Growth in the vineyard

Cabernet Franc buds, April 12th

I did a quick trip up to the Estate Vineyard earlier today to see how the growth in the vineyard was coming along. It's been a little over three weeks since I was up there last and things have really seemed to have taken off. The vineyard crew has gone through and pruned most of the cabernet franc, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. What were tiny buds, barely noticeable when I was up there the middle of April, are now full bloom buds.

Cabernet Franc buds, May 2nd

 Now we just have to be concerned about the late Spring freezes that we seem to be getting more regularly. If we can keep the buds from becoming damaged at this point we may just have a nice harvest, in sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and cabernet franc, after all.

Tomato starts in the green house

Genaro, our vineyard manager's father

On my way up to the vineyard I stopped to check out the Estate Garden that is planted just below. Genaro, Juan's father, who is a retired vineyard worker likes to spend his time in the garden taking care of things. I also stepped into our greenhouse to take a look at the tomato plant starts. Because of the cool spring the starts are a little smaller than they were last year. We're hoping for a bit of warm weather so they can catch up before we transplant them outside. 

On the way back to the winery, I stopped to take a couple of pictures and came across a kestrel falcon that had been injured. Concerned about the other birds of prey in the area, I had Juan help me catch him and then took him to Animal Clinic East, in Walla Walla. They did an initial evaluation on him and then sent him on a shuttle to Blue Mountain Wildlife in Pendleton, Oregon where they specialize in the care and treatment of injured or orphaned animals, specifically birds of prey. I spoke with Lynne this afternoon and our kestrel is doing fine. She hopes to bring him back to the Estate Vineyard to release him back to the wild sometime this week.

 

 

 

 

 

Field trip to the Estate Vineyard with Rick Small

 

Last week I got a chance to leave my office and head up to our Estate Vineyard with Rick to check out the vineyard and get his thoughts on the upcoming 2011 vintage. Because the 2010 vintage was such a late one with a fairly substantial freeze the middle of November, we lost a lot of the vines for the later ripening varietals.

Here's some pictures. 

Sauvignon Blanc buds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rick looking over the sauvignon blanc block

Rick getting a closer look at the sauvignon blanc buds

sauvignon blanc buds

cabernet sauvignon cut back due to winter damage

Brussel sprout and bacon recipe

If any of you know me, outside of work, then you know that I have been on this brussel sprout kick lately. I can't seem to get enough of them. Whether I'm roasting them, sauteing them with bacon or cooking them with pasta, they have become a large part of my diet in the past two weeks. I guess it just goes to show me that my mother really did know what she was talking, about all those years ago, when she kept telling me to eat my brussel sprouts because I would love them one day. 

This is one of my new favorite recipes. I’ve tweaked it a bit from the recipe found on the ZaZu Restaurant and Farm page. ZaZu is a sustainable restaurant down in the heart of the Sonoma wine country. Last time I was in California I happened to stumble across this place. A cute little find with wonderful food and a surprise find of our 2007 “Artist Series” Cabernet Sauvignon on their wine list!

Brussel sprouts and bacon salad

4 ounces pepper bacon, cut into chunks

4 cups brussel sprouts, cut off the ends and quarter or shred them

1 shallot, minced

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 apple, diced

3 tablespoons roasted, peeled and roughly chopped hazelnuts

1 tablespoon quality extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons gorgonzola

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large sauté pan on medium high heat, cook the bacon until browned, roughly five to ten minutes. Add the brussel sprouts and cook until tender, I usually toss with the bacon in the drippings and then cover and let steam for ten minutes or so. Add the shallots and open up their fragrance, about 1 minute. Take off the heat and add the balsamic vinegar, apples, hazelnuts, gorgonzola and extra virgin oil and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I ended up pairing this dish with our 2009 Estate Reserve Chardonnay.

Enjoy!

Shari

Sustainability

Sustainability is best defined as the capacity to endure and to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It integrates three main goals - environmental health (minimal and safe chemical use), economic profitability (being profitable), and social and economic equity (being a good neighbor and employer).

With people paying attention to labels such as sustainable, organic and biodynamic, wineries are starting to incorporate these practices into their every day farming. We, at Woodward Canyon Winery, have been utilizing sustainable practices at the winery and in our Estate Vineyard for years. In fact, Rick was one of the pioneers in the Walla Walla Valley when it comes to sustainable farming. 

In 2004, Woodward Canyon was a founding member of VINEA, the Walla Walla Valley Winegrowers Sustainable Trust. VINEA is an organization made up of volunteer winegrowers and wineries that have embraced the concept of “ecologically sound, economically viable and socially supportive.” VINEA has also partnered with Oregon LIVE for third party certification. LIVE is a not-for-profit organization that provides education and certification for vineyards.

In February of 2008, after a two year certification process with VINEA and LIVE, we were certified sustainable by the International Organisation for Biological Control. The IOBC was established in 1955 to promote the use of sustainable, environmentally safe, economically feasible and socially acceptable control methods of pests and diseases of agricultural and forestry crops. This organization sets the protocols from which LIVE draws its standards. Additionally, LIVE applies with the IOBC for international endorsement each year.  

Here are just a few ways that we are sustainable at the winery and in the vineyard.

• Up in the vineyard we utilize all organic fertilizers and chemicals. We also re-introduce natural cover crops back into the vineyard and hillside as we try to prevent erosion. We use drip system watering to help reduce the amount of water that is wasted to evaporation.

• At the winery we are using eco-friendly wine bottles for roughly 90% of all our wines. These bottles are lighter, take less energy to produce and are less expensive to ship both when empty and filled. We have also joined forces with the Walla Walla Wine Alliance and ReCORK by Amorim in recycling all of our used corks. We’ve also offer a location where our customers are able to drop off used corks for recycling.

• And the socially supportive runs true for all the employees. Everyone receives sick and vacation leave, along with medical and other benefits.  Family is always stressed to come first no matter what. And if you’re from the Walla Walla Valley you’ve probably heard about our pizza lunches, which we’ll sometimes whip together for the employees or other events. For me, pizza lunches are one of my favorite perks to working at Woodward Canyon, though the access to good wine isn’t too bad either!

We will always strive to be sustainable at the winery, however I’m curious what your thoughts are on the whole sustainable movement? When you’re looking for that bottle of wine for dinner - does wine with the ‘sustainably farmed’ or ‘organically farmed’ label entice you to buy?

Slow cooked braised beef over cheesy polenta

It’s that time of the year where I typically want something fairly hearty and delicious but without a lot of effort. My friend gave me this fantastic crock pot recipe, that I’ve used a couple of times already, and it fits the bill perfectly. As long as you plan the evening before, prep time is around 30 minutes for everything and cook time is 20 minutes for the polenta and 12+ hours for the meat. 

Slow cooked, braised beef -

Rump roast – want a cut of meat that has a little bit of fat on it or it will turn out too dry.

1 – carrot, roughly chopped

1 – medium onion, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 can diced or crushed tomatoes

1 bottle of cabernet sauvignon, or other big red with tannins

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

2 bay leaves

½ tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheesy polenta –

4 cups water

1 ½ cups cornmeal

4 oz mascarpone

 4 oz bleu or gorgonzola cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by warming the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat.  Rub the roast with salt and pepper and brown in the pan - don’t cook all the way, just long enough for the sides to brown, roughly five minutes. While you’re waiting, chop the carrot, onion and garlic and put aside. Once the meat is done browning move it to the crock pot and cover with the chopped vegetables and canned tomatoes. Then pour the red wine over the meat until it’s fully covered. Turn the crock pot on low and cover. I usually start the meat process the night before I’m going to eat it, typically right before I go to bed.

When you go to plate the meat after cooking, usually ten to twelve hours later, the meat is so tender it will just fall apart. Remove and discard the bay leaves. If you’d like a thicker sauce pull some of the liquid and vegetables out of the crock pot and blend it with either a submersion blender or in a regular blender (be careful not to put too much hot liquid in or you could blow a lid).

For the polenta, you’ll need to start about 20 to 30 minutes before you’d like to eat. Add one and a half cups cornmeal to four cups of water and bring to a boil, adding the cornmeal before the water boils helps keep the lumps to a minimum. Once it starts to boil, turn down the temperature to low and simmer, while stirring, for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once the polenta is thickened, remove from the stove and add the mascarpone, bleu cheese and salt and pepper for a little flavor. I add the salt after the bleu since bleu can be salty in its own and you don’t want to add too much.

I usually just plate the polenta and scoop the beef on top with a little sauce. I paired this with our new 2009 Estate Barbera and it turned out wonderfully. Enjoy!

Upcoming Events

Looking ahead at the calendar and February and March are going to be busy months for the winery. Kevin, Rick, Darcey and Thomas will all be out doing events throughout the Pacific Northwest. Check out the list and find the one closest to you! Rick, Darcey, Thomas and Kevin always enjoy catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.

• February 23rd - Ponti Seafood Grill wine dinner with Rick Small at 6:30. Five course menu with wine pairings, $95 per guest (tax and gratuity excluded). Call 206-284-3000 or click here for reservations. 
• February 28th - Taste Walla Walla in Portland at the Venue Pearl. Trade tasting 1:30 - 3:30 pm and consumer tasting from 5:30 - 7:30. Advance tickets are $50 for one or $90 for a pair or $65 at the door. To purchase tickets click here. For details please visit www.wallawallawine.com/taste or call the office, 509-526-3117. 
• February 28th - Lumiere wine dinner with national sales manager, Thomas Woodley, in Vancouver, BC. $95 per person, seats are going fast so please call 604-739-8185 to reserve. For details, please visit them online.
• March 13th - Taste Walla Walla consumer tasting in Seattle at Sodo Park from 4:30 - 7:00 PM. Advance tickets are $50 for one or $90 for a pair or $65 at the door. To purchase tickets click here. For details please visit www.wallawallawine.com/taste or call the office, 509-526-3117.
• March 14th - Taste Walla Walla trade tasting in Seattle at Sodo Park. Limit access trade from 11:30 - 1:00, open trade from 1:30 - 3:30. Trade admittance is open to qualified trade and media. A valid business card will be required at registration. Non-trade attendees will be turned away. To register go here.
• March 26th - From 10:00 - 4:00 The Seminars at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center will feature wine experts from around the industry leading in-depth explorations of Washington wine. Click for more details and/or to purchase tickets.
• March 27th - Taste Washington in Seattle at Qwest Field Event Center. VIP tasting from 2:00 - 4:00 with general admission tasting staring at 4:00 and going through 7:00. For more information go to the Taste Washington website. 

If you can't make it to one of these events, don't forget that Spring Release Weekend is the weekend of May 6th and 7th. Watch for an e-newsletter in the next month or so letting you know what to expect and the wines that we'll be releasing.

Hope to see everyone soon!

Cheers!

Shari

Lowden Flood 2011

Know the saying, there are no such things as a dull moment? Well that seems to ring especially true at the winery. Last Monday we arrived to a lake in what use to be our parking lot, production buildings and back yard. The little irrigation ditch behind the winery breached in the night and water flowed everywhere!

Rick, Kevin and the cellar crew went into damage control mode and started diverting water right away.  We're lucky that we keep everyone on pallets and didn't lose any wine. It could have been much worse! I guess this is what I get when I start wishing for warm weather in the middle of winter with snow all the way down the Blues.