Winter, winter

Winter is here. The sun made an appearance today which was very nice of it. We have had very cold (30 is cold to us) nights and nice days (45-50). There hasn't been a lot of rain so far. I'm not complaining.

The wine from the 2008 harvest is settling down. Most of the reds are tucked away in barrels and the whites are in tanks. We just bottled our 2007 Huxelrebe and Honey Mead. It was fun to see the gang back together.

Tim has moved up to the Portland area but can still be spotted around the winery. He is trying his hand at selling wine (specifically Mead) to some wine shops near where he lives. So far, so good. We miss his sweet spirit and uplifting ways. I miss smelling coffee all day. Tim can drink a lot of coffee! Tim will always be one of us, he is like family. If things go right, he might be down for the Memorial Day weekend wine event. Time will tell.

David, our winemaker, is moving back to New Zealand. After 10 years at Chateau Lorane he has decided he would like to broaden his wine making experience. He will be leaving the winery in a couple weeks and leaving Eugene on February 23. We will miss his sense of humor, wonderful accent, skill with wine, and his friendly smile. The winery will not be the same without him. David has been the "gang's" unofficial leader. He will be missed. Some lucky winery will get an outstanding winemaker.

I will prepare for the next wine club shipment starting next week. I am gathering all the information needed and rounding up the wine. We will be sharing our 2006 Viognier, 2006 Pinot Noir, and Marechal Foch Port. We decided with winter here there is no better time to have some port. Look for an email very soon.

I think I have shared more than enough information for many of you. This coming year will be a year of changes and hopefully growth. The winery will continue as usual but with significant transitions. I will try to keep things updated on the blog. Have a great Valentine's Day.