I think that one of the most intriguing things about wine is not the wine itself but people’s reaction to it.  And I think the range of wines available is just about as wide as the range of palates you find.  This has been a new experience for me as I stand on the other side of the bar or the table at a wine event and listen to people describe the wines.  I have had everthing from the simple…”that’s good” to ….a description of multiple aromas and flavors …..to a full description of how the wine would pair with a particular dish that they create on the spot as the taste the wine and pair the flavors in their head with their culinary expertise.  One of the most interesting experiences happened just recently at the REAF benefit in San Francisco.  One of the dancers from the show came to taste at the after party.  He very definately described the wine but interestingly enough didn’t really use any words.  Instead he used movement, his method of expression.  I guess it’s really not surprising that we all use our own methods to describe wine or anything else for that matter, but I still find it interesting. 

Even writers and wine experts taste their own unique things in a wine because as much as the wine is the same, everyone’s palate is unique to them.  Just revisit with me some of whats been said about our 2008 Old Vine Zinfandel just in the last month……”Oodles and Poodles of thick, sumptuous, black velvet canvassed flavors suggesting luxury chocolate with swirls of vanilla”….”fresh blackberry pie cooling next to some homemade fudge”….  “campfire in the bottle”…..”berrylicious”…….”leaves you screaming for S’mores”.    I’m not great at pinpointing and describing but I very definately know what I like and don’t.  Whatever it is you taste in it….all that really matters is if you like it and the flavors you find in it, not whether you can describe them or not.   And judging from the sales of our newest Old Vine Zinfandel, so far, most of you LIKE IT!

Friday, July 30th our family received a great honor. Our business was inducted into the California Agricultural Heritage Club. This is an award honoring….”California farms, ranches, organizations and agribusinesses that have preserved an economic liability in the state with a bare requirement of at least one entire century. Applicants are entailed to submit a completed application and documentation providing proof of ownership over the last 100 years.” As many of you have heard us tell, our property on Harney Lane was purchased by Fred Schnaidt, George’s great grandfather, in 1900. Then in the first decade of the 1900’s Henry Schnaidt, George’s grandfather and mentor, planted the first grapes on the property.  And we know that atleast part of the first plantings WERE winegrapes, not table grapes. Henry and Elizabeth (pictured above) also built the family home on the property.  What a great legacy our family gave us that is now in its 110th year!!!!
It the fast paced world we live in, it really is an honor and an achievement to sustain a business that long, especially in the same location. The kids, “Lizzy” and “James”, are now the 6th generation living on the property.  And while we are greatful for this legacy, we hope that the previous generations would be proud of not only our vineyards but of our newest venture, Harney Lane!

Earlier this month we hosted our first Winemakers Dinner for our Wine:30 Club.  It was a bit crazy in the final prep minutes but turned out to be a great success!!  I think that the day was one of the windiest we have had all year and while weather reports predicted winds to die down at 5pm it was still windy with gusts to 30 mph at 6:40 (20 minutes to showtime!)  So…..in the last few minutes we moved 1/3 of the tables further tucked in on the patio.  So we sat very “cozy” out on the patio!!!   No one seemed to mind to much though…..might have had something to do with the 2006 Tempranillo library pouring along with the 2007 Tempranillo (just sold out) and the 2008 Tempranillo barrel tasting.  All that tempranillo was topped off with 2009 Albarino, yummy paella with jumbo shrimp and Spanish guitarist Jessie Hendricks!!  It was a fun evening to spend with some of our club members as well as Chad Joseph, our winemaker, who shared about the wines of the evening.  We are looking forward to this new tradition of Winemakers Dinners and can’t wait to see how the next one will turn out!!

The landscape is quickly changing both in the vineyards and on the winery grounds.  Tender shoots are pushing out at what seems like a rapid rate.  It’s one of the prettiest times of years……green grass in the rows and green tips on the vines.  The winery grounds are also starting to really shape up.  Things are really starting to fill in and the flowers are starting to bloom.  In fact, the iris along the driveway are just about to be in full bloom.  This is really going to be quite a greeting to visitors for the next several weeks. 

This year is already turning out to be a good competition season too.  We have done a little less entering this year……saving the wine for you instead……but have still had some nice success.  Here’s how it’s shaping up so far……

SF Chronicle Competetion:  Gold 2007 Zinfandel, Silver 2007 Tempranillo, Bronze 2007 Petite Sirah

Grand Harvest Awards:  Gold 2007 Tempranillo, Silver 2007 Petite Sirah, Bronze 2008 Chardonnay

Lodi Consumer Wine Awards:  Gold, Best of Class 2007 Tempranillo, Gold 2007 Zinfandel, Bronze 2008 Chardonnay

So what is pruning and it’s purpose?  Well, it really is the whole foundation for the upcoming season.  Pruning sets the stage for vine and crop balance which is essential for fine quality wine.  Yes….I said wine…..because as farmers we hold strong to the ideal that great wine has to start with great grapes.  And great grapes don’t just happen (although some seasons are more cooperative than others), they are fostered, tended to, worried about and loved. 

And when it comes to farming, I can’t miss the opportunity to toot Lodi’s horn a bit.  Lodi grows more wine grapes than Napa and Sonoma combined and has been the backbone of the wine industry for decades.  And in Lodi 80% of the wineries are owned by growers….those same people who foster, tend and worry about their vineyards season after season.  Lodi growers have adapted to market changes, lead the way in farming practices and managed to survive as farmers generation after generation.  Not an easy feat!!  And thank goodness because if we didn’t have growers that did just that their would be no OLD VINE zinfandel and the landscape of Lodi would look strikingly different.  So with our fresh start to the season…..Hats off to Lodi Growers!!!

The year has brought us over 180 wine club members and too many visitors to even count.  And while we have kind of “quietly” opened our doors while under construction…..many people found us by word of mouth.  Other wineries sent people, you all told people and brought your friends.  We deeply appreciate that you liked us enough to recommend us.  Thank you!!!!!!!

The year brought construction to an end with the result being a tasting room that we love because its a beautiful but comfortable space!  Thank you for going on the journey with us and watching the development of the building.  How great it was Grand Opening Weekend to see so many of you using the space the way it was envisioned…..tasting, wandering the gardens, picnicing at the outdoor tables and just enjoying each others company(and buying a bit of wine while you were at it!)

The year brought our first experiences with public pourings.  ZAP, Zinfest, Dark and Delicious, Taste of Lodi, Grape Escape, Spring Wine Show, School Street Sip and Stroll, Treasure Island Wine Fest just to name a few!!!  It has kept us busy but also given us a way to draw more people to our winery as well as advocate for the Lodi region as a whole!!  And more people are discovering the wonderful region that Lodi is!!!!

The year brought us our first sold out wines as well as some new additions to our lineup!  We added an Albarino, a new Zinfandel and just recently a Chardonnay.  Our 2007 Rose sold out first soon followed by our 2006 Tempranillo.  And just recently the 2006 Old Vine, Primitivo and 2006 Petite Sirah all followed suit.  Chad, our winemaker, says awards are great but the best award is a sold out sign!  How true!!!  Awards are quite a compliment but the fact that you liked it enough for us to sell out is really the best award!!!!!!!!!!!!

And speaking of awards, this year brought success we never imagined!!  Over the course of the year we entered 7 different well respected competitions.  And we were blessed with 3 Best of Class Awards, 2 Best of Region, 2 Double Golds , 9 Golds, 9 Silvers, 3 Bronzes!!!  WOW!!  We have set the standard high giving us a lot to live up to.

Most of all, this year brought us a lot of new friends!  The best thing about being open a year as seeing you come back time and again.  That has been the most fun part of the whole adventure.  We have enjoyed the pleasure of getting to know you and letting you get to know us!!!!!

So, we hope this is just the first year of many to come.  After all, our family has been on the Harney Lane property farming wine grapes for over one hundred years so we are just getting started on this venture!  And we hope that our venture has been a blessing to you in some way too….otherwise what’s the point?!!  Thanks for a great year and here’s to the next 100!!!!  CHEERS!!!

Well….Lizzy and James spent Halloween trick or treating for candy.  But our customers got to join us Halloween weekend for a “TEMP”ting treat!!  The long awaited 2007 Tempranillo was released for tasting and was included in our wine club release.  Feedback was very positive and we think you won’t be disappointed!!

September 19th and 20th we had the privilege to celebrate our Grand Opening of our new tasting room!  Two days of great wine, food, music and lots of great friends (old ones and new ones!!)!!!  We think we may have seen around 900 hundred of you smiling faces over the weekend!  What a great turnout!!  And we are also very blessed to have wonderful friends and family that jump in and help wherever needed.  THANK YOU!! 

It was great to see the space used as it was intended…..a full tasting room, people strolling the gardens, sitting under the trees, on the patio listening to music.  And the new 2007 Lodi Zin seemed to be a hit too!  Thank you for all of you that came to celebrate with us!  It made it all worth while.  And if you missed it…we missed you, so come see us soon!!!!

  I’ve set down with a glass of Albarino to tend to a very overdue update of our blog.  To those of you who faithfully watch for something new, the latest progress, wine and vineyard updates…..I am VERY sorry.  As many of you know, the last month or two (it’s becoming a little foggy and not because of the Albarino!) have been very busy for us dealing with final construction, landscaping, moving and more.  It seems appropriate that as the year’s labors are about to be realized in the vineyards with harvest, our 3 years of labor are about to be realized with the completion of our tasting room.  Finally, no more construction hats are needed!  The walls are painted, the lights hung and even the toilet paper has found its way to the toilet paper holders that I so carefully picked out a few months back.  Yes, all that’s left is some furnishings, some artwork, a little more landscaping and some badly needed office furniture. 

At the beginning of August we rather quietly moved in, trying to figure our way around our new space.  And when we moved in the space it really felt just like that…..a new space.  A rather empty new space.  But, we soon hosted a group from the Society of Wine Educators for tasting and lunch.  And then we had a great night of celebrating the completion of our Tasting Room with our Wine Club.  And very quickly the space felt completely different to me.  It took on a good Vibe.  A space filled with fun times, new relationships and good memories. And this is just the beginning!  I’ve only had a few sips of my Albarino, so you can’t blame the sentimentality on that.  It is heart felt!!

So, now plans are underway for a Grand Opening Weekend, September 19th and 20th.  We hope that we will see you there to help us create more good memories!!!  We will be celebrating between 12 and 5pm.  Should be a fun weekend of Good Wine, Good Food, Good Music and Good Friends!