Grand Opening of the Tasting Room!

This weekend is the official Grand Opening of In Vino Veritas - my new tasting room @ 118 North St in Healdsburg. Both Saturday and Sunday I will be there wine and food in hand - pretty exciting for a small producer like myself and in these times. Hope you can make it out - stop in and let me know you saw this!

So in anticipation of a big weekend and harvest about 4 weeks away, I am trying to relax a little. Right at the moment I am sitting on the deck with a glass of Point Reyes Blanc de Noir bubbly, looking out at my vineyard and making plans to vacation through Oregon. Wine tasting will be mandatory- always great for me to see what the rest of the world is doing from time to time.

Speaking of the vineyard- it is looking really good! The growth is looking balanced, berries smaller than I am used to- but just those two factors are making it look like a good year for Tempranillo winemaking- very excited to see the outcome. Frank is saying that it looks like harvest for this vineyard will be the end of September as we are not seeing the berries change color yet- unusual for this varietal.

Well, I have shrimp to put on the barbie and more bubbly to drink - more to come as harvest is coming! Hope to see you at the tasting room,
The Mustang Winemaker

The Morning After

Another great weekend! Saturday was spent in the new tasting room and Sunday was the TAPAS Grand Tasting event in San Francisco. Today I am back in the winery, a little slower than normal. Almost like having a hangover, though not from alcohol consumption.

The tasting room is doing well in Healdsburg-you always wonder if you are located in the right spot, people will actually buy the wines, do you need more gadgets.............definitely a learning process. I expect that the cool weather and the economy are keeping the amount of traffic down somewhat, only time will tell.

The TAPAS event at Fort Mason yesterday was a hit! Great wine, great Paella provided by Marco Paella, and a fun science demonstration by Schmahl Science who this benefit was for. It was an absolutely beautiful day in the city- perfect for sipping the wonderful Spanish varietals that were presented. This is out second year doing this event and 'we need a bigger boat' to do this again. Little did we anticipate the interest in Tempranillo, Albarino, Touriga,.......I think we are onto something!

In the vineyard, Frank has been out leaf pulling to open up the shoots to allow air flow and light into the canopies. So far the vines are looking very happy- good crop out there so far. Weather has been very cool, and there have been 'threats' of light rain- haven't seen the rain.

It is mid June and harvest is ever present on my mind. Here is a short video from last harvest :



Back to the winery- 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

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

Yippeeee It's Raining - Time for Bottling

The rain has arrived - the lifeblood of the earth and the vineyards! My raingauge at Tres Palmeras has clocked in over 5 inches since my last post. Still not all we would like to see, but certainly way better than where we were seeing ourselves. Still going to put that bucket in the shower, just need to find something to put it into from there.

With the rain comes indoor sports. In the winery that sport is bottling. See Bottling pics. Before bottling there can be many chores-coming out of barrels, possible filtering, lab analysis-alcohol is very important to the government! Then there is the FDA, USDA......that is why some of us turn into chemistry geeks, but we really want to be artists.........

Speaking of filtering- this is something I do try to avoid. Sometimes that means a little sediment in the bottle, but it is worth it knowing that I have good fruit, have minimized my impact on that fruit and since I make red wine which allows me that latitude.

It is not wrong to filter, in fact many times it is the smart thing to do- for white and Rose' wines, generally it cannot be avoided. Those wines are not 'stable' as we refer to them in the winery. That means that sometimes they have a little sugar or malic left in them and microbes. Those things left alone without filtering are looking for a party- fermenting and bubbling- and usually stinky and nasty in a closed bottle. Supposedly that was how champagne originally came about, but these days, a little more control is a good thing.

Well, the barrels are calling- the Mustang Winemaker

Food and Wine for Rainy Day

I asked for rain and I got it - over three inches in the last couple of days. Not torrential rain, but coming down steady enough and windy, hard to go outside even with an umbrella. So that's when I come up with some great food and wine pairings.

Last night was fish stew. Carrots, leeks, corn, roasted red pepper simmering in white wine, with saffron- the smell was incredible! Then cod and crab until cooked.....then cream to round it all out- oh yes, heaven in a bowl.

While waiting for this to cook, I began to think about wine. Looked in the cellar, looked on my cellar spreadsheet and was coming up blank. Then I spied what I felt would be a perfect match- Reisling- a dry Reisling from a very small producer in Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. Lazy Creek Vineyards, 2006 Anderson Valley Reisling- barrel fermented in 10 year old French barrels.

The pairing worked- nice floral aroma, slight citrus and spice with canteloupe flavors in the mouth of the wine balanced the somewhat smoky, earthy aroma of the saffron and roasted peppers.............I am still thinking about it! And with leftovers of the stew for lunch-but without the wine sadly.

The rain is a blessing in more ways than one-kept me indoors to work on the new website- take a peek if you get a chance- coralmustangwine.com -it has been going through more than one change- should probably document the metamorphosis of this project that I thought I would have finished by now. It is a fun project and now I have the ability to make changes to the site when I wish-no not truly a control freak- just a little.

A little bit of news before you go- tasting room is on the horizon- hopefully next month if all goes on schedule.......we all know how construction projects can go! More to come-

The Mustang Winemaker, Penny

Where's the Rain?

It is a gorgeous day!
I just came in from the vineyard- sun is shining, 68F, light breeze.But this definitely concerns me as a winemaker and grower. Plants need water and in Northern Cal. this is the time of year they are supposed to get this commodity for life. My weather station is clocking 7.89 inches so far- more than a couple of inches below average. Tres Palmeras Vineyard Weather is where you can view my weather station for my vineyard. Time to get out and learn rain dancing! The vines are truly dormant this year- it has been pretty cold. That is a good thing, but with days like this they will awaken prematurely meaning possibilities for frost damage to tender buds, early harvest, small harvest.......yes, I am already thinking about the next harvest. But one thing I have learned in my 20+ years of winemaking, ya gotta go with what is dealt and I have to say it means I am never bored with what I do.

Speaking about vineyards, yesterday I tasted the wine I made from my vineyard, Tres Palmeras, and it is truly coming along nicely! Very easy to drink for being so young - beautiful cherry, raspberry, light spice, and pretty light on the smoky component that can be very prevalent in tempranillo. I am very excited about this wine and may be able to bottle it this year if it keeps going in this direction.

It is so warm out, I'm out to pick Meyer Lemons and Oranges that are ripe. Then dinner- roasted pork tenderloin, candied sweet potato, and another side yet to be named. Whaddya think- Pinot?

Cheers, the Mustang Winemaker

Happy Holidays from the Mustang Winemaker

It is Christmas day - a little rainy, a little sunny- a great day!
I have a duck in the oven, some bubbly in the frig - a 2005 Lucas and Lewellyn Brut- crab salad to accompany that- a few green beans, a little Pinot- yet to be named. Best of all I am surrounded by Frank and my critters!

I actually have a few days off, though I am constantly thinking about the wines at the winery. I am going to try to resist the temptation to go in as I deserve the break. Yet, the thoughts persist.

I was speaking with some coworkers and talking about how the wines are alive and everchanging, much like children growing with the different phases of growth. Though wine may not be as elaborate it is still exciting to see how they are evolving. Each vineyard, each variety proceeds in a different direction. Tuesday was spent making sure that they were healthy and happy before I left them. I have spent a lot of time with these 'babies' and it is hard to let go even though my brain knows they will be okay. The thoughts....is that chard lot going through ML, is the Rose' cold stable yet, are the bungs still in the barrels.......just to name a few.

Well, the duck is calling and I really should keep my mind on that.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!
The Mustang Winemaker

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