Our new Pre-Release Club has proved popular with our website customers who are keen to sample each of our new releases, and secure increased allocations on favorite low production wines such as Roussanne, the '05 Viognier 'Vin de Terroir' and the 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Vin de Terroir'. Whether you're a dedicated cellar stocker, gift giver or just want to sample the range, we hope you find the new club a flexible customer-friendly addition. Find out more about becoming a member >>
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2006 HARVEST The bountiful 2006 Harvest continues apace.
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| The bountiful 2006 Harvest continues apace. We are delighted with the quality and quantity of the fruit on our vines. Soil health steadily improves with organic farming methods, and we see this in vine health and vigor. Harvesting grapes by hand is specialized work. Our sales, admin and shipping teams help the vineyard crew with harvesting while grapes are perfectly cool from first light until mid-morning before returning to work in the winery. |
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We enjoy this first-hand connection with the new vintage - each vintage has it's own particular characteristics brought about by the previous season's viticulture and natural cycles. Grapes are sorted on the sorting table, and only our top class grapes are pressed. The first to be picked is the Sauvignon Blanc, then Viognier, then Syrah, followed by early Cabernet, Roussanne, then Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Any customer who would like first hand (or foot) experience with cap punchdowns in our open top fermenters is welcome to sign up for duty roster. Days are long, and work for the production crew is often seven days for several weeks on end. This is a testing but magical time, the beginning of the cycle of winemaking. |
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In small production estate grown wineries, the staff must be completely dedicated to endure what amounts to a marathon effort. That's essential if one sets top quality as the cardinal goal. Nature doesn't seem to consider how tired we are in relation to the timing of different slopes and varietals ripening to their optimum for picking and crushing. |
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Be sure to reserve online at www.northyubafoodandwine.com
•Exciting wines from local wineries
•The freshest possible premium organic olive oils
•Gourmet food vendors
•Local artists and their works
•Hand-crafted gifts
•Live music and Mediterranean ambience
•Tours of the Antique Olive Press
•Tours of the Renaissance Rose & Palm Gardens
•Distinguishing Wine Terroir lecture
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Our NEW RELEASES will be available for purchase and pick-up at the Festival, including the much awaited 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Vin de Terroir'.
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Alder Yarrow at Vinography reviews the Renaissance line-up at Family Winemakers
http://www.vinography.com/archives/ 2006/08/californias_best_small_wine_pr.html |
SEE WineTerroirs.com
Bertrand Celce ...French photographer, born in Casablanca, visits Renaissance. View his photographs and read his commentary. |
JUST ADD AIR
Today I received two comments about our 2002 Mediterranean Red ($25 Go to Estate Reds). Firstly, Mrs. Caruso called from Manhattan, NY and mentioned what a success our wonderful Med' Red was at her recent party. Secondly, from a local wine bar, where two customers ordered a glass each, but thought that the nose was "a little funny". They took a glass back to the bar to question the bartender. Another regular customer, a two decade long Renaissance devotee, asked to have a sniff of this wine in question. He then asked for a second glass, and spent a minute or so pouring the glass back and forth to expose it to air. The funny smell was agreed to be gone, and the wine found delicious. The reason is, the style of wine making means that our wines can be a little reduced, chemically lacking oxygen. This is actually one of a few reasons why they cellar so well. The lesson is, for serving our red wines: Use big glasses, small pours, and swirl, swirl, swirl. If you like to decant, almost all of our red wines (excepting Pinot Noir) will benefit. |
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1997 Harvest - The drama behind that wonderful vintage
The very last day of Harvest 1997. It was a very windy day, late September. All day long, while grapes were being harvested, the end-of-harvest celebration was being prepared. Mid-afternoon, smoke was sighted-very far away- but, knowing how wildfires spread around here, we watched with concern. The Lid, the flat roof of the second level of the winery is a perfect high platform to view the surrounding countryside, South, West and North. As the evening progressed, the hot dry wind increased, and we watched the fire spread at a terrifying speed over a widening area. The party turned into a huddle of fearful people looking for guidance, listening to rumor. The Sheriff and CDF advised evacuation for everyone from the local neighborhood and winery estate. In many cases this meant driving through flaming roadsides to try to find safe accommodation further afield. Kids, pets and a few precious items grabbed in haste. 48 hours later, we returned to find that just one of our winery volunteers, Michel, despite evacuation advice, had stayed on alone to continue essential wine work for all the newly crushed wines in the eerie time before residents and staff were given the all clear to return. He was exhausted. Newly crushed grapes need early attention to extract the best flavors- those days meant a lot in the life of a wine. There is no doubt that the success of our wines from this vintage owe something to his courageous efforts continuing pumpovers of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Every Harvest has the danger of fire threatening homes and vineyards, and we are indebted to the efforts of local volunteer fire brigades and CDFcrews.
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