Our Youngest Visitor

Richard and I work together at the VA hospital in Tucson and it’s always a treat when he and Cindy come in to visit. They both like to taste wine, I like to talk about it and they both give me honest opinions of what I make. About 12 months ago Cindy and Richard stopped coming, announcing that #3 was on the way. This past weekend 2 month old Lauren made her first visit. Joan and I decided that Lauren was our youngest visitor to date. Needless to say she stuck to the white stuff that comes in a plastic bottle and was completely content with that. Congratulations Cindy and Richard!

Good Neighbors

The Mueller clan is busily preparing for our April 18th Wine and Farm Festival which is going to be a very exciting time with five winemakers, many local vendors and even some animals. In all our planning Tim, Kathryn, and I were neglecting a very important part, the grass needed to be mowed. Our neighbor, John Fink, volunteered to do the chore. What a job he did. The place has never looked as nice. As Debra, his wife said, "It's what neighbors in the country do for each other." It's the truth. We are very fortunate with all the people we have gotten to know in Sonoita. You will be able to meet many of them the day of our festival. Debra Fink will be selling her beautiful wine gift baskets. See you all then!

On Tumbleweeds and Coyotes

If you are looking for the post referenced in our latest newsletter, this is it. To answer the question of what tumbleweeds and coyotes have in common at Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery it is that after almost 6 years of doing battle they continue to outsmart me.

Every summer I think I am close to eradicating the tumbleweeds. Then each winter I walk to the fence at the end of the vineyard and there they are, stacked high, mocking me in my attempt to vanish them. They know they each have already deposited all 200,000 of their seeds as they tumbled their way to the fence.

As for the coyotes, last summer, in our third attempt to keep them out, Tim filled their entrance hole with boulders and rebar. They were not only capable of moving the boulders out of the way but also pushed the rebar to the sides. I'll tell you, that hole and pathway are getting deeper and deeper. We will try something else soon but somehow, I don't think I am going to win this war.

February Winning Haiku

Kelly wrote this winning haiku. I have to say, the content didn't bias the judging team at all!

The wine superb. Nice.
The family, friendlier.
Simply Canelo.

Thanks, Kelly.

Valentine Day Week-End

We had a great time this past week-end celebrating Valentine's Day in our tasting room. Many people came with their valentines.

Our dogs were very excited to meet Baby Allie.




Cherie and Jamie brought their whole family.












Cherie even went home with a beautiful valentine basket!








I am already anticipating next year's celebration.

New at Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery!

Debra Fink, a Sonoita resident, has designed a full line of wine gift baskets for our tasting room. Love is in the air for the month of February. Stop by any week-end in February to purchase a basket for your Valentine. A Debra wine basket will warm the cockles of any loved one's heart! Come see for yourself!

AZ Wine Tasting at Cave Creek Wines in Phoenix

Friday night Kathryn traveled to Phoenix to join three other Sonoita-area winemakers at a wine tasting and class at Cave Creek Wines. CCW owners Bob and Liza were our excellent hosts at this event, organized by Chris Hamilton of Rancho Rossa Vineyards.

Everyone was surprised by the crowd; 102 people turned out to taste and learn about these fine wines, all made from 100% Arizona-grown fruit. The place was packed! It was a great opportunity for Canelo Hills, Rancho Rossa, Callaghan Vineyards, and Dos Cabezas Wineworks to introduce our wines to a new crowd of people in the Phoenix area. We look forward to seeing some of our new friends in the tasting room.

Check out the photos page of our website for more of snapshots our busy night. And if you're in Phoenix, visit Cave Creek Wines, where you can now purchase your favorite Canelo Hills Wines!