In the previous blog I mentioned the name Autumn with out saying what Autumn is. I know some if you were puzzeled. I will explain. At the beginning of summer 2009 some friends of ours, Chris and Robyn Parker were preparing their sailboat for a cruise from Seattle to Alaska. They stopped in one evening to have dinner at a restaurant in PortTownsend and started talking with the manager about wine. One thing led to another and they talked about Sierra Vista. I never felt my ears burning so it must have not to bad. Now fast forward to September when Clyda, a long time family member at Sierra Vista told us that she wanted to retire in 2010. A couple weeks later we received an email from Autumn Berry requesting a job interview. She listed her experience in her letter and resume. She was working for a Napa winery as the hospitality manager, sales rep and assisted withe the wine blending before bottling. She was graduated from the Cullinary Academy at Hyde Park NY and has passed the ecamt to be a certified sommelier. We asked her to come for an interview and Barbara and I were impressed. We asked her to come back for another and made her an offer which she wanted to think about. We went to Napa for lunch and had a third interview where she accepted our offer. After lunch we went to see our daughter and grandson. It was a great day!!!!!!!!!!
We are delighted to have Autumn as onw of our family at Sierra Vista. Come meet her.
I will have a picture one of these days.
John
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Harvest is over
It is a long time since I posted a blog but in the future Autumn and I will post blogs so they should come twice as often at least.
Harvest started with the picking of Sauvignon Blanc in late August. It was not ready when the owner called. After we destemmed it we pressed and then cleaned all equipment. After cleaning the destemmer we tested it and it was frozen. No go. Stopped. The next day I took it to Santa Rosa to be fixed. About a week later the repaair facility said they would deliver it. OK so I waited, waited, waited and then called the shop. They had delivered it to the wrong winery. What a pain. If I had a flatbed truck or trailer it would have been easy to get load it and bring it here. It was difficult to get it in the pickup and just as difficult to get it out. I managed, turned it on. It worked. The next morning we started harvest at Sierra Vista.
It was a great harvest with some big, full bodied, reds with alcohols less than 14% which is what we aim for. And of course our whites will be concentrated also because we dry farmed the whole vineyard except 1 watering to the Roussanne.
More tomorrow,
John
Harvest started with the picking of Sauvignon Blanc in late August. It was not ready when the owner called. After we destemmed it we pressed and then cleaned all equipment. After cleaning the destemmer we tested it and it was frozen. No go. Stopped. The next day I took it to Santa Rosa to be fixed. About a week later the repaair facility said they would deliver it. OK so I waited, waited, waited and then called the shop. They had delivered it to the wrong winery. What a pain. If I had a flatbed truck or trailer it would have been easy to get load it and bring it here. It was difficult to get it in the pickup and just as difficult to get it out. I managed, turned it on. It worked. The next morning we started harvest at Sierra Vista.
It was a great harvest with some big, full bodied, reds with alcohols less than 14% which is what we aim for. And of course our whites will be concentrated also because we dry farmed the whole vineyard except 1 watering to the Roussanne.
More tomorrow,
John
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