Getting Busy again

So a lot is happening again.

Saturday 9am - 12noon - if you know us, pop on by see what's up - shout when you arrive, we'll help you across the snow.

We checked out or old barrels and rejuvinated them. This consists of cleaning them out and filling them with water to rehydrate them. We have put wine in before hydrating and just watched it leak out again, whilst frantically caulking the head with sliced cork - can't do that with a plastic cork. Luckilly it has always been the head that leaks and even luckier, the head you can see, not the one against the wall.

So all went well with 2 barrels. 1 barrel decided it would pursue an alternative career as a sieve impressionist and got into character by happily leeking like one for about 12 hours.

It leaked from the head and the staves. But happily for us, it eventually gave up and decided to join us in maturing the 2007 wine and closed up as tight as a, well, a barrel.

It all helps with cutting down the expense of ordering more used french oak barrels and helps the planet.
We ordered morebarrels for 2007 too. They may be here next week, and we may start transferring soon after. I think the secondary fermentation is more or less complete. We'll see.

These barrels will be rehydrated too.

Tomorrow we try out our new filling machine. For thos eof you familiar with the Tom Baker Dr. Who, the filler looks like the machine used by the Santarans (Sultarans?) to go around kidnapping survivors of a crashed ship on an earth many years in the future. I dare not copy a photo from the BBC since they jumped all over those who copied the TellyTubbyies. remember them?

Well what about the Clangers, BagPuss, Chrystal Tipps and Alistair, Ivor the engine and Ludwig (what was that all about?). And long before there was Captain Jack, there was Captain Pugwash and Noggin the Nogg. Feel free to add to the list of nostalgic programming.

By the way, the Pinot Noir for 2007 is out of this world and will get even better over the next 6 months or so. Reserve now as we already have people who have tasted from those barrels making offers!

Also, Jorro-Ma (the Syrah) is getting very low.

All Done (well, nearly)

Bottling.
We seem to have just about finished what has turned out to be a process that started in January. Yes, all our 2006 wine has been bottled, apart from one barrel of Adamo (Cab franc and Sangiovese).
Last week we bottled and labelled the last of the Trovato (Sangiovese and PinotNoir).

2008 Wines
For 2008, whose grapes will arrive on a few weeks, we're going to be doing largely what we did for 2006 and 2007, but we'll be doing more of some wine and less, or none, of others. It's purely based on where we feel the market is and what type of a range we have.

Other.
a) And those on you on the mailing list, you'll hear about a potential new product that we hope to bring out in the same way that we offer bath and body product from our wine's grapes, seeds and sediment (lees). Those not on the list will have to wait until the news is posted here - just an advantage of getting on that list I guess. Hey, I've got to push it somehow, right?

b), Tasting - At Whole Foods on Sawmill today 12-2pm. See you at the podium, and if you having lunch by the podium, let us recommend one of our wines to go with it.

A Temple of Our Wine

So, you know we're pretty creative bunch what with soap dishes made from our barrel staves, soap with our grape skins and so on and so forth, not least the design elements of our labels, choice of bottles...well, looks like we have surpassed ourselves this time!

It didn't start out as being a Temple of Wine, but that's what it ended up as.

We took a used French Oak barrel of ours, cut out the front, used the staves to make internal shelving, burned images and text into the wood, made it safe, but all from the perspective of a floor display.

Then it gets borrowed and it ends up in the air and looks like a Temple of Our Wine. See photo. That's our wine bottles around, in and on it.

Some behind the Scenes...

This is our corking machine. Place cork in brass hopper and pull lever down.

This is our filling machine. Place bottle under nozzle (teat?) and fill.

This is our labelling machine. Place on labelling table in exactly same spot as last time, labeller in exactly same spot on table, get template bottle with secret marks on it to align, then place bottle on it, hand crank and the labels are on...maybe first time if you've been a good lad. If not, you will suffer the endless torment and agony of micro-adjusting misaligned labels.

Bottles, upright in cases on our roller conveyor, resting to allow the cork to decompress in the bottle neck, before going on to labelling and then being placed upside down in cases to keep cork wet.

Ageing, Selling, and Robert

1. Let's deal with Selling and Robert first.

1. Robert - if it's you in L.A., and you really want a case, then we'll apply for the 2nd part of the license California doesn't mention - the $500 for the Dept of Equalization (sounds funny, but not as funny as who issues the Direct Ship Permit, the Dept. of ABC ( kid you not).

Shipping kits are ordered and should be here this coming week.

LOCAL SALES POINTS

a), Shane's Gourmet Catering & Market

447 E. Livingston Ave., Columbus, OH 43215-5534

Phone: (614) 358-5555 Fax: (614) 358-7777

b), Simple Indulgences

20 West William Street, Unit A Delaware, Ohio 43015

Phone: 740.363.5763

c), Clintonville Community Market

200 Crestview Road, Columbus, OH 43202

Phone: (614)-261-3663

d), Whole Foods Market

1,
3670 W.Dublin-Granville Road
Columbus, OH 43235
(614) 760-5556
2,
1555 W. Lane Avenue
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
(614) 481 3400

e) House Wine
644 High Street
Worthington, OH 43085
(614) 846-9463

f), Buy From Us Direct

The ship kits are here we have FedEx lined up, so place your order for our wines.

We take VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover, Debit. If paying by check, you have to mail your check in first.

Phone - (614) 893-5455

email: viavecchiawinery@yahoo.com

3. AGEING (aren't we all)

Deliveries to Ohio seem to be a problem. This past week we got let down with the delivery of our French Oak barrles. This meant we were not able to transfer out of secondary fermentation to ageing in these barrels. Never mind the fact that Colporteurs, who supply the barrels, took our money around January 24th! We have shipped from Australia before, and that's quicker and logistically simpler than shipping from California to Ohio.

We haven't quite worked out the blends, but the starting point is to work with what volumes we have in secondary fermentation and translate them into barrels based on prior behaviour. There will always be some give and take with short quantities and so on and it can be quite a mind-bender of an exercise. Actually, it's Wine Soduko: just when you think a certain combination of secondary fermentation varietals will work for a finite number of barrels, you'll then notice that you're short on another blend...and so it goes on.

This is much more of a challenge for us since we don't have the luxury and buffer of huge quantities of wine to deal with and we have less room to manoeuvre with choices and the blend configuration for a given number of barrels. Then you have to allow for top-up.

Full Moon Racking

Well, we're truly in the midst of secondary fermentation. This weekend saw the final racking of the wine. Last weekend was the full moon, dead on, so we transferred the bulk of the wine at this auspicious time. A lot of our process is dictated by moon phases and other un-scientific methods, but it means we can make wine without the treatments, so who're we to question millenia of practice.
This weekend we finished the wine in the demijons. The demijons manage our silty wine, enabling it to clear with time separate from the free run wine. Here's a picture of us racking from the demijons by siphoning. The demijon on the floor in the iron cage is thought to be around 100 years old (see previous post).

Our process, in part, relies on the lees in the wine to provide natural anti-oxidation/protection against air. It's the rationale behind the "sur lees" method of winemaking. Here's a view fo the lees that have settled out against the sides of a demijon that has just been racked. Lunar-esque n'est pas?


Now those same lees have fantastic astringent qualities too and make great face packs, as demonstrated by Via Vecchia's own Apron Boy (aka Paolo at right of pic) and Rob' Clone (aka Marty at left of pic).
Also note that Zen Tree Soaps uses these lees of ours in its face pack product.


And speaking of Zen Tree Soaps, here they are at the North Market in Columbus. The upright and longitudinal wooden display stands are made out of an old wine barrel of ours (Marty ran them up) and on them you would see, if you were there, soaps using grapes skins from our Pinot Noir and Syrah, sugar scrubs using grape seeds from our grapes and the face pack using our wine's lees.
This is a nice venture for us

Last of the 2005

Today was, in retrospect, a watershed. It passed almost without significance and yet, it marked an end to making wine outside the "bubble" of the bonded winery status of Via Vecchia Winery. Why? Well, today saw the breaking of the last remaining barrel of our Bordeaux blend (Truove) from 2005 which was not produced under bond. From here on in, any bottling of personal use wine will come from the bonded 2006 barrels.

We leave you with images of that last barrel, a stack of wine cases duly receiving their bottles, and Michael standing proud beside his quarter share.

Well done all.

Foil Spinner Update & Another Back Label Candidate

The Foil Spinner

So, it turns out that UPS Customer Support didn't mean "cash" when it said "cash" as it really meant "money order". This meant the 2nd attempted delivery of the foil spinner aborted on Thursday afternoon.

On Friday, UPS Customer Support said the foil spinner was in its distribution depot at Trabue Road, so we went down to get it, accompanied by a money order.

After about half an hour at UPS on Trabue, we were told it was buried somewhere and wouldn't be scanned 'til Monday, when it would be re-delivered.

Monday. Monday we'll finally get it. We hope they accept money orders issued by United Dairy farmers, otherwise it's third strike and the spinner's being returned to the sender, Frances. Stay tuned.

Another Rear Label Photo Candidate.

This photo of us at Via Vecchia is another potential candidate that may end up on the rear label (see other candidate Here).

Again (left to right), Marty, Paolo, Anton and Michael.

PhotoShoot

This post was meant to be called something really great. Michael came up with it, but I forgot it. So, it's not great.

Anyway, Monday we had a photo shoot. We got together as a group for the photo for the back label of our bottles. It was all ironed white shirts in the heat and unfeasibly delicate glassware.

Michael was on time, and I think I can add, "for once".

From the photos below you'll see our props;

1 - mocked up bottles of Sangiovese/Pinot Noir and Bordeaux (former in Burgundy style bottle with the sloping shoulders, the latter in the other one);

2 - barrels - the barrels here are what contained our private stash of Sangiovese/Pinot Noir and Bordeaux;

3 - dangerous and nerve wrackingly delicate stemware, courtesy of a brave, or foolish (I cannot decide which), Anton. I mean, the life expectancy of glasses in the winery is shorter than that of WW1 pilots and he brings these along. By the way, what's the similarity between the stemware and the flextanks? They're both big! Look at the size of these glasses - they have bowls the size of your head.

Our photos were taken by Peteris Osis. Peteris is Moose Bend Images (peterisosis@gmail.com & http://www.moosebend.com/), specialising in landscape photography and kind enough to help us out.

This is Peteris.

Anyway, this is a potential candidate photo from the shoot which may feature on the rear label. Thanks to Michelle and Brian (of Mamapalooza post) for location.

And this is via Vecchia

(left to right as you view this)

Marty, Paolo, Anton, Michael

(this was slightly enlarged as it pixellated badly on loading - I think that's because Peteris' file is so big blogger couldn't handle the number of pixels at the original loaded size - I hope we don't get pixellation when this is reduced for the rear label)

Topping Up

There are many who claim to have fun with what they do, and yet... and yet you look at what they post to their web sites and blogs and they all look so serious and well, not having fun. I know we have been accused of just having fun, but frankly, since when does having fun lessen the importance or credibility of what you do? And that's not rhetorical, you can answer and debate that one with us if you like.

So anyway, today's fun was topping up the barrels. We also had the pleasure of Mike coming over to visit and help. We haven't seen enough of him lately and it was good to have him joining in the fun - or should I say, work.

We topped up from our reserves in the demijons. All hand pouring no less, with lots of sampling. We have some video of that, but can't post it here as some of us got a bit colorful in our comments.
The Cabernet Franc had kicked up again! We won't interfere with that though and we'll let it burn itself out. We do not want high alcohol wine but that Franc may well push it for us, so we may actually withhold it from sale this year and blend it with something next year.
We also tried a 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Syrah mix - too early too tell what it would be really like, but it was pretty much alright, good even, anyway, we drank it.

So now to pictures.

This is our hand crafted process in action. Careful pouring to top up the barrel. Please note that there you see direct evidence of our natural filtration process - note the sediment at the bottom of the gall jug? well that has settled out and will not go into the barrel. The same happens in the barrel. When we siphon the wine out of the barrel the sediment will be left behind. In the meantime it's a lesser form of a sur lees method of winemaking. The lees are reputed to be natural antioxidants too, and is why we are able not to rely on sulfiting.


This is our board room. Very serious, as if!

This is us under the watchful eye of Bacchus. A gift from Katrina, who Michael (white shirt) proposed to.


Finally, we got the 2005 Winery Year DVD out - we have two versions 1, the fast cut/lively music version and 2, the sepia toned/Italian folk song soundtrack. As those of you who have seen these productions of prior years, I hope you'll agree they're just full of fun. But then, we do have fun, as I said.

The "Business Side" of News

Michael here...I want to take time to update everyone on the "behind the scenes" of our winery with a business update.
While the wine was in production, we were all busy finalizing our logo. The logo appears to the right of our posts. Our logo creation was an exercise in the collaboration of ideas and creativity for us all. We learned so much about one another. It is amazing you can stand beside some people for years crushing grape and not really know how to work together to create something great.
We have come a long way and am so proud to know we persevered to be where we are today. In addition, I feel I am a better person for knowing each one of my partners through this project. So, we hope to take our "lessons learned", passion for the business and bottle it all up to make a product that you can be proud to serve.
After our logo was finalized, we began the process of creating a business card, thank you card and label creation. To assist us in our efforts with creativity, we have once again asked Kim James, graphic and photo designer, to employ her creative insight.
We as managing partners meet every week to discuss the state of our business and our next tasks. This week we will be meeting to discuss our complete sales cycle. "What will it take to move the wine from our barrel to your table?" We will update you along the way. In addition, we will be discussing the direct to consumer state shipping laws.
Many thanks to a great website source http://www.wineinstitute.org/ / Finally we hope to center more discussion around the customer intimacy to create an emotional connection.
By the way, we will continue to improve and succeed but only with customer insights and comments. PLEASE COMMENT!

Where's the Stuff?

(left to right - Marty, Paolo (me) , Anton and Michael).
Well, the storage bag arrived from FlexTank. All that way from Australia and it still beat the local shipment of the barrel equivalents out of California. oh Well. The French Oak barrels are on their way too as are the barrel bungs.
We hope they will all arrive for Saturday as Saturday is the full moon ("luna piena"). We like to do things by the full moon. A lot of people doubted me on that, but seems like I'm not alone. I don't even feel the need to explain why we do it ... it's good enough that it has been done that way for as long as people can remember (well, a very small group of people in Toscana).
If any of you have yahoo mail, I think i can hook up a webcam and run it via Yahoo Chat so you can see what we're up to on Saturday. If I do I'll let you know on here which Chat Room we'll be in. Just go in and request to see our webcam. I do not promise anything though. In fact it might be dangerous as we will be tempted to show-off and do stupid things. So maybe not such a good idea after all. Forget it...maybe.

Almost forgot - going to a restaurant interested in our wine tomorrow.

Hello to...
Italy, Belgium, Ireland, GA, KY.