Tiny Vineyards Wine Company LLC
Yikes! It's all starting to feel kinda real.
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. — W.H. Murray (Scottish Himalayan Expedition)
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Howdy folks. After a sorely needed summer break—during which a LOT happened—the Tiny Vineyards newsletter is bursting with news! Let me tick through the headlines.
Formed the Tiny Vineyards Wine Company
I am proud to announce that on June 22nd I received notice from the California Secretary of State’s office of the official formation of the Tiny Vineyards Wine Company, LLC. Let the games begin!
My mission statement goes something like this: The Tiny Vineyards Wine Company strives to be a quintessential example of excellence in small-lot, boutique winemaking. It produces ultra-premium, naturally made wines, all handcrafted from the grapes of exceptional, privately owned tiny vineyards; small select blocks from renowned, slightly larger vineyards; or sometimes only a single row of a historically acclaimed vineyard—all selected for their small-lot magnificence!
Contracted with Magnolia Wine Services
On June 23rd I signed a contract with Magnolia Wine Services of Sonoma to provide custom crush, storage and bonding services that allow me to make legal, commercial wine beginning this fall. Stay tuned for more on these guys (they’re great!), the permitting process, the grapes I’m going to pick, and the wine I’m going to make.
Completed Chemistry Class!
Yeah, I’ve heard enough about chemistry too. Just suffice it to say that on June 27th I took the course final. Got an 89%, which was enough to just squeak by with an A for the course. Mission accomplished.
No more schooling until the very end of September, when the second course for the overall UC Davis Wine Certificate Program begins. It’s “Production,” and it takes place right in the middle of, yep, production. We’ll see how that goes.
Bought Six French Oak Barrels
On June 29th I picked up six used, 60-gallon French oak barrels that were being sold by Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery in Napa. It’s common practice for the bigger wineries to sell used barrels after just one vintage, and a godsend for the little guys like me to be able to buy premium wood at a fraction ($200) of the cost of a new barrel ($1,200). These single vintage barrels, which have only been used one time, are still quite good for at least two more vintages and then as neutral (no longer contributing much in the way of oak attributes to the wine) aging containers going forward.
Assistant winemaker James Revie and his crew at Spottswoode couldn’t have been nicer in helping me select what I needed and then get it loaded to bring back to Sonoma. In fact, several other winemakers also extended assistance and assurance in what, for me, was a big leap of faith into their world. Ken Wornick of Dysfunctional Family Winery offered the use of his trailer to transport the barrels, Jack Sporer of Magnolia Wine Services met me at his custom crush to unload the barrels by forklift and get them prepped for the upcoming harvest, and Bill Nachbaur of Acorn Winery sold me some used barrel racks for cheap.
I’ve read a lot about fellow winemakers helping each other out instead of keeping a competitive arm’s length. I’ve certainly experienced that amongst home winemakers, but wasn’t sure what to expect at the commercial level. So far, though, it’s been nothing but encouragement and a helping hand. Which is really inspiring as I’ve grown tired of that oft-repeated joke—How do you make a small fortune in the wine industry? Start with a large one!—coming from those perhaps not committed enough to take that first step.
Established the Brand (quite literally)
When you buy a wine barrel, the cooper generally has his cooperage name and logo, the year the barrel was made, and perhaps specific barrel designations burnt deep into the wood on the head. It’s very cool looking and I really wanted to do something similar for Tiny Vineyards Wine Company. So, when I came across a guy in Ukraine who makes branding irons I couldn’t resist.
I’ll still need a bit of practice learning to get the heat high enough and the timing and pressure just right, but my brands are getting better and I’m getting just about brave enough to apply them to those righteous barrels I just bought.
So, what’s next?
During my summer hiatus Deb and I were never far from vineyard-related activities. For my birthday we flew falcons and learned all about how they are being used (apparently quite successfully) to scare grape-eating pests out of the vineyards as the berries get ripe (watch for a post on this soon!).
We took a long road trip out to Colorado and then up to Oregon, all the while dodging smoke and heat domes, and looking for grape growing/gathering opportunities. Colorado has an emerging viticulture and wine scene in areas along the Western Slope like Palisade and Paonia. The terroir and temperature can be favorable and I’m convinced the place could become the next Malbec stronghold if it can just avoid weather anomalies.
They’ve had severe freak cold snaps (try a 70° to 9° drop in just hours!) prior to the last two harvests, resulting in high vine mortality of almost all varietals, and almost no fruit this fall. Climate change? Puts a bit of a damper on sussing out some vineyard land there.
We sampled Pinots through the better parts of Oregon, and even checked out a new vineyard my cousin bought in Hood River. Nice grapes for sure, but lacking the infrastructure for a satellite operation. At least for now.
Driving down the Oregon coast and back into Northern California wine country shook us out of our overly ambitious daydreams and reaffirmed our commitment to Sonoma. It’s still the best place—probably in the world—to make wine, and for that we are thankful. But we’re going to have a tough year here as well, with a historic drought in the works and an impending fire season of unfathomable possibility.
We woke up to smoky skies and bad air quality for the first time this year on Friday, and news that another entire California town has been burnt off the map. Already vineyards as near as Dry Creek are having their water curtailed and yields across the state are predicted to be deeply affected. I see it as I walk through the vineyards I’ve contracted with for grapes this year; berries are small and underdeveloped in places, sometimes shriveling up before they get fully formed. Irrigation is reduced, and I’ve already had to tie up flash tape to scare birds that seem to be coming early this year, perhaps in search of moisture from the fruit as much as for the seed.
But despite the doom and gloom, for the most part it all still feels possible. Where the grapes are good, they’re really good—and who knows, putting grape vines through stress is thought to result in better, more flavorful grapes and ultimately wine. We’re well into veraison now, the changing in grape color from green to purple and the onset of ripening. If we can just hang in there and dodge a few bullets, harvest is just a month or two away depending on the varietal.
Here are a few photographs I took yesterday in several of the vineyards I will pick this fall. Just think of the amazing wine these grapes are going to make!
Hey! Hope all
Is good! Enjoyed this written piece. Especially since I am in Norway and feeling so far away. Crossing g fingers for what’s the next few months will bring.