Silent Pool Rosé 2012 will be released for sale on the 1st June 2013, the beginning of English Wine Week.  It is one of the first English certified Organic wines and will be available at the following outlets:

Retail outlets
Alnwick Castle Gift Shop, Alnwick
The Guildford Wine Company, Shalford
Kingfisher's Farm Shop, Abinger Hammer
Secretts Farm Shop, Milford
Taurus Wines, Bramley
The Vineyard, Dorking
Vintage Roots www.vintageroots.co.uk

Pubs/Restaurants
Black Swan, Ockham
Drummond Arms, Albury
Kinghams Restaurant, Shere
RHS Wisley Restaurants, Wisley
Royal Opera House Restaurants, London
The Percy Arms, Chilworth
The William Bray, Shere
William IV, Little London

We'll be holding the first meeting of the Albury Wine Club at the vineyard on the 1st June (for members only). The Guildford Wine Company in Shalford will be hosting a tasting between 11.00am and 5.00pm. 

We are delighted with the quality of the wine which has been produced from hand picked biodynamic grapes from our own vineyard. Stephen Skelton MW, who is an expert on English wines, commented:

"Good fruit, nice balance with good acidity but not too aggressive. A worthy successor to the 2011. Amazing considering what the year was like."

Tasting Notes
"Silent Pool Rosé is an elegant, fresh, salmon coloured still Rosé wine made predominantly from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. On the nose, strawberry and cream, juice tangerine and cherry blossom aromas meld with layers of clean minerality. The wine displays enticing flavours of orange peel and bright citrus on the mid-palate, with balanced acidity and a long finish."

Winemaker, Ulrich Hoffmann

Normally an image of a tractor in the vineyard puts people to sleep, but this image is interesting because the tractor is in our original planting of Chenin Blanc, planted in 1972 in 12 foot rows. The Chenin Blanc was grafted over to Syrah about 30 years ago. The vines are on their own roots [...]

Taken with a telescopic lens from our Chardonnay bloc on the northside of the river, looking south, the winery can barely be seen behind a clump of trees just below the bare brown hill. The riverbed is dry but there is actually a trickle flowing – most of it is underground. This ‘trickle’ keeps the [...]

Happy #SauvBlanc Day -- Where it all begins, in our Carneros Estate Vineyard! #napa #wine twitter.com/cuvaison/statu…

So you say you want to experience Ponte but you’ve only got a day?  No, no, don’t get overwhelmed…although we now have three eateries, we’re happy to say that your wish is possible.  The key?  Get an early start. It’s worth it: just wait until you drive down Rancho California Road in the early morning hours.  The views of the vineyards are stunning.  Pull into Ponte Vineyard Inn and head over to Bouquet for breakfast.  Hmm, will it be pork belly confit with poached eggs and grilled asparagus?  Perhaps a garden omelet, stuffed with spinach, wild mushrooms and feta cheese?  Or maybe you’re in the mood for something sweet, like crepes and berries?

If healthy is your choice, you could go with Irish steel cut oatmeal with local honey and a glass of fresh carrot juice.   Whatever your choice, you’re off to a great start.

By the time you finish you’ll probably want to let your food settle, so wander the grounds of the hotel and Ponte Winery at will (we hope you brought your camera).  Got some good shots?  Be sure to share them with us on Facebook, or tag us on Instagram (#ponte_family_estate)…we’d love to see!

Okay, all that walking has made you thirsty so it’s time to head in to Ponte’s Tasting Room to do some wine tasting.  Are you a red, white or sweet fan?  Not sure?  We have some of each so sip away and pick up a bottle or two of your favorites.  Walk around the enormous Marketplace and check some things off your shopping list.  With cookbooks, home décor, candles, lotions, gourmet foods, wine tools, even clothes, we’re sure you’ll find something that you will love.

My, how time flies, it’s already time for lunch!  Step outside for a light bite (remember, you’ve still got another place to eat at!) at the award-winning The Restaurant at Ponte.  To re-charge your battery, try any one of Chef Guiliano’s starters or salads.  The charcuterie board and cheese plate are both dynamite with a glass of Ponte wine, as is the wine country salad.

At this point, it might just be time for one of Ponte’s winery tours to begin (you can check the times here).  You are in for a treat!  Join a friendly Ponte tour guide and see the vast grounds, including the wine tank yard and the Barrel Room (where you’ll taste wines right from the aging vessels), the Vineyard Pavilion and sample grapes right off the vines.  Once it’s over, meander on over to two nearby wineries: Wiens Family Cellars and/or Southcoast Winery.  Even if you’re done tasting for the day, it’s a pleasant walk.

By now, the day is winding down.  The sun may even be setting but you’re not finished yet!  You absolutely cannot leave Ponte without experiencing The Cellar Lounge.

Located underground at Ponte Vineyard Inn, this is Temecula Valley’s only full cocktail bar.  With seasonal, handcrafted cocktails and a stellar if not smaller menu, it’s the perfect ending to a great day.  Put down your shopping bags and wine bottles, sit at the bar or a plush booth and relax over an Anjou: fresh muddled lime and basil with Grey Goose pear vodka and St. Germain elderflower liquer.  Or sip a Santiago: Chilean pisco with orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, hibiscus floral infusion and a splash of Ponte Moscato.  Of course, you could also enjoy an icy microbrew or glass of local wine.  Enjoy a dinner of a variety of bites the Cellar Lounge serves up, like Kobe Beef Sliders, Tempura Shrimp, or Mediterranean Nachos, among others.

Ta-da!  You’ve done it!  Three restaurants, wine and even cocktails at Ponte Winery.  Granted, you didn’t experience dinner at Bouquet (and what an experience it is!), but this is just an excuse to return soon.  Of course, if you can stay overnight with us, all the better.  Aside from being able to experience Ponte Vineyard Inn’s seriously delicious breakfast basket over coffee on your patio or balcony, you will absolutely adore this charming boutique hotel and all the amenities that come with it.

We hope you are able to take advantage of an all-day experience in the country at Ponte.  Bring your mom, your dear one, your best friends, your co-workers, whoever, just be sure they love food and wine and a great time.

–Erica Martinez

–What is your absolute favorite thing about visiting Ponte?

The Ned Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2011 – Double Gold Medal – China Wine Awards Trophy – Best Young Sweet Wine – other varieties – Riverina Sweet Wine Challenge, Australia Gold Medal – New World Wine Awards, NZ

The Ned Pinot Noir 2011 – Gold Medal – China Wine Awards The Ned Pinot Noir 2010 – Gold Medal – Austrian Wine Challenge, Vienna

The Ned Pinot Gris 2012 Trophy – Best Wine Matched with Cantonese Dim Sum – Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition Double Gold Medal – China Wine Awards Wines of Marlborough Trophy – China Wine Awards Gold Medal – Amex Tower Club Wine Awards, Singapore

By Robert Haas

Take a look at this picture of the half-bottle of 2010 Meursault from Thierry and Pascale Matrot that my wife, Barbara and I opened for lunch on our little back patio yesterday.  We enjoyed lunch outdoors because the temperature at noon was 68 degrees, 20 degrees cooler than Monday!

Who, only 49 years ago, in Burgundy, would ever have imagined that fine Burgundy wines would be finished in other than cork?  Not me, for sure.  Nor would have Thierry Matrot’s father Pierre or grandfather Joseph.  Matrot’s importer Vineyard Brands tells me that sales in the U.S. have soared since the wine was introduced in screw cap closure. 

The screw cap reads,“Noblesse du Terroir”. Terroir, the difficult-to-translate French noun, has come to mean the cumulative impact on a finished wine of the soil and climate (and some say human) specifics of where the wine's grapes were grown. Wines with terroir are much sought-after and admired by today's growers, wineries and wine writers and critics, and consumers.  The Oxford Companion to Wine, published in 1994 and edited by Jancis Robinson (excerpted right) introduces the subject in four full columns, starting with the displayed paragraphs.  In Robinson's definition, terroir is noble, the underpinning of appellation controlée system and central to the philosophy of wine in the Old World.

Now take a look at the seven-line entry of Frank Schoonmaker, America’s foremost wine expert and author in 1964, about terroir.  His association, rather than the "somewhereness" the wine exhibits, is more of a taste of dirt, neither elegant nor elevated. Look at his description of gout de terroir: "somewhat unpleasant, common, persistent”:

Why this sea change?  I believe that it has been driven by the influence of new grape plantings in the New World, and particularly in California.  In the old world and particularly France, with thousands of years’ experience, the legislated Appellations Controllées designated the great “terroirs”. But even in the Old World, greatness was traditionally associated with particular vineyards and came only gradually in the second half of the twentieth century to be associated with the environmental conditions that gave those vineyards their specific character.

In California, modern planting and marketing history only dates back to 1933, the end of prohibition.  Early-on, California wines were field blends named after French appellations such as Claret, Burgundy, Chablis, etc., though the wines in the bottle had little or nothing to do with the wines (or even the grapes) traditional in these regions.  As the industry became more sophisticated, higher quality vintners -- led most influentially by Robert Mondavi -- adopted varietal names such as Cabernet-Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot to differentiate themselves from the mostly ordinary field blends. But while varietal labeling offered clarity, more was needed to identify quality wines.  Did they come from growing areas well suited to the grapes in the wine?  Thus began the American Viticultural Area (AVA) designations, and central to the AVA's raison d'etre is the concept that each appellation shares similarities in their soils and climate that gives the wines that are grown there a shared character. 

Of course, the AVA system is based on the models used in France, Italy, Spain, Germany and elsewhere in the traditional wine-growing regions of Europe.  But unlike Old World appellations, American AVA's are not restricted to specific grapes.  It may not be traditional to grow Tempranillo in Napa or Cabernet in Santa Maria, but you're welcome to do so.  The AVA just specifies where the grapes are grown, and it's up to you to make your case for the quality of the end product.  And central to the growing significance of terroir has been wineries' efforts to support their claims to quality by geographic designation.  After all, while Cabernet-Sauvignon could be grown anywhere, there are places where it's better suited than others.  Good “Terroir” implied not just a good place to grow grapes, but a good place to grow specific grapes, resulting in an appealing character of place in the wines produced there. 

Screwcaps share some of this history.  They were first developed in the late 1960's by a French company, popularized by wineries in the New World (Australia and New Zealand deserve most of the credit here) and now have reached sufficient acceptance that they're even being used for noble French terroirs like Meursault. 

Cheers to good ideas, wherever they originate.

The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2012 Gold Medal – Austrian Wine Challenge, Vienna Gold Medal – Amex Tower Club Wine Awards, Singapore Gold Medal – Marlborough Wine Show NZ The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Decanter International Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc under £10 Best Sauvignon Blanc Trophy – Austrian Wine Challenge, Vienna Gold Medal – Austrian Wine Challenge, Vienna Gold Medal – New

Join us this Thursday, May 16, for a live web video chat and new release tasting with John Jordan and Director of Wine Greg Miller. A series of tastings will be hosted, so friends across the country can participate: THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 3 p.m. PST / 6 p.m. EST (for our friends on the East [...]

The Carneros Vineyard is in full bloom and early stages of fruit set, where the fertilized flowers turn into grape berries. Bloom this year has been running about 2 weeks to 18 days ahead of last year which portends an early start to harvest. In other words, the cellar crew should not be planning any labor day festivities. The Brandlin Vineyard on Mount Veeder has just begun bloom in some of the blocks, but is typically 3 weeks or so behind our Carneros Estate. Otherwise it’s been a stress-free year so far with no frost or strong disease pressure. The biggest worries have been the relative dryness of the year and the strong presence of gophers, voles, and deer wanting to munch on our vines.

Friday May 3 Air travel: the fastest means of transport for people who have the most time to kill.  And here we are killing time at London Heathrow – not one, but two cancelled flights, and today’s arrival in the … Continue reading →

…something borrowed and something…mint! This year the wedding color of the year is the delicious mint. We have been watching this whimsical color take over weddings galore! You can find it in the décor, as well as in the details of most weddings throughout 2013. I am not sure why a certain color influences a year of weddings, but all I can say about mint is…I love it! Here are a few examples of how to use such a beautiful color in your very own wedding.

1. Let them eat mint! Who knew a mint cake could look so delectable?! The soft green allows any other color to take the stage, while still adding a bit of personality rather than your usual white cake. I absolutely love the coral accent with the mint… It is such a fun combination.

2. I can completely see how mint is going to rule the wedding catwalk this year. It is such a complimentary color to any skin tone and pairs perfectly with any jewelry! Now don’t limit this color to your bridesmaids, we’ve been seeing some amazing wedding gowns that have the most subtle hint of mint and they are absolutely stunning.

3. He loves me, he loves me not…Mint is the perfect accent color to all things floral! From succulents to leaves, mint has no limits and our florists are pulling out all the stops to show off this fantastic color in bridal party bouquets, boutonnieres, and centerpieces.

4. Peek-a-boo…Don’t forget about the shoes! We’ve already seen how brilliantly mint pairs with most colors, but the best of them all is white. Imagine walking down the aisle with your playful mint colored heels leading the way. Whether you choose patent leather or suede, mint is the perfect addition to your wedding day attire.

5. Mint is not limited to the ladies! Finish off any suit with a mint tie or, even better, a bowtie and your man is ready for his debut. This color is just the right addition because it is not too feminine, with its blue and green tones, but it still has an amazing lightness too, unlike some other masculine colors.

–Natascia Pfister, Special Events

–What do you think of mint at weddings?

May 2013 saw the inaugural visit of 10 of our distributors to NZ. This is the first time we have bought any USA distributors to NZ and it was a fantastic week. We ran an incentive over the holiday period in the USA across all 21 states that we have distribution in and we then

Villa Maria winery is pleased to announce business consultancy director Sue Clark has joined its board of directors. Villa Maria winery is pleased to announce business consultancy director Sue Clark has joined its board of directors.

Many Club Cuvaison members have already seen our new labels and logo, but we want to share the new design with our many friends and fans who have not. We've kept the iconic Cuvaison arch, but updated it with an artistic display of the word Cuvaison. The new design also features new font to represent the dynamic and modern evolution of the Cuvaison brand.

We are excited to unveil our new Cuvaison label design. The new label reflects a true expression of our elegant wines while representing the modern, artful, and authentic vision displayed in our tasting rooms.
 

 

The Cuvaison Estate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are 100% estate grown wines that represent the unique and certified sustainable vineyard site which is our home in the heart of Carneros. Each wine is meticulously hand-crafted from vineyard blocks that have been vinified separately, chosen by Winemaker Steve Rogstad for the distinct characteristics each brings to the final blend. Complex, multi-layered, and highly nuanced, our estate wines represent uncompromised farming and winemaking from vine to bottle.

Our Single Block wines are sourced from distinct blocks within the Cuvaison estate vineyard that have the rare combination of climate, soil and aspect to yield fruit that is consistently outstanding year after year. These individual blocks produce “stand alone” wines that need no blending. Limited in production, they represent the highest and most complete expression of fruit from our Carneros estate.

Visit our Tasting Rooms to check out the new look and taste our delicious wines!

Cheers!

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay have flowered and set. Now we only have to worry about Bambi. The lack of rain is driving deer and other wildlife closer to the river. Deer will not kill the vine but prevent growth by eating the tips of the canes. We have some blocks that are protected by fencing [...]

The annual grand tour signed Wine Spectator, which every year selects about 200 of the most prestigious wineries in the world,  also this year has involved Terredora, which has introduced one of the most famous Italian wines from ancient origin, a symbol of Italian viticulture pride: Greco di Tufo “Loggia della Serra” DOCG, harvest 2011. [...]

 In  US  Italian traditions are a must and our wine is for them more than a simple drink;   it represents culture and a  bond  with a valued land rich in history .Vias Import – New York – is, in the U.S., the most important reference for the choice of Italian wines. At Vias Tasting  Daniela Mastroberardino, [...]