’Tis the beginning of blending trials season and shortly we will put our minds and senses to sparkling wine dosage trials.  The wines have been resting en tirage (in bottle resting on the lees) which gives shape to the character of the wine.  Before final bottling, the bottles will be gradually turned and lifted so that the solids end up in the neck.  At final bottling, that plug will be frozen and disgorged prior to fitting the bottle with final cork and the muselet (the wire cage that holds the cork).  Backing up a step, disgorging the plug means that the bottle has lost 10-15 ml of wine which we must replace.  This is our final opportunity to influence the style of the wine.  We have two main choices; what wine should we use (it doesn’t have to be the sparkling wine) and whether to add sugar to the dosage.  In our case, we have generally used one of our Chardonnays as the dosage wine and 4 – 6 grams per liter of sugar.  Both of these choices are intended to influence mouthfeel.  4 – 6 grams of sugar puts us in the Extra Brut category.  You won’t notice the presence of sweetness, but the sugar will balance the high acidity of the wine in the front and mid-palate.  Using a small amount of Chardonnay from a few vintages back will also add a bit more depth to the wine.  You’d be amazed at how many trials we will go through (thank you Emily) and we may well go through multiple sessions before we reach a conclusion.  After that, we all wait in anticipation until the final result is released later this year.  More later…

I am writing this from Vermont, not because Donna and I had planned to be here, but because after three years we tested positive for Covid.  I was sure we were super-resistors because we’d managed to avoid the virus for so long but it seems believing something does not make it so.  It’s a good lesson for us that reviewing our assumptions regularly helps to make sure that we believe to be true actually is.  For example, we farm Biodynamic and that causes us to employ certain farming practices.  From observation, I believe that our vineyard has improved from this practice, but we still also test the soil, and vines, capture data on yields, and disease, as well as use our sensory abilities to determine if the wine we are making benefits from these practices. The same is true with our bringing sheep on to the vineyard.  They’re as adorable as heck, but we also want to be sure that they are a benefit and not causing harm to the vineyard in some unintended way.  So, for me, the next step is to try to figure out what other magical thinking I might be employing, and give them a revisit.  More later…

Today is International Women’s Day.
The theme for 2023 is #EmbraceEquity
www.internationalwomensday.com

Imagine a gender equal world.

A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated.

Together we can forge women’s equality.

Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity

Winderlea continues to build a workplace where women thrive.  Winderlea is led in the vineyard, the winery, the lab, the tasting room, operations and marketing by these talented and dedicated women.

You’ve probably seen the B Corp logo on our bottles and boxes and you’ve probably heard the promise of B Corp businesses as “a force for good.”  We do that by emphasizing the treatment of our “people” our “place” and our community and not only profits.  But, what does this all really mean?  For those of you interested we are providing a link to Winderlea’s B Corp report card so you can learn more about what we do to be a more a sustainable business.

Each year much of the Oregon wine industry gathers in Portland for our annual Symposium and Trade show sponsored by the Oregon Wine Board and the Oregon Winegrowers Association. The Symposium combines educational programs on viticulture, enology, and business with a trade show where we can see the latest tools and technology available to the industry. We’ve been through just the first of the two days and already I’ve learned an important technique for reducing oxidation in sparkling wine as it ages, seen a lot of shiny objects I would like to take home, and learned about new vendors for products and services I use. Day two promises to be just as useful. Most importantly, it’s one of the few times each year the industry gathers together, this year to the tune of about 1200 souls. In the many chance encounters as we each walk to lectures or on the trade show floor we reconnect with people we see often and many more we haven’t seen since the last Symposium. In these moments when we share what we’ve been doing, and what we’ve learned in the last session I am reminded of the collaborative nature of this industry as people who others might think of as my competitors help me to solve problems or take advantage of opportunities for our business. So, remember, if you are in your favorite wine shop or restaurant, and you don’t see Winderlea, buy Oregon. Those aren’t our competitors, they’re our friends. More later…

Sheep serve a lot of functions on the vineyard among them is that eating the cover crop has an impact on how those plants grow and their manure provides needed soil nutrients.  Higher soil organic matter combined with our no till and cover crop practices helps to reduce soil compaction (though their hooves may cause some compaction).  For all that, perhaps they are appreciated most for their gosh darned cuteness.  Really, people are drawn to them.  For that reason, I am on a mission to get our marketing team (basically everyone at Winderlea except me) to agree that the idea of “Sheep of the Week,” is pure brilliance.  So far, the marketing team is skeptical.  I’d like to tell you to write us at sheep@winderlea.com, but they won’t approve that either.  For now, I will continue my quest alone, but feel free to join in.  More later…

Back in college one semester I thought it wise to take a Russian language course.  You might question the thinking behind taking an 8:00 am 101 level language class as an upperclassman and you would be right.  The real blame, however, belongs to Saint Cyril, the dreaded alphabet monk and creator of the Cyrillic alphabet.  In my opinion, it is almost unintelligible.  According to Google Translate, the phrase, “It is almost unintelligible,” translates as Это почти непонятно.  I wouldn’t know.  I never learned it.  These days I spend my time in the company of a far more compatible monk, St Vincent.  St Vincent is the patron saint of the vine and of vigneron.  St Vincent’s Day is celebrated on January 22nd, the date of his martyrdom and so has become the cultural start date of pruning vines.  At Winderlea, we always try to wait until this date or later to begin our pruning out of respect for tradition.  In Burgundy they celebrate the St Vincente Tournante which “rotates,” from village to village each year.  This year the celebration will be held in the village of Couchey on January 28th and 29th.  While we don’t celebrate with a robed procession as they do in Burgundy, many of us quietly mark the date and raise a glass in recognition of St Vincent.  We invite you to do the same.

With just a few days of 2023 behind us we find the new vintage stretching out before us full of promise.  It may seem odd to be thinking about harvest only a few days in to the year and so far away from Fall, but before you know it we’ll be pruning the vines to get them ready for the year ahead.  Then we’ll be pulling brush, tying canes, and, if the weather cooperates, getting our first Biodynamic® 500 spray (Cowhorn manure) on the soil to stimulate soil microbial activity.  Just like that and it will be April and by the middle of the month we’ll likely be looking for bud break.  For now, it’s all about promise and there’s nothing that makes us happier.  More later…

I’m prone to thinking about things (Donna might say overthinking).  And, I like to plan.  Add in some reflection and I’m in my happy place.  I think that is why I like this time of year so much.  It’s a natural and traditional time for reflection and planning.  The new year brings with it the prospect of a clean slate.  It’s not really perfectly clean.  It’s just a day’s difference from the prior year and that is where the opportunity for reflection comes in.  This year as I am reflecting, what is most prominent is all the wonderful people I have in my life.  My family, my friends, the amazing people we get to work with, all the fascinating people that visit Winderlea, and so many others.  Because of them my optimism for the year ahead feels well grounded.  I hope you all have good people in your lives (and if you do, remember to tell them you love them), and that your 2023 is full of hope.  I will look forward to the new year bringing us together.

At this time of year two things converge that reinforce one another.  By the end of harvest, if for some reason you’ve forgotten in the past year, we are newly reminded of how hard vineyard stewards work.  There is so much work they do throughout the season, from pruning in January / February to harvest in September / October.   Much of that skilled work is done by hand and all of it is physically demanding.  And while we are at the peak of our gratitude it is time once again for the iSalud! Auction which raises funds to provide healthcare services for vineyard stewards and their families.  There are a small number of tickets remaining for the case auction on November 11th at the Allison Inn and Spa and the live auction at the Domaine Serene Clubhouse.  Both events are great fun and an opportunity to rub elbows with your favorite rock star winemakers, but even if you can’t attend, you can bid online for both events.  I can say from personal experience that the pleasure of enjoying a unique iSalud! only cuvée from the case auction or an experience from the live auction is only enhanced by knowing that you’ve also done something good.  So bid early and often.  I’ll be happy to be outbid by you or to pay more for an item because you did.  More later.