Monday, December 24, 2007

Forward-Backward



It has been an eventful year. Our Farm Festival in April was our kick off event and brought together other SE Arizona winemakers and local farmers, authors and artisans. We opened for reals September 22 and have had a steady stream of visitors since then. The past few weeks have been cold and miserable weather in Sonoita/Elgin but the hearty souls that ventured out were serious about wine and frequently repeat customers. Joan and I, and Kathryn enjoy the tasting room and the opportunity to educate people about Arizona Wines. In early December we had our first Christmas and Holiday concert, featuring Oro de Suenos, which was a smashing success for our friends and neighbors and a moving tribute to my mother who died this year.

The year to come will bring pruning, spring planting of our remaining three acres, a repeat of the sparkling experiment, bottling, harvest, and so on as the rhythms of this life wind another cycle. I am especially excited about the wine from the 2007 harvest that is now quietly resting and coming together in the barrels in our winery (see December Tasting Notes).

All of us at Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery wish for a healthy and prosperous year for you all and peace in our world in 2008.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Winter Wonderland


Yes, this is Southern Arizona! After two consecutive cold, rainy, windy week-ends the sun came out to unveil the Santa Ritas topped with snow. Our grape vines have finally gone into their dormant winter sleep. That means it is time for me to get back to work. Starting with the new year I will return to my farming activities which start with the pruning of all 3500 vines!

In the mean time, I will be working week-ends in the tasting room. Come visit and try our Chardonnay, Riesling, Sangiovese, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Arizona wines are a great gift giving idea.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Dec. 2 Concert


We had a wonderful start to the holiday season with a concert performed by the Suenos de Oro Quartet and goat cheese logs and tortes provided by a local producer, fiore di capra. It was such a success we are thinking of doing it again next year.