Babies All Around

Baby Riesling cluster
Baby Seyval Blanc cluster

Baby Concord cluster

Baby Charlotte asleep after the walk through the vineyard

Baby at Work, Part Deux

Just like Cecilia, Charlotte comes to work with me everyday. She's a good baby- along for whatever the day holds. Thursday we labeled Cherry wine out here, and she wanted to be part of the fun. So, into the bouncy seat and on top of the table she went. Labeling wine was so fascinating that she promptly fell asleep. Who can blame her? Maybe I should try entertaining her this way in the middle of the night?

Art Walk and Wine Tasting

I'm happy to tell you that on July 24th, 2009, the wineries of Ste. Genevieve County will be pairing up with the monthly 4th Friday Art Walk. 7 wineries will be pouring and selling wine at 7 different galleries in downtown Ste. Genevieve. We will be featured at the Center for the Arts, and our tasting room will also be open that evening. Admission and tastings are free. Art and wine will both be available for purchase as well. The event is from 6-9 p.m., just show up at any one of the art galleries in town.

I'm really looking forward to this event- hope to see you there!

Hooray!

The results are coming in from the springtime Wine Competitions, and here's a list of the medals we've won so far.

Cranberry

Gold- Taster's Guild International Wine Competition

Silver- Finger Lakes and Pacific Rim International Wine Competitions

Traminette

Silver- Taster's Guild and Finger Lakes International Wine Competitions

Blackberry

Silver- Taster's Guild International Wine Competition

Strawberry

Bronze- Taster's Guild International Wine Competition

Seyval

Bronze- Taster's Guild International Wine Competition

In other proud moments, and the reason I missed the month of May for blogging, is this little cutie.

Charlotte Elizabeth, born April 30th, 2009

Modern Day Fertilization

I took this video back in April, and I will explain soon why it took so long to post it. This is Dad driving the tractor through the new Concord vineyard spreading manure for fertilizer. The manure came from a neighbor along with the use of his "shit slinger." Pardon me, but that's what he calls it. And if you thought I was kidding about the dog that is obsessed with retrieving sticks just watch her bring me the stick while I am recording.

Jour de la Terre

We had our annual Earth Day event last weekend, and my good friend, Sara, took some photos for me so I could share them with you. See what you missed out on? =)

Route du Vin glass and herb at Sand Creek

Pregnant me pouring our Ste. Gemme and passing out goat cheese stuffed mushrooms

Jeremy at Twin Oaks


Amy and Sara, avid Route du Vin customers, and valued friends. =)

How to build trellis using homegrown cedar posts

I've talked here, here, and here about our love of cedar posts for our trellis. Here's a real tutorial. First you cut the cedar posts (see first link above) in the woods, sometimes split them if they are too wide, and then sharpen them. From there they get put on the wagon, usually a few at a time with the front end loader on the tractor.

wagon full of split cedar posts ready to go to the vineyard

Then Dad takes the post off the wagon, and carries it to it's spot in the row of grapes.

Then he holds the post, and lines it up straight with the vines, and other posts, and other rows while the tractor pushes it in the ground.


This is a picture of Dad motioning to push the cedar post into the ground.

This is the end result; rows and rows of new cedar posts out of our forest, ready to have wire attached and hold up vines.

Press

Click here for a great article on our Earth Day event last weekend in the online version of the Wall Street Journal. Check back here soon for information on our next Route du Vin Event, the Progressive Dinner, or go to our website, Route du Vin Wine Trail to purchase tickets online, or call 1-800-398-1298 to order your tickets over the phone.

Bud Break!

Riesling

Riesling

Vignoles

Here are pictures of our 2009 bud break. You can see the Riesling are a little further along than the Vignoles. We are having a late spring this year, it has been long and wet and cold. Click here to see the Seyval Blanc bud break on April 12, 2006, and click here to see pictures of the Seyval blanc at bud break on April 2, 2007.

Happy Earth Day Weekend!

I'll be busy today prepping 300 goat cheese stuffed mushrooms using this recipe from Martha Stewart. Hope you have your tickets for the Jour de la Terre!

I've Been Away

Almost all conferences and seminars and wine competitions happen in the early part of the year because that time is the slowest around a winery. Last week I traveled in an Mt. Pleasant Winery RV to Geneva on the Lake, OH for a wine marketing conference called License to Steal. The idea is that wineries get together and "steal" each others ideas, whether it pertains to tasting room etiquette, or events, or facebook. I learned a lot and plan to implement new and fresh ideas throughout the Sainte Genevieve Winery.

Puppies For Sale

If you thought I was kidding about selling eggs ( I wasn't by the way) you can be sure I'm not kidding about selling these puppies. This is only half of them. My Dad's registered Border Collie had 8 puppies around Valentine's Day and they are (hopefully) on their way to other people's homes- like yours possibly? They're cute as can be. I think they have sold two and are keeping one, so that leaves 5, count them, 5 more puppies to sell. You want one? They are excellent at keeping critters out of your vineyard. Their mom, Cassie, also chases shadows and water coming out of the hose and will give you a stick to throw for hours on end, Frisbees too.

Hand Pruning

After Dad trims the vines with the hedger, we then have to go back through the vineyard and tidy up. This is what we are doing today. We have to get rid of all the rachii, and dead wood because they can breed disease.

Display

Ste. Genevieve is revamping their Tourist Information Center. It will now be called the Welcome Center. Every month different merchants, wineries, and artists will be able to put up a display in one of their many display cases. This is our display; we have the month of April and since this is the first month they are doing it, we set up a little early. You can see in the front middle we are displaying the original artwork for the new Cherry and Blackberry labels, painted my local artist Chuck Drost. There are also coupons for each display case, so when you are in Ste. Genevieve, make sure you stop by the new Welcome Center, check out the new displays, and grab a coupon. Can't wait to see you!

You know you can't live on a farm without chickens. They're laying eggs like crazy- anybody need a dozen?

Get Your Motor Running

As promised we are mechanically pruning this year. These pictures are very similar to pictures taken this time last year. Dad is driving the tractor all around the vineyard, back and forth, reaching both sides of every row of grapes, pruning, pruning, pruning. It is a gorgeous day here. Spring is fast approaching and there is much to do. After he finishes pruning, there is compost to scatter, and dormant spray to apply.

Check back again soon for more spring time vineyard happenings.

Jour de la Terre

The Wineries of Ste. Genevieve
Present
“Jour de la Terre (Earth Day)” on Ste. Genevieve’s Route du Vin
April 18 & 19, 2009
11am-5pm
Celebrate Earth Day this Spring on Ste. Genevieve’s wine trail! Each winery offers seasonal cuisine prepared with fresh spring herbs paired with their wines. Take home a complimentary herb seedling from each winery to start your own herb garden! Visit 6 wineries on Ste. Genevieve’s Route du Vin, as each winery will offer complimentary wine samples and special food pairings made with spring herbs for each ticket holder. If your passport is stamped at all 6 wineries your name will be entered in a drawing for “Jour de la Terre” giveaways! A little more than an hour’s drive from St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, journey through the rolling hills, big skies, and beautiful views of the 6 unique wineries on the Route du Vin:

Sainte Genevieve Winery

Cave Winery

Chaumette Winery
Twin Oaks Winery

Charleville Winery

Sand Creek Winery

Cost: $20/person until April 10, 2009; $25/person after April 10
(includes complimentary wine glass, and 10% off wine purchases made that day)
Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling Sainte Genevieve Winery:
800-398-1298, through our website RDVWine Trail , or in the tasting room of participating wineries. Tickets are non refundable after April 10, 2009.

Wine & Food Pairing Menu:
Sainte Genevieve Winery:
Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Parsley Paired with Ste. Gemme
Charleville Winery:
Italian Pasta Salad with Oregano Dressing Paired with Chambourcin
Chaumette Winery:
Basil Pesto Marinated Chicken Skewers with Spring Carrot Salad Paired with 2007 Estate Chardonel
Twin Oaks Winery:
Homemade Salsa with Fresh Veggies & Cilantro Paired with Traminette
Cave Winery:
Grandma Strussione's Anise Biscotti & Pizzelles paired with Chardonel Off Dry
Sand Creek Winery:
Smoked Salmon Tar Tare' Dill Spread on Bagel Crisps Paired with Sweet Chardonel

Join us on the Route du Vin year round for these seasonal events!
3rd Weekend in April 2009: Jour de la Terre (Earth Day)
3rd Weekend in May 2009: Progressive Dinner
3rd Weekend in November 2009: Wine Diva Weekend
2nd Weekend in February 2010: Romancing the Grape
For additional info, hours, and directions visit: RDV Wine Trail

Come Visit Me! I'll pour you some wine!

I will be at the Schnucks grocery store in Cottleville this Saturday, February 28th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. pouring our Blackberry, Concord and Apple. Come by and say hello, and taste some wine, and maybe, possibly even buy a bottle. It's really a win-win situation- I get to meet you and you get wine. =) How bad can that be?

See you there!?!

Rolling Hills of Missouri

Here's a picture of our long rows of "new" Concord. The "old" Concord was planted sometime in the early 1980's, and this "new" Concord was planted sometime in the early 1990's. So, they really aren't "new" hence the quotations. Today Dad is taking our tractor to a neighboring winery so they can fit it with one of their mechanical pruners, and all these vines will get a hair cut real soon. It seems odd that so much of the vineyard is unpruned right now, being that we are heading into late February, but one swipe with the "new" trimmer and we will be good to go. Pictures of that coming soon.

Winter Work

In the winter we cut down and sharpen cedar posts for the vineyard from our woods. Then, in the spring we use them in the vineyard for trellis. It's all part of our sustainable farming motto here.