picking night and day (literally) -- we've heard our neighbors picking all night for the past four nights so they can ship the fruit to Napa first thing in the morning.

ANDERSON VALLEY FRUIT
Here in Anderson Valley, virtually all the Pinot Noir is now off the vines, meaning that this should be a good harvest for Pinot Noir for the appellation. We'll see how the later-ripening whites and any bigger reds fare (very little planted in the big red department due to our cold climate). And, as for late-harvest wines, I wouldn't expect to see much (unless we end up getting just the perfect amount of rain to encourage some nice, botrytized wines).

As always, it's never dull!

THE FOURSIGHT WINERY
In the winery, our fermentations are going like crazy. The native yeast has kicked off and we have to air out the winery first thing in the morning: the CO2 is so thick we can't work back there until we've replaced the air with the winery fan. We're on to two punch downs (and soon three) per day, and things are looking good and smell fantastic. The one thing I love the most about our tasting room being on the other side of the wall from the winery is that the tasting room smells like fermenting wine all day!

Our first-ever Pinot Noir rose' is almost done with fermentation. Super exciting, and we can't wait to try it as a finished wine. We're not giving it any oak aging, nor are we allowing it to go through malolactic fermentation. Our reasoning for this? We want it to be dry and crisp, with the kind of bright acidity that makes it refreshing and food friendly. We hope to release it in time for next summer's hot days. It's going to be our go-to picnic and patio wine.

Harvest Continues at Foursight

2011-09-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

As of today we have everything in except one clone of Pinot Noir (the one that's always behind - 114) and the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. As it turns out, this isn't the latest harvest on record for Charles Vineyard. We picked four days earlier than last year, 2010. Surprising to us, but that's why we keep records!

We expect to be bringing in the final Pinot this coming week, and the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon in about a week to a week and a half. Of course, there is a slight chance of rain tonight or tomorrow. However, unless it's more than an inch, it won't be detrimental. It will just moderate the temperatures and cause ripening to slow down a bit. And increase the mold pressure of course.

We've been lucky enough to have a friend helping us out for harvest this vintage (go Erik!). Without help from our friends (Johnny, Jimmy, Gary, and I could go on) and family, we wouldn't be able to do everything that we do. Being grape growers AND winemakers adds a layer of complication -- picking for yourselves, plus everyone that you sell fruit to, and processing all your own fruit on top of it. Then, of course, we have the tasting room, wine club, Web site sales, events, and I could go on.

However, there is a method to all our madness. The reason why we staff our own tasting room, pour at our own events, grow our own grapes, and make our own wines, is that we believe it makes for a better end product and a better experience for our customers. If you know Foursight, you've met one of us -- the family. If you've enjoyed one of our wines, you've experienced exactly what our perspective on Pinot Noir is.

Harvest Arrives!

2011-09-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

This Thursday and Friday we picked the first grapes at Charles Vineyard. Whereas in a typical year we start picking still wine in the beginning of September, we were just picking some rose' grapes and starting in on some still Pinot Noir this week. So we're running about two weeks later than usual right now.

How do the grapes look? We did get some sunburn with than 100+ degree day a few weeks ago, so those clusters were removed, shrinking the size of an already small crop. Skins are thin this year, making the grapes fragile and we definitely have to handle them with care. However, flavors are really good, and the acids are still holding strong, which we love. You need some structure and some acid to create that balanced, releasable-now-yet-ageable Pinot Noir we're looking for.

Yesterday we picked Pinot Noir for a new Foursight project: a dry Pinot Noir rose'. We're really excited to make a true rose', picking early, pressing gently, letting the juice sit on the skins for a few hours to get that nice pink color, and then fermenting it into a strawberry-laced, crisp wine that I can't wait to enjoy here in the tasting room, or with a meal next spring and summer.

Here are a few images from the madness in the past few days. We also got some amazing video, so I'll throw something together soon to really show you the chaos! :)

Here's to a great harvest and amazing 2011 wines!

Getting Closer to Harvest at Charles Vineyard

2011-09-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

Finally, everything looks purple out there in the Pinot Noir blocks! Veraison is pretty much through and we'll do a berry sample tomorrow to establish a baseline for sugars, acid and pH. We're estimating that we might be picking for our dry Pinot Noir rose in a few weeks.

As for the crop, it's going to be light on the dijon Pinot Noir clones, but closer to normal on the Pommard Pinot. The Sauvignon Blanc actually seemed to set a decent crop this year, despite the cool, wet weather. All in all, this will be a light year, not a bumper crop harvest.

However it turns out, we're all excited to see things moving along and progressing out there. It will be the latest harvest we've ever experienced at Foursight, but I'm sure it will make fantastic wine!

Bottling - 2010 Semillon and Pinot Noirs!

2011-08-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

This week was bottling week for our 2010 Semillon (with ingredients listed!) and our 2010 estate Pinot Noirs. It's another busy, hectic time during the year -- one that's both stressful and exciting. The stress comes from the myriad of things that can go wrong, and the excitement from seeing another vintage shepherded safely into bottle.

One thing that I've learned: winemakers hate bottling. I think it just puts them in a bad mood. With all the moving parts and the unpredictability factor, it can certainly be nerve-wracking. Questions abound, like: "How much wine will we actually have?" Or: "Is the clarity, sulfur level, etc. good?"

For those of us who have to order the supplies, it's always interesting. You can certainly think you ordered enough of something, only to find out you botched it, or, even worse, the printer or the printing house did. Just last year the printing house we were using had to fire the employee who counted the labels -- our rolls of labels listed the right numbers, but they were short. The guy in charge wasn't making sure the count was spot-on. This year, we were sent the entire wrong set of labels but luckily had enough time to return them and receive the correct ones. We also had our warehouse load pallets of the wrong glass onto the truck. Luckily, we checked before we drove it all the way from Santa Rosa back to Boonville (about an hour's drive).

Mistakes from receiving the wrong glass, labels, corks, capsules or foils to simply missing the deadline for the boat to ship them from Europe are common. Talk to anyone who works a bottling line, and they'll tell you horror stories from winemakers bottling with the wrong vintage on the label to putting Malbec in the Syrah bottle because the hose was hooked up to the wrong tank.Oops! If those aren't bad enough, imagine getting 3/4 of the way through bottling only to run out of corks. Then you have a partial tank of wine now exposed to oxygen (not good for it) and no closures for your bottles. And bottling lines aren't cheap, nor do they always have a free schedule to come back tomorrow and finish up.

Luckily, our bottlings this week went smoothly. There were a few hiccups, but nothing majorly concerning. Big thanks to our friends who came up to help us work the line. And now we can rest for a few weeks while the 2010's are all in bottle and we await the 2011 vintage.

Persistence Sucks

2011-08-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

One big lesson that I've learned from launching a new business, and launching a business in what seems to be a never-ending recession, is that things don't always align with your expectations.

I don't mean this in a bad way -- we launched our first wines to amazing acclaim from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, The SF Chronicle, Wine & Spirits ... and I could continue. We attended some amazing, exclusive events, and build a great wine club with people we love hanging out with. It's just that 1+2 don't always equal 3. Sometimes you get 1.5 and sometimes you get 5.

I've also learned that persistence is vital. And I hate that word. To persists means to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc. Not exactly the most exciting or inspiring word.

Persistence is vital because, when you aim for 3 and get 1.5, you have to readjust and continue on. We've had way more than our share of success since our 2006 launch, but I've feel that one of the most valuable things that I've learned is how to deal with rejection. When things don't go our way, I've learned to keep pushing forward, moving toward our goals and readjusting our strategy to get there. It's not easy, but I think it comes with the territory.

Everyone wants instant success, but it doesn't happen that way for the vast majority of people. We all go through that moment where we realize we aren't going to be millionaires by the age of 30 after all. It's pushing on, being good at your non-million-dollar-salary job, and loving life that is the accomplishment. And maybe we'll make that million by age 40 instead. :) I mean, one can always hope.

Foursight in the News & A Wild Animal Visit

2011-08-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting life up here in Boonville. As I was working away a few minutes ago, a bobcat leisurely sauntered right through our front yard, stopping to smell some plants, then moving on into our neighbor's vineyard. Unfortunately, I couldn't capture one good photo through the glass. Our dog was so mesmerized he forgot to bark.

I have to give the little guy points for being tough, though. We saw him last week, being chased by a doe protecting her fawn. He was headed the opposite direction and didn't even seem to see the deer, but she still went after him like any good overprotective mother. He looked terrified once he realized that he, weighing in at around 20 pounds, was being attacked by a full-grown deer! Luckily, he escaped through the fence to safety.

Beside the wild animal sightings, I've been gathering press clippings from the wine industry publications Foursight was featured in this week (links below).

Why are we in the news? Foursight is the first winery in Anderson Valley to label a wine with ingredients (one of just a few in the state, really). We're also one of the first in the nation, if not THE first, to list on the label that the wine is suitable for vegan and vegetarian wine drinkers. We were also mentioned because of our involvement with The Wineries of Downtown Boonville -- a group promoting the four tasting rooms within walking distance in Boonville (Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BoonvilleWineries).

Rumor has is that we're also going to be on the VIA magazine Web site in October, plus a few we can't divulge yet!

Here are this week's articles:

Wine Business Monthly

Wines & Vines

Happy Thursday!

Veraison!

2011-08-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

Houston, we have color! Just in a few blocks of the Pinot Noir this week, but at least we're seeing some progress out there. I think there's a celebration in order!

Veraison is when the grapes turn from green to purple and finally begin to ripen. Typically you can then predict an average number of days from veraison to harvest. This year, we're all very hesitant to put a number on it, but are hoping to pick by early October.

As always, we'll see!

Veraison Time ... but not this year

2011-07-29T15:19:00.000-07:00

Last year - 2010 - was one of the latest harvests we've had at Charles Vineyard. We were roughly three weeks behind our typical schedule. As it turns out, however, we may be even later this year.

The 2010 harvest was behind because of a long, cool summer. It still turned out to be a good year because rains held off until after all our grapes came off the vines. However, looking back at the calendar from last year, we were starting to see veraison (when the berries begin to turn purple and ripen) this week in one of our Pinot blocks. This year's crop is still small and green in all the blocks.

What does it mean? An even later harvest than last year -- unless it continues to be hot and dry and the vines are able to catch up. At this point all we can do it wait and see.

Lost Coast Photos

2011-07-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

We recently took a few days off (gasp) and traveled an hour north of Fort Bragg, to the Lost Coast. This area is called the Lost Coast because when they built Highway 1, it was so rugged that they decided to take the road inland. This left an entire area next to the ocean with no major highways, only small, paved and unpaved roads. Given that this is exactly our speed and there was a good chance to take the jeeps out and drive some remote roads and do some camping, we did exactly that.

My overall impression of the area: gorgeous, sparsely populated, and likely just as full of marijuana as rumor has it. The beaches were beautiful and deserted, which was my favorite part. I'd love to hike some part of the Lost Coast trail in the future.

Foursight: The First Anderson Valley Winery to List Ingredients!

2011-07-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today we a big landmark for our winery: after going back and forth with the TTB for months, we've finally gotten our approval to bottle our 2010 Semillon this August with an ingredients statement and verbiage that states the wine is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The TTB has been resistant to allowing our ingredients statement, vowing that we must have missed at least the yeast (nope - we use wild!), and if not yeast then acid, enzymes or something else. This, of course, is ludicrous.You certainly can make wine this way, even if they haven't seen many ingredients statements from wineries and most others that do include ingredients list yeast, tartaric acid and other products.

So, Foursight just became the first winery in Anderson Valley to voluntarily list ingredients on one of our wine labels!

I was also pleased that the TTB allowed us to state that our wines are suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets. Clos La Chance has begun marketing all vegan wines, but the TTB didn't allow them to say that the wines didn't use animal products (see the Wines & Vines article here). Frey is a noted vegan producer but their wines don't list it on the label. So, unless anyone out there has a correction for me, I have yet to find another U.S. producer with a vegan and vegetarian statement on their wine labels.

Yes, we did have to remove our reference to wild ML (they don't recognize it), but that's another battle for another day. All I can say is - WOOHOO!

Wild ML Not an Allowed Statement on Wine Labels

2011-07-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today was my attempt to reason with the TTB and explain to them why you absolutely CAN make wine with just grapes and sulfur and that it would be okay for our ingredients statement to list only those. Little did I know I would end up having an entire discussion about why wild ML is not allowed on wine labels (surprise!).

In a process that has now stretched about four months, I've been struggling to get a label approved by the TTB that allows us to list our ingredients for the Foursight 2010 Semillon (see my previous posts about this issue). Our ingredients list on the back label reads: grapes and sulfur dioxide. That's what we used when making the wine. Other substances/ingredients added to the wine: zero.

Now you think that, as the agency in charge of approving wine labels, that they'd just accept that people make wine in various styles. Some do a lot of tweaking, and some do little to none. We just happen to be on the none side with this bottling, but apparently they've never seen an ingredients statement with so few ingredients.

My last attempt to submit this label included a one-page rundown of our winemaking procedures per a representative's recommendation. From today's conversation, I now know one page is too lengthy for a TTB representative to read through. Come on, one page?

Also, by saying that the wine was fermented with wild yeast and wild ml in my one-page dissertation, it sounded like we added wild yeast and wild ml. WTF? Whether you call it wild, native or feral, if you know anything about wine terminology you know that using any of those words means that those little critters were absolutely not added. But, as I also learned today that you can't say wild ML on wine labels, without exception.

In the same non-reasoning that prevents the word fortified from being used and prohibits wineries from saying they've added brandy to their wines (her example), wild ML is simply not recognized by the TTB. I feel like throwing in a Scooby Doo-style "HUH?" here. Is this another Saturday Night Live "Really!?!" skit? Really?

And, to top it off, if I changed the sentence claiming that the wine was fermented with wild yeast and wild ml strains to "No yeast strains or ML cultures were added to this wine," then than would be a disparaging remark. In other words, I'd be belittling other wineries by claiming that I didn't add yeast or ML to one bottling of our own and insinuating that they did. (I was literally speechless after that one.)

So, I conceded. I'm removing my claim of wild ML and shortening my explanation to one sentence. Although no one could guarantee that would get my label approved, they thought the likelihood was high. And, in case pure ridiculousness reigns again, I'll have a generic back-up label on file to use for this vintage. But, mark my words, I'm not giving up!

My new mission for the next 12 months: try and get the TTB to recognize the use of wild ML on labels just like they did at one point with wild yeast. I'm sure it will be just as heartening and confidence-instilling as the current process has been.

Why The TTB Says Natural Wine Isn't Possible

2011-07-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

In yet another episode of Kristy vs. the TTB ( the government agency responsible for approving our wine labels), Kristy's still not winning and the TTB is still insisting that it's not possible to make wine from just grapes and sulfur. Oh, and now (all of a sudden) wild ML, which we've previously listed on our labels and had approved, is false and/or misleading.

I have to admit that I'm BEYOND frustrated at this point. To have the federal agency in charge of wine tell me, time and time again and after talking with multiple representatives, that it's simply not possible to make wine from only grapes and sulfur and with wild ML strains, is incomprehensible. It's ludicrous! And, most importantly, it's wrong.

Being in the business, most of us have read all about the natural wine movement: although there's no concise definition, I call it making wine with no ingredients. Although we're not strictly a natural wine brand (we add sulfur), that's our basic philosophy here: the less the better. That's how wine was "invented" or, more accurately, "discovered." Grapes are mushed up, yeast that's blowing around in the air and has settled on the skins of the grapes ferment it. ML, or malolactic fermentation, occurs spontaneously, via cultures of bacteria that are also in the environment and make the barrels their home. The wine goes through these natural fermentations, then is put into bottle after barrel aging. And that's how we make the majority of our wines, with a sprinkle of sulfur added for aging.

For those looking to read a little bit more about how wild ML is accomplished (yes, it's possible!), click here. Pay attention to paragraph two. Most winemakers don't because of the "risk factor" but some of us crazies do wild ML fermentation very successfully, year after year.

The most frustrating part of this fight is that Bonny Doon has already forged the path by labeling some of their wines with ingredients. However, they do list yeast and other items "used in the winemaking process" (see below). Apparently our big problem is that we have no other ingredients to list. If I were to tack on yeast and tartaric acid (neither of which we actually used for our 2010 Semillon), the label would likely be approved.

The worst part about all of this? I've been working on this label since spring and we're coming up on bottling next month. This means that I may have to strip all of this off my label so I can make the bottling date. But, I promise, if I do, I'll continue to push an ingredients statement for our 2011 wines. Perhaps if we can get it approved it will allow for other wineries to be able to do the same in the future. After all, if we want to be more transparent, and communicate exactly what's used in our winemaking process, why shouldn't we? Isn't part of the TTB's role to make sure wineries are transparent and truthful when they label their wines?

Just for reference, here's an image of the label we're trying to get approved (below). Wish me luck!

Non-working slide show

2011-07-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone. Just realized my slideshow from the 1st didn't work. I've fixed it:

The Foursight Farmers Market

2011-07-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent some time walking around our winery property, taking photos of evidence that summer is FINALLY here. We actually got a spring crop of loquats and figs (2 figs in total, woohoo!), which is extremely rare and due primarily to the mild spring frost season. Everything else -- quinces, Indian peaches, apples, walnuts and wild plums -- are moving along per schedule. Nothing will have a large crop this fall, but I think we'll see our first wild plums in the next week or so. That is, if the birds don't get them first.

Here are some photos of all the gorgeous fruit, flowers and more that can be found just by walking around our tasting room lot. We have to give most of the credit for the fruiting plants to both nature and the homesteaders who originally lived on this land. Most of the fruit trees are 100+ years old. Many of the flowers we put in with the tasting room and winery.

When the fruit ripens, we often have bowls of everything in the tasting room for our customers to enjoy and take home. The loquats and peaches are delicious with our Sauvignon Blanc, and the plums and figs with our Pinot Noirs. The quinces, well, don't go with anything raw, but cooked into some homemade quince paste are transformed.When you come visit us this summer or fall, don't be shy if you see a bowl of fruit. It will be ripe and organic by neglect. :)

A Few Days Respite

2011-06-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

This week Joe and I escaped to our ranch (aka a plot of land with nothing but a cabin on it) for a night of camping and 24 hours off. We hiked, we ate, we drank, and we relaxed with our books and all the industry publications we have a hard time keeping up with. It was heaven.

On one of our walks, Joe thought it would be fun to try a rope swing into the pond that hasn't been used for about 15 years. He tested it, had a trial swing, and then walked farther up the bank to get a little extra speed. Right about the time he reached the water, all I heard was a big "snap!" The rope broke, Joe plummeted into the water, luckily just making it past the bank. My heart stopped, but he came back up holding the rope and with just a few scratches. Whew! It's never dull.

Joe holding the broken rope

The dogs join Joe for a swim

Aftermath of the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival

2011-06-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Part of having a blog is the ability to rant and rave about things, and this is definitely one of those posts, so don't read on if you'll be offended by what 2% of the population does to make the rest of us look stupid. :)

This weekend was the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival -- a music fest mostly featuring reggae artists (and some fabulous ones at that). It's a three-day festival, starting mid-day on Friday, going into the wee hours on Friday and Saturday, and ending Sunday about midnight. A crowd of thousands comes up to mostly camp at the Boonville Fairgrounds, at the brewery. Guest houses, inns and hotels are also booked for those tired of tent city.

It's a great festival in many ways. We enjoy the music and the food inside is fantastic, although I admit I haven't been inside in a few years due to work. However, as with any large crowd, there are always issues, and there are always people who try and ruin it for everyone else.

There are quite a few arrests this weekend -- most due to over-imbibing or overdosing on various substances in abundant supply. There are fights, and there are helicopter trips to the hospital. All standard I think for a large event.

Foursight is in a unique position: literally across the street from all the action. For the most part, the crowd this weekend is respectful and leaves us alone. But there are always exceptions (like the woman two years ago who threw up all over my bathroom).

Now my complaints. First I'll start with business: it's lousy! With all the madness going on in the street, people pass right by, and wineries down the road don't always want to send people in this direction. I've talked to other local merchants, and they mostly agree: this festival does nothing for business. In fact, it deters a lot of our normal summertime traffic. Our wine club members avoid the weekend because of a lack of housing and abundance of general craziness.

Secondly, I just don't like having to kick people out of my tasting room! This year I had to kick out an older man who was already intoxicated and came in without a shirt, in just some jean shorts. When I told him tasting would cost him $5, he muttered "my ass," and walked out. My other customers respectfully tasting at that moment weren't so thrilled.

A young woman came in later in the afternoon. She used the bathroom, bitched about my dog being in the tasting room because she's afraid of them, then tried to leave after making me hold my dog. When I asked her if she was going to taste wine she admitted to just wanting to use the bathroom, told me she was a good person, and that porta-potties have hepatitis C! Okay, now don't get me wrong, I understand that some people are afraid of dogs, and sure, she probably is a good person, but if you're going to camp for three days at a fairgrounds, you're likely going to have to face a blue room or two. Your fear of hepatitis isn't my issue as a local merchant! And believe me, she isn't the only one. I currently have a sign on the door saying my rest room is for customers only, because we get a lot of people (especially before heading home on Monday) using all our paper towel and having a mini-shower in the sink, then leaving.

Another common complaint for me: people trying to park in our lot and go to the festival. One couple yesterday slammed a few tastes of white wine in an excuse to park and walk around for a bit. We have "no parking" signs on our driveway because people camp all weekend, light BBQ grills in the dry grass and leave not only needles and discarded baby diapers, but boxes of marijuana trimmings.

And to top it off: yesterday some guys were feeding chicken bones to my dog and laughing about it!

So, to sum it up, I think we're going to close the place down for the festival next year. It will be a good excuse to take a nice summer vacation and take a weekend off, which we rarely do. It's just a little sad that we have to come to that decision.

My Favorite Recipes: Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans

2011-06-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't exactly a summery recipe, but sometimes it doesn't matter what time of year you make a dish - it's delicious every time! This is one of my favorite lamb recipes, and it helps that lamb shanks are one of the cheapest cuts you can get.

This recipe looks slightly daunting, but it's easier than it seems. It just takes several hours because the shanks have to cook slow and long. Start these on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and you'll be good for dinner. Also, you can use canned beans! I normally do. Still simmer with broth, butter and veggies and season.

Drink this with a Pinot Noir. We're loving the Foursight 2007 All-In Charles Vineyard Pinot.

Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans

For lamb shanks:

4 lamb shanks (about 1 pound each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coarse
1 medium carrot, chopped coarse
1 celery rib, chopped coarse
8 garlic cloves, chopped coarse
3 1/2 cups Bordeaux or other full-bodied red wine
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 fresh thyme sprigs

For gremolata:

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (preferably flat-leafed)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
3 garlic cloves, minced

For beans:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, chopped fine
2 small carrots, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked white beans (preferably Great Northern or navy)
2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 fresh tarragon sprigs

Preparation

Make lamb shanks:
Pat lamb shanks dry and season with salt and pepper. In an 8-quart heavy flameproof casserole heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown lamb shanks well in batches, transferring to a plate as browned. To casserole add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and sauté until onion is softened. Add wine and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 3 cups. Return lamb shanks to casserole and stir in broth, tomato paste, and thyme. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer, covered, stirring and turning lamb shanks occasionally, 1 1/2 hours. Simmer mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour more, or until lamb shanks are tender.

Make the gremolata while lamb is cooking:
In a small bowl stir together gremolata ingredients.

Make beans while lamb is cooking:
In a saucepan heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, stirring, 2 or 3 minutes, or until softened. Add beans, 2 cups broth, butter, and bay leaf and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and adding enough remaining broth to keep beans moist and to reach a creamy consistency, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and add half of gremolata and salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer lamb shanks to a plate and keep warm, covered with foil. Strain braising liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, discarding solids, and stir in butter and tarragon. Boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. Strain sauce through sieve into a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Sprinkle lamb shanks with remaining gremolata and serve with beans and sauce.

Recipe originally from Epicurious.com

2011 Growing Season Update

2011-06-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Now that we're finally getting some warm, sunny days, hope has returned. Or at least it seems so when you talk to a grape farmer like my father, Bill Charles.

Because of the wet, cold spring, the vines are behind. How far behind? Well, as much as a month according to many farmers here, but this summer will be the true determinant for how late we pick in 2011. With an even, warm summer the vines can catch up. With a cool summer, we end up with another 2010 -- just fine for most of us with early ripening Pinot, but not so good with late-ripening varieties like Cab or Zin.

Today the Associated Press ran a comprehensive article about the challenges of 2011 and growers' outlooks on the vintage. Click here to read it.

One thing that a grape grower in the AP article mentions is leaf pulling. Farmers often do this to expose the fruit to more sunlight and to open up the canopy for more airflow. This helps the grapes ripen faster, and helps reduce mold pressure. Unfortunately, this is what many growers (including ourselves) did last summer to help speed up ripening and we got burned. Literally. Several days above 100 degrees arrived in late summer and sunburned the grapes. Luckily, we only had a few blocks with about 5% sunburn. There were vineyards in more southern climes that were almost decimated.

We cut off the sunburnt grapes and moved on with our lives last year, bringing in our fruit before any fall rains. Likely we'll be a little more cautious this year when it comes to leaf pulling!

One thing we always know is that every year is different, and it's truly too early to call whether or not the 2011 vintage will go down as good, bad, or excellent. We'll just have to wait and see, which is one of things farmers are the worst at doing.

Wine Spectator Magnum Party

2011-06-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

This year we were lucky enough to be invited to attend the annual Wine Spectator "Bring Your Own Magnum" party. Armed with a magnum we literally made two hours beforehand, we arrived at the Hotel Healdsburg to find the entire place closed to the public (including the hotel lobby, restaurant and outside grounds) for this spectacular event.

We were greeted at the door with sparkling wine and the magnums were in abundance, organized alphabetically in various rooms throughout the venue. The food was fantastic and they had a band doing covers from 70's hits to C-Lo! Plus dancers.

It was great to reconnect with people from our past in Sonoma and Napa, including every one of Joe's old bosses, and to meet some new friends. A core group from Anderson Valley was also in attendance that night, and it was great to see so many AV winery owners and winemakers there.

All in all, great night. So great that we ended up staying over! :)

Here are a few cell phone snapshots from the evening:

Joe with our 2009 Clone 05 Pinot Noir magnum.

One of the bars at the event, full of magnums.

Our gorgeous magnum!

Attendees mingling outside.

The band.

We looked everywhere for ours, only to find it empty next to the Hanzel1!

Cigars were passed around at the end of the evening.

The Vineyard - Now

2011-05-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Tiny clusters already forming.

New growth at Charles Vineyard.

This time of year the vines are starting to need warm, sunny days to really take off. Small clusters, like the ones in the top photo, are already forming, and the tiny yellow flowers will soon emerge. With some luck, those flowers eventually turn into grape berries. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't seem to want to cooperate quite yet this year.

So far, it's actually been a mild spring in Anderson Valley. We've only had a handful of frost nights where we had to turn on frost protection. All the winter weather hit before the vines had emerged from dormancy, so none of the snow, hail, or big rains were an issue.

What we're now worried about is getting enough heat to ripen the grapes before fall weather hits. Last year - 2010 - was one of the latest harvests we've ever had. We picked about three weeks later than an average year. Luckily, we also picked several weeks before fall weather arrived (aka rain). If we have another cool summer, then we could be looking at the same problem. However, with just a bit of sun and warmth, the vines are quick to catch up to their normal time frame.

It's not panic time yet, but with farming it's always time to worry!

AV Pinot Noir Festival Wrap-Up!

2011-05-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing, and tiring, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Festival weekend this year! The events started on Thursday night and culminated yesterday with our annual open house and wine club party. It was a great event, and many thanks to all our friends, family and customers who came to see us and help out.

On Saturday we poured a Pinot Noir vertical at the grand tasting at Goldeneye Winery, which was a hit. That evening we hosted a winemaker dinner with Roederer Estate and Phillips Hill, at Roederer in Philo. The food was amazing - everything from halibut, mussels and clams with our 2009 Sauvignon Blanc to squab with our 2007 All-In Pinot Noir. Yum! Even the strawberry cream puff for dessert was awe-inspiring. On top of the great food, the company was even better.

Our open house on Sunday, May 22 featured a band and foods that ranged from tri-tip sliders with fingerling potatoes and roasted eggplant, to a blue cheese table (great with our 2008 Pinot Noirs), and shrimp ceviche in filo cups for the white wines. Of course that's just naming a few.

Here are a few photos of yesterday's open house (notice the lack of shoes on my father's feet in this first photo - what???):

Ingredients Labeling - Try Number Two!

2011-05-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

I had posted earlier about our effort to label our 2010 Charles Vineyard Semillon with ingredients (grapes and sulfur dioxide) and a statement reading "this wine is suitable for vegetarian and vegans." We submitted the label to the TTB for a label approval (a necessary hoop to jump through before bottling any wine), and it was rejected.

Our rejection stated that our ingredients statement was not complete. What?? So I called the TTB and a wonderful lady there told me that they probably assumed we missed something. Like yeast, acid, enzymes, or something, surely. After all, no one makes wine with just grapes and sulfur dioxide!

This prompted me to explain that we fermented this wine with 100% wild yeast, 100% wild ML strains, and then added nothing but some sulfur dioxide for protection and aging potential. The wine will be bottled unfined and unfiltered late in the summer.

Her suggestion was that I amend the application and add this statement for clarification:

OUR INGREDIENT STATEMENT IS COMPLETE - WE USED ONLY WILD YEAST AND WILD MALOLACTIC STRAINS AND ADDED NO OTHER INGREDIENTS IN THE WINEMAKING PROCESS. WE LABELED THIS AS SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS BECAUSE NO INGREDIENTS WERE USED OTHER THAN SULFUR DIOXIDE, THUS NOTHING WAS USED THAT WAS DERIVED FROM AN ANIMAL PRODUCT.

So, in went the application again. And, hopefully, in about 20 days, we'll get an approval back. Crossing my fingers, because if they tell me again that we can't make wine with just grapes and sulfur, I might go on a tirade!

Beer Festival!

2011-05-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today's the Boonville Beer Festival and, for the last hour, I've been working on my laptop while doing a little people watching. Let me tell you: there are more Hawaiian shirts than I expected. :) And more jackets, since this year's event will barely miss out on some rain coming in tonight. It's cloudy, cold and gray - not good beer drinking weather overall.

It doesn't seem to deter the early drinkers, though. One of the fun things about people watching as the crowd walks by from campground to event venue, is spotting the many arrays of containers used to conceal early morning adult beverages! Plenty of red cups to brown bags to camelbacks not full of water.

Have fun to everyone out there. Hopefully they'll all stay dry.

Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer Scores & Reviews

2011-05-08T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few new scores and reviews for our recently released 2009 Charles Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc and our first-ever 2009 Anderson Valley Dry Gewurztraminer:

Wine Spectator awarded our 2009 AV Gewurztraminer 89 points, with Associate Editor Tim Fish rating the wine 90 points!

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat ran several recommendations for our 2009 Charles Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, giving it four out of five stars! The full review read: "A complex sauvignon blanc with aromas and flavors of lemon blossom, grass and mineral. Creamy texture. Lush."

Click here to see more accolades for our wines.

Vegan/Vegetarian Wines - Our first label rejection!

2011-05-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

This week I received an e-mail from the TTB, rejecting our 2010 Semillon label that read: "This wine is suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets." (see label, to the right)

Our rejected 2010 Semillon label

We listed this on our label because we don't use any animal-derived products in making our wines (the 2010 Semillon has nothing but some sulfur added - no yeast, ml bacteria, acid, water or anything else). And, to be honest, we expected the rejection. Although, to be totally honest, I'm not exactly sure why wineries are not allowed to claim this.

There's been a lot of discussion about vegan wines lately, especially as consumers become more aware of products used in the winemaking process. If you're ethically opposed to using animal products, this is a huge issue for you. And U.S. consumers are not the only ones having this conversation.

The Canadian government will soon require wineries to list if they use fish, egg or milk products. They'll also have new sulfite regulations and will require wineries to list "contains sulfites" on the bottle if they use more than 10 parts per million (something the U.S. government has required for years; organic wines must have less than 10 ppm sulfites here). Read the full article about the changes in Canadian wine labeling, here.

To be honest, even though we're a winery that voluntarily tried to list that our wines are suitable for vegetarians or vegans, I still believe this should be voluntary for wineries. Here's why:

Winemaking products derived from animal ingredients are most often used for fining, or to clarify wines: they grab big particles then fall to the bottom of the tank. The clarified wine is then "racked" or removed off the top of the particles and other sediment in the bottom of the tank, then most often filtered (let's be honest - not that many producers offer unfiltered wines anymore). Most wineries sterile filter, which, when done right, will remove all living things in the wine (yeast, bacteria, pieces of grape skin, etc.). Not much survives sterile filtering, hence the name.

So, all in all, listing wines as vegan or vegetarian or listing animal-derived products is really more of an ethical question than an allergy question.

Either way, I've been blogging about consumer awareness and the increased level of transparency in the wine business for a while now. This is just another piece of evidence of this shift in the industry.

Wine Prices Rebound!

2011-04-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

Just in time for a follow-up to my last post about wine prices, here's a story that ran in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat about rebounding wine prices:

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110427/business/110429507

I'm extremely happy about this, and here's my rant and rave about why:

Wineries were pressured from all sides during the recession. Not only were wine drinkers demanding better prices for higher-end wines, but distributors and brokers were also demanding discounts deeper than have been given in as long as we can remember. Considering the fact that wineries have to sell their wares to distributors at 50% off as standard pricing (brokers range, depending upon the state and broker), that's taking a HUGE hit. Even many local restaurants (which wineries often just sell to direct from the winery), were asking for discounts, then marking up the wines more than they ever had (so the consumer paid the same as pre-recession prices).

What does this mean? For the past few years, it wasn't uncommon for distributors, restaurants and brokers to make more money on the wine than the winery was. Their reasoning? They have overhead. The winery's reasoning for being mad about it? They have overhead too! And the cost to make the bottle in the first place!

When wine is discounted as deeply as it has been the past few years, someone pays for it. During the past two years, it's been the winery for the most part. So, you can understand why I'm happy that pricing is starting to return to normal. A lot of wineries have been just trying to hold on for dear life, so it will be a great help to the industry to get back to normal, or whatever the new normal will be.

Low-Priced Wines - Now the Norm?

2011-04-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I found myself nodding in agreement as I read Patrick Comiskey's LA Times article: "Fine wines at great prices." (Click here for the story.) In this piece, he discusses what seems to be an downward adjustment in wine prices and the many deals and steals now found in the marketplace:

"...In 2009, we wrote in these pages that, in terms of a sales sweet spot, $25 was the new $40. If anything, that median is trending further downward in 2011. For many, $15 to $20 might be the new $25." ...

The article goes on to quote wine retailers and the trends they've seen, including the increasing floor space they're giving to "bargain" wines. The quality, sub-$20 bottle of wine has been a hot commodity for retailers and wineries alike during the past few years, as have unique varietals and white wines (typically more affordable than reds).

I agree with a lot of what Patrick and the retailers report. This discussion about wine prices and what will be "the new normal" has been ongoing within the wine industry (and the industry publications) ever since the 2008 crash. Wineries who were forced to cut prices or make more affordable wines because of the times have been holding their breaths, waiting to see if prices come back up. And they have, to a certain degree, but those "affordable" bottles do seem to fly off the shelf faster than they used to.

Even up here in Anderson Valley, we've seen wineries cut prices on certain wines and work on producing more affordable bottles. If they're not already making more of these wines, then they're certainly talking about it for the future. While, as Patrick states, good Pinot Noir can be difficult to find at low price price points, producers are certainly trying. The higher-priced bottles are still moving due to prestige, points, scores, or reputation, but for the average consumer walking in the door, if they can get a deal, they'll take it.

Here at Foursight we're not an exception to what's happening in the industry. This past month we released some Pinots that retail at $20 and $28 a bottle, and they're flying out the door by the case (click here to see our wines list). We're also lowing our mid-priced Pinot Noir bottling for the future by a few dollars a bottle to reflect the changing point of resistance, so to speak, for our consumers.

We've sensed that the top price people are willing to pay for a great bottle of Pinot has lowered slightly. I say slightly because for tiny producers like us who sell direct to our customers and produce small lots of high-end wines, there's still a demand for the premium bottlings, and we believe there will be into the future. However, we've felt that perceived value has become more important to wine consumers during the past few years.

As one customer described it, in the past buying a "bargain wine" could be a source of embarrassment among a group of friends who all collect cult wines and like to show off their wine cellars. Now, getting a good wine at a great price is something to call everyone up and brag about.

I think this possible price adjustment also speaks to the changing demographics of wine drinkers. As studies have shown, millenials don't purchase as much wine for reasons of prestige and are more willing to experiment with different producers, varietals and regions.

So is the new, hot price point really $15-$20 per bottle? I think we need a few more years to really call it, but I can guarantee every wine producer out there is watching this closely.

Traveling

2011-04-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

My husband, Joe, and I are about to fly across the country to visit some friends. It's been two years since we've flown anywhere, unbelievably, and, per usual, there are always changes. Like body scans. Am I the only one who would almost rather have a female security officer feel me up than walk through one of those? Ugh... Makes me shudder.

Anyway, we're now busy printing itineraries, jotting down confirmation numbers, arranging car pick-ups, and the like. It's amazing how much work goes into travel. I mean, this is a part-work, part enjoyment trip but it takes HOURS to prep for what's only a week-long trip in the continental U.S.

Either way, we're excited to see our friends who have moved WAY too far away, and take some time away from the property. We love what we do, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? :)

First Frost Morning of 2011!

2011-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to the sound of sprinklers running in the vineyard. Our frost protection was on for the first time in 2011!

Temperatures didn't dip to freezing until the wee hours this morning, and finally my father had to turn on the sprinklers to keep the new buds (and next year's developing buds inside the vines) at freezing and not lower. Also, the process of making ice creates a small amount of heat in and of itself, which can further protect the buds.

It's unusual for us to survive the entire month of March without frost. By this time last year we had already turned on the frost protection seven times. I'd like to say we've had an easy spring so far, but before budbreak even started we had frost, hail, floods and snow. We lost electricity for two days, and Highway 128 was closed twice! So, even though those events happened while the vines were dormant (and therefore mostly immune to weather events), there was still plenty of worrying over the property, culverts, road conditions, and the like.

A lot of people ask me about frost protection and water use. Here's the scoop: here in Anderson Valley, very few vineyards have the right to pump from the river. Most of us have off-stream ponds, meaning that all we do is collect winter runoff and rain water, then we use it throughout the year. When it runs out, it runs out.

When we turn on frost protection in the spring, the vines barely have even an inch or two of growth (less now). They're using very little water, especially since it's still raining and the ground's completely saturated. So, the vast majority of water put out in the vineyard ends up right back in the water table.

Many vineyards also now have drains in low-lying areas. These can collect water when running frost protection and funnel it right back into the pond, where it can be reused.

The reality is, in cold areas of the valley, if you don't frost protect, you likely don't have a crop. Vineyards aren't immune to this, but either are apples, oranges, and most other fruits.

A few more frost nights are imminent, but then on to another storm. Hopefully it will be a light frost year. Most likely, given history, it will just frost later in the season to make up for our wet March. :)

Wine Alcohol & Truth in Labeling

2011-03-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm just reveling in all the posts we're finding where people (often industry experts) are now willing to talk honestly about wine. And not just about wine in general, but about touchy issues like alcohol, ingredients, and labeling. Things that are often cloudy and confusing (and sometimes purposefully so) to most people not in the wine business.

This blog post by Sean Sullivan of the Washington Wine Report kicks off a good discussion about alcohol and labeling: http://www.wawinereport.com/2011/03/do-wineries-fudge-alcohol-levels.html

It's true wineries have some wiggle room when labeling their alcohol levels (1.5% under 14% alcohol and 1.0% over 14%). Mainly, this is to allow for variation in test results, and that makes sense. However, wineries can also take advantage of that wiggle room to list their alcohol as slightly lower (the vast majority) or higher (rare) than it actually is.

I actually find the discussion very interesting in the comments section of this post. There are instances where wineries will have a final wine with an alcohol of 13.98%, or something VERY close to bumping them up into the next tax bracket (14% and over). I've heard of wineries who decide to label as 14% and pay the higher taxes vs. staying right under 14%. They figure that if the government actually checks and they've paid higher taxes than they need to, then they'll be left alone. Honestly, we've never tested the theory, but it seems hard to believe the Feds would return money and make you pull product off of store shelves.

At home, however, we're now putting people's labels to the test. My husband and Foursight Winemaker, Joe Webb, recently bought an ebuillometer that now lives at our house. This is a small piece of equipment that measures alcohol by measuring the boiling points of liquids. It is widely accepted as an accurate way to test wine alcohol. When we come across a wine that we think may be listed inaccurately, we run it through the ebuillometer. Et voila! We know for certain.

I've been surprised by the number of bottles we've tested during the past few weeks that have been almost spot on. As it turns out, most of the brands we drink are being honest about alcohols to within 0.1% to 0.2%. We've only tested a few who are pushing their 1.0% margins to the very edge, and they were producers either known to make lower alcohol, "natural" wines or they were white wines. A surprising find...

I look forward to continuing to play with our new device - it's always a fun surprise.

Megapurple and wine

2011-03-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Want a darker wine with no blending? Don't want anyone to know the difference? No problem! Megapurple to the rescue.

I've done a few posts now on natural winemaking and even recently listed the TTB's allowed ingredients on my blog (see it here - yuck!). Megapurple is another little industry dirty secret I get to discuss from time to time with my customers in the tasting room. Foursight, of course, is opposed to adding concentrates like megapurple or megared (along with most other enzymes, additives and the like). We believe that Pinot should look like Pinot. Period. But, people do use this stuff.

Wine Press Northwest does a great job with this interview of wine journalist, educator, and judge Dan Berger, below. Watch it to learn more about megapurple and Dan's thoughts on how the concentrate may affect the taste of wine. Very interesting...

We Have Power!

2011-03-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today it's business per usual after spending the past day and a half without power or water. Thank god!

For the first time since we've opened, we had to close down the tasting room yesterday because the town of Boonville was without electricity. It hurt to do, but without working restrooms, refrigeration for the white wines, or running water to wash wine glasses or rinse stems, it's hard to do business. Not to mention our computers and credit card swipers being out of commission without electricity (we do have order forms in case of emergency).

It's been a while since we were without power, although I remember how exciting it was as a kid because it meant the possibility of a day off from school. Unfortunately, our local school ended up purchasing a back-up generator, so unless the entire valley was out or 128 was flooded, we usually still went to school.

Our power here comes via Ukiah to Philo, so when the wind blows like it did Saturday night (and it blew, believe me - we were headed over Mountain View Rd. and kept dodging limbs as they plummeted from trees), trees often fall on the lines and wipe everything out. Sometimes they get the Philo to Navarro lines, and sometimes the Philo to Boonville lines. Sometimes both. This time Philo and Navarro had power and Boonville was out.

Having no power or water is a disconcerting thing. It's amazing how difficult it is to function without those conveniences. We are lucky that my father is an ultra fix-it guy, so he was able to give us a few hours of water and electricity for our refrigerators via portable generators. This meant that we were able to shower and fill some water jugs (yay!) and our food didn't all go bad.

For now, I'm just glad it's business as usual, and good luck to all of those still camping in their houses!

Red Wine Protects Against Radiation

2011-03-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a family member sent me an article from the UK's The Telegraph, entitled "Red wine 'can protect against radiation." Although this article originally ran in September 2008, after the nuclear plant explosions in Japan, I can certainly understand why it's making the rounds again today.

As workers at Nissan are testing cars sent overseas, and the U.S. is monitoring planes arriving from Japan for radiation, it's understandable that everyone is concerned about the issue. The good news? Apparently drinking red wine can help protect you.

The Telegraph article states that "...A team at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered that resveratrol, the natural anti-oxidant found in red wine, can protect cells from the damage caused by radiation. ..."

They gave acetyl-altered resveratrol to mice before exposure to radiation and discovered that the rodents' cells were protected from radiation-related damage.

So, instead of stocking up on potassium iodide (which can be very harmful to some people and is sold out anyway due to global panic), just have an extra glass of red wine! That's a recommendation I can definitely get behind.

New Pinot Noir Releases

2011-03-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Foursight has just released two new Pinot Noirs -- the 2008 Zero New Oak Pinot Noir and the 2008 All-In Pinot Noir. Both are from Charles Vineyard here in Anderson Valley. We didn't make much, and are offering both at an amazing price (including a great case special), so check them out here:

http://www.foursightwines.com/index.php/our-wines-list/

Read what we have to say about these wines and the vintage here.

Frost Season and Budbreak

2011-03-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here at Charles Vineyard (our estate) we expect budbreak to happen in the next few weeks. This means that, unless the rain continues into spring, we'll soon be on frost watch as well.

Budbreak is always an exciting time. It's the official start to another growing season, when the little leaves begin to emerge from the vines. It means we get to start really watching weather and growing conditions, and accumulating all that data that will make 2011 a good year or bad year (mostly good and great in Cali, fortunately for us).

Even to the wine consumer who knows nothing about growing grapes, the nearing of frost season is easy to predict: as you drive through wine country in February and early March, look for sprinklers running in the middle of the day. This is the resident grape grower testing out his frost protection system, looking for leaks or other issues, and then getting it fixed before the season starts. Most get around to this within the month before budbreak.

Frost alarms are also tested during this time: if your alarm doesn't go off when the temperature dips in the wee hours, then you're in trouble!

Some growers have automated systems, which turn on automatically. They cost big bucks, but save you some sanity. Here at Charles Vineyard we're old-school: we turn on as late as we can, as judged by Mr. Bill Charles. Then we turn off as early as possible. The vast majority of our ponds here simply catch winter rain, so the more you use on frost protection = the less you have for irrigation during the summer.

So, wish us luck with yet another growing season. While you're at it, wish my father, Bill, many good nights of sleep, because he's the one who has to get up when the alarm goes off!

Rainy Day Dinner

2011-03-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Being in wine country, we spend a lot of time think about and discussing what we're going to eat (it definitely explains those few extra pounds!). I'm always that person in the grocery store that's buying rutabagas, lemongrass, fennel, and any kind of odd squash I can get my hands on. Trying new foods at home could definitely be called a hobby for our household.

Tonight we're not straying far from the norm, but with all the rain it's definitely soup weather. On the menu for tonight: acorn squash soup with a little cayenne and white pepper for heat, perhaps topped with a fresh herb oil from the garden. To accompany the soup, I think we'll do a similarly seasoned pork loin in the oven.

As some of you know, my husband (and Foursight winemaker), Joe Webb, also works at Londer Vineyards here locally. So, to pair with dinner -- the most important part! -- I'd like to try a Londer 2007 Corby Chardonnay from the cellar and the 2009 Foursight dry Gewurztraminer. We'll see which pairs better, but our Gewurzt is always a good bet with any kind of spicy food. The soup, however, has a tiny touch of cream, so hence the Chardonnay.

Anyone else out there with rainy day dinner plans already in place for the evening? What wine(s) are you pairing with it?

Snow in the Vineyards!

2011-02-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

Every year, Hwy. 253 from Boonville to Ukiah gets some snow. A few inches stick and families take their kids up to have snowball fights and build tiny snowmen. Down here in the valley snow is rare, this week predictions came true and I left the tasting room to blowing snow!

We're 400-600 feet above sea level here, so snow is always an awe-striking sight. It was spectacular. Beautiful, big flakes fell while I trudged around to feed all our animals. It was gorgeous, and freezing (low 20's). Luckily, our wood fire was chugging away, and after a lovely dinner at the Boonville Hotel (thanks hotel!) we came home to a warm, cozy house.

Here are some photos of the snow in the vineyard and on the western hills off of Mountain View Road:

Vegan and Natural Wines & Wine Ingredients

2011-02-21T13:18:00.000-08:00

This past week I was interested to see a Wines & Vines article (thanks Paul Franson) about vegan wines, albeit focused on one winery's new line of vegan wines. For about a year now I've been discussing and fielding questions (and phone calls) about our estate wines, which are all vegan. Now we're starting to see this topic in the press.

Another area of growth in the business: natural wines. It seems wine retailers all over are now touting and carrying natural wines. In a purist sense, natural wines have nothing added to them (even sulfur) and are commonly made from organic grapes. Of course, there are no guidelines or rules yet in the U.S. for this. As it happens, we at Foursight follow the natural winemaking methods to a rational degree (we consider things like sulfur a necessity, as our wines, particularly our Pinot Noirs, are built to last).

We don't label our wines vegan (the TTB won't allow it, apparently) or natural, even though we don't use products derived from animals nor do we manipulate the wines like a mad scientist in the back room. They're just damn good wines that happen to be both vegan and natural because we don't add crap to them. Period. Perhaps I should just put that on the back label: "This wine was made under our philosophy of not adding a bunch of junk to a perfectly sound wine made by nature." Nature in this instance being a bunch of grapes, wild yeast and wild ML cultures and a sprinkling of sulfur (hey - a natural product too).

All of the increased interest in vegan/natural/organic/sustainable wines proves that consumers are finally becoming interested in what goes into their wines, just like their food. It's not the fault of wine consumers: most tell me they always assumed wines were just grapes and just now are beginning to understand that's not necessarily the case. Wineries have definitely helped that perception along throughout the years.

Want an interesting read on your Monday? Take a look at some of the wine ingredients regulated by the TTB. A big asterisk is needed here, though: there's stuff in here that I've never heard of a winery using.

I'm not an arrogant person, but I do have to toot our own horn for a second. Between the interest in lower alcohol wines, an increased knowledge of wine ingredients and a shift toward smaller, more eclectic wines and wineries, I believe that brands like ours are exactly in the cross hairs of where we need to be for a new era of wine consumption. In fact, I have my own label for what we produce at Foursight: honest wines.

New Oak and Pinot Noir

2011-02-11T13:53:00.000-08:00

I love Pinot Noir. I do. There is always a bottle on our table, even if it's the sparkling version. Lately, however, I'm becoming more than a little frustrated with my favorite grape.

The 2007 California Pinot Noir vintage was heralded as fantastic for most of the state. It was an easy year; you could pick whenever you pleased, with no major weather looming. Ripening was steady, and flavors developed well before sugars (at least in our neck of the woods). So why, WHY, does 90% of the California Pinot Noir that I've been drinking just taste like a new oak barrel?

Bottle after bottle we've been pulling out of our cellar. Brands that were very elegant and showcased some gorgeous fruit in 2006 are oak bombs in 2007. Big-name brands that we are "lucky" enough to get an allocation of, to smaller, less known producers, all seemed to kick up the new oak regimen in 2007. And, to be honest, I'm tired of it.

Pinot Noir is delicious right out of the vineyard. It's like going to the farmers' market and grabbing your favorite berries and squishing them all up. In wine form, without being clobbered by oak, it's got fruit, spice, earthiness, and so much more. When we harvest I eat handful after handful of Pinot berries for an impromptu breakfast. They're amazing. Even with the seeds.

So WHY does everyone think that Pinot needs to taste like a barrel? Yes, 2007's are relatively young, but in many there's not enough acidity to prove to me that they'd get any better in bottle. These wines are too oaky to pair with our dinner and too oaky for me to sip before or after. I have plenty of barrel-staves-turned-BBQ-fodder that I could use as toothpicks if I wanted, but you don't see me whittling all night.

WHY???

Here at Foursight we use a much lighter oak regimen: 20-30% new on most bottlings, and we make one Pinot Noir with not a single new oak barrel (our Zero New Oak blend). Yes, I get that it's our style and preference, and not universal (wine would be no fun if we all liked the same thing). However, knowing how gorgeous and expressive the fruit can be, my plea to put out into the universe is this: let the Pinot shine through! Give the fruit a chance! I promise, not only will your winery bank accounts look better (those new barrels are expensive!) but you may draw in a whole new customer segment by balancing fruit and oak.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to pop corks and likely rant and rave about it. Hopefully I'll find a few more bottles that surprise me.

Foursight in Opus Vino Book!

2011-01-30T12:51:00.000-08:00

Several of our Foursight wines are featured in the book Opus Vino: a new book featuring 1,000 of the world's greatest wineries and their wines! I went to order our second copy today and happened to watch the video on Amazon's Web site. Lo and behold, you see the Foursight Zero New Oak Pinot label twice during this film. We're honored that our small, 1,000-case-production winery was chosen for a project like this.

Click here to watch the video.

Enjoy!

Gold Medal Gewurzt and More at the 2011 SF Chronicle Competition!

2011-01-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

The results of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition have been announced! Yet again, every wine we entered was awarded a medal, and for that to happen amongst thousands of wines, year after year, makes us very proud.

Our first-ever Gewurztraminer -- the 2009 Anderson Valley Gewurzt -- won a Gold Medal at this year's competition. This is the second gold for this wine: it was awarded a Gold Medal and runner-up to Sweepstakes White Wine at the Mendocino County Wine Competition in Fall 2010. Considering these are the only two competitions we've entered the wine in, we're thrilled!

Our Sauvignon Blanc always seems to do well at the Chronicle Wine Competition. The soon-to-be-released 2009 vintage just received a Silver Medal. The 2008 vintage (currently for sale but we're getting low on inventory!) received a Double Gold Medal and the 2007 vintage was awarded a Gold. That's a pretty impressive roster.

Our 2008 Pinot Noirs also received medals at this year's competition, following in a line of Silver and Double Golds for our previous vintages.

Unfortunately, we won't be pouring at the competition's big Fort Mason tasting this year due to an event conflict, but all these wines can be tasted in our tasting room in Boonville. We'll also be pouring the 2009 Gewurztraminer at the International Alsace Varietals Festival on February 12 & 13 (go to avwines.com for more information).

The Good and Bad of a New Year

2011-01-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Even though the tasting room has been closed all month, it still seems like the past 17 days have slipped by in a rush. Here at Foursight we've been cleaning up the tasting room, refinishing the floors, and working on January wine clubs. As I write this, Bill and Nancy and friends are arriving in Costa Rica for a much-needed vacation. Joe and I are planning our second trip up to our ski rental in Tahoe. Most exciting for me is the fact that all the hideous wallpaper in the upstairs bedroom is finally getting stripped away for a fresh coast of paint.

As productive and exciting as all of that has been, there have been low points too. This past week the matriarch of my mother's family - my last remaining grandparent - passed away. She had been ill for quite a while and we were well-prepared by the doctors, but it's still an immensely sad time.

My grandmother and I had a special bond: I was born on her birthday. For 29 years we've celebrated our birthdays together -- not always on that day, but usually within the week. They called us "the birthday girls" whenever September rolled around. It was something I took for granted, but will never be able to enjoy again, and that's heartbreaking.

My grandmother was 88 - a long life by anyone's standards - but she'll be missed. As we move forward into 2011, I know we'll remember her and be reminded by our loss to treasure the years we have left. They are finite.

The Significance of 1/1/11

2011-01-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Today we're all celebrating 1/1/11 -- hopefully without the hangover that usually accompanies a new year. I know the thought of being at work today made me temper my usual ways. ... Luckily.

As it turns out, 1/1/11 is an interesting date in numerology, but not considered lucky in some cultures like 7/7/07 or 8/8/08 was (do you remember all the couples rushing to get married on those days)? This is what I've found out about today's date and what it signifies for the rest of the year:

If you add 1/1/11 up, it equals four, which signifies a square or box, which has a link to orderliness. So, if you believe the world wide web, 2011 will be all about tidying up our lives and putting things in order, no matter what last year held. Apparently this year will be less about people as individuals and more about coming together and having a unified purpose and global vision.

A search for today's date also turns up quite a few references to the Bible: specifically Ecclesiastes 1:1-11. I'm no Bible buff, but apparently this work proclaims man's actions to be vain, meaningless and transitory. Translations either suggest its meaning is that you should enjoy the simple things in life, such as eating, drinking, and taking enjoyment in one's work, which area gift from God, or that you should ignore physical pleasures and put your efforts toward God's commandments. .... I think I'll go for the first, thanks!

As for my personal reflection on the first day of the new year, I happen to be sitting at my desk, completing inventory and year-end financials. Definitely not one of life's simple pleasures. More like a necessary evil.

I have to admit, though, that 2010 was less eventful than 2009 for us here at Foursight, and we're thankful for it. With the opening of the tasting room (and endless construction and landscaping), a wedding, and numerous other events, 2009 was never boring. Let's face it: sometimes boring is good.

2010 passed a little more slowly, with our tasting getting busier and the family making more wine here at the facility. I quit my second job (and my personal stress level plummeted). Even the weather seemed to spare us, with all our grapes coming off the vine before the rains.

So far, 2011 shows a lot of promise. Business growth is good and the projections look great, along with signs of a strengthening economy. We have some projects around the winery scheduled for springtime, and a whole new line-up of wines to release soon. The family has more time off planned for this year, keeping us rested and sane.

So here's to an uneventful, productive, unifying new year where we have a chance to enjoy the simple pleasures in life!

Holiday Cheer and A Little Rest

2010-12-20T12:40:00.000-08:00

In January the Foursight crew closes down the tasting room and takes the opportunity to do a little deep cleaning, cellar work, and perhaps take some vacation too! We'll be open for tasting December 31st and January 1st, then closed until February 4th.

We wish everyone out there a happy holiday and a fantastic New Year! Thank you for your support in 2010, and we hope to see your cheerful faces in our Boonville tasting room in 2011.

Now bring on the Christmas cookies and Bing Crosby!

The Foursight Family
Bill, Nancy, Kristy and Joe

Puppy Photos

2010-12-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

I'll be honest: it's the week before Christmas and I'm in the mood for lighthearted, fun things. I came across these photos of our Foursight dogs, Tet and Ozzie, as puppies this morning. Who doesn't love puppies? Cute!

Photo of the Day

2010-12-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

Alpine Meadows, Lake Tahoe. Notice the lack of people. :)

Ridiculous Wine Labels

2010-12-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

These wine labels are supposed to be either fun or funny, but most of these bottles just make me shake my head and wonder what these wineries were thinking. Seriously, big fat llamas and dead cows?? Seriously?

The Daily Meal slideshow of 15 ridiculous wine labels.

Happy Birthday Joe!

2010-12-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

Since we have a few moments in our lives here that aren't focused on grapes, vines or wines, I'd like to take a detour in our blog to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my husband and Foursight winemaker, Joe. He rocks, and so do his wines. And, at only 32 and a co-owner/partner in two wineries, he may conquer the wine world yet. We love you!

Bigger Than Your Head Reviews

2010-11-19T14:28:00.000-08:00

Let's be honest: wine reviews can be a bit ridiculous. For most of us, even food lovers, there are many flavor descriptors used in wine tasting notes and reviews that we'll never experience on a plate, let alone in our wines. However, there are also those instances where I read a wine review and think: wow, I want to drink that wine. Now. Nevermind that I just brushed my teeth.

Fredric Koeppel, who has won the American Wine Blog Awards Best Wine Reviews category three years in a row for BiggerThanYourHead.net, writes those latter kind of reviews. Below I've copied his recent post about Foursight:

***
AND THE SMALL SHALL LEAD THEM

Nothing wrong with large producers; they often make fine wine indeed, though they can also err in trying to be all things to all consumers and churning out labels at every price-point. What I really love to write about however are the small, family-owned wineries that nestle in the hills and dales of our country’s wine regions, making a few thousand (or few hundred) cases of a small number of wines and selling them or marketing them as best they can, without the benefit of marketing teams and agencies in New York or San Francisco.
Here are reviews of sauvignon blanc and pinot noir wines from two such wineries. These were samples for review:

Foursight Wines produces fewer than 1,000 cases annually of sauvignon blanc and pinot noir from the Charles Vineyard in Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley and a Mendocino gewurztraminer. The winery was founded in 2006 by longtime growers Bill and Nancy Charles, with their daughter Kristy Charles and her husband Joseph Webb. That’s it. The wines practically teem with authenticity and integrity and a sense of connection to their cool, coastal region.

The Foursight Charles Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Anderson Valley, is exceptionally clean and fresh and invigorating. It’s like drinking a deconstruction of a grapefruit — without being anything like a snappy, over-eager New Zealand rendition — with the tang of the pulp, the slight bitterness of the pith and the oiliness of the rind, combined with a spicy tangerine-lemon element and a brilliance of limestone-like minerality. The wine is juicy and tasty, yet spare and delicate; made all in stainless steel, it radiates purity and intensity. 216 cases were produced. 14.1 percent alcohol. Now through 2012. Excellent. About $20.

The Foursight “All-In” Charles Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007, Anderson Valley, is an understated beauty. Fermented with wild yeast, unfined and unfiltered, it offers a beguiling limpid ruby color that’s almost transparent at the rim. Scents of lightly spiced red and black cherries hold undertones of red currants and mulberries with touches of smoke and leather. Lovely balance and integration produce an entrancing mouthful of pinot noir that glides across the palate like satin; a few minutes in the glass add notes of moss and briers, while structure and texture remain subtle and supple. The wine aged in French oak, 20 percent new, the rest two-year-old barrels and older. A pinot noir for devotees of the classic elegant fashion. 407 cases were produced. 14.1 percent alcohol. Drink now through 2013 or ’14. Excellent. About $46.

My Favorite Things: Anderson Valley

2010-11-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to put up a billboard alongside the freeway, just before the turnoff onto Highway 128, that reads "Anderson Valley: It's not that far, and it's SO worth it," with images of what I see everyday: gorgeous, wooded hills, traffic-free roads, and quiet tasting rooms with the proprietor behind the bar.

I grew up here, and so I have an unabashed love for the area, but I truly believe that Anderson Valley is one of the best wine country getaways in California. And I stress the word getaway, because once you pop out into this small valley, you'll feel like you're truly away from Monday through Friday and life as you know it. It's quiet, it's beautiful, and it's laid-back. Just perfect.

I'll admit, if you get carsick, some of our roads can be tough. However, roads like these exist in every wine region unless you don't stray off of Highway 29 in Napa. In reality, Anderson Valley is only two hours from San Francisco. Just enough to feel like you're on vacation. And just enough to enjoy the scenery through Marin, Sonoma, and up into the wilds of Mendocino County.

Every day in the tasting room I'm asked what my favorite Anderson Valley to-do's are. So, in no particular order (because it all depends upon what you're in the mood for), here are my recommendations:

1) Taste wine, of course! You can find a list of wineries with tasting rooms at http://www.avwines.com./ You can't go wrong with the Pinot Noirs, crisp white wines and sparkling wines that Anderson Valley is known for.
2) Visit the farmer's market on Saturday morning at the Boonville Hotel, followed by a cappucino or dark chocolate mocha and pastry at Mosswood Market & Cafe, across the street. Try the goat cheese and bacon empanada. Yum!
3) Grab some supplies at either the Boonville General Store or Lemon's Market in Philo, pack a backpack, and hike the old-growth redwood grove at Hendy Woods State Park. Wrap up the afternoon with a picnic in the park.
4) After Hendy Woods, stop by the Philo Apple Farm to peruse the self-serve farm stand. Some of my favorite products are the apple cider syrup and balsamic syrup for to-die-for salad dressings with just a little olive oil and vinegar. The apples and ciders are amazing, too!

5) Gowan's Oak Tree, just down Highway 128, has amazing, home-made apple pies to take back to your cottage and have with one of the valley's amazing late-harvest Gewurztraminers or Rieslings. (Psst... Lemon's Philo Market has its own fishing boat. If you want to complete the meal, pick up some fresh crab or salmon there when in season.)

6) On your way to the coast on a hot day, park alongside the road at mile marker 3.66 and walk down to the river. This is one of the best swimming holes on the river -- the site of a former bridge, so it's nice and deep. A myriad of little trails criss-cross this area as visiting the river is a big locals activity.

7) Want to learn a little more about the native flora? Visit the Demonstration Forest in Navarro, next to the Masonite Boy Scout camp. Trees are identified as you walk through the forest. This is a good place to let your dogs run around and jump in the river as they're not allowed on every trail at Hendy Woods State Park.

8) Drive one of the mountain roads. If you don't mind twists and turns, take Mountain View or Greenwood Ridge Road over to the coast and enjoy the scenery. Or, if you have a sturdy car and an adventurous spirit, take Fish Rock Road. Just be prepared for several hours and a good, long patch of dirt road in the middle. More people live out these roads than you'd think, hours from anything, so watch out for fast-driving locals and logging trucks in the summer. It's all part of the experience. You'll see vineyards up here and old apple orchards, on ancient homesteads first settled more than 100 years ago.
9) Make a trek out to Machester State Beach - one of the most amazing and deserted beaches in the area. No dogs allowed, but an amazing place to pull up a driftwood seat and watch miles of crashing waves.
10) Kayak Big River and see otters, birds, and just a few other river travelers as you drift with the current, then paddle your way back out (or visa versa, of course, depending upon the tide). An amazing, peaceful voyage that is especially quiet in the shoulder seasons.
11) My favorite dinner spots for a casual meal? Libby's mexican food in Philo: you have to try the carnitas and a michelada beer. Also, Lauren's is a favorite spot for an amazing burger with a fresh bun, lots of carmelized onions, and crazy good fries. Try it with a bottle of local sparkling or a Boonville Beer and you'll be in heaven.
12) Oysters and Roederer on the Boonville Hotel patio in the summer. Sunday, 4-7 p.m., but summers only.
13) Walk Boonville. The biggest town in the valley now has quite a few to-do's of its own. Tasting rooms within the town limits include Foursight, Londer and Zina Hyde Cunningham. There's the John Hanes art gallery and several cafes and shops, including the Mercantile for adorable kitchen and other wares. The ice cream shop is now owned by the Boonville Hotel and serves up organic ice cream and treats with just enough space outside to watch the passerbys, and Anderson Valley Brewing Co. is at the outer reaches. You can park downtown, put on your tennis shoes, and walk to and fro all day. If you like disc golf, cap it off with some beer on the course at the brewery.
14) The Mendocino County Fair, mid-September. The school bus here literally drops kids off at the fair after school on Friday. It's a quaint, country fair with lots of rides and games, animals, a wool and fiber show complete with spinning demonstrations, food, drink and a rodeo. A special treat: the sheepdog trials on Sunday morning.

If you want more recommendations for your Anderson Valley trip, I'm always happy to answer questions and give recommendations. kristy @ foursightwines.com.

Money in the Country

2010-11-07T12:41:00.000-08:00

One thing that I love about living in a rural area like this is the decreased importance of money. I don't mean that people don't need it. I mean that showing it off isn't a big priority.

I would actually say that people here stress about money more than in larger areas where opportunities are more plentiful. Here a full-time job is often considered three part-time jobs cobbled together in hopes of making a decent salary. Those jobs don't offer benefits, sometimes are only temporary, and most often pay little. Housing is still expensive, and you have to drive everywhere to get supplies, making off time that much more important, which can be hard to get when you work so much. You can get supplies in the valley, but it's going to cost you dearly, so over the hill we all go every week.

One thing that I noticed growing up here is that the people with money don't particularly drive nice cars. An old, diesel Mercedes, Subaru hatchback or pickup truck is considered just fine, thanks. They live on 3-million-dollar properties, but the worth is in land -- in fact, they live in a small, one-bedroom former barn. Clothing is vastly functional and not necessarily attractive. I haven't seen a pair of designer jeans in years.

I've found that, moving here, my need to buy things has decreased as well. I wasn't a huge spender before, nor did I have a label fetish, but I did burn through a decent stack of cash each month, purchasing things and eating out. A lot of it was for work, but here it's different. Not only do jobs where heels or suits are required, well, not exist, but people just don't care as much about your new stuff. Also, if you buy new stuff that's too delicate or nice, it's likely to just be ruined within the month.

I've got a stack of high heels in my closet that I never wear. Why? For one, I'll break my ankle tromping around gravel and the vineyard in them. For another, I'll just ruin them. This same principle applies to cars (mine has tan leather - if I had known I'd move back so soon, I would have gone with another choice) and a myriad of other things.

I'm sure that part of this is a different mentality about money that comes from either years of living places where you simply don't see or have no use for nice things, and an attitude about materials goods stemming from the 70's back-to-the-landers. A big dose of it's practicality, but it still is an interesting study in human behavior and thought patterns.

As for me, I chose jeans and boots today. Between the gravel, putting out and taking in signs, and the wet, muddy Labrador that's my coworker, it just seemed easiest. When these boots become so dirty and scuffed that they no longer serve their purpose, I'll start thinking about buying new ones.

Wine Club Party and Open House

2010-10-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our Fall Wine Club Party & Open House at the Foursight winery and tasting room in Boonville. It was sprinkling, so we cleaned out the cellar, set up a bar and a table, and prepared to pour all our current releases, plus a preview of an upcoming Pinot Noir release and a 2010 Pinot Noir barrel sample.

We ended up with quite a few people throughout the day, including some friends and family who came up for the event or helped us organize and work it (thanks to Linda, Rose and the rest who made some absolutely delicious food and to Sara and everyone else who helped).

Even though the live band was late -- they somehow thought the event was today and not yesterday -- they helped round out the afternoon with music. We ate gourmet soups, tri-tip and polenta with black bean salsa, tiny chocolate cupcakes and raspberry cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, a giant round of St. George cheese, gouda, and a host of other appetizers. Overall, I think it was a big success.

Every fall we like to throw this party to thank our club members for their support. Our club members are invaluable and truly help sustain our business, and we want them to know we appreciate them.

Here are some photos of the day:

Pinot IN the River Photos!

2010-10-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mother, Nancy, and I went to pour at Pinot on the River. This was our first year at the event and it was POURING. Buckets. It was a fun drive to Rodney Strong in Healdsburg, where the event was held, and an even better schlep into the event with foldable handcarts. With all the rain we've had, the tent had accumulated water -- inches of it -- overnight, and only part of the area was even usable. Wineries were literally fighting for tables on high ground, with a river flowing down the middle of the grassy tent area.

We were there early enough to find a half-table mostly out of the water, although as we stood throughout the afternoon small puddles formed around our feet and soaked the bottom of our cardboard wine boxes, etc. Luckily all our paper materials and brochures were packed in a waterproof bag because of the rain.

What began as a river quickly turned into mud as people slogged through it that afternoon. We saw people who had been forewarned in rubber boots (lucky, as our feet were wet and cold), people in their socks because they had already lost their shoes, and even barefoot people who had just given up shoes altogether.
Here are some photos of the fun. I have to admit that I was impressed with the die-hard Pinotphiles who turned out and tasted, and all the wineries who stuck it out. Kudos to you who were there yesterday! My stick-it-out award for the day goes to the lovely ladies in the plastic bags. They're customers of ours - we're so proud!

Fall Happenings

2010-10-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

This month is an amazingly busy one for Foursight, without even factoring in harvest. Yes, we are spending quite a bit of time now pressing wines, getting them into barrel and preparing things for a long winter's rest. (Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my father, washing and ozoning barrels, brr.) However, October and early November always seems to be full of events and other to-do's that keep up hoppin'.

This Sunday we'll be participating in Pinot on the River (discount coupon code can be found here) for the first time. It's actually funny that we've never participated in this event as a winery because my first PR agency helped start the event. In its first few years it had some behind-the-scenes kinks that scared me off, but after seeing the esteemed Greg Walter at our Pinot Festival this year, I felt reassured and signed up. I'm looking forward to pouring, albeit in the rain. If you're there at Rodney Strong on Sunday, come say hi! We'll be pouring two current-release Pinot Noirs and one library wine.

On Saturday, October 30 we have our second annual wine club party and open house here at the tasting room and winery and we've been busy prepping the menu and planning the event. We have a rockin' band booked and my mother and family friend Rose have been cooking up course after course for us to sample with the wines (yes, we actually try every food item we serve beforehand to make sure they pair well). We're looking at some tri-tip and polenta, delicious cheeses, warming soups and more paired with the wines. Yum.

Then, on November 7, we have a winemaker dinner with Londer Vineyards at Rendezvous restaurant in Ft. Bragg, during the Mushroom & Wine Festival. (Diver scallops, mushroom soup, wild boar and more will be on the menu - contact Rendezvous for tickets.) It's going to be an absolutely delicious dinner!

Following shortly after, we're pouring at the Abalone & Wine event at the Mendocino Arts Center (November 12). This is also the first time we've done this event, so I have no idea what it's going to be like, but if I get even a bite of Abalone, I'll be happy.

October and November are also wine club months. I'm in charge of planning, executing and sending off all the wine club packages: a big job but a fun one. See our clubs here.

I'm exhausted and excited just thinking about the next month. As soon as it wraps up, we're off for Thanksgiving and the holidays, and then we close the tasting room in January to clean and finish our office work. Given the drizzle and gray sky today, it certainly feels like winter's approaching. Time to light the wood stove and snuggle up!

Harvesting Semillon - The Final Pick

2010-10-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

This week we harvested the last of our grapes - Semillon! It's currently in barrel -- mostly neutral -- and starting to ferment with wild yeast (we love it when we hear that gurgling noise that means fermentation's underway). Our harvest video is below (it's a bit rough, but there's no using a tripod when you're trying to work AND film and change tractors constantly).

I have to admit this harvest was rough, but fun. Every year I try to learn a little more vineyard Spanish. I call it vineyard Spanish because they don't exactly teach you how to say things like botrytis and leaf stripping in school, so you have to learn it on-site. The guys really stepped up and helped me this year, and I enjoyed it. Granted, Joe ended up mistakenly calling someone a pig (a word I had never heard in Spanish for pig), but that's the downside of trying to communicate in another language. Sometimes you mess up. To this day I'm terrified of saying pregnant instead of embarrased and generally avoid talking about being embarrassed to avoid that whole catastrophe (wouldn't be the first time I've stuck my foot in my mouth in another language).

Back to the winery. We're currently doing punchdowns on the Pinot Noir in the cellar. Fermentation on that lot is peaking, meaning that we're doing punchdowns three times a day right now, but soon to go back down to two. I don't mind the punchdowns as the smell of fermenting wine is intoxicating, but I do admit that it's been a bit difficult to do in the middle of the afternoon when the tasting room's open. I've been bringing groups back to watch me do punchdowns just so I don't leave them alone for half an hour. This works well until their glasses are empty or I have to run outside and clean all of the tools. But, c'est la vie I guess. We strive to be family staffed only, and sometimes that means multitasking and giving our customers a unique experience. :)

Watch the Semillon harvest video on our You Tube site, here.

Almost Done With Harvest!

2010-10-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

We've been harvesting almost every day the past few weeks, right alongside all the other wineries in our area. In fact, last week we couldn't even get a crew from our own vineyard management company and had to call around to see if any other companies had free crews. All this even though we pay a monthly fee just to ensure that we can get help when needed. (Sigh.)

Picking with our regular crew.

We're on the low end of the totem pole with the management company because we do most of our own vineyard work and only use them for the big jobs (pruning, harvest, etc.) We also don't have vast acreage or a famous winemaker (although ours is better!). :) Normally we pick early enough that it doesn't matter. This year our whites seemed to fall smack dab in the middle of the fray.

In order to get our small lot of Sauvignon Blanc off the vine toward the end of last week my father had to call around to his connections to see if there were any other crews free for a morning. We found a crew out of Sonoma County that we had used before. So, the day of the pick we went out shortly after six a.m. and waited for everyone to arrive, per usual. And we waited, and waited, and waited. We started stripping leaves off the shady side of the vine to occupy ourselves and clean things up. My father fielded a phone call saying they'd be late. So we waited. And waited. And stripped leaves. And they never showed. Once it reached 11 a.m. it was too warm to bring fruit in regardless, so we finished pulling leaves and left to go pick up bins and do the rest of our harvest chores. About 12:30 p.m. they finally called and said they were on their way from Ukiah. Obviously, they were told to just forget it.

So, the next day the crew showed up for their second try at our vineyard. They seemed a bit confused, and I speak some Spanish, but all the questions I asked were just received with blank stares. I assumed that I wasn't making sense, so one of tractor drivers from our regular crew (begged from the management company for the day) helped sort them out. Then they started picking. And they were slow. REALLY slow. Terribly slow. Well, maybe they were just tired, we thought, and continued along until it was time to call it a day due to heat. We didn't understand until the end of the day that this crew wasn't from Sonoma County, or Mendocino, or even Napa. They were called up for harvest from Fresno! They had spent the night in a pear barn in Ukiah before coming over to pick grapes for us (poor guys).

This crew from Fresno had never picked grapes before! It explained a whole lot about the day when we discovered that little tidbit. But, such is life, and we got our regular guys back the next day and have been merrily picking our way toward the end of the vineyard.

After this morning we just have Semillon left (a night pick on Tuesday), and we'll crush it here and be done with harvest. Woohoo!

The Big Pick

2010-09-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

We picked again today, for several of the wineries that we sell fruit to -- both in Sonoma County. We picked everything but a little Pommard clone Pinot Noir: 115, 777, 114 and Pommard 05. About 15 tons when it was all said and done. Once again, my hands are stained brown and I'm in the tasting room wondering if I'm making any sense to the customers. Hopefully it's not just all jibberish coming out of my mouth.

Either way, another long day. At least I have air conditioning here in the TR! In the low 40's last night (I was shivering for the first few hours of the pick), all the way to the high 90's today. It's not that unusual up here to have a 50-degree temperature swing between night and day. It's what makes us such a great region for Pinot Noir.

Next pick will be Wednesday for the last of our Pommard for Foursight and perhaps another week for Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.

Pinot Noir Pick - This Morning

2010-09-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

This morning we picked the majority of our own Pinot Noir grapes for Foursight. We picked 114, 115, 777 and Pommard clones on several rootstocks, the average ripeness between 23 and just over 24 brix. The grapes look great and the flavors are there, so we're very excited about this vintage. We have just a little more Pommard to come in this coming week, then Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and we'll be done! Well, with picking anyway. Winemaking of course follows.

We're all exhausted today; the night before your first pick is always a little like Christmas Eve when you're a child. You spend half the night tossing and turning, waiting for the morning. Then up about 5:30, and out into the vineyard to start picking as soon as it's light enough to see what you're doing. Follow the pick with a full day in the tasting room and we'll be ready for bed early tonight.

Today we had a wealth of family here to help with harvest, to sort and pull leaves out of the bins, plus pull leaves off the vines ahead of the pickers to make their job just that much easier and cleaner. It worked out perfectly -- we almost had too many people, in fact, to fit around the bin. We would always prefer to have too many to too few, so we're not complaining.

The vines seem ready to be done for the season. This year has run about three weeks late for us, so I would imagine they're not used to being asked to hang on to their fruit quite this long. It's funny how you can see signs in the vines and in the way the fruit ripens that indicates they're ready to be picked and would prefer to be preparing themselves for rest, for dormancy and winter. Frankly, I don't blame them one bit -- I think we all feel at least a bit that way during harvest.

As I did some video for our sparkling wine pick, I've opted to just post a few photos of the morning's work:

The moon above the vineyard, just as we start to pick.

The crew picks four rows wide, around the tractor.

Most of the family helps sort and pull leaves from the bins.

These guys are lightning fast.

Rain, Or Not

2010-09-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today our rain gauge registered 0.05" -- a far cry from what was, last week, supposed to be an inch or more. However, this is very good news for the vineyard. The clusters didn't even get wet -- just the outside leaves -- meaning that mold or rot inside the clusters is less likely coming up to harvest. Mold pressure will still be higher just simply due to the moisture present in the vineyard and in the air, but it shouldn't be anything too concerning.

Brix are looking still about mid-22's to 23 in the Pinot Noir, and moving up fractions each day, meaning that harvest is still a bit away (a week to week and a half perhaps). This is, of course, dependent upon the weather, and it looks like the coming weekend will be warm and sunny. The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are approaching 20, which means that they're not too far behind. And, happily, the seeds are browning rapidly, moving us more toward our goal when harvesting.

So, here's to a crisis averted and an impending harvest!

The Waiting Game

2010-09-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

If you keep an eye on wine news at all, you've probably been reading all about late harvests and impending rain. Depending on if you speak with a farmer or a marketing person, you'll get a very different slant on what's going on around the state.

Farmers are naturally doomsdayers. If they say it's going to rain 0.25 to 0.5" a farmer will say that we'll surely get at least half an inch, if not more. Then we'll surely have rot, and on top of it, because the harvest's behind, there's going to be half of the appellation's growers who won't even get ripe fruit off the vine this year.

If you talk to a marketing person, in their area they'll surely get a quarter inch or less, and of course the growers all have rot in check -- it shouldn't be an issue -- and, on top of it, yes, the weather's cool and harvest is late, but think of the wonderful hang time the grapes are getting! They're going to be fabulous, best vintage ever!

The truth, of course, is always somewhere in the middle.

What's happening here in Anderson Valley is that they're now predicting less than an inch of rain this weekend. We personally only start to get really, truly worried at an inch or above. That's when berries can start splitting, and rot starts feeding on that released sugar. Given the reduced crop levels we're seeing and the good airflow in the canopy, I'm not sure rot will be too much of a problem because of this rain. Of course, in farming, never say never.

By the way, the improved airflow I referenced above came from pulling leaves earlier in the season to try and expose the fruit to more sunlight, thus speeding up ripening and reducing mold pressure. This backfired on some growers, causing the fruit to become sunburn and raisin up when we had several days in a row of 100-ish degree weather. If you were really on top of your vineyard, you then went out and cut off that sunburned fruit, further reducing your crop level for the year, which is good for future rot and the winemaking process, but bad for a grower's pocketbook. More labor going into less fruit is never a good thing, financially, unless you're going to get paid more for the grapes because you did it.

At least sunburn doesn't seem to be too terrible here in the valley. I've heard rumors of Sonoma County vineyards that were so sunburn they effectively have no crop to harvest this year. Just a bunch of raisins. Yikes.

The real worry about having any moisture this time of the year is that the weather doesn't look like it's going to warm up after the rain this weekend. This means that moisture will hang around on the vines. And then the possible "second trough" of weather coming after -- who knows what that will hold.

The other effect of rain is that it can dilute the sugar in the grapes, pushing your harvest back as the grapes then try and gain back the ground they lost and reach your optimal ripeness.

Let's talk about our vineyard a bit. We've already harvest our sparkling wine, and our Pinot Noir grapes are in the mid-22's for brix (sugar level). For reference, we normally pick by 24 brix. According to our snazzy ripening chart Joe created, at our current rate of accumulation, without factoring in rain, we should be picking still Pinot about September 23-27. Whites are amazingly caught up this year and may come in as little as a week after (we normally wait another 3-4 weeks after the Pinots to harvest our Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon).

Now, using a ripening graph can be helpful for predicting sugar and acid levels into the future, but we also look at physiological ripeness, especially how the seeds and stems look. Seeds and stems tend to brown as grapes ripen, reducing the harsh tannins and greenness that they can impart into a wine if crushed or pressed too hard when they're green. Optimally, when we pick our grapes the seeds are mostly chocolate brown and crunchy (mature) and the stems have lignified (become woody). We include whole clusters in our fermentation, so the state of the stems is more important for us than it might be for a winery that simply destems and tosses those stems. So far, the seeds are browning and moving along, but slowly. We're still seeing a good bit of green out there.

So now it's a waiting game. Wait to see how much rain we get, wait to test and see how that affected the grapes. Wait to see how quickly they recover. The marketing people are right, though. Flavors and colors will be fantastic this year -- we've been able to see that in the grapes for quite some time.

Three Year Blogging Anniversary!!

2010-09-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Today marks my third anniversary as a blogger! Three years. Wow. Three years ago my husband, Joe, and I had just moved back to Boonville. I was finishing up my last few months at Wilson Daniels (doing some commuting from here to St. Helena!), and re-focusing our energies on Foursight and our new lives here, including my new job at the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association and Joe's at Londer Vineyards.

Three years ago to the day we were picking Pinot Noir grapes (we're a few weeks behind this year) and I was doing my first blog post on the harvest. Follow this link to see post #1 of my blog.

It's been an amazing three years. Amazing. We've surpassed many of our goals as a winery, but there are some, admittedly, that we've fallen short on.

In three years, we:
- Are moving into our third release of wines from our vineyard, made exactly the way we want them to be
- Launched our brand with a Web site and a blog, then later a twitter and facebook account, and now our first series of videos (which can be seen here on the blog and on our facebook account)
- Every single one of our wines that have been submitted to the press have either scored 90 points or above in a publication or have gotten a gold medal or, even better, double gold at a competition
- Got Ozzie the lab -- now the most famous member of the family by far!
- Worked our way through the Wine Institute's sustainability program for the vineyard, improving upon our practices each and every year
- Moved into the vegan market with wines made without animal products
- Opened our tasting room four days a week and started outfitting our winery in the back (we're picking up the baby ozone machine this week!)
- Joe and I got married and took our honeymoon in New Zealand for three weeks
- Have poured at probably 25-30 various wine events, as far away as New York and as close as Mendocino
- Launched a wine club -- Eight High -- for our die-hard customers -- and promptly started throwing parties
- Sold wine to the state of Pennsylvania (they came to us!) and expanded our local distribution
- Have been featured in articles in a wide array of publications, from VIA magazine, New York Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Santa Rosa Press Democrat to Destinations -- an Air New Zealand travel magazine
- I quit my job and Joe was promoted big-time
- We got invited back to our second Wine Spectator New World Wine Experience -- one of only five brands in Anderson Valley to receive this honor

Given how busy the past three years have been, I'm sure I've forgotten more of what we've done than the stuff I actually remember.

Lessons I've learned along the way:
- Financial management of a winery is a bitch. haha. No, seriously, filling in sales numbers into spreadsheets is a tedious but necessary task that takes up an amazing amount of time.
- Inventory NEVER matches up. I think bottles of wine end up the same place as those missing socks from the dryer. Narnia or somewhere.
- Don't underestimate the power of either Mother Nature or the destructive force of the U.S. economy. They can both make you want to cry or laugh triumphantly, often all at the same time.
- If you're genuine and nice and you provide people with a good experience, they'll come back again. And again. And again.
- Don't go into the tasting room in a bad mood. Ever. You might as well call in sick.
- As soon as you get out your lunch, people will magically appear at the tasting bar, every time.
- Sometimes you have to give discounts. It's not the end of your brand image, you'll be fine, just don't do it too often or too obviously. I've even given a discount to a lady who was a little tipsy and fell into a cactus next to our parking lot. I still laugh about my cactus discount to this day. But, it made her happy and we didn't get sued.
- In many instances, you'll have a brilliant idea that could create great buzz for your brand, and you'll never have the right insurance to do it safely. Stupid litigation-happy country.

Here's a blogging lesson that I've learned: it's a great way to keep people you know and customers up-to-date on your happenings. However, the vast majority of people who read wine blogs are already in the wine business. Hence, if you blog for consumers, your blog will not be the most popular or widely read blog out there. If you're okay with that, keep doing what you do and keep enjoying it. I know I do.

Thanks to everyone who reads my little rants and raves on the world, whether it's here or via facebook or a few of the other sites that have picked it up. I love hearing from you, so keep commenting and letting me know what you think. I do appreciate it.

And Happy Blogger Anniversary to me!!

Winery Consolidation in AV

2010-09-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a customer commented on what a shame it was that some of the local wineries have sold out to larger wineries/wineries from outside the area. I had to agree with her, thinking about the local families that we've lost through the process -- people that we knew and liked. However, I did have to comment that, given some of the financial situations these people were in, with poor sales due to the economy and bank loans called back, that I couldn't blame them. If you had to choose between bankruptcy and selling your business, what would you choose?? It's a tough decision and, as much as we lament the loss, I told her that being able to survive as a family and feed your kids is always the most important thing. That was the end of our discussion on the topic.

Harvest Video 2010

2010-09-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

I made a very amateur video of our first day of harvest, 2010. We picked Pommard 05 Pinot Noir grapes for Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga (bubbly!). There's no soundtrack to this video -- just the pure, unadulterated sound of tractor. haha. I thought that cutting this up and adding music would make it a better quality video, but it would also dilute the experience of harvest. Tractors idling, people talking and shouting, and grapes dropping into bins is what the day is all about, so enjoy!

A note on the picking crew: they are all employed by Ardzrooni Vineyard Management, which we basically use twice a year: pruning and harvest. They live here in the valley and are permanent residents, which is great because we see many of the same faces over and over again each and every year and get to know them. They also use a lot of women on the crews, which I'm always happy to see.

Throughout the video you'll see family members (myself, my mother and father and my husband, Joe, took all this footage). When we say we're involved, we really mean it.

First Pick in Anderson Valley!

2010-08-29T11:45:00.000-07:00

Per usual, the first grapes in Anderson Valley to come off the vine will be at Charles Vineyard (our estate) here in Boonville! Early this coming week we'll be picking Pommard 05 Pinot Noir for sparkling wine -- more specifically, for Schramsberg's delicious product down in Calistoga.

You've all heard winemakers wax on about how exciting harvest is and how thrilling it is to bring in the first batch of fruit for the new vintage. However, for us, calling that first pick date reminds us that we better get our butts in gear and start prepping for still wine harvest. :) This means berry sampling, arranging the cellar to bring in fruit, and getting ready to wake up REALLY early, again and again.

A DISCLAIMER

I'm sometimes hesitant to exclaim that we're the first pick to other winemakers and winery owners. It's because being the first can sometimes give the wrong impression of our vineyard site, and so please allow me a few moments to explain about the climates of Anderson Valley.

SHE BLOWS HOT AND COLD

Our valley as a whole is mostly a Region 1 climate -- the coolest in California. The Sonoma Coast is also a Region 1. Our average yearly temperature is in the realm of 55 degrees F, with A LOT of rain and moisture in the fall, winter and spring months. The biggest red we can ripen here, without fail, is Pinot Noir, although a few acres of Syrah seem to do fairly well most years. The ripest we can ever get our late harvest Sauvignon Blanc is 30 Brix, and that's stretching it through Thanksgiving and crossing our fingers that it gets there.

But there are two different sides to Anderson Valley -- ours is the one with the extremes.

OUR SITE

Charles Vineyard (our estate, which we farm) is nestled against Anderson Creek, just below the Eastern mountains surrounding Anderson Valley. We're the second-southernmost vineyard in Anderson Valley, yet our particular site is reliably cooler in the winter and early spring than most Boonville vineyards. And believe me, when the temperature is plunging toward freezing, five degrees is a BIG deal!

We're cooler because of several factors: being directly below the Hwy. 253 corridor, we get all the cold air that funnels down off of the Eastern mountains. We also lie alongside the creek, which is a vast corridor for air movement. And, because the valley narrows again where we are, fog does spill over the Western mountains from the ocean and reach us on the other side (some people assume we don't get any fog on our side of Boonville).

We are warmer in the summer than the north-western end of the valley near Philo and Navarro. We get less fog, meaning more sunny days and colder nights. Fog does cool, but it also provides moisture and moderates temperatures. So, without as much fog, in the winter and early spring our temperatures here plunge, and we have more frost. A LOT more. In the summer we have larger diurnal temperature swings, often 40-50 degrees in between the daytime high and the nighttime low -- good for grapes and acidities. And, of course, less moisture means less mold pressure.

The vineyard to the south of us doesn't have any Pinot -- yet, anyway -- so there's no competition for first pick there. In fact, the original vineyard manager told my father it was too cold here to grow Pinot when we planted. This past year they budded over a number of acres to Pinot Noir. haha! Goes to show you what farming one property for 70 years can teach you! Well, I guess it teaches you the limits of your site and a firm knowledge of what you can and can't grow.
I digress, but because of our warmer summers and sunnier days, we are often the first pick for sparkling wine. Add this to the fact that we pick pretty early for our Foursight still wines (22.5-24 brix max), we can often claim the prize of first still Pinot Noir pick too. We sell grapes to several other Pinot producers, and by the time our harvest is in full swing for them, it usually is throughout our end of the valley as a whole.

So I should be proud, not hesitant, to shout from the rooftops that we're the first pick. Each vineyard site is unique, and that's the beauty of the business, as well as the mystique and driving force behind that elusive term terroir. As I often say in the tasting room, it's the differences that make our industry strong. If we all liked the same wines we'd only need one winery and most of us would be out of business. If we all had the same vineyard site and winemaking philosophies, than the wine industry would be a bit of a snoozefest.

If you're curious about the Winkler Scale (all this Region 1, Region 2 talk), you can find an easy explanation here.

Our Final Bottling Adventure

2010-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our final bottling of this year was Wednesday, with 70 cases of 2009 Semillon from our estate, Charles Vineyard.

A bit of background about this varietal and wine: There are less than three acres of Semillon in the entire Anderson Valley, and only one other AV winery has ever made a stand-alone Semillon (their grapes are in a very different area than ours). So, this wine is a bit rare and a bit special for us. We originally planted the varietal to blend in with the Sauvignon Blanc on our property, but in 2008, due to spring frosts, we got about 25 cases worth and decided to make a 100% Semillon bottling. We ferment this wine with wild yeast and ML, and then age it in about 25-30% new French oak barrels. What we end up with is a tropical, slightly toasty wine that still has good acidity and structure. Estimate release for the 2009 vintage: winter 2011.

So, on Wednesday -- a blazingly hot day here in the Valley -- we had a very small bottling truck come to the winery. Because it was a small truck and a hot day, we had him back the trailer into the cellar and shut the door on the trailer hitch, blocking the space at the bottom with cardboard, floor mats, and everything else we could rummage up. I have to say, it saved our tushes. Both for the wine, which stayed nice and cool, and the people working the line.

With a line this small you volunteer labor and help get the wine into bottle. So Joe, Bill, Nancy, myself, and friends Gary and Johnny all received stations to work and, within a few hours, the Semillon was in bottle. Gary and Johnny were loading empty glass and unloading the full cases, plus stacking the taped and properly labeled cases on a pallet; I was sparging the bottles with nitrogen and placing them on the filler; the operator was helping with the filler and putting corks into the bottles; my mother was hand-placing the capsules on the bottles; my father was spinning the capsules down (the machine that makes them all neat and tidy is called a "spinner"); and Joe was labeling the bottles and putting them in case boxes to return to Johnny and Gary.

Most of these jobs are fairly self-explanatory. However, if you're not in the business you may not know that bottles are "sparged" with nitrogen before being filled with wine. Sparging removes the oxygen in the bottle, thus reducing the chance of "oxidated" wine (wine exposed to too much oxygen can turn slightly brown in color and taste a little flat, or even worse, sherry like).

Below are some photos of us at work on Wednesday. Just a note: the rubber gloves are so we don't put a bunch of fingerprints on the bottles, which the tasting room person (me!) has to later wipe off.


The bottling crew.

Sparging.

Filler and corker.

Labeler.

Bottling Whoopsies

2010-08-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

Bottling time is often the most stressful time of year for winemakers. Yes, sometimes even above harvest. Here's why: people are mistake-prone, and after you've spent a year, two years, sometimes even three nurturing along a lot of wine, making sure it's going to be utterly delicious and, as important, sellable, you suddenly have to give up control of your baby to the bottling line.

Getting ready for bottling is a fairly painstaking process. Estimating numbers of bottles and cases produced, allowing for loss from filtration or racking, then ordering supplies like corks, capsules, glass and labels, all the while remembering to allow for loss from setting up the label height and orientation on the bottle at the line, or in case of bottling line malfunctions. Making sure to order 1 3/4" corks for the whites and 2" for the reds, both at different grades and prices of course, and making sure the facility/cellar can store all the supplies and arranging delivery times that don't clog the cellar when they're trying to prep the wine for bottling are also considerations. And there are more, of course.

I've been doing all of this for our winery for several years now, without a hitch. Until last week.

My father and I were hanging out and supervising the bottling of our 2009 Pinots when the owner of the line announced that we weren't going to have enough labels to finish the lot currently making its way through the truck. WHAT???? I mean, I did the math. And checked. And double-checked. I know I was a journalism major, but that's why I triple-checked!! Sure enough, as it turns out, my math was correct. So what else was wrong? We searched for missing rolls of labels (they come on giant rolls and are peeled off by the machine like little stickers), and none were found. No malfunctions had happened with the line to use extra labels, nor could we find any other cause.

We ran out of labels with 80 cases of wine left to go through the line. Luckily, we had plenty of corks, capsules and glass, so we went ahead and bottled and capsuled the wine so at least it was safely in bottle.

Thus began the search for the little plastic wrappers the label rolls came in, on which were conveniently affixed stickers listing the # of labels on the roll for easy double-checking of your math. This took a bit longer, but we did find them and, indeed, they were marked correctly. Hmmm...

We did some more math with the line and, as it turns out, instead of the rolls having 1,600-something labels in them, they only had 1,250. And we were about one 1,250 roll short. So, the printing company somehow had spun the incorrect amount of labels onto the rolls but labeled them correctly. So, after throwing a tantrum and making some phone calls, we found out the employee in charge of double-checking this was recently fired! Yikes.

This wouldn't be such a big deal except you pay by the case to have wines run through the line. Running them through a second time equals double the cost, and that's not even thinking about scheduling with a line to come back out in a timely manner (some popular bottling lines book up six months in advance). Luckily for us, the printing company felt like providing us with good customer service -- a rarity nowadays -- and tomorrow they'll be sending up a small labeling machine to label, for free, the remaining "shiners" (as we call bottles without their packaging). It will take five hours! But it will be done, finally, and our cases can go to the storage warehouse all properly packaged.

This time of year can be so stressful because of whoopsies like this. When labels come in a roll, you're not going to unwind them and hand count them (not sure the bottling line would like you messing with the tightly wound labels even if you had a mind to). So, you have to rely on other people and your own sanity during the supply ordering time. It's hard to do, and when it goes wrong it can be expensive and perilous to the wine in some instances.

So, five hours of bottling for us tomorrow, then we'll return to the winery to prep our 2009 Semillon for bottling on Wednesday. Then we'll be done with bottling for the year and ready to focus on harvest 2010!

Bottling Time!

2010-08-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Late summer in the wine business is bottling season. As a new harvest approaches, it's time to get the previous vintage out of tanks and into bottles, making room to the next, latest and greatest (we always assume, of course).

Foursight has three very distinct bottlings this month: one hand bottling, one small run with a very small bottling line, and our biggest bottling of 800 cases of Pinot Noir.

Last week we did our hand bottling: eight cases of 2008 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from our estate vineyard. We pick the grapes for this wine on Thanksgiving or the day after, coercing the entire family to go out with lug bins and start clipping clusters (we use the clippers and not the knives so we don't cut off any fingers needed to roast a turkey later!). The day is spent putting the lugs into a small, wooden basket press, extracting the juice (sometimes needing to stomp the grapes down), and then letting the wine start fermenting with wild yeast.

Because of the high sugar content of late-harvest grapes, it's unusual to use wild yeast fermentation as these yeast strains are not known to be very tolerant to the higher alcohols produced by fermenting something so sweet. However, we've discovered that the strains we have here on-site plow through without any issue at all, thank goodness, so we let it go wild, as we do with all our wines when we have half a chance to.

When we bottle our late harvest we prepare the wine, sanitize the half bottles, line them up and then start filling bottles with a tiny little bottling wand. One person fills, one person puts corks into the floor corker (requires some muscle), and one person wipes bottles and inserts them into the cases. We then leave the bottles upright for two weeks so the pressure can equalize (to ensure no wine leaks out of the corks later), and then label by hand and wax dip by hand. It's quite a process and I can't imagine having to do this with thousands of cases before bottling lines were invented.

Our second bottling tomorrow is for our 2009 Pinot Noirs, which are all between 13.5-13.9% alcohol! We're excited about this, although it wasn't necessary a style choice on our end. The wild yeasts in the 2009 vintage simply didn't produce as much alcohol as they did in previous years, so our style and winemaking philosophies stayed the same while the yeast did not. The beauty of natural winemaking! We love our wines, however, and are looking forward to being able to have that one extra glass each night. :)

We have 800 cases of Pinot to get into bottle tomorrow -- a huge lot for us -- so we'll be bringing in a much larger bottling truck for this job. We'll supervise (they have their own workers on lines of this size) and then we'll get to take home the first and last cases pulled off the line for quality control (and for us to drink at home).

The third bottling we'll be doing in another week will be with a very small bottling line that's in a horse trailer! This is fairly common for small wineries like ours, and this line is adapted to do just up to a few hundred cases per day. We'll be using this line for our Semillon, which we're producing 75 cases of from the 2009 vintage. We do have to supply labor for a line this small, which is also customary, so the entire family will be helping to put in fresh glass, put on capsules, box and tape at the end, plus a few other jobs.

So, by the end of this month, we'll have bottled our last lots from both the 2008 and 2009 vintages and we'll be ready for the 2010 harvest! Whenever that begins ...

I'm A Lazy Blogger

2010-08-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it: I've been a lazy blogger. As I'm approaching my third anniversary as a blogger next month (!!), I've been reading through old posts -- those chronicling our first months picking grapes, deciding upon our winery name, and working through the process to become a bonded and certified winery. Lately, I've been posting a lot of personal life and "what's happening" stuff: great for my friends, but not so fantastic for our customers and people who may not know us well. Lazy stuff. After all, who needs to know that I just ate goat, really? Well, actually, that one was pretty cool as it was our first goat. ... But you get the drift.

What happened to my posts? They used to be so well written, so timely, so much more interesting, with so many more photos. So I have to apologize to everyone out there. The realities of being a business owner while also working as someone's employee overwhelmed me. I got lazy. And for that I apologize.

So here's my goal for the future: get my ass in gear! Start posting more. Start posting more interesting, relevant stuff that talks not only about what we're doing here at the winery, but WHY, and how it's important. And, please call me out if I get lazy again. Play the worried mother: cut me a tiny bit of slack the first time (after all, harvest's coming up), but jump on it the next time you see it! Now that I've shaved one job off of my life, I think I can do it! And I may need your help. :)

Happy Saturday everyone!

Our Press is Here!

2010-08-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today a hydraulic basket press that we bought from another local winery arrived. Or, more accurately, my father and a family friend went to the winery, had a crane put it on a truck, brought it slowly back, then unloaded it with a loader (that sounds odd, doesn't it - unload/loader...) using a slightly frightening system of carpet scraps, duct tape, industrial straps and chains. It was quite something to see.

This means that we've even closer to getting set up for every lot of wine we could possibly imagine making here at the winery! Tomorrow Joe and I will pick up a small tank in Sonoma County and add it to the roster of equipment we now own.

Here are images of the move:

2010 Mendocino County Fair Wine Competition

2010-08-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

On Friday night Joe and I went with some friends to the awards dinner for the 2010 Mendocino Co. Wine Competition. At Goldeneye winery, the dinner is a casual affair with self-serve wines from the brands that entered and lamb sliders, salads, cookies, etc. It was a beautiful evening behind the tasting room, overlooking the vineyard.

We entered three wines in the competition (the first time we've entered as last year we were on our New Zealand honeymoon and forgot!): the 2009 Gewurzt, the 2007 All-In Pinot and the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.

All three wines are solid, delicious offerings that we're very proud of and we were equally as proud that all three received medals. The star of the night was the 2009 Gewurzt, which not only won a gold medal but also placed as runner-up to the sweepstakes white (second favorite white wine in the entire competition)!! That's pretty good. On top of that, two judges came in to purchase bottles the next day (for their own consumption). I take that as a HUGE compliment given their sharp palates.

I have to admit being slightly disappointed with the Sauvignon Blanc, which only received a silver medal. In our experience that SB rocks every competition that we enter it in -- except this one. Hmmm... We sent them five bottles, so it couldn't have been off or corked I would imagine, but I still wonder. Unusual for this wine, which always places gold or double gold, even among stiffer competition than this. But I guess that's the beauty of competitions - different years, different judges, different medals.

Either way, it was a fun evening. I enjoyed chatting with old friends and judges that I haven't seen in quite some time. Big thanks to all the wine judges who come all the way up to our small valley to cast their vote!

Here are some photos from the event:

Joe watching me, taking photos of him. :)

A wine table and the gathered crowd beyond.

Journalist and Judge Chris Sawyer and MWWC President Dave Batt present awards (on the right).

The End of an Era

2010-08-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

July 31 was my final day as executive director of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association! I truly enjoyed my time with the AVWA, organizing events and running the association, but three years of working mostly 7-days a week, 80+ hours each week during festival times, and no time for some of the projects at Foursight that we wanted to accomplish, was enough. I'm happy to now say that I've returned to the land of the living and am (mostly) taking the next few days off. Hooray!

We've decided to go camping up on our ranch for a few days with some friends. Of course, there are always complications, and I'll have to come back to the valley to do a few things each day, but that's the beauty of the ranch: it's only 15 minutes from our house. Otherwise, I plan to do a lot of eating, drinking, and doing nothing except a hike or two.

What's on the menu? Bubbles, of course, a few select bottles of wine, and beer is a given. We'll be eating veggie ceviche, marinated tri-tip, ice cream sandwiches on homemade cookies, cinnamon rolls baked from scratch, burgers, breakfast burritos, and a lot more I'm sure. Yum.

What else is happening here on the Foursight property? Well, Handsome's leg is not healing well, so the vet should be out again and we'll see where that goes. It may be infected -- another twist on a long saga of injured and sick horses. (Will it ever end?) And then on Wednesday I get to take over my new job as president of the Anderson Valley Winegrowers, when we have a board meeting here at Foursight.

Next week I'll spend my days off bottling 2008 late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc (good news to our club members who have been waiting for this - and it's tasting awesome!). The week after we'll be bottling 2009 Pinot Noirs, which will also be killer based on our last tasting. Then, of course, harvest for sparkling wine in late-August, early September this year. We estimate we're about 17 days behind our normal season, so picking will be later for all varietals unless we get some serious heat this month.

Well, after tallying up the above upcoming tasks, I guess I should correct myself and say that, after harvest, I'll be taking some real days off each week. Hopefully. haha. Such is the life of the self-employed.

2010-07-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a tough few months for me here. I have two off-the-racetrack thoroughbreds -- one I've had for almost 13 years now (since high school), when I got her pregnant and neglected. The other also needed a loving home and I couldn't bear to separate them once they'd bonded (horses are herd animals and get very attached to each other), so I brought him home when I moved back from Santa Rosa. So, now I have an almost 27-year-old horse and a 17-year-old horse. Twenty seven is a ripe old age for a horse, given they live 30-35 years. Seventeen is entering the golden years as well.

About five months ago, my old mare developed laminitis -- likely from eating too much unusually green grass this spring. This is where the layers of their feet essentially begin to separate, making them very sore and walking very difficult. Thus began a series of special foot trimmings to prevent further damage, then abscesses that required wrapping, and a very long confinement period in a paddock. This was shocking to me, especially since she's lived on pasture for 13 years, without a single problem. However, this wasn't an average spring, and I hear many people with otherwise bullet-proof horses had issues this year.

So, for a handful of months now I've been getting up early to clean the stall, wrap her feet, feed her a special diet, and generally care for her (including healthy doses of horsey pain killers when necessary). In the evenings after work I simply repeat the process all over again. It's been utterly exhausting, but what else can you do when you have a living animal that needs your help?

Last Tuesday was supposed to be the mare's last day in the paddock, the vet deeming her healthy enough to go back out to pasture with her friend. I was estatic, thinking we could both use a little time off. However, it wasn't meant to be. The night before, the big gelding (who happens to be blind in one eye due to a large cataract that developed in the past year), ran into something while he was out and cut open his leg to the bone, severing two major muscles above his knee. It was bad, and I immediately called the vet to come out, clean the wound up, and stitch it back together. He was a good sport, but wasn't used to being shut up. About 2:30 that morning he was whinnying and carrying on so much that I had to go put a night light up for him, so he could see his buddy out in the pasture (his poor eyesight made him anxious). This has solved our middle-of-the-night problems, thankfully.

Five days later, he's healing well, but has a long way to go. My mare has gone out to pasture, and he's taken her place in the paddock, meaning several more weeks of special diets, antibiotics, wraps and ointments, and stall cleaning.

The thing that shocks me is that all the professionals that have been helping me get them back to health keep saying how lucky they are to have me. Many people, with the current economy, can no longer afford vet bills and all the extras that I've bought for them to help them heal (like $300 shoes for the mare!). So, they simply put them down. My apologies to anyone faint-hearted, but I was appalled to hear that an unusually high number of people are actually shooting their horses rather than dealing with the costs involved or even paying the vet to come put them down. It's a tough time out there, but for me I couldn't do that. I'd max out all my credit cards to make sure we're trying everything we can. And luckily I have a very understanding husband!

So, all the ucky stuff aside, I'm now officially a two-horse convalescent and retirement home. I hope that, once everyone is healed, they'll have a simple, pleasant retirement where nothing else eventful happens! Let's all cross our fingers for that. This morning, as my mare was walking around in her new boots (SO comfy) and the gelding was happily munching his hay, I could almost see it happening.

Boonville Art Walk - July 10

2010-07-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today we're open until 7 p.m. because it's the Boonville Art Walk! Although not a very widely publicized event, we're happy to be a part of it. We have artist Jaye Alison Moscariello showing her pieces here -- gorgeous watercolors of the Mendocino coast and Anderson Valley, along with some colorful painted tiles.

All around town today, local artists are showing their works at shops, restaurants, a few galleries, and at Foursight! The event runs just today, from 3-7 p.m., and makes me thankful that we live in one of those small communities that inspires so many artists. Also, selfishly, it's fun to have something new to look at in the tasting room! :)

We Got Fourth - That 'Aint Bad!

2010-06-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

The results from the San Francisco Bay List competition are in, and Foursight got fourth place for Best Anderson Valley Winery! Now, given that we've had our tasting room up and running for just over a year, I think that's pretty darn good. That's also out of 11 nominees, including some very well established wineries in the area.

Thanks to everyone who voted for us!! We love you! Too see the results (and those who we're going to overtake next year, evil laugh!), click here.

We Survived!

2010-06-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival -- the second of these festivals that we've been open for. This is a weekend-long reggae and world music festival attracting thousands of very colorful people to our small town. The streets are parked up, people with dreadlocks and more colors on together than I have in my entire closet walking around, and the intermittent smell of fried foods and weed wafts through town.

I do enjoy reggae - it's nice to open up the winery windows on a nice weekend and listen to the music. And I don't begrudge anyone the right to come enjoy a 3-day concert and have a good time. However, the presence of several thousand new-age hippes and reggae enthusiasts makes for terrible business, and that's when I begin to feel like the curmudgeonly full-time resident of a tourist town.

They serve great food inside the fairgrounds, along with beer and wine. Therein lies a problem -- our local restaurants do a terrible business during the weekend because festival attendees eat and drink inside and locals don't go out in Boonville because there's no place to park. Wineries here in town sell little wine because who wants to pack a bottle around and have it sit at your campsite in the summer sun? But plenty of people want to taste - only if it's free, of course. And the music's good, but when 1 a.m. comes along and your bed is vibrating with the drums, then it's not so fun anymore.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but it's an interesting study in human behavior and a chance for us to decide if it's worth being open next year or if we should close on Sunday so we can enjoy Father's Day too. Chances are we might. But for right now I'm sighing in relief because, so far, no one's vomited in the bathroom (yes, that happened last year), and I see cars streaming out of town in long lines. That means that tomorrow morning I can actually get a dark chocolate mocha at Mosswood without waiting in line for an hour (vendors shut down last night). Hooray!

Fruit Trees

2010-06-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

This morning I did a quick lap around the back of the winery, where the original homesteaders planted their fruit trees. I was curious to see what fruit we might actually get after all the cold and rain this spring.

This property was a sheep ranch, and people planted things that they could eat, plus just a few pretties like rose bushes. We have a fig tree that we relocated when we built the winery, several apple trees (including one that's hollow but still produces!), walnut trees, a loquat, wild plums, a quince bush, a peach tree and blackberries of course, which grow wild here.

The homesteaders made a lot of jam from the quinces and used the skins and seeds to produce pectin to firm up jellies and other items (quinces are very high in pectin, which is why it's fairly easy to make things like quince paste from them). The walnuts and apples are fairly self-explanatory, but I have no idea what they could have done with the loquat.

So, with a little research, here's what I found out about loquats: native to China, also high in pectin, can be eaten raw or cooked into jellies, sauces or desserts. So the pectin thing makes sense, but it still seems an odd choice for this area. I mostly hate the tree for its giant leaves that dry up, fall off, and accumulate right where I have to sweep them up every day - namely right by the front door of the tasting room!

Our winter garden just starting taking off, so I expected to not see much fruit on the trees. I was mostly wrong. Every tree but one apple and the fig has at least a small amount of fruit on it. The loquat has a few fruits, but I never seem to catch them at the right time and so have never done anything with them. The fig is disappointing as I love to roast them and make fig and feta pizza - maybe they'll be later this year? The wild plums always have fruit, but nature gets most of it.

Wild plums are pretty fascinating in themselves. Here's what the Web says about them: " The wild plum is one of nature's rarest and most unique fruits. It grows at the edges of Oregon, California and Nevada's northern high desert at altitudes between 4000 and 7000 feet. Here it tolerates great extremes of heat, cold, alkaline soils, and drought. In its native state, the wild plum grows on a large bush five to six feet tall. The fruit is similar to a cherry in size and has a distinctive tart flavor. The Indian tribes of this area gathered the ripe fruit and dried it for winter to garnish their wild fowl and game."

Well, I can tell you that Boonville is not in any of the areas that these are supposed to grow, but we have three or four trees here that either have red or yellow fruits when ripe. They are tart, yes, and the birds always seem to get most of them the second they ripen (they just know, I swear!). But they are pretty delicious even though the fruit is too small and the pit too big to do anything but dry or eat raw. I would imagine those same birds probably brought these here originally.

I feel lucky to have all these great trees here on the property. They feel like a gift because they just take care of themselves for the most part. They're dry-farmed and organic by neglect, but we get to at least enjoy a small bounty every year from them, and I'm sure 100 years ago the residents felt much the same. We've only owned this property since 1950, so we're relative newcomers. :)

Comments in Other Languages

2010-06-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a lot of comments on this blog in other languages, especially Asian languages that I definitely have no hope of reading or translating. Now, while I appreciate that people (or spammers, perhaps!) are taking the time to submit a comment, I can't in all honesty post those comments as I don't know what they say. It's the same reason why, when t-shirts with Chinese letters became really popular when I was in high school, I didn't buy them. They could have said "I'm a dumb American and I suck" for all I knew. Just my personal thing. So, I apologize to anyone who has commented and had comments rejected. I hope you understand.

Party at Foursight!

2010-06-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the promised photos of the Foursight Open House at the AV Pinot Festival last month. We hired a band, made a TON of delicious food, and started popping corks! That day we debuted our 2009 Dry Gewurztraminer and previewed the 2008 Zero New Oak Pinot, which had a great reception (several groups begged us to purchase bottles that day, even though we had to tell them no as we won't be releasing the wine for months.)

We estimate that we hosted a few hundred people that day, plus kids and plenty of dogs of all kinds. This party also serves as a pick up event for our 3-Bottle wine club, so it's great that we can both meet new people and visit with our old friends.

The day ended with entertainment by Ozzie the labrador, when he dug up a golpher from the back lawn and flipped it in the air for all to see! We were a bit embarrased, but several customers got out their video cameras. I'll be searching the internet to see if Ozzie's golpher-catching video went viral! You can't say that dog doesn't have a talent...

We're looking forward to the next party in October! We'll announce the date when we have it on the calendar.

Harpin' Boont

2010-06-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a youtube video posted by a very nice travel writer, Jules Older, that features Bill Charles, Nancy Charles and myself talking about Boontling! Of course, the star of the show is long-time valley resident Wes Smoot, who my father helped track down for the story.

Boontling, for those who don't know, is a language invented here in Anderson Valley years and years ago. Only a handful of people still speak it fluently. My father can tell some mean nursery rhymes and speak some full sentences, whereas my brothers and I can only really translate words and small phrases.

There is one side note that I always tell people - this language is chock full of sexist, racist and otherwise non-politically correct words. You have to think about the times that it was invented during. Of course, there are also plenty of words for every day items and tasks, and a lot of ranching and farming lingo as those were the big games back then.

There are a few things in the valley still named in Boontling, but, honestly, it's mostly by brightlighters (outsiders from the city) who come here and think it's cute to name things in Boontling. We did name our wine club Eight High, but I think we have the four-generation history here to do it justice. (See the full meaning of Eight High and wine club details here.)

The morning this was filmed I was dealing with a sick horse, so excuse the lack of make-up and thank goodness he didn't film my nasty clothes! I did say he was nice, right?

Photos!

2010-05-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

I found my camera! It was in the bottom of a random bag from Pinot Festival, go figure, so finally here's a slideshow of some Pinot Festival photos from the press tasting and grand tasting. Janis, who works with me, took all the photos of the welcome dinner, tech conference and BBQ, so eventually I'll gather hers too. Oh, and our open house for Foursight will come soon too.

Sorry for the disarray (I would prefer to post all the photos at once), but I find it just simply takes a while to get my life back in order after a festival. The first step is clean-up the Monday after the event. Everything from all the venues gets dropped in the middle of our storage room by helpful volunteers. Then it's counting money and doing banking, revising budgets and working on a wrap-up report while monitoring resulting press. Thank you letters have to go out to sponsors, press and committee members who hosted an event or organized an event. Then it's sorting through the mess in the storage room and returning everything we borrowed, cleaning dump buckets and pour spouts by hand and laundering rags at home. And the list goes on.

In the past year I've added to the list above diving into everything for Foursight that I've pushed to the side for the past few months. There are simply things that cannot wait any longer. I'm now staring at a to-do list that includes everything from financial reports to wholesale accounts and making a tech sheet for our new Gewurztraminer (another post's in order for this one).

Enjoy the photos and I hope everyone's having a great Memorial Day Weekend.

Coolest Mobile Phone App Yet

2010-05-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to reading the latest PinotFile (highly recommended by the way, if you're not familiar with the publication), and I saw what I believe is the most practical phone app yet:

"A free mobile application called TaxiMagic has been introduced by California State officials. All registered users have to do is tap on button on their iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Palm smart phones and the application determines where the caller is, contacts the cap company, and dispatches the cab to the caller’s location automatically. The user can automatically pay by credit card. Users can also book a cab with the mobile application, on the web, or with a text message. For more information visit www.taximagic.com."

They say getting a DUI is as expensive as taking a taxi from New York to LA, and now all people have to do is touch the screen on their phones or text message to have one arrive wherever they are around the state. Pretty cool.

It's not completely flawless though - there's not a single cab in the Anderson Valley area to call, even if you do have reception, which can be tough in itself. It also means they're probably using your phone's GPS to find out where you are. I think we've all adapted to knowing that our phones could be used to track us, wherever we are, but it's still just a bit creepy. Still, I'll take creepy over DUI any day. :)