Volunteer Grape Pickers

We had a wonderful volunteer crew Saturday to pick the Tempranillo and Mourvedra consisting of Ann, Reuben, Anna, Tina, and Bruce. The fruit was picked by noon and Tina and Bruce even stuck around to help process the harvest. Thanks to you all.

The 2008 Crush Continues

The crush is going well. Tim is working long days processing all the grapes. When he can come up for air he'll start writing some blogs about it. Tim likes taking breaks from the work to talk with the tasting room visitors who mosey back behind the building to check out how things are going.

Coyote Saga Continued Part 2

Tim cut up some metal posts and pounded them into the ground. He then put the rocks against the posts and filled it all in with dirt. That seems like the end of the coyote problem and so far it is working. The coyote has dug on the other side of the fence but has not been able to tunnel through. I'm just waiting for the coyote to discover she can dig right next to the posts and rocks!

The Coyote Saga Continued

So, here's the deal. I patched the hole under the fence at the back of the vineyard while Tim closed the space under the gate. The coyote had been coming in the back, exiting out the front. Simple. So we thought. However, the very next day as I drove up to open the gate I noticed fresh coyote scat and some clawing under the gate. It looked like the coyote was able to get in but did not manage to dig under the gate to get back out. So, I went back to check on my patch job. These pictures show what happened. That darn coyote was able to dig the dirt and somehow move the large rocks I had put in the hole out of the way, clear on the other side of the fence!

I'll put up some pictures tomorrow on how Tim thinks he solved the problem once and for all.

We're on faceboook!

One of my first tasks as Director of Marketing was to create a presence for Canelo Hills on facebook.com. We now have a page, which you can view here. If you're on facebook, visit our page and become a fan!
We'd love for our fans to interact with us and post photos of their visits to Canelo Hills, comments on our wines or the tasting room experience, and start discussions about anything wine-related. I'd also appreciate your feedback on our page.
See you on facebook!

--Kathryn

We're Bottling!

The last couple of weeks have been busy for us. We are bottling the 2007 wines and crushing this year's harvest. We've had some return volunteers and some new ones helping. A couple of weeks ago Karla, Alicia, Mark and, of course, our daughter, Kathryn, bottled the Syrah. This past Sunday Casey and Amber Polivchak spent one of their rare days off bottling the Sangiovese. We finished that bottling early so they also labeled some Malvasia. Tim and I feel very fortunate to have so many wonderful people involved in the workings of our winery.

As I Wander

Here are some pictures I took while looking for the coyote trail in the vineyard. I marvel at the intricate beauty of nature. I must admit it's a little creepy to stick my hand on a spider web when opening and closing the gate. But the webs and spiders and the grouping of them are amazing. l have yet to find any manmade artwork more beautiful than Mother Nature's.

Coyote Tracking

I went on a successful hunting expedition yesterday. As I walked along the fence I found many trails through the field fence but by the size of them they could only have been used by small rodents, rabbits and quail. Then I came upon a larger trail that lead to a rather large hole dug under the fence! I'm pretty sure this is the hole Kent Callaghan had filled in a couple of weeks ago. This time I put several large boulders in the hole before filling it in with dirt. We'll see how long it keeps the coyotes out this time. We only need a few more weeks until the grapes come off the vines.


While walking the property I got distracted many times to take pictures of little creatures and flowers. I will post some of those tomorrow.

2008 Crush!

Although the grapes from our Sonoita vineyard are not ripe enough to harvest, the grapes from Willcox have started coming in. Tim stayed up until 3:00 a.m. Friday morning crushing Chardonnay and Malvasia grapes from Arizona Stronghold Vineyard and Sweet Sunrise Vineyards. The grapes are beautiful and Tim is very excited about the wines he will be able to make from them. When Tim gets a chance, he will update you about the harvest.

Right now I am off to go Coyote tracking. We thought we closed off the gap in the gate but they are still getting in. Fortunately, they leave a well marked trail with their scat!