In the Vineyards

The weather has been grey, but the vines are very vigorous.  The new vineyard is doing well (right picture) and we'll drop all of the fruit so that the energy goes into producing a strong vine.

April, May and June are all about canopy management.  The canopy of the grapevine includes all the parts of the vine that are visible above ground ... the trunk, cordon, canes, leaves and fruit.  The canopy is key to capturing light energy, water use and managing the microclimate of the vine.  A lot of problems like sunburn, mildew, uneaven grape ripening and frost damage can be caused by, or made worse, by poor canopy management. 

In the Groves

We'll probably begin picking our avocados next month. Meanwhile, they are in bloom and the bees are busy polinating for next year's harvest.

In the new grove, we've had to remove some trees that just are not doing well.  We've replanted about 100 trees so far. Here is a picture of one of the replants and of Gary moving the pulled-out diseased stumps.

What About the Flowers?

We're all done with the Leudadendron, our last harvest was a couple of weeks ago.  We also planted Protea, but we won't be able to harvest flowers from those plants until November of 2013.  This week we pruned the Protea in order to ensure good yeild for the future and a strong plant structure.  Below, Lawrence Kellar, President of Protea USA, shows us the right way to prune.  Most of the cuttings that we planted came from his father's Protea farm in South Africa.  Some of the varieties aren't being grown anywhere else yet. I can hardly wait to see these flowers...Nov 2013 seems so far away!    

And Finally...

Here's a bit of trivia for your next coctail party.  The new style row tags Gary has just installed are the same ones used to identify cows.  Bet you didn't know that....

Blessing of the Vines...

Just a reminder that the Blessing of the Vines is coming up on May 20.  It's a great time where we ask God's blessings and then enjoy an afternoon of wine, food, music and freinds. 

Only one more week to buy your tickets.  We need to have our final count on the 14th.  So, now is the time to purchase your tickets.  Use this link:  PURCHASE TICKETS

Portobello Sliders... Yumm!

Patrick Bartlett has created another great recipe for us.  This time it's for our 2009 Pinot Noir.  It's pretty simple.  Marinate the mushooms in a honey-white balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and lots of cracked pepper.  Place the marinated mushrooms on your favorite roll.  Add a fig spread and some field greens. 

The earthiness of the mushrooms along with the sweetness of the fig spread will harmonize beautifully with the fruit and spice of our Pinot Noir.

You can find out more about this award winning Pinot Noir by using this link...2009 PINOT NOIR

Changes at The Collective...

Locally Vinted, Locally Brewed!

We're really excited about some upcoming changes at The Collective.  We will be expanding, adding food and a local micro brewery!  While we'll be losing the upstairs room (I know, we've had some great parties there) we're gaining the brick portion of the building to our right. 

I'll keep you posted on the progress, but hopefully the new Collective will be ready in time for our July Pick-Up Party.

Gary's 'New' Toy...

Well, it's getting close.  The front end is being installed this week, then after a few minor adjustments and installs, it should be ready to go.  My job is to get the Woodworth logo on the door.  In a few weeks, those of you who are local will see this truck all over town.  Be sure to wave to Gary and Bandit when you see them.

Woof Notes...

I've revived two woof notes from 2009 as a way to remind you that there is great special pricing on our 2006 Black Dog and the 2009 Golden Maggie.  These two wines were some of the first wines we released and became instant favorites.  Check out the 'Back Vintage' sale at the Wine Store online or at The Collective in Old Town Temecula.

Hope you enjoyed this month's Newsletter.  If so, please forward to a friend.  If you recceived this from a friend and would like to be on the Mailing List, please use this link to sign up:  MAILING LIST

Check us out at www.WoodworthWine.com and become a fan at www.facebook.com/woodworthvineyards

Gary & Marlene

Angus, Maggie, Bandit & Hercules

The shoots are coming up and you can begin to see little bunches of grapes.  We've begun to do some shoot thinning and this next week we'll be adjusting the

 trellis wires to begin vine training.

The avocados are blooming and the bees are here to pollinate.  Now, if we can just keep them out of the pinot when the time comes.

We'll have our final Leucadendron harvest in another week or so and then we'll be pruning for next year.  See how the center cones have grown larger and turned red?  Really pretty!

Everything looks good for spring 2012...

Calcotada at Woodworth...

What is a Calcotada?

It's a Catalon festival that features the roasting and eating of Calcots (a type of winter onion) with plenty of good wine and good friends.   The Calcots are harvested, roasted over an open fire and then dipped in romesco sauce (made from almonds, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, red peppers and seasoning...yumm!).  Huge quantities of these onions are consumed in this annual festival throughout Spain...along with lots of red wine.   

I can tell you that Gary did not master the use of the 'porrone' for drinking wine....we have the stains to prove it.  While this was the 50th birthday party for a new friend of ours, it was so much fun, maybe we'll do it next year as an annual event here at the Vineyards for everyone to enjoy. 

Let's Talk Bottles...

We bottled our 2010 Pinot Noir and the 2011 Golden Maggie this month.  Since it's been on my mind, I thought it would be a good time to talk about bottle types and shapes.  The shapes, colors and sizes of wine bottles have a purpose other than just looks.

There are many shapes, sizes and colors of wine bottles.  Most of them you never see because they are very specific to a geography, timeframe or type of wine.  Unless you are buying magnums or 1/2 bottles, most of the bottles you see will be 750ml.  Most red and white wines will be in one of these five shapes.  Going from left to right:  

 Bordeaux:  Originally from Bordeaux, the bottle is cylindrical with pronounced shoulders.  It is one of the most used bottles for both red and white wines. This is the bottle we use for Black Dog, Cabernet and Wild Bandit.

Bourgogne: This bottle has sloped shoulders and a long neck, We use this bottle for our Chardonnay, Sweet Sophie, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Syrah.. 

Rhine or Hoc:  This bottle is used for white wines, most commonly Reislings. It is tall with no shoulders and no indentation on the base.  This suggests that it be used for wines that do not produce sediments (whites) and that should be consumed in a short period of time (1-3 years).  We use this type of bottle for our Golden Maggie.

Champagne: This bottle is used the world over for sparkling wines.  It's similar to the shape of the Bourgogne but with much thicker glass (to keep it from exploding under pressure) and with a protruded ring at the top to anchor the wire cage.  If we can ever get our sparkling successfuly bottled, corked and labeled, it will be in a similar bottle.

Albeisa: Again, very similar to the Bourgogne but generally used for Italian wines.  We don't use this bottle.

The color of the bottle is also important.  Generally you will find dark green or brown colors being used for red wines in order to protect the wine from the effects of light.  Generally you will find white wines in lighter color or clear glass. 

So, enough wine geekdom...

Blessing of the Vines...

It's time for our third annual Blessing of the Vines.  It's a very special tradition at Woodworth Vineyards, a tradition that has been practiced for hundreds of years in just about all cultures around the world.  I hope you can join us.

Date: Sunday, May 20

Time: 2 - 5pm

Location: Woodworth Vineyards, De Luz

Tickets: $20 for Members, $30 for Non-Members

Get your tickets early.  We can only accomodate 75 people, so we will stop selling tickets when we get to 75 or on May 15...which ever comes first.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Save These Dates ...

 Gary and I will be pouring Woodworth wine at the following events in April and May.  Come and join us!

Avocado Festival

Sunday, April 15, 9-5pm, Old Town Fallbrook

Temecula Wine & Music Festival

Saturday, April 28, 11am-6pm, Vail Lake

Tickets available at TW&MF TICKETS

Wine Club members will receive a 10% discount on tickets at the Temecula Wine and Music Festival. If you are a wine club member and want to attend this great event, let me know at WineLover@WoodworthWine.com and I'll send you the promotional code.

Great Wine Festival

Sunday, May 6, 2-6pm, Great Park Irvine

Tickets available at GREAT WINE FESTIVAL TICKETS

Woof Notes ...

Join us on Facebook and take advantage of monthly specials.  www.Facebook.com/WoodworthVineyards

You can read more about Woodworth Vineyards at www.WoodworthWine.com or reach us at WineLover@WoodworthWine.com

Gary & Marlene

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