Is it Winter or Summer or How to Confuse the Vineyard

What can I say- it is either 85F in January or now below freezing with snow flurries. The vines started plumping their buds with the warmth, now they don't know whether to sleep or grow! So far lots of water this year, let's hope that continues. Want to see the bizarre weather check it out - Weather at Tres Palmeras/Coral Mustang Wines.

Still trying to finish wines off in the cellar even at this late date. With the late grapes came molds and bacteria that tend to stifle fermentations- definitely a challenge. Overall, I wouldn't say a stellar vintage, but certainly not as bad as many anticipated. The weather conditions last year kept the grapes from gaining too much sugar, but did allow them to mature in flavor- not the usual scenario for California, more like what you would see in more northern climes. Very exciting to see where the wines are landing after a very anxiety driven harvest.

Still working out the details for the Wine Club- I am a partner in another wine venture called Nuestro Vino where I make Sparkling. So working on a few details that may include some of those wines that I make as well. I will be updating my website www.coralmustang.com soon!

FoodWine ListServ - New Cookbook - I have to put in a plug for a new cookbook that features recipes from an incredible group of people that have listed together for about 20 years. As a member my paella was nominated, then passed the taste test and made it into this book! To celebrate, the book was featured at a signing in Marin and several Foodstocks. What a great time!

Well, it's time to go back to the cellar where time seems to fly!
Cheers, the Mustang Winemaker

It is Wine Event time of the Year!

The vineyards are growing strong, the wines are resting in barrel, taxes are done, summer is nearly here- now it is time for wine tasting events. Next month there are a few that I will be attending:

TAPAS Grand Tasting - June 5 at the Herbst Pavilion in Ft Mason-The consumer tasting will run from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Consumer tickets are available at tapas2010.eventbrite.com . The most extensive annual tasting of domestically produced Spanish and Portuguese varietal wines in North America along with great food- can you say Paella?

The Monterey Wine Festival - a multi day event June 11-12 in Monterey. There is a great evening event in the Aquarium- giving you a great chance to see the Seahorse exhibit!

CigarBQ - June 19th at the SaraLee vineyard in Santa Rosa. This benefits the YWCA of Sonoma County- a fun event whether you are into cigars or just tasting wines along with some great food vendors from the area.

A busy month, but a fun break from the winery and a chance to share the fruits of our labors.

Back to wine talk- the vineyards are looking pretty good considering there have been below average day and night time temps, but above average rain. The real effects of the temperature and the rain will be better viewed next month when we can see the fruit coming on. We are also dealing with the Grape Moth quarantines taking place in Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa counties. It has not made its way to the Tres Palmeras Vineyard, but the line is not far away. Big debates on how best to deal with this critter, especially for the organic vineyards which are becoming more prevalent. This really brings home the effects of bringing in plants, animals, insects, etc. that are not indigenous to an area and how quickly they can take over when their natural inhibitors are not present.

I hope to see some of you next month- or if you are in Healdsburg, stop by the tasting room- In Vino Veritas- and taste some wine and if I am not at an event I will be there as well!

The Mustang Winemaker, Penelope

The Long Harvest is Over- time for Beer!

This has been the longest harvest that I have ever been through.....and survived! I don't think I really saw summer, being buried in grapes, and now it is cold and frosty outside and cold and frosty inside - outside due to the weather, inside because cold stabilization for whites and sparklers is happening. The longevity of harvest this year was because we had a cool summer and the grapes were able to sit on the vines a little longer- truly mature. Those that waited, even with threats of rain, were rewarded with great flavors in their grapes.

My home vineyard, Tres Palmeras, is a great example of waiting for the flavors to develope rather than going by previous years picking schedules or lab numbers- picked about two weeks later than average and the wine is truly spectacular. The hard work and patience has paid of in the depth of fruit in this wine- can't wait to share it!

During this harvest I had the opportunity to represent California winemaking in Hong Kong- the Coral Mustang was there! What I learned was how fierce the competition is with France, but that there is definitely a yearning for something new and from the US, California in particular. A very different experience for me being immersed in International Trade, one that I will never forget.

My winemaking job at Rack and Riddle Custom Wine Services has teamed up with Crush Pad to do sparkling wine, what a fun adventure! In the process found out that some of you are anxiously awaiting your bubblies. Here is an interview I did with VinVillage Radio talking about the bubble program and about Coral Mustang- VinVillage Radio Interview.

This years Tempranillo almost ready for the long nap in barrels, still completing malolactic fermentation- should be ready by Christmas. If anyone is out this way- please feel free to call- barrel and bottle tasting are always at hand.

I hope that you visit the tasting room in Healdsburg as well- I plan to be there most Saturdays. I am also having some holiday specials-
2005 Rose' - $30/ case,
two pack gift box - one bottle 2005 Rose, one bottle 2005 Tempranillo - $20
three pack gift box - one bottle 2005 Rose', two bottles 2005 Tempranillo - $35
Perfect gifts for the season to bring to your friends, relatives, or treat yourself! 707-536-6339 or the tasting room at 118 North St. Healdsburg, CA.

Well, the wines are calling me back- the Mustang Winemaker

Bloom is Here and Gone

Tres Palmeras is in full bloom- Frank went out and took these pictures and you can actually see the little flowers!

So far the vineyards are looking pretty good- after two not so great years of crop, the vines are ready to go with all that they have. Lots of shoots, lots of clusters = lots of fruit. We are beginning to see what harvest will yield.

In Vino Veritas Coop Tasting room is open, though I am still waiting for the final stamp of approval which I am told should happen any minute. Had the ABC website up all day to see if it would happen- much like watching a pot come to boil.....

Events:
This weekend, June 5,6,7, is taste of the Alexander Valley. The Tasting room will be participating since there a re a couple of us with wines from this appellation. Keeping my fingers crossed to have some barrel samples to debut Tres Palmeras vineyard.

June 14th is the TAPAS Grand Tasting at Fort Mason! Last years event was at Copia and it was fantastic! A chance to see what Spanish and Portuguese varietals do in California and they do well. I want to thank the volunteers that will be helping out on the 14th- THANK YOU! I can't say that enough. Also, I believe there is a discount if you say you know Coral Mustang- tickets are still available.

Will back to the cellar- the Mustang Winemaker, Penny

Packed Weekend

It is Sunday evening - Frank and I are finally sitting- on the deck Mojito in hand. Yesterday was CigarBQ and it was hot - damn hot! Even the red wines were in the cooler and it was hot enough to wonder if there was any wine worth drinking without an ice cube.........wish I would have brought my plastic cubes that I keep in the freezer just for days like that.

Thank you! to our friend Blaine for taking the photo- a fellow Tempranillo fan that is getting ready to plant some vines in the Russian River that could one day end up in our RRV appellation wines.

Today is another scorcher- >100F in some spots. I had a tasting room meeting earlier today and one of the winery owners vineyard sensors were lighting up his phone like fire alarms. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler-let's hope so. The Tempranillo vines in Tres Palmeras vineyard are days away from bloom-hopefully they are not getting fried! It did reach 98F here.......

Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and I will be off with the family, though still near a computer! The following weekend my 30 day wait for my tasting room license will be done and a license issued-then let the tasting room fun begin. The weekend after that will be Taste of Alexander Valley- I will have some wine from my Tres Palmeras vineyard there-futures anyone? The following week is the TAPAS grand tasting- I am lining up volunteers-so far have about 12 - let me know if you would be interested and I will be getting the coordination of tasks going!

Cheers and I hope to see in the tasting room soon- the Mustang Winemaker

Tasting Room Opening this Month

This is an exciting time for me- something I really wasn't sure would become reality....my wine in a tasting room!

The New tasting Room is on 118 North Street in Healdsburg, California - Vino Veritas. For those of you that know Healdsburg it is across the street from the Raven theatre. There are six of us sharing this space with myself being the only Tempranillo and the only Tempranillo Rose' in the house. There is great artwork on the walls by the man, Ken Schilling, that started this venture by getting the investors needed, getting the permits, and working to make the space 'livable'.

The other wineries are Kelly-Young, Hook and Ladder, Milano, Marcucci, and Kenneth Schilling. Nice cross section of varietals and styles-something for everyone. Will have to start thinking about bringing in some bubbly-about the only thing we are lacking at the moment!

On the Coral Mustang front- this coming weekend Coral Mustang will be at CigarBQ. Then next month is the second annual TAPAS event- in between will be grand opening of the tasting room.

Hope I will see some of you at these great events!
The Mustang Winemaker

Two More Inches of Rain=Happy Grapevines

We have had a nice bit of rain here in Sonoma County-actually saw the Russian River rise and it was muddy. Even with the rainfall, here in Cloverdale we are on water rationing and making decisions on the water regimen for the vineyards as well as ourselves-very short showers these days! Check out my weather station data for rainfall udpates- Palomino Lakes/Tres Palmeras Vineyard

Aside from the weather I attended a great event at the Sonoma Mission Inn supporting the YWCA -what a great event-Women, Wine, and Cheese benifits the YWCA women's shelter and features women winemakers and cheesemakers. An auction lot of wines made by the winemakers there landed $4,000 - not bad!

There is another Benefit coming up May 16 - Cigar BQ -always a great event whether you are into cigars or not- great wines, great foods, and it all goes to charity- what a great mix!

Not much to report on the wines- they have all finished with their '2nd' or malolactic fermentation and are resting peacefully in barrels.

Pending licensing, the tasting room is a go! I and 4 other wineries have joined together to have a tasting room in Healdsburg- Yippeee! The room is across from the Raven theatre - 118 North St.
Will be having a Grand Opening the first part of June- but will be open for some limited tasting beginning this weekend.

Well, the cellar is calling-
Cheers from the Mustang Winemaker

San Diego- Here comes the Mustang Winemaker!

I have a love/hate relationship with events........I love the travel, meeting new and old friends, sharing my wines. I 'hate' that I have to sell my wines- it is exhausting! I am not alone as a winemaker in this feeling- we love the excitement, but wish the wines would sell themselves. So, we learn a little about the ropes of selling. But we know that the people we are presenting the wines to, know that we don't have a clue about this part of the business. Did that all make sense?? In fact many of them wish that they did not have to deal with our passion, but would rather taste and then discuss business. And then there is the lingo....I still have much to learn.

I have gotten away from events some as I have drifted off to the retailers and brokers. Sunday Mar 15 is the first Family Winemakers event in Del Mar, California. So far, the number of tickets and responses has been very good. This organization has been doing this type of event in Pasadena for a few years and in San Francisco for more years. For me, I see how small I am in the big world of wine. But it also shows that I am a rebel in that big world. I make and sell TEMPRANILLO- the fifth most widely grown grape in the world. That's exciting- now I need to sell it to San Diego!

I hope I see some of you there- and if you know of any shops or restaurants that I should present my wines to- give a holler- we need to spread the word TEMPRANILLO!

The Mustang Winemaker

PS- I will be blogging and videoing the event and my adventures to the southland-stay tuned

Pruning Time in the Vineyard

As the cycle of the new year begins, pruning the old wood off the vines is the first course of business. There are many considerations as you move along the vines looking at the old shoots to determine what to cut and what to leave on the vine. And then there is the climate and soil that need to be taken into account as well. Generally I like to leave a fist size space in between the 'spurs' where the new shoots will emerge. Then on each spur decide which shoot is the least healthy and remove it and cut the remaining old shoot down to 2-3 buds. For very vigorous varieties, like Tempranillo, two shoots are left on with two buds to help keep the vigor in the vine to the growth needed for fruit instead of just leafy growth. But the vines need enough leafy growth to make sure that there is enough energy to grow and ripen the fruit........a lot of thought into every vine!

This year is looking to be truly a drought year- 50% down from where we should be at this time of the year. Maintenance of the roots is vital right now, so light irrigation is being started to make sure the vines are healthy enough to start their growing season. Thoughts as to a modified irrigation schedule for the summer is already being planned with the knowledge that we may only be able to keep them healthy enough to survive. It is going to be a long road this year and if the weather continues to be light on rain, will be little fruit to harvest- yes, I am already anticipating harvest.

On another note, I just returned from Sacramento from attending the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium. I did not attend any of the seminars, but did get a chance to hit the trade show looking at new equipment, catching up with friends in the industry, and thanking those vendors that I have worked with. This event is also the time that the annual TAPAS meeting is held. This year it was announced that I have been elected to the board- quite an honor for me- to be chosen to work with a team dedicated to promoting the Tempranillo grape as well as varieties that are grown traditionally in the countries of Portugal and Spain. This organization has grown enough to be recognized by other countries growing this variety and would like to join us in our efforts. This is pretty exciting to get this type of recognition and I am looking forward to working with the representatives to see what we can do together to promote Tempranillo around the world.

Well, it is time to get back to my favorite part of winemaking- end of the month and year paperwork...........time for a glass of Tempranillo!

The Mustang Winemaker

The Day After-Tempranillo Anyone?

Good Morning!
Yesterday does mark a beginning for our nation-one that I am again proud to be a part of. I actually celebrated the day with a 1992 Roederer L'Ermitage accompanied by steamed clams and mussels in pear cider, spinach salad, and crusty sourdough bread. Let me tell you, the bubbly was incredible- a golden hue showing its age. The aroma was nutty hazelnut, slight caramel, butter, some warm spice-maybe cardamon. Then in the mouth- beautiful creamy feel from the fine bubbles, balanced-not too tart, not too sweet, some more caramel- yummy! And with the steamers.....great way to start and to remember this historic day.

I am also optimistic that this will open up the door to a few more changes. One of them is how and what people drink. I make something different- Tempranillo wines. I know the tide is changing-though Cabernet is still king. How much longer will the king reign when there are so many other options for red wine? Don't get me wrong, I like Cabernet and make Cabernet for clients. But it is also one of the hardest wines to pair with food and drinking it without food, well not my cup of coffee.

So on this beginning- get out there and try something different- Tempranillo for everyone!

The Mustang Winemaker

Starting Off the Year

It's raining and with the rain I think of indoor activities like making videos. Well, watching more than making. But over the course of the last year I figured out that my phone could take videos. The video attached is my first effort at trying to show the disgorging process. This will just be a small part, an appetizer, until I can get the rest of them in the correct format.

I am also attaching a photo taken of me hand disgorging as I did not have a saber to do a real show on opening a sparkling wine. Crowd loved it- I was a mess and had to change before I could get back to lunch. But it was a kick- I love showing people this and then tasting the wine- yes! It is one of my life's little pleasures.

So a new start in my blog posts, more vids of what I do as a Winemaker and life in general. I was contemplating doing a what I do in the day of.....still working on the details of how to make that work, but I will.

The start of the year also means cleaning up the end of the previous year- inventories, taxes, reports to different agencies. Not good video, but some of the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly tasks that not many of us do.

It's a good thing that it rains this time of the year.

Cheers from the Mustang Winemaker

PS-stay tuned, new website is starting to look pretty good!

Happy New Year! and 1st Post of the Year!

It has begun - 2009! And I can feel it in my bones, even with the economic outlook, I know it will be a good and exciting year.

I have learned a lot this past year with a new winery working as the winemaker as well as progress with my own brand. Talks will begin on the possibility of a shared tasting room, wine club to begin soon and a new website will be up by the end of the day. Now it is time to put what I've learned into place. But keeping up with sales and marketing and advances in winemaking techniques is a never ending process. What I put into place will need to be updated on much more regular basis-not impossible, but will be a priority. Websites like Catavino
and Open Wine Consortium have been great sources - I can't thank them enough.

The holiday has given me the chance to get back to my kitchen, my source of relaxation. Lamb roast with mustard paired with a Norman Zin, Filet Mignon with a Jordan Cab, Paella with my Temp......heaven! One day was spent going out to Tomales Bay to Cowgirl Creamery for cheese and fresh bread then onto Hog Island Oyster for fresh kumi's and sweetwaters - take all of this to the beach- YES!
Tonight is rack of lamb with a blackberry and mustard glaze, sauteed green beans with grape tomatoes and feta. I am thinking about a Tempranillo from Baja Mexico to have with it - Valmar.

My reflections on the past are generally short as I am always moving forward - learn from it and move on - so here's cheers for the new year to all!

The Mustang Winemaker

Grape Harvest Over?

The grape vines think it is!
This is what the vineyards are looking like now, getting ready for the big sleep of winter. There is still a little green, but for the most part the reds and yellows are kickin' in. Where I am in Hopland there is another color- brown- due to the frost damage that happened here after the vines were already putting out their crop. Mother Nature was tough this year on growers. For the first two months of harvest I was getting the phone calls of "well, thought I was going to have 50 tons, only have 10"- happened across the board with large and small. There are some small wineries that didn't have grapes to bring in.

Hopland is in Mendocino County, California. The smoke here was horrendous with the fires that were happening north of us- settling into the valleys. I have to admit, when I first heard the words 'smoke taint' - I poo-poo'd it as another ploy for some kind of wine services. But now I have seen it first hand- it does exist! It is interesting how it has exibited itseld in different varities. In some wines it is a beautiful smoky oak, in others a burnt rubber that can also be found in some french oak barrels. There has been a running 'joke' that there will not be the need for as much oak- between the smoke taint and the lack of grapes there may be some truth to this.

On a different note- I had a suggestion form a fellow vintner to promote the seahorse. I love seahorses- they are fascinating creatures! I have my seahorse logo now featured on logo wear at CafePress- go to http://www.cafepress.com/coralmustang
For every shirt, hat, whatever, I will be donating $2.00 to Project Seahorse (http://seahorse.fisheries.ubc.ca/). This is a great organization dedicated to the preservation of seahorses and their habitat. Some of you know that my first major in college was marine biology. I went a different course, but my heart is still with the ocean.

Time to get back to fermenting wine, but dreamin' seahorses,
The Mustang Winemaker

Blogging and Wine- #WBC 2008

Good Morning- fall is definitely in the air and showing in the vineyards! October- festivals, Halloween, and the debut of the Wine Bloggers Conference. I have to say this was one of the best events I have ever attended- a time well spent meeting fellow bloggers that I follow as well as catch up with others that helped me get started with blogging. This was technically a conference and there were some very good seminars about how to use blogs, how to write a blog, where, when, how.

This was an unusual conference in that it also had a wine tasting component to it- in fact more than one. Tasting to help hone the skills of those in the blogging and writing world. This was also great press for those wineries that could submit their wines.

As a Winemaker this was an odd place for me because I am a Winemaker- I don't write for a living. Although I have to say after this conference it made me wonder if this was something I could do- no grape skins under the fingernails, no wine stains (except from the occasionally spillage from tasting), no smells of the fermenters, walking in the vineyards..........well, maybe there could be. But I was reminded of the solitary existence that many writers have by Alice Feiring- who did an incredible job addressing the highly animated blogger crowd.

So, I will continue to make wine- what I know best- and keep blogging to bring my world hopefully into yours.

Back to the wine- Cheers,
The Mustang Winemaker

Tempranillo Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the first day of the Mustang Winemakers grapes! Keep your eyes open along the 101 from Paso Robles to Hopland for the white half ton bins with the seahorses on them-you will see my esposo driving the grapes the 5-6 hour drive up.

I will take pics and post them over the weekend. Then the real fun begins- crush and destem to a stainless steel tank. Then cold soak for a couple of days. Next is the yeast - T73 a Valencia strain that works nicely for me. A week of great smelling fermentation. When finished the juice will be drained and the skins press lightly to about 1.2 bar depending on the taste and mouthfeel.

So, let the games begin!
The Mustang Winemaker- happy, happy, happy

2008 Harvest Update- Coral Mustang and More

Well, it seems like forever since I blogged!
Just got in from another day of harvest with my day job at Rack and Riddle. So far things are going well. Crop is light, but the fruit coming in looks good.

Friday will be my second harvest of my own grapes at R&R- yippee! Vista Creek Vineyards grapes clocked in at 23.5 this last weekend, so Friday I am calling them in. This is always an exciting time for me- a new vintage. Even though I have worked with this vineyard for almost 5 years now, it is like a new start every year.

I hope to bring in a Russian River vineyard the following week- a new vineyard for me that I have been watching for four years and patiently waiting for. My own Tres Palmeras vineyard should be ready next week as well. This will be the third year that I have gotten these grapes and this looks like it will be a good one.

I will be trying out some new barrels on this vintage-experimentation is good. Since I am working with several clients I have had the opportunity to try some barrels that I might not otherwise have been able to try out. Nice when you can see how they work on other wines before you try them on your own!

I have gotten a little time to do some phone video'ing and when I learn what I need to do to download them, I will be posting them- hopefully this weekend.

The weather has been perfect for the grapes- a few HOT days thrown in, which gets everyone moving wondering if the vines that go into shutdown during those hot days will recover. With the drought conditions, this can be real concern. A lot of watering going on.

Time to get some shuteye- 5a comes early,
The Mustang Winemaker, Penny

I Spy Wine!

Yippeeee! Coral Mustang has been spied by the Wine Spies http://thewinespies.com/
You need to check them out-a new wine everyday-found or discovered stealthily by the Agents. Their mission, should they agree to take it, is to find great wines that are not 'mainstream' and bring them to you along with great information about the wine.

This is a busy time of the year- grapes are growing and events are fermenting. The Mustang Winemaker will be seen at :

COPIA- Aug8/9, 2008 for Grapes indigenous to Spain- - -Grown into Wines in the USA- - -Informative Seminars, Featuring a Walk-around Winetasting August 8/9, 1:00 – 4:30 pm
http://www.tapasociety.org/

Family Winemakers of California 18th Annual Tasting
Sunday, August 24, and Monday, August 25
Festival Pavilion
Fort Mason Center, San Francisco

The event at COPIA will be all about Iberian varietals-tasting included. This will be a fun and educational weekend, put this one on your calendar!

Family Winemakers is a great organization for small wineries like myself. They spend much time working on legislation that help wineries and growers. They never rest! This event features many wineries and the chance to taste a variety of wine in one place. Please stop by and say hello!

Well, off to the wines- stay tuned- a video on disgorging sparkling wine is in the works-Cheers

WBW and Other Wine Fun

There has been so much going on the past couple of weeks: a lot of new construction with my day job winery, work in the vineyards, a few wine events, and the grand tasting of wine for WBW, or Wine Blog Wednesday (www.winebloggingwednesday.org/).-theme this month was old World Reisling.

The 2006 Max Ferd Reisling was the wine for review-part of the 3-pack order from domaine547.com - Thank you!
The bottle sells for $13- $15 dollars according to my limited search of this wine. What a fun label from this German producer and you do not need a cork pull.
As usual I did have to come up with a food to have with this wine and decided on a grilled shrimp and scallops that had been marinated in a little olive oil and hot spanish paprika.

This was a really interesting wine for me as I haven't had that many German reislings. The first aroma out of the glass was a little fusel oil and then citrus flower, light spice, and kiwi with mango that really burst out of the glass. In the mouth- pure pink grapefruit. Really fun- though a little one dimensional in the mouth for me- no mid or finish, but at 10% alcohol, well it was pretty pleasant. I had a kind of love/hate with this wine as the 'fusel' aroma was a little much for me, but I loved the other aromas and I loved the grapefruit flavor.

This was not a bad match with my skewers- the scallops better that the shrimp, in fact excellent with the scallops. I kept thinking that I should have done a grapefruit buerre blanc with the scallops- might have been fun.

Tomorrow I will talk more about the events I have gotten myself to the last couple of weeks.
But before I go- Bloom has started in the Tres Palmeras vineyard here in Cloverdale! Harvest is around the corner........

Cheers to good food, good friends, and family,
The Mustang Winemaker

Tempranillo Hits Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento California!

What an exciting time! Tempranillo is making the news in the grape growing world. This was made clear at a seminar that was presented at the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium that takes place on the west coast once a year -http://www.unifiedsymposium.org/ The TAPAS organization was approached (http://www.tapasociety.org/) to organize this seminar and it was very well done. There were several grape growers in the crowd that wanted to know how, when, and where to plant Tempranillo. This is very good news to those of us who love this grape and the wines that come from them.

This was also the time for the annual meeting of the TAPAS organization. New officers were introduced and wines from those in the group were shared. This was a great time for me to acquaint/reacquaint myself with other members and talk about the trials and tribulations of this varietal.

This month you will see some updates to my website which is always sadly neglected during harvest. Please stop by and let me know what you think- http://www.coralmustang.com/
I also want to invite you to the e-newsletter that has wine specials and new recipes that I have fine tuned to go with my wines.

That's all for now- see you all next week- Cheers to good food, good wine, and good friends,
The Mustang Winemaker

Into the New Year We Go! Drink More Tempranillo!

Happy New Year All!

Over the last couple of weeks I have had the chance to make some new blog friends, look at changes to the website and see where I need to go to get Coral Mustang out to more of the wine world-it is not easy being small and a producer of a varietal that many don't know yet-but I love being on that forefront-bringing something new and wonderful. Changes to the website should be showing up any day!

You will see some new links off to the right, and down the page will be the latest Wine TV spots-Gary brings a great new perspective on wine-this is truly innovation for the wine and tech world to merge. There was also a great podcast and blog discussion about where wine blogs are going:
http://winecast.net/2007/12/19/unfiltered-7-wine-blogging-today/
http://www.catavino.net/2007/12/12/wine-blogging-in-2007-how-far-have-we-come/
I would love to hear any comments!

So on to winemaking!
The wines are in resting phase at this point-in barrels and waiting for the day that they are ready to be bottled. My wines generally do not go through any fining (example eggwhites), but I always like to keep that option as it is still a natural process-people do this same procedure with soups to clarify them. The direction the wines are going this year, I don't see that they are going to need anything except some time to age. The vineyard here in Sonoma County has seen 5 inches of rain in the past few days- this is a good thing! It has also been cold- another good thing. The vines need the rest-as they are in hibernation mode they are not using much energy to survive, thus leaving the strength for the growing season. And that will be here before you know it.

Please contact me if you would like the latest e-newsletter- it has great information about Coral Mustang Wines as well as wine specials-penelope@coralmustang.com or see the signup area on the website www.coralmustang.com.

Until next week- cheers to the New Year- The Mustang Winemaker