Bah Humbug!

Its official; Michelle has gone nuts.  Not yet Thanksgiving and its nonstop Christmas music here in our tasting room.  I refuse to listen until the day after Thanksgiving at the very least. One holiday at a time is my rule.  Instead I will talk about what I am thankful for.

First of all I am thankful that harvest is finally over.  Don’t get me wrong I love harvest, it’s just I am a little worn out.  I am ready for my hands to turn back to their original flesh color rather than the stained purple.  Second, I am thankful for the massive amounts of tryptophan I am about to consume.  There are many chefs in my family and this year I get to be my mother’s sous chef helping prepare the world’s best turkey dinner.  The real trick is in the gravy which I judiciously pour over everything on my plate.  Next I am thankful for spending time with my family and friends.  I am bringing over quite a bit of liquid libations from Tertulia for our own social gatherings.  Finally, I will leave you with my suggestions for Thanksgiving dinner.  Our Viognier and Rose make wonderful pairings with turkey and all the fixings.  If you want to go for a red I would suggest our 2009 Grenache Syrah. Its fruitiness and spice should be a good pairing with the smorgasbord of flavors on your plate.

Have a happy Thanksgiving.

Cheers,

Ryan Raber

Tertulia Cellars

Winemaker

The Order Of The Purple Hand

My Hands are tired and sore from tightening clams. Dried from their continual contact with wine a purple stain has appeared.  You can trace every dermal ridge and my finger nails have are beginning to see the same purple stains.  Myself and the rag tag crew here are Tertulia wear our purple hands as a badge of honor.  We follow the tradition of making fine wine that our ancestors have passed down through the ages. 

On our first day of harvest I tried to explain to them what we were attempting each vintage.  That is to make something that enriches people’s lives.  Every bottle is a shot at immortality, to create something that will be remembered beyond us. 

Harvest is whining down now.  It is too early to say much about the 2011 vintage.  I will say this many of the wines make me smile and do a little jig.

Cheers,

Ryan Raber

Tertulia Cellars

Winemaker

Red Red Wine You Make Me Feel So Fine

The first few rays of sunshine peek over the Blue Mountains as I pull up behind our winery.  I step out of my car holding my keys in one hand and a latte in the other.  Thank heavens for coffee on these early mornings of harvest.  I fumble with my keys looking for the correct one.  Finally I open the door and the aromas of fermentation permeate the air.  I inhale deeply and say “I love the smell of fermentation in the morning”, it’s my little joke on most recognized quote from Apocalypse Now.  I slide open the doors to the winery to help evacuate the CO2 from the air.  I quickly check my emails to make sure there is nothing that requires my immediate attention.  Next, it is time to set the mood so I turn on the sound system and play UB40 on Pandora.  To my utter delight “Red Red Wine” plays and I know it’s going to be a good day. 

Ryan Driver shows up early with a load of Syrah from Les Collines Vineyard.  The grapes taste perfect. Once they are unloaded Driver hits the road to pick up Merlot from Phinny Hill Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills.

Quickly Sergio our cellar worker and I set up the crush pad and render the Syrah into crushed grapes.  Each bin of grapes is placed in a 500 liter barrel called a puncheon, which have had their heads removed so we can conduct fermentation inside of them.  Barrel fermenting will allow for a richer wine that has seamless integration with the oak barrels they are aged in.  After we finish, we have enough time to clean up the worst of our mess and grab a bite before Driver shows up with the next load of grapes. 

This time we set up to fill a stainless steel tank with the nearly three tons of Merlot.  This is all conducted seamlessly while Marley belts out “Buffalo Soldier.”  We are in the full swing of harvest.  No need to yell out orders we all knows our jobs.  While our hands are busy sorting the grapes we crack jokes