Vynecrest September wine specials, new wine releases, and harvest update

Harvest update - Traminette has been picked and is in the winery fermenting, and we’ve also finished picking the Pinot Gris and Cayuga. We picked Pinot Noir and crushed it to become a Pinot Noir Dry Rose.

What's new - We have recently released the 2014 Lemberger, Vynecrest White, Vynecrest Red and Riesling.

September Specials 

* Wine of the Month - Summertime Red, additional 10% off 

* Three pack of the month - 3 First Blush for $25

*at winery only, 3 pack can't be combined with other discounts.

September 27 - Vineyard & Winery Tour and Jazz Sunday

Vineyard and Winery tour begins at noon. $5 per person. Tour should wrap up just in time to enjoy some live Jazz music in the Vyneskeller from 1 - 4 pm.

Glass Half Empty by Sam Landis

We started our 39th harvest here at Vynecrest this week and let me tell you there is nothing so romantic, poetic and inspiring as picking, pressing and fermenting the first grapes from a new year's vintage....booooooring.....let's take a quick peak into what "harvest" really is.

Yes, of course there is some inner beauty of growing and producing a future wine right from your own soil. There is the change of seasons and the maturation of the vines from spring through fall. There is the reward of all the hours spent in trying to fine tune 25 acres of grapes each plot of vineyard needing its own specific blueprint. There is the marrying of minds between the Vineyard Manager John and the Winemaker Malachi. There are notes, numbers, graphs and data to ensure the when that stem is clipped and that bunch of grapes falls into our press we have done the best we can for that future wine.

Then there is the other 90 percent of harvest which entails doing the same thing over and over and over. Once all of the intellectual capital is expended harvest really is all about shutting your mind off and becoming a robot. Set up, pick up, lift up, stack up, clean up, repeat. Mind you, this is not that terrible a thing in the least. You would be amazed at how quickly 10-12 hours disappears when you are not tethered to your iPhone, iPad or laptop (which I am as guilty of as anyone). It's actually incredibly liberating and lends itself to the best eight weeks of every year.

When a telemarketer calls to try and set up a meeting I tell them "Sorry, it's harvest season." 

Trash night at my house... "Sorry, it's harvest season." 

Can you do a special free tasting for our club, you will get such great exposure... "Sorry, it's harvest season." 

Sam, you are up on this month's newsletter write up... "Sorry, it's harvest season."

60 percent of the time it works every time.

Jam at Blues in the Barn this weekend at Pinnacle Ridge

2012 BLUES IN THE BARN

Saturday, September 8 - noon - 7 p.m.
Sunday, September 9 - noon - 7 p.m.

Pinnacle Ridge is celebrating the harvest weekend with a bang! Live music, good eats, great vibes, and wonderful people. Our annual Blues in the Barn event is finally here. Our favorite chef, Ben Underwood, will offer some of his famous savory pulled pork sandwiches for sale as well as other delicious munchies. Wine will be available for purchase both by the bottle and the glass.

On Saturday, The Wallace Brothers will kick off the event at noon and play until 3 p.m.  We had the pleasure of jamming with The Wallace Brothers in July and can't wait to hear their set list this month. The Mighty Manatees will take the stage from 3:30 -7 p.m. We will be staying open later than usual to enjoy the festivities.

We are excited for the return of the James Supra Blues Band who will be performing on Sunday.  We had a blast the first time they played at Pinnacle Ridge back in June and can't wait for this Sunday's rockin' performance. We also welcome the Kelchner Brothers back who have performed at previous Blues in the Barn events.

Summer is nearing an end which also means an end to our summer concert series. We thank all who have joined us the past two months and encourage those who have missed the last shows to swing in for the final performance on Saturday, October 6 from 2 - 5 p.m. with Jack Murray and the Midnight Creeps.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-Murray-the-Midnight-Creeps

HARVEST 2012 - HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Harvest commenced on Thursday, August 30, much earlier than normal. This is only the second time that we have picked fruit in August in our 20-year harvest history (the other year was 2010). We started with Cayuga for our Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine and we picked Pinot Noir for our Brut Rose on Friday, August 31.

The early harvest was caused by an early bud break in April caused by warm weather in March and April, and also by continued warm weather in June and July (remember those beastly hot days in early July?).  All of this heat promotes the early ripening of the grapes resulting in an early harvest. Early harvests generally provide riper fruit than later harvests with riper flavors, lower acids and higher sugars, with higher alcohol in the finished wine. The wines tend to be softer, fatter and fuller than cooler years. We especially like the red wines from these warmer, earlier harvests (think 2010, 2007 and 2001).

We are set up for a beautiful harvest and now our main concern is weather and pests, most notably birds.  Hurricanes are the single biggest weather concerns. The remnants of Isaac are scheduled to slide through the area in early September so we'll see what that brings and, as of right now, no other serious threats are in the forecast. Keep your fingers crossed, and with a little luck we'll have another fabulous vintage like 2010 or 2007.