Save This Date!

The Arizona Wine Growers Association. has an exciting, fun filled day planned for all on November 22. Winemakers from all over the state will gather to pour their wines and you will get to be a judge! There will be music, lunch, seminars. In the evening there will be a dinner where the awards for the best wines will be presented. I hope to see you all there. Check it out at www.azwinefestivalatthefarm.com.

Locavore

. . . . that's someone who only eats food that is locally grown - technically within a 100 mile radius. Thursday night Dove Mountain Grill hosted a wine dinner that paired our wine (Malvasia and Sweet Sunrise Syrah), Kent Callaghan's Rose and Caitlin's and Ann Roncone's Dessert Afterglow with a spectacular 5 course dinner. Executive chef Brett Vibber crafted the entire meal from local produce and sources. Master Sommelier Laura Williamson guided all the guests through the dinner and wine pairings and managed to provoke Kent and me to say a few words about our wine. It was a fabulous evening. I highly recommend a trip out to Dove Mountain Grill to experience their creative mastery of local produce and farm products.

Closing Time

Here are some shots I took while we were closing up the winery this evening. Breath-taking!

Tim the Winemaker/Joan the Photo Taker

You can tell my vineyard work for the season has slowed to a crawl as I am now following Tim around with my camera trained on him and his tasks. Here are some photos I took while he was disgorging the sparkling wine on Saturday. I'm sure he will be glad when I get back to work but I am having fun.

Sparking Wines Are Almost Ready

Emma is guarding the soon-to-be released Sparkling Rose'. She isn't sure she wants to part with it any time soon. But in a couple of weeks she will have to. After all, the holidays are almost here!

The word is spreading

A few weeks ago Terry Tang, a reporter from the Associated Press Bureau in Phoenix, made a trip to Soniota as background for her article on Arizona Wine. Although the article mentioned the northern Arizona wine scene, it really primarily featured the Sonoita/Elgin area. We got a nice mention. The last time I googled, the article had been picked up and published in print and internet based media all over North America. Check it out. Do a google (or your favorite search engine) search containing the following words: Terry Tang Canelo Hills Winery. It's a gas to watch the story spread. Have fun!!

Cheese Making Demo Event

Everyone who came to the goat cheese making demonstration had a great time. It was fascinating to watch cheese evolve right before our eyes. Charlie was a great presenter and her passion in making the cheese was contagious.

Tim talked about his wines. It's always fun for me to watch his love of wine making and passion about wine expressed before a group. The event went well because of Tim and Charlie and Kathryn upfront and the help behind the scenes, our son, Ian and his girl-friend Rhian. Until next time, thank you all!