Labels first; we are working on redesigning our label. OK, lets put it this way, we are but the art department at the printers isn't. David and I went in almost a month ago to let them know what we are looking at. Called them today, NOTHING!!! Two weeks ago our service guy said they were starting. I guess they didn't. A month wasted, a month we didn't have. I'm starting to get agitated because I want the Rose and the Sweet Camille in bottle by Memorial Day weekend. That goal is slipping away. I guess I'm going to ask more time related questions.
Moving on to the parent situation. I just can't figure out how my parents can still make me feel like a 9 year old that has done something wrong. Why do I let them? Why do they still do it? I am in my late 30's and they might as well still send me to my room and spank me with the belt. I think maybe we need group counselling. Anyone a counselor willing to trade for wine? I don't want to go into details (I would love to dish it but it usually comes back to bite) but just know that the struggle continues. It got so bad today that I made a perfectly confident decision and one of my parents wants to go over me and reverse the decision. If it only affected me, no big deal, problem is it would be bad for someone else. How did I grow up normal? Am I? See, doubt, it wants to sneak back in.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Crazy Weather
I want to talk about the weather we have been having lately. Those that live nearby understand but those that live far from here need an update. The last couple of days it has rained, hailed, snowed, wind blown and the sun has shone. We woke up this morning with about an inch or two of snow. The sun came out and it melted. In Eugene it hailed a bunch and the sun came out again. Came home and then it started snowing. The only thing we haven't had was a heatwave! It really keeps things interesting.
OK, I went to Eugene and now I feel better. I guess I had a momentary lapse of self-confidence.
Thanks to those of you who sent me emails of encouragement, it means a lot. I'm drinking a glass of Tempranillo listening to Stargate Atlantis while I type this. I'm ready for a new day, guess I was a bit moody this morning. My children have been away for a week and will be home tomorrow, I have missed their smiling faces, hugs and kisses at night. I haven't cooked a decent meal all week, just leftovers and salads!
Please feel free to email me anytime or comment on the blog.
Tracy
OK, I went to Eugene and now I feel better. I guess I had a momentary lapse of self-confidence.
Thanks to those of you who sent me emails of encouragement, it means a lot. I'm drinking a glass of Tempranillo listening to Stargate Atlantis while I type this. I'm ready for a new day, guess I was a bit moody this morning. My children have been away for a week and will be home tomorrow, I have missed their smiling faces, hugs and kisses at night. I haven't cooked a decent meal all week, just leftovers and salads!
Please feel free to email me anytime or comment on the blog.
Tracy
Sale, Crashes and Thoughts
I know it has been over a week since I put anything on the blog, I'm still adjusting to life with a blog. This week has been somewhat eventful in a non-dramatic way.
Last week was my daughter's 12th birthday. I took the day off and we went shopping. She was so excited that it was just the two of us. She's my middle child and never feels we have enough "alone" time. She was in heaven, shopping for her only. Didn't buy anything for anyone else. The day was all about her. (OK, after lunch I did go to Costco to get a refrigerator for the winery.) We had lunch at the Olive Garden, her choice, and she ate bread sticks, salad and lasagna and had a huge glass of raspberry lemonade. She ate every bite of her lunch. We even got a free dessert because the assistant manager said our lunch took too long. We had a great day!
Monday I went to work and continued to work on our label printing situation. Most of them are approved and ready to go. A couple are lagging behind. They all need to be ready before printing can begin. Finally got a .jpg image to send to the ttb (government agency in charge of labeling laws) and the Internet is so slow I kept getting disconnected. I finally sent the file to my house where I have satellite internet. Got it taken care of.
Because it was spring break and the last week of our March warehouse sale, we were open noon until 5 PM. I met a lot of people that were travelling and several people who were in Oregon visiting their college student kids. The weather was so crazy here I told them to come back this summer and visit us. Being open for tasting and trying to get paperwork done is not an easy task. My papers on the desk are piling up fast...Monday is always coming!
I know most people think there is a lot of romance involved with wine making, I'm here to say there is a lot of work and clean up. Clean, clean, clean, just ask Rob what he does 50% of the time at the winery, I bet he will say "clean things". He also tops barrels, moves wine, moves barrels, restocks shelves, moves pallets of wine around and is always so nice when I ask him to do one more little thing for me! He is truly worth his weight in gold around the winery. He is a quiet, humble man who is always thinking. He comes up with great ideas, some off the wall, some perfect. If you enjoy our wines, when you see Rob thank him and give him a pat on the back.
About the crashes, we had a freak accident in the winery yesterday. Stuff gets moved around all the time, pallets of wine, corks, barrels, shipping boxes and empty glass. During a routine moving of wine about 4 cases fell off. OOOPS! When Rob came into the tasting room I could tell something was wrong. He took me back to show me what happened. There it was, Malbec running out of boxes. It looks a lot like blood running out when you have that much in one place. I think we only ended up losing 12-18 bottles. It took about an hour to clean up the mess, what fun!
My thoughts. Yesterday afternoon was rough, I didn't realize how much until I got into the shower and just cried. I'm not big on crying but it just came. Rob was upset about the Malbec accident, David was upset about a glass order, I was trying to get the ttb thing worked out and trying to show our customers a good time. I guess it all came down when I was showering. Then I started thinking about why. I still feel like an outsider sometimes. What do I expect? I'm the daughter of the owners, I have no experience in the wine business, so what gives me the right to ask certain things or give my opinion? I am the low man on the totem pole. I don't always do the right things, choose the right wines and say the right things (or at least pronounce them correctly). I am not cultured, well travelled, well spoken or well to do. This business is a hard one. Is it OK to just be a country girl with simple tastes? To love wine, even when it isn't the "right" one? To visit downtown Eugene only when it is absolutely necessary? Maybe this is just what it feels like to have a new job and adjust. I love my job, sometimes I'm not sure if I'm the right person for it. Maybe yesterday still hasn't worn off.
I need to get on with my Saturday. I will go to Eugene and cheer myself up!
Last week was my daughter's 12th birthday. I took the day off and we went shopping. She was so excited that it was just the two of us. She's my middle child and never feels we have enough "alone" time. She was in heaven, shopping for her only. Didn't buy anything for anyone else. The day was all about her. (OK, after lunch I did go to Costco to get a refrigerator for the winery.) We had lunch at the Olive Garden, her choice, and she ate bread sticks, salad and lasagna and had a huge glass of raspberry lemonade. She ate every bite of her lunch. We even got a free dessert because the assistant manager said our lunch took too long. We had a great day!
Monday I went to work and continued to work on our label printing situation. Most of them are approved and ready to go. A couple are lagging behind. They all need to be ready before printing can begin. Finally got a .jpg image to send to the ttb (government agency in charge of labeling laws) and the Internet is so slow I kept getting disconnected. I finally sent the file to my house where I have satellite internet. Got it taken care of.
Because it was spring break and the last week of our March warehouse sale, we were open noon until 5 PM. I met a lot of people that were travelling and several people who were in Oregon visiting their college student kids. The weather was so crazy here I told them to come back this summer and visit us. Being open for tasting and trying to get paperwork done is not an easy task. My papers on the desk are piling up fast...Monday is always coming!
I know most people think there is a lot of romance involved with wine making, I'm here to say there is a lot of work and clean up. Clean, clean, clean, just ask Rob what he does 50% of the time at the winery, I bet he will say "clean things". He also tops barrels, moves wine, moves barrels, restocks shelves, moves pallets of wine around and is always so nice when I ask him to do one more little thing for me! He is truly worth his weight in gold around the winery. He is a quiet, humble man who is always thinking. He comes up with great ideas, some off the wall, some perfect. If you enjoy our wines, when you see Rob thank him and give him a pat on the back.
About the crashes, we had a freak accident in the winery yesterday. Stuff gets moved around all the time, pallets of wine, corks, barrels, shipping boxes and empty glass. During a routine moving of wine about 4 cases fell off. OOOPS! When Rob came into the tasting room I could tell something was wrong. He took me back to show me what happened. There it was, Malbec running out of boxes. It looks a lot like blood running out when you have that much in one place. I think we only ended up losing 12-18 bottles. It took about an hour to clean up the mess, what fun!
My thoughts. Yesterday afternoon was rough, I didn't realize how much until I got into the shower and just cried. I'm not big on crying but it just came. Rob was upset about the Malbec accident, David was upset about a glass order, I was trying to get the ttb thing worked out and trying to show our customers a good time. I guess it all came down when I was showering. Then I started thinking about why. I still feel like an outsider sometimes. What do I expect? I'm the daughter of the owners, I have no experience in the wine business, so what gives me the right to ask certain things or give my opinion? I am the low man on the totem pole. I don't always do the right things, choose the right wines and say the right things (or at least pronounce them correctly). I am not cultured, well travelled, well spoken or well to do. This business is a hard one. Is it OK to just be a country girl with simple tastes? To love wine, even when it isn't the "right" one? To visit downtown Eugene only when it is absolutely necessary? Maybe this is just what it feels like to have a new job and adjust. I love my job, sometimes I'm not sure if I'm the right person for it. Maybe yesterday still hasn't worn off.
I need to get on with my Saturday. I will go to Eugene and cheer myself up!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
End of the jackhammering
The contractor finished jackhammering the sidewalks today. The noise is enough to bring on a migraine! Anyway, nothing fell off the walls or off of shelves. Just a day closer to a new deck and lovely front patio.
Yesterday afternoon we tasted through some of the wines we will be bottling soon. Our goal: evaluate and decide if a little blending would enhance what we already have. It was fun to see what each of the wines offered. Some were the same variety and vineyard just a different vintage. Each one very unique. Some of the vintages the grapes were more ripe than other years. Once these facts were pointed out, you could taste the difference. The upcoming vintages of Malbec are very good. Of course, my favorite was the youngest one we tasted, 2007 Zinfandel...I guess I just like'um young.
Today the tasting room was really busy, everyone likes to come at the same time. Sold quite a bit of wine and met some nice people. Wore boots that were killing my feet but I made it through. After the tasting room closed I had a nice glass of a wine that is almost done fermenting. It was red, sweet and fizzy, gotta love it. It will be a component of an upcoming red dessert wine.
I spent part of the day trying to set up the music for the festival we put on over Memorial Day weekend. I'm really excited about a few changes that will be made, you may want to bring your dancing shoes!
We are still wading through ordering the labels we will need for the next month. Between the labels, glass and last minute changes I'm going nuts. Today was a good day and I know "this too shall pass".
Yesterday afternoon we tasted through some of the wines we will be bottling soon. Our goal: evaluate and decide if a little blending would enhance what we already have. It was fun to see what each of the wines offered. Some were the same variety and vineyard just a different vintage. Each one very unique. Some of the vintages the grapes were more ripe than other years. Once these facts were pointed out, you could taste the difference. The upcoming vintages of Malbec are very good. Of course, my favorite was the youngest one we tasted, 2007 Zinfandel...I guess I just like'um young.
Today the tasting room was really busy, everyone likes to come at the same time. Sold quite a bit of wine and met some nice people. Wore boots that were killing my feet but I made it through. After the tasting room closed I had a nice glass of a wine that is almost done fermenting. It was red, sweet and fizzy, gotta love it. It will be a component of an upcoming red dessert wine.
I spent part of the day trying to set up the music for the festival we put on over Memorial Day weekend. I'm really excited about a few changes that will be made, you may want to bring your dancing shoes!
We are still wading through ordering the labels we will need for the next month. Between the labels, glass and last minute changes I'm going nuts. Today was a good day and I know "this too shall pass".
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Greatest of the Grape
Here's our area for serving wine at the Greatest of the Grape.
Linde (my Dad) and David (winemaker), aren't they handsome!
The three of us after drinking plenty of wonderful Oregon wine.There's this wonderful event in southern Oregon called The Greatest of the Grape. It's put on by the Umpqua Valley Winegrower's Association and it takes place at Seven Feathers Casino. Anyway, why am I writing about it? We go down every year and serve our wine and have a great time. Throughout the night people vote for their favorite wines and wine/food pairing. We took down our Huxelrebe wine and we got the People's Choice award for the Best White. David (winemaker) accepted and was "very pleased". Of course, I was jumping up and down and a little more than very pleased (I am somewhat excitable).
This week so far has been good. We are working on getting our next labels set up at the printer and bottles ordered. There are a lot of things that have to be done before wine can be bottled. Proofs have to be checked and double checked so things don't slip through. Everything from spelling, bar codes, year, alcohol and description. Wow, I'm sure this will get easier the more I do it.
The contractor has been jackhammering outside the winery since Monday. We are removing all the sidewalks to put in a new deck and seating area. I'm looking forward to the noise stopping but I can't wait for them to start building. It is good to see things moving forward and improvements happening. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures along the journey. We hope to have the building done by June 1.
This week so far has been good. We are working on getting our next labels set up at the printer and bottles ordered. There are a lot of things that have to be done before wine can be bottled. Proofs have to be checked and double checked so things don't slip through. Everything from spelling, bar codes, year, alcohol and description. Wow, I'm sure this will get easier the more I do it.
The contractor has been jackhammering outside the winery since Monday. We are removing all the sidewalks to put in a new deck and seating area. I'm looking forward to the noise stopping but I can't wait for them to start building. It is good to see things moving forward and improvements happening. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures along the journey. We hope to have the building done by June 1.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Getting started
Hi, my name is Tracy and I work at Chateau Lorane Winery. The winery is located in the small town (this term is used loosely) of Lorane, Oregon. I have been employed at the winery since September 17, 2007. What I hope to do with this blog is to give people more information about Chateau Lorane and a glimpse into what life is like at a small family owned winery. Since I started at Chateau Lorane (CL) there are 3 of us employed full time by the winery. There is David, the winemaker, and Rob, the cellar master and me.
I have to say that I have been around the winery since it started in 1992. To make things even more complicated I am the daughter of the owners, Linde and Sharon. In this blog I may say more than I should, I am no stranger to "open mouth, insert foot". So far, this winery ride has had its ups and downs for me. There will be bumps in the road since I have no practical experience in this field. I try to see the positive in things as well as the humor.
In this blog I will give some of my background, which strangely is the back story of the winery. I will tell stories of my childhood and what it was like growing up with a wine fanatic father. I will try hard not to hurt anybody's feelings, but hey, take what I say with a grain of sand if you don't like it. I will talk about how I am turning the winery upside down (I'm sure my father regrets the day he asked me to come and help out for a few weeks)!
This is my starting place. I hope you enjoy and are entertained.
Tracy
PS David if you read this and found errors in grammar, I will correct them later.
I have to say that I have been around the winery since it started in 1992. To make things even more complicated I am the daughter of the owners, Linde and Sharon. In this blog I may say more than I should, I am no stranger to "open mouth, insert foot". So far, this winery ride has had its ups and downs for me. There will be bumps in the road since I have no practical experience in this field. I try to see the positive in things as well as the humor.
In this blog I will give some of my background, which strangely is the back story of the winery. I will tell stories of my childhood and what it was like growing up with a wine fanatic father. I will try hard not to hurt anybody's feelings, but hey, take what I say with a grain of sand if you don't like it. I will talk about how I am turning the winery upside down (I'm sure my father regrets the day he asked me to come and help out for a few weeks)!
This is my starting place. I hope you enjoy and are entertained.
Tracy
PS David if you read this and found errors in grammar, I will correct them later.
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