Private Tasting at Woodward Canyon!

Now that our Reserve House is up and running, we are happy to offer the opportunity to make an appointment for an intimate, private tasting with a knowledgeable Woodward Canyon staff member. Sit down with your group to both current releases and some limited-reserve wines that aren’t available for tasting through the regular tasting room. Light fare is included with the tasting. We have a couple of options, so for more information please visit the Woodward Canyon website or contact me at reservehouse@woodwardcanyon.com.

Last Friday, we held our first of many private tastings here in our Reserve House. I had the pleasure of hosting a great group of people from Walla Walla, North Carolina and Ohio, who had all gathered here in the valley for a little wine tasting before taking off on a cruise. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of tasters for my first private tasting. They were wonderful! We tasted through three current release wines and three limited wines. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and really enjoy the wines. I can’t wait for the next group now. I just hope it goes as well as the first one did.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know about the great summer special we are running right now on our Non-Vintage Red Wine! Normally $19 a bottle, we are offering it at $15 a bottle up to a case and then anything over a case we’re offering it at $12.50 a bottle. That’s a case of great wine for $150! Visit our online wine shop to order yours now or for more details or email myself at shari@woodwardcanyon.com or Marlene at marlene@woodwardcanyon.com . This is a limited time offer, so get yours now!

I also wanted to let everyone know that I’m getting ready to head down to Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley, California at the end of the week for the 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference! I can’t wait. It is going to be a great opportunity to visit California and network with other wine bloggers. And, to tell you the truth, I’m also really excited to visit California! So if you are also planning on being at the conference, please say hi, I would love to meet you.

I'm off now, time to get ready for Orca International, our Japan Distributor to come in for a tour and tasting this evening. Oh how I love the summertime around the winery. There is always something going on!

Cheers!

Shari / Guest Services

The Woody Team Rocks!

We always knew that the Woody crew rocked but let me tell you, they really ROCK!
Getting ready for and executing any event like Spring Release Weekend always takes coordination and a lot of work, but this year we also had a new building (our Reserve House - pictured above) to get open for the tasting and then the following Wednesday we hosted the Washington Wine Commission's export tour – 8 members of the foreign trade for lunch and then a tasting for 60 with 15 other wineries present.

The week of Spring Release we were pretty ready for the usual tasting, but due to the finishing of the floors we could not get into the new building until Tuesday – meaning no furniture was in place, appliances were still being installed and the building was very dusty.

Zero landscaping was in place too. Monday, Kiko and Manuel from the cellar and I hauled and spread gravel for the new garden and Jorge and Hermenegildo from the vineyard laid the gravel paths and prepped for the sod.

Tuesday morning dawned and it was raining cats and dogs, so absolutely nothing was accomplished in terms of moving into the building or installing the landscaping. Things were getting a little tense since the clock was ticking.

On Wednesday and Thursday it was all hands on deck! The cellar crew and vineyard guys laid sod like pros, moved plants from their temporary homes, mowed, trimmed, weeded and then got the tank room ready to great visitors on Friday. Rafa, our Cellar Master and Kevin took on preparing for bottling as well as moving furniture and doing whatever else was asked. Kellie, Tasting Room Manager, deadheaded daffodils all morning and then started in on cleaning the new building. Thomas, National Sales, helped assemble shelving, packed stuff around and stocked the buildings with wine for the weekend. Shari, Guest Services, cut cheese for hours, readied glasses and helped organize the new building as well. Marlene, Marketing/Web, held down the tasting room and handled the organization of the weekend while the rest of us ran in 50 different directions. Sue and Lori in Accounting/Compliance answered phones and Sue planted our barrel planters.

Friday morning, we were ready and open for tasting in both buildings; plants and lawn were in place and art was hanging in the new building!

Then we all poured wine for 3 days. Except for Kevin who poured wine for 2 days, flew to Chicago on Sunday, did a trade tasting Monday and flew back on Tuesday to finish preparing for bottling. Bob and Kelsey joined us on the weekend to haul and wash glasses and to pack up sold wine.

This Monday, the guys broke down the tasting tables and they and Tasting Room ladies got everything cleaned and put away. Sue crunched numbers for the weekend and Kevin resumed getting ready for bottling. On Wednesday, the tables went back up, glasses were set out and Thomas and the Tasting Room staff shopped for, prepped, and made wood-fired pizza lunch for 8 foreign trade members and our staff. More clean up, and then preparation for a tasting for 60, followed by working the tasting and more clean up.

WHEW! These guys are "awesome" to use Kellie's favorite word. They work their tails off, are willing to do a whole lot of things outside of their job descriptions and are fun to be around. Rick and I are lucky, lucky dogs – thanks everyone!

-Darcey

Spring Release is here!

I hope this finds everyone on their way to Walla Walla. Spring Release Weekend is no longer right around the corner, it is here! I’m writing this blog quickly in between trips over to our Reserve House as we are busily trying to clean and get it ready for use this weekend. Can you believe that it’s finally ready!?! I know that we are all still shocked that we are going to be able to get into it. If you had seen it earlier this week you would be as well. It’s amazing what the Ketelsen Construction guys have been able to accomplish in this short amount of time since we decided to go live with it. And it’s gorgeous. Darcey and I hung our Red-Tailed Hawk painting by Todd Tealander, which was the 2004 “Artist Series” Cabernet label, earlier today and it looks great. I can’t wait to show everyone.

And don’t forget about the Winemaker’s Dinner at the Marcus Whitman tonight. Join Rick and Darcey from Woodward Canyon and Marty Clubb from L’Ecole #41 in their joint dinner. Chef Bear has been working closely with Darcey trying to get the menu just right. And the wine list looks pretty amazing as well. Hope you have already made your reservations because I'm not sure if there is any room left.

I hope to see each one of you in the tasting room this weekend! Come join us for the release of the 2006 Estate Red! It’s a great blend of 42% cabernet franc, 35% merlot, 14% cabernet sauvignon and 9% petit verdot all from the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard. And don’t forget to swing by the Reserve House for an additional tasting of the 2006 “Old Vines” Cabernet and the 2002 “Old Vines” Cabernet from the magnum (additional tasting fees apply). See you guys soon!

Cheers!

Shari / Woodward Canyon