Vine Pruning...

It's time to prune the vines.  To me, this is always a fun time because it represents the beginning of a new vintage of wines ... and anything is possible!  It's exciting to be starting the process all over again. 

We had a couple of new twists for this year's pruning.  First, we used a pre-pruning contraption to sort of shred the canes at about 6-8" long.  This saves some labor pulling the cut canes off of the wires.  Second, beause of our powdery mildew problem last year (yikes!) we had to spray, right after pruning,  with an oil based spray to kill the mildew spors.  We'll be spraying for mildew like fiends this year so that we don't repeat last years heartbreak.

So, check out this pre-pruning contraption...

 So, after all the pruning is done, here are the vines.

Harvesting Leucadendron...

It's that time of year again.  We started harvesting the Leucadendron last week.  We'll put together about 400 bunches each week for the next 4-5 weeks.  We begin with 36" stems and the final harvest will be with 22-24" stems.

Come Back to Merlot....

Merlot took an unfair beating as a result of the hit movie 'Sideways'.  The character played by Paul Giamatti, in a fit of rage, exclaims he will NOT drink a Merlot! This one little 10 second scene damaged the Merlot market around the world; and now, eight years later, Merlot still struggles for respect.

Here is the irony ... The mystery wine he talks about throughtout the film (Cheval Blanc) is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.  It's considered one of the great wines of the world.

It's time to move beyond 'Sideways' and embrace Merlot as one of the great historic varietals.  (contributed by Patrick Bartlett)

This picture says it all...  You can get a free taste of our new 2009 Merlot at The Collective in Old Town through the month of February.  Also, if you order 2 or more bottles online, we'll pay the shipping.  Surprise someone you love.      

As long as you are being romantic, try a new recipe for Veal Picatta created especially for our new Merlot by Patrick Barlett (our resident chef & wine lover).  Listen to this... Veal Cutlets with Tarragon Scented Shallot and Currant Cream Sauce.  WOW!  

For the complete recipe, with prep instructions and some truly wonderful pictures of the process, use this link: VEAL PICATTA

2009 Merlot Tasting Notes: Our 2009 Merlot is a stunning example of finessed elegance.  This mid-weight wine offers a swirling array of bright cherries, currants, violets and plums.  The first sip confirms the bouquet quickly entering into a mid palate of soft spices, a velvety mouth feel and subtle smooth leather.  It lingers in the finish with added herbal notes of tarragon, anise and a rounded end of vanilla and spice.  (Poetic isn't it?)

March Pick Up Party and More ...

March Pick Up Party

It's that time again!  In keeping with tradition, our March Pick Up party will be at The Collective and will coincide with the Spring Rod Run.  Maybe Gary's '56 Ford will be together enough to make it!

Date: Friday, March 9

Time: 5-7 pm

Location: The Collective 

Use this link to RSVP

Wine & Music Festival

The 8th annual Wine & Music Festival is coming to Vail Lake on April 28.  Gary and I will be there pouring Woodworth wine and enjoying some great music in a beautiful setting.  Hope you can join us!  You can read more about this great event at WINE & MUSIC.

Here some good news...Woodworth wiine club members will get a 10% discount on Festival tickets.  We'll keep you posted on how to take advantage of this good deal.

Blessing of the Vines

We are looking forward to our third annual Blessing of the Vines.  The event will be in May and we're looking at either Sunday May 6 or 13.  So, keep this in mind and we'll have the information available in the next newsletter.

July Pick Up Party

Our July Pick Up Party will be a BBQ and Potluck here in the vineyards.  Date to come.

and More..

 We're working on plans for a 'Farm to Fork' dinner at a local organic ranch sometime in the fall, and a holiday social at Christmas time.  So stay tuned!

Woof Notes...

Hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter.  If so, please forward to a friend.  You can check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodworthvineyards.  Or, send us an email at WineLover@WoodworthWine.com.

Happy Valentines!

Gary & Marlene

The weather has turned cold and windy and the vines have gone dormant for the year.  We had gusts up to about 40 mph during last week's windstorm.  There was no damage to the vines, but our avocados took a bit of a hit.  After the winds, the skies were bright and blue.

Gary's New Project ...

It looks like Gary doesn't have enough to do.  Yes, you're right, it is in pieces.   I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Two New Wines Released ...

2009 Wild Bandit

Our 2009 Wild Bandit is a yummy blend of 55% Syrah and 45% Pinot Noir.  It's named after a feisty little stray we found close to the vineyards.  He was pretty wild when we found him, but now is a great little sidekick ... always ready for action. 

By blending our estate Syrah and Pinot Noir, we created a wine with the cherry and black fruit characteristics of the Pinot along with the smoky, earthiness of the Syrah.  It's a mid-weight red with a lovely mouthfeel and finish.

In this video, Patrick Bartlett talks about Wild Bandit and suggests some great  food pairings. 

2009 Merlot

Merlot fell out of favor after the 2004 mid life crisis movie 'Sideways'.  The movie was pretty good, but the mocking of Merlot was undeserved. 

Merlot, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petite Verdot is one of the primary grapes of the Bordeaux wine region.  It is the third most planted varietal, and still a world wide favorite.

This is the first time we have produced a Merlot varietal.  Our Merlot vines, however are ten years old and that maturity is evident in the wine.  It is a medium bodied red with bright cherry flavors and aromas.  It has herbal notes and a hint of vanilla.  You will find it goes well with lighter red meats, Salmon or mushroom based foods. 

Or, you can just sip it and enjoy!

Luna de Luz Update ...

So, what is going on with the new Sparkling Wine?

  A very good question.  As many of you know, we were planning to finish up our 'Luna de Luz' Pinot Noir brut in time for the holidays.  Unfortunately, our label would not fit (without substantial wrinkling) on the wonderful bottle.  The reason the bottle looks so good is because it has 'compound curves'.  It's great to look at, but apparently, not so good to label.  We've had a die engineer (yes there is such a thing) working for the past month to figure out the correct label shape mathmatically.  As of yesterday, it looks like we have it.  So, tomorrow we will be disgorging, applying the dossage and corking.  It looks like the labeling will happen after the holidays.  (Sigh)

We'll have some great video for you next month and we'll plan a 'champagne' party to introduce Luna de Luz sometime in January. 

Have a joyous Holiday Season with family and friends, and may the New Year be one of peace, health and prosperity.

Gary & Marlene

Angus, Maggie, Hercules & Bandit

Then, you need to check out these very special Woodworth Vineyard wines.  Each is a proprietary blend or special wine named after our 'vineyard dogs' ... Angus, Maggie, Sophie and Bandit.  We also have an old, tough little guy that just showed up in our yard about six years ago.  We named him Hercules, but he doesn't have a wine yet. 

The labels are gorgeous and created by a local artist (Tamra Gerard) to reflect the unique personality of each dog, but the wines are really special.

2007 Black Dog

Named after our black lab Angus, our 2007 Black Dog is an Estate blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah and 10% Merlot.  It has layers of blackberry and boysenberry with hints of pepper and smoke.  Yumm! 

Silver Medal ~ Riverside International Wine Competition

You can purchase the 2007 Black Dog online or at The Collective in Old Town Temecula.

Tasting our 2007 Black Dog ... 

2008 Black Dog

Like all Labs, Angus loves toys and is rarely without his tennis ball.  Our 2008 Black Dog is an Estate blend of 49% Syrah, 34% Merlot and 17% Cabernet Sauvignon.  You will notice that while the varietals are the same as the 2007, the blend is completely different.  This is a soft and approachable wine blackberry and black raspberry flavors and aromas.  You will also find flavors of tobacco, black licorice and a hint of pepper.

You can purchase our 2008 Black Dog online or at The Collective in Old Town Temecula.

Silver Medal ~ 2011 Grand Harvest Wine Competition

 Tasting our 2008 Black Dog ... 

2008 Wild Bandit

Bandit is a feisty little stray we found at a construction site across from the vineyards. He was tricky, but we finally caught him.  He adopted Angus as his big brother and quickly became Gary's 'sidekick'... always with him in the tractor, ATV, truck, you name it.  Bandit is a yummy Estate blend of 55% Syrah and 45% Pinot Noir.  It is a very friendly mid-weight wine with the bright cherry and black fruit flavors of Pinot and the smoky, earthiness of the Syrah.

You can buy our 2009 Wild Bandit online or at The Collective in Old Town Temecula.

 No medals yet since we just released Wild Bandit....but stay tuned!

Tasting 2008 Wild Bandit...

2010 Sweet Sophie

 Sophie is my Mom's Bichon and definately has an attitude.  She love to lay on the porch and survey her vineyard 'kingdom'.  The 2010 Sweet Sophie is made from 70% Chardonnay and 30% Muscat, fermented and aged in stainless steel.  You'll find flavors and aromas of pear and melon, accented by peach and melon. It is a bright, crisp wine with a clean finish.

You can buy 2010 Sweet Sophie online or at The Collective in Old Town Temecula.

Gold Medal - 2011 Women's International Wine Competition; Gold Medal ~ 'Best of' Inland Empire Magazine; Silver Medal ~ 2011 Grand Harvest Wine Competition

 Tasting 2010 Sweet Sophie ...

2009 Golden Maggie

A friend of ours found Maggie as a puppy in the brush close to the vineyards.  Someone had dropped off a litter (why do people do that?).  Who knew she would grow up to be a 120 'big girl' that loves to rid in the car.  Maggie doesn't have her new label yet, but this is a working concept.  It should be final in a few months.  She does, however have a wonderful, award winning wine. 

The 2009 Golden Maggie is an off-dry white Merlot.  It has bright apple and raspberry aromas and flavors with hints of grapefruit. 

Gold Medal - 2011 Pacific Rim International Wine Competiton and Silver Medal - 2011 Women's International Wine Competition.

2009 Golden Maggie can be purchased online or at The Collective in Old Town Temecula.

Tasting 2008 & 2009 Golden Maggie ...

We left The Dalles, OR and headed up the Columbia River on our way to Yakima, WA.  We stopped into two wineries ... Maryhill and Columbia Crest.  They were both beautiful!

Maryhill Winery

What a gorgeous location!  They are on the cliffs overlooking the Columbia Gorge.  It's a beautiful setting with a large amphitheatre.  Their wine was good, but I think they are really known for the events and concerts.  Check out this panoramic.

We had a lovely time tasting.  They have 85 acres of grapes and produce about 6000 cases per year.  Like all the other Oregon/Washington wineries they are still picking. 

We tasted 5-6 of their wines.  They had a wonderful Viognier.  Not sweet, but with great floral aromas and flavors of pear and apple.  Their 2006 Reserve Sangiovese was excellent with ripe cranberry, cherry and cinnamon aromas, fresh and earthy with soft tannins - yet rich with cherry and dark fruit flavor. I'm not a huge Zin fan, but I became a fan of the 2008 Reserve Zinfandel  It's starts slightly sweet with a wonderful mouthfeel. It has sweet dark cherries, caramel, blackberries, vanilla and just the right amount of oak.

The best thing is that we were able to trade a bottle of our 2008 Pinot Noir and a bottle of 2007 Black Dog for a Viognier and a Zinfandel.  Mayrhill was selected as the Oregon Winery of the Year in 2009.

It's a pet friendly winery, so the dogs were happy too!  Check them at at www.maryhillwinery.com

Columbia Crest

This is a HUGE winery.  They have 2500 acres planted and produce 3,000,000 (!) cases per year.  Big trucks full of grapes were pulling in one after another and the production center was a hub of activity.

The grounds are beautiful with fountains, a small lake and lots of flowers.  To be honest, I didn'f find any wine I felt compelled to buy.  Maybe it's because you can find Columbia Crest in every grocery store wine shop.  it was, however, very interesting to go to such a big winery.

Our next stop is Wenatchee, WA.  Lots of interesting little wineries there, so we'll keep you posted.

o

East of Portland, on the Columbia River is the pretty, and historic, town of The Dalles.  My husband, Gary, was raised here and we come to visit friends and family a couple of times a year.  It's a very pretty area fille with cherry, pear and apple orchards.  If you head away from the river into the hills you will find wheat growing.  Recently, vineyards and wineries are beginning to be established.  The Dalles sits in the Columbia Gorge AVA.

Gary and I decided to checkout a couple of the small wineries while we are here ... Sunshine Mill Winery and Dry Hollow Winery.

The Sunshine Mill Winery

You'd never know it by the humble front door, but The Sunshine Winery is a great place.  Located in a old grain mill down by the river, it's the first part of a major renovation project that will probably include shopping, restaurants and maybe even some cool condos.

Once you come in the door, you enter a truly wonderful space!  They've made great use of all of the old machinery, pulleys, shutes and just cool stuff from the mill. I loved it!  Gary, the mechanical engineer, was in heaven with all the machinery.

Their wine is called 'Quenett'.  They were pouring 4 whites (Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Nirvana and Viognier), and 5reds (Grenache, Barbera, Syrah, Redd Red Wine, Capbernet and Zinfandel.  With the exception of the Barbera, I like their whites better than the reds.  My favorite white (I bought two bottles)  was Nirvana, a blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, SauvBlanc and Semillon.  It was crip with citrusy notes and a grassy melon finish...yumm!  I also really enjoyed the Piinot Gris.  The Viognier was good, but just a bit too sweet for me.

We both really enjoyed the Barbera.  Very bold, hearty red wine that would be great with BBQ.  Redd Red Wine is a blend of Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot and Cab Franc.  It's a similar blend to Black Dog, but we both thought that it had a bitter finish...maybe the Cab Franc?

They don't have their own vineyards, so buy grapes from local sources.

All in all, if you are ever in The Dalles, you should check out The Sunshine Mill Winery.  Really Good.

Dry Hollow Winery

We parked the RV (and four dogs) in a friends cherry orchard outside of The Dalles.  It's a great place for the dogs to run around and the views are spectacular.  Just over the hill from where we are is a little winery called Dry Hollow Winery...located on Dry Hollow Rd of course.  

The winery is owned by the Bailey family and run by Bridget Bailey.  They are primarily cherry farmers and packers, but have put in about 15 acres of grapes.  The tasting room is located at the end of Dry Hollow, up a dirt road.  Not some place that you would stumble across accidentally.

We only tried three of their wines... Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.  Their wines are all 'single vineyard' wines. The Chardonnay was very good (bought a bottle) and unoaked.  I usually like Sauv Blancs, but found it too sweet for my taste.  The Merlot had good dark fruit flavors, but was a bit young. 

Bridget's Dad went to high school with Gary, so we had a great time talking with her.  They don't have their own production facility, so make their wine at Maryvale, a large winery up the gorge. 

Again, if you find yourself in The Dalles, you'll enjoy coming to Dry Hollow.

This is a quiet time in the vineyards.  All the action moves to production from growing.  All of our 2011 vintage is in barrel or tank now and we have a bit of a breather.  So, Gary and I are on a roadtrip in Oregon for a couple of weeks.  Just the two of us in an RV ... with four dogs.  Eeesh! 

I'm sitting at The Dalles (Oregon) Public Library writing this Newsletter.  We're parked in a friend's cherry orchard and even though we've been nagging him for years, he still doesn't have an internet connection.  Oh well, the library is nice.

The Dalles is primarily a cherry, pear and wheat producing area, but in recent years vineyards and wineries have been established.  Gary and I decided to try out two of the new small wineries...Sunshine Mill Winery and Dry Hollow Winery. 

You'd never know it by the humble front door, but Sunshine Mill is a great place!  They've made very clever use of all of the old mill machinery, pulleys, etc., and the Quinnett wines were very good.  Dry Hollow is located in cherry country and the end of the road, Dry Hollow Rd of course.  They are very small and don't have a big variety of wines, but their un-oaked Chardonnnay was good and it's beautiful country.

To see some more pictures and read about our wine tasting experience, check out this link:

SUNSHINE MILL & DRY HOLLOW

New Pairings & Recipes from Patrick ...

Our friend Patrick Bartlett has a new food and wine blog and has recently developed some recipes for several of our wines.

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

First Course: Slow roasted cherry tomatos served with Hericot Vert.  He served this with a Sauvignon Blanc. 

Main Course: Filet of Beef with Parsnip/Potato puree finished with smoked paprika cream sauce and herbed butter.  This, of course, is served with our great 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.

For the detailed recipes go to: CABERNET WITH PAPRIKA SAUCE 

2010 Chardonnay

First/Last and All Courses: Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa.  Yumm!  Gary caught 10 or 12 crabs while we were on the Oregon coast earlier this week.  i'm buying the ingredients for this and trying it tonight.  It sounds wonderful!

Read all about it at:CRAB CAKES WITH MANGO SALSA

2010 Sweet Sophie

Here's Patrick's recommendation: Sweet Sophie ... the perfect mid-week chillin wine.  Chilled bottle, gouple glasses, some nice cheese (works with practically anything), roasted almonds, a few pieces of dried fruit, good crackers, a touch of salami or prosciutto.. and you have the perfect little feast!  WHO NEEDS DINNER AFTER THIS?

Barrel Tasting & Pick Up Party ...

  Attention all Green Roof Members ... it's time for the November Barrel Tasting and Pick Up Party! 

Date: Saturday, November 19

Time: 5pm - 7pm

Location: Temecula Valley Winery Management, Diaz Rd, Temecula

We'll be tasting the 2010 reds in barrel and some of our not yet released, but bottled, wines.  Local chef Michael Clagg will be serving some great appetizers and demonstrating the use of a Sous Vide.  Don't know what that is?  You'll have to come to find out. 

Because this is our holiday party, you'll be able to select which wines you want for your November shipment. Perfect for your holiday entertaining.  You are welcome to bring guests.

Let us know you are coming by using this link: RSVP

Afraid you are going to miss a great party?  Join the Green Roof Club online and pick up your first shipment at the Barrel Tasting. JOIN NOW

Woof Notes ...

Everyone was too cranky (from RV'ing) to get dressed up for a picture.  So, here is Hercules from last year and his version of 'The Situation'.

Hope you enjoyed this month's Newsletter.  If you know of someone who might also enjoy it, please forward.  If this was forwarded from a friend and you'd like to be on our mailing list, please use this link:  MAILING LIST

You can find out more about Woodworth Vineyards at www.WoodworthWine.com or contact us at WineLover@WoodworthWine.com

Check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodworthvineyards

August and September have been busy months of picking and crush.  The 2011 harvest has been disappointing.  All of Southern California had unseasonably cool weather, and here in De Luz it was coupled with a lot of fog and dampness.  The yields have been very light and mildew was a real problem.  Instead of getting 10-11 tons of Chardonnay, we were only able to pick about 3.5 tons because of mildew.  Instead of 10-11 tons of Merlot, we only got 5.5 tons.  There wasn't a mildew problem with the Merlot, it was just a light fruit set. 

On the positive side ... no bees in the Pinot Noir!!!

Update on New Vineyard ...

As you know, we planted a new vineyard this past spring around the corner from us here in De Luz.  The vines were just little 6-8" cuttings when planted, but now they are at the point that we are beginning to train them.  The vineyard will be head pruned (just staked up), not trellised.  So are, it's looking pretty good.

Gary's New Toy ...

Check Out New Facebook Page ...

 'Like' us on Facebook and each month you will have access to some great deals only for our Facebook Friends.  This month's special is for you Black Dog lovers.  With the special coupon you can buy one bottle of 2006 Black Dog and get a second bottle for 5 cents!  Check us out at www.facebook.com/woodworthvineyards

 If you are already a Facebook Friend of Woodworth Vineyards, you can get the monthly special coupons, get information about upcoming events at The Collective or Vineyards, and get access to other cool information.  Just click on 'Special Offers' and/or 'About Us' directly below the the banner picture on the left of the Facebook page.

November Wine Club Pick Up Party!

It's Barrel Tasting time again!  This year's barrel tasting will be another fun evening with wine, music and food.  You will be picking up your November Wine Club shipment just in time for your holiday entertaining.  Just like last year, those of you who come to the holiday Pick Up Party will be able to select the wines you want for your shipment. 

We'll be tasting the 2010 reds in barrel, We'll also be introducing some new wines including Wild Bandit, a yummy Pinot/Syrah blend, with a cool new label.

Date: Saturday, November 19

Time: 5pm -7pm

Place: TVWM, 27495 Diaz Rd, Temecula

Be sure to circle this date on your calendar and invite your friends to join you.  As always, if your guest joins the club, we'll give you a bottle of your favorite Woodworth wine as a thanks.

RSVP information will be in the October Newsletter.

Afraid you'll miss out on a great party?  Join the Green Roof club on line and you can pick up your first shipment at the November Barrel Tasting.  You'll be able to immediately take advantage of free tasting at The Collective and 20% discounts on wine purchase. Just use this link:  JOIN NOW

Woof Notes ...

We hope you enjoyed this month's Woodworth Vineyards Newsletter.  If you have a friend you think would like to receive this, please forward it to them.  You can reach us at WineLover@WoodworthWine.com.

Gary & Marlene Woodworth

This weedend we're releasing two wines and introducing our new labels. The 2010 Sweet Sophie and 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon will be available for sale beginning on Saturday, July 23rd. We are really excited about both of these wines. Some of you bought the Cabernet in November when we had it available for pre-release and know how good it is...and we only have 30 cases available. Both of these wines are available online and at The Collective.

2010 SWEET SOPHIE: A blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Muscat Canelli, fermented and aged in 100% stainless steel tanks. There are flavors and aromas of pear and melon accented with hints of peach and apricot, with a lively acidity and a crisp finish.

Here is a great recipe to pair with Sweet Sophie.

Spicy BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

2 Tbls vegetable oil, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 clove garlic, 3/4 cup of ketchup, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1 Tbls Worcesteshire, 2 tsps brown sugar, 1 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 of 5oz bottle of hot pepper sauce, 1 chicken

Directions

Heat oil in skillet with medium heat and saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat grill on high. Place chicken on lightly oiled grill. Brush constantly with sauce and grill 8-15 minutes on each side until juices run clear and chicken is done. Discard rest of sauce.

Serve with a cold glass of Sweet Sophie!

2008 CABERNET SAUVIGNON: This special Cabernet was aged in French oak barrels for 21 months. It has a soft, velvety mouth feel and a rich, lingering finish with lovely flavors and aromas of blackberry and black cherry with notes of green olive and clove.

This is the first, last and only Cabernet Sauvignon from Woodworth.  Talk about a collector's wine...we only have 30 cases.  This is a wonderful Cabernet, Gary's favorite. 

If you are local in SoCal, be sure to come into the Wine Collective to try it and then pick up a bottle.  It's also available online. 

Here is a dumb little video of spraying for thrips last year.  For some reason, the sound of a helicopter always remainds me of Apocalypse Now.

 The vines look good, very vigorous, but the veather is really triggering powdery mildew.  The foggy wet mornings an days in the 70's provide the perfect environment.  It happens really fast, so we need to be really diligent about spraying every 7-8 days.  A lot of the vineyards in Temecula Valley are fighting it too.

Our First Sparkling Wine ...

We've completed the first major step towards having our first Sparkling wine. It will be 100% 2010 Pinot Noir and we will be calling it Luna de Luz...or 'Light of the Moon'.  Luna De Luz is now laid up 'en tirage'.  What is that?  Well ...

The oldest and most traditional way to make sparkling wine was supposedly developed by Dom (Pierre) Perignon, a Benedictine Monk in the Champagne district of France, born in1638, and is known as Méthode Champenoise.

After the initial fermentation and aging in tank and/or barrel, producing the tiny, delicate bubbles is the next order of business.  The "liquer de tirage"(yeast and sugar) is added to the wine, bottled, stoppered, and laid up "en tirage" for a second fermentation and to trap the carbon dioxide gas produced by the yeast as it consumes its food-- the sugar.  The wine is then fermented 'en tirage' until the yeast has consumed all of the sugar and produced the coveted natural tiny CO2 bubbles.

That's where we are. We are watching and waiting as the wine goes through a second fermentation in the bottle.  Once this is done we go through 'riddling', "disgorgement', the 'dosage' and then final corking. More on this later ...

 Here is a video of the team adding the 'liquer de tirage", bottling, capping and laying up the wine 'en tirage'.  The video isn't anywhere near as romantic as the words sound...in fact the whole process was nerve wracking.

Check Out Our New Labels ...

In July we're releasing two wines and introducing our new labels. The 2010 Sweet Sophie and 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon will be available for sale in July.   We are really excited about both of these wines.  Some of you bought the Cabernet in November when we had it available for pre-release and know how good it is...and we only have 30 cases available.

SWEET SOPHIE: A blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Muscat Canelli, fermented and aged in 100% stainless steel tanks. There are flavors and aromas of pear and melon accented with hints of peach and apricot, with a lively acidity and a crisp finish.  

 CABERNET SAUVIGNON: This special Cab was aged in French oak barrels for 21 months. It has a soft, velvety mouth feel and a rich, lingering finish with lovely flavors and aromas of blackberry and black cherry with notes of green olive and clove.  

July Club Shipment & Pick Up Party!

The July wine shipment will be during the week of July 18 with the pick up party on Saturday the 23rd.  The 2010 Sweet Sophie and 2008 Cabernet will be included.  We have a fun party planned, and hope you can be there.

Baja Style Tacos will be making their incredible Carne Asada, Pollo Asada and Al Pastor tacos with handmade tortillas and all the trimmings. 

You will also get a chance to taste and purchase the unreleased 2010 Chardonnay and the 2009 Pinot Noir. ( BTW I think that the 09 Pinot Noir is even better than the award winning 08 ) 

If the Luna De Luz is ready, we will bring a riddling rack and a few bottles to demonstrate how riddling works and will have someone available to talk about the traditional method of making sparkling wines.

As usual, guests are welcome.  If they join at the party, we'll thank you with a bottle of your favorite Woodworth wine, including the pre-release Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Be sure to let us know you are coming by clicking on this link:  RSVP 

 This will take you to the members only page.  If you haven't signed on before, your email is your ID and the password is 'woodworth'.  Be sure an change your password while you are there and check out the member profile for Bruce Leonard and Julie Gorton.  

Thinking of joining and don't want to miss a great party?  Join the Green Roof club now by using this link:  JOIN NOW   You can pick up your wine at the party!

It's Summer and Time to BBQ ...

I love BBQ, and I love summer white wines served cold.  Here is a great BBQ Chicken recipe (AllRecipes.com)  to pair with our 2009 or 2010 Sweet Sophie.  It's not too complicated and would be perfect for a backyard BBQ with friends.  Good friends, good wine, good food...doesn't get much better on a summer evening!

(serves 6)

Ingredients

2 Tbls vegetable oil, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 clove garlic, 3/4 cup of ketchup, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1 Tbls Worcesteshire, 2 tsps brown sugar, 1 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 of 5oz bottle of hot pepper sauce, 1 chicken

Directions

Heat oil in skillet with medium heat and saute onion and garlic until tender.  Stir in rest of ingredients.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat grill on high.  Place chicken on lightly oiled grill.  Brush constantly with sauce and grill 8-15 minutes on each side until juices run clear and chicken is done.  Discard rest of sauce.

Serve with a cold glass of Sweet Sophie!

Woof Notes ...

We hope you enjoyed this month's Newsletter.  If so, please forward this page or link to a friend.   If you received this from a friend, and liked it, please sign up for our mailing list.

As always, you can reach us at WineLover@WoodworthWine.com.  

Use this 2 For 1 Tasting Coupon to try our wines at The Collective in Old Town Temecula.

Hope to see you soon!

Gary & Marlene