Barrel Tasting fun

Some of the nicest things about our winery business are our customers, many of whom have become friends over the past year and a half. Sixteen of these lovely people joined us Saturday night for our first summer barrel tasting.

Last year I was singing in Santa Fe during both of our barrel tasting evenings, and we scheduled last weekend's event to occur between my summer travels. I'm so glad I could be there! We tasted seven of the delicious 2008 Canelo Hills reds that are currently aging in barrels. They were all delicious. It was fun listening to my father talk about them and ask for opinions on the wines and whether he should do any blending. Our guests were very knowledgeable about wine, and gave us great feedback.

As my father served wine from the barrels with a winemaker's tool called a wine thief, people mingled and discussed the wines. Unfortunately for my mother, who urges my father to try some blending, most of our visitors appreciated the unique qualities of each varietal wine, and voted to keep them separate! Maybe next year...

We also gave our guests a sneak preview of our Yummy Zin dessert wine, which my parents just bottled but needs a few more months in the bottle before we're ready to label and sell it. This port-style wine is truly delicious, and despite my mother's efforts to keep it all for herself, you'll probably be able to purchase it for yourself sometime in the fall. Quite a few of our guest reserved bottles and are awaiting the email that tells them the Yummy Zin is available for pick-up.


I'll be in Indonesia for our sold-out August 8th barrel tasting, but I know it'll be another special evening at Canelo Hills.

There are even more photos from the event on our website. And if you were there, don't forget to share your photos with us on facebook!