Columbus Wine Festival | 2013

   Via Vecchia Winery had not attended a wine festival in about two years. With weddings nearly every weekend, business for the venue space had been occupying much of the available time. Without complaint though, the business of love is the best of any to be involved in~  

 

Inspiring it usually is to be surrounded by so many happy faces, all joined together for one special occasion, the celebration of love-

 

 

The celebration for the love of wine, in this case..

The winery was thrilled to share all-natural wines at the Columbus Wine Festival hosted by Giant Eagle at Franklin Park Conservatory this year!

 

Via Vecchia has been crushing the list on re-vino-lizing their presence in the wine market, so having this opportunity to share and connect with wine lovers was a wonderful experience.

 

The winery provided goodie bags with buttons, educational hand-outs on natural wine and little biscotti treats to enjoy with tastings.

 

During setup, Paolo and Lindsay, noticed that a toy Tank Driver had somehow managed to come along for the journey. He was missing a few limbs, but still ready for the show - Maybe it was a metaphor.

 

 

The sunshine all weekend was perfect, creating an exceptionally beautiful environment in the garden arena that the festival took place in. There were over 100 different vendors there, including businesses, wine, beer and even a few food trucks near parking. Live music and a showcased wine speaker, Joseph Carr from California, added to perks of attending this two day affair.

 

 

 

The winery set up their small table for a big weekend, bringing along all four of Via Vecchia's distinct red wines. Chilling Trovato, the Sangiovese Pinot Noir blend, made a unique choice for those who enjoy reds and needed to cool down, or for those whom typically enjoyed white wines.

 

People stayed engaged when they visited the booth. Sharing the process of making all-natural wine inspired questions and spurred conversation. The winery provided details in a positive fashion, offering up taste theories, descriptions of the wines as well as family heritage that told the story of how Via Vecchia Winery came to be.  

 

 

 

 

The community was alive, there were smiles with sipping all around. One gentleman lent a hand to display the fun you could have with sediment you find on the cork from a bottle of unfiltered wine.

 

 

 

 

The week of the festival, Via Vecchia had a small promotion on their Facebook page and selected three winners to be their guests. All three pairs visited the booth, grabbed a goodie bag and sipped wines in support.

 

 

A huge THANK YOU to Brad Pauquette, Paul Utrata and Amanda Snavley for participating and coming to support!

All in all, it seemed that Trouve was the crowd favorite of the weekend. Trovato, being chilled and refreshing was close in that category next to Jorro-Ma which many people favored for chance it tasted like port after being aged for almost three years.

 

We are still following-up on all of the fantastic connections we made that weekend, hopefully this will be the first of more festivals in our future.

 

 

 

 

Keeping the grape vines growing and the red wine flowing. 

 

 

 



Luna Modus Operandi

As a fully functioning winery, work is never in short demand. Everyone at Via Vecchia is encouraged to participate. When they are not trying to figure out if the camera is recording, they are usually involved with vino vocation in one form or another. This short video was captured in the Barrel Room of Via Vecchia Winery during a process known as Bottling.

The winery will usually do Bottling according to the cycle of the Moon. This is because sediment will usually sink towards the bottom of the barrel during a Full Moon, making the process easier in terms of filtration. A pump is inserted into the barrel and wine is transferred through a machine into brand-new empty bottles. To maintain an all natural approach, Via Vecchia Winery does not use nitrogen in their Bottling process. Winemakers are very careful not to disturb the wine by avoiding sediment kick-up and only using what remains clear. When the wine becomes cloudy, this signals the end of the barrel and the rest is not used for retail. 

When bottles have been filled with wine, they move down the table to be corked. This tool is hand-operated by simply placing a cork into position and pulling a lever down (as seen in the video) After the bottle is corked, it is sealed using a foil spinner that literately wraps a tin foil around the top. Lastly, the bottle receives one of four possible labels and is marked in numerical order of production. Cases are organized by wine type and stored in a secure location until distributed.

This week Via Vecchia bottled Trovato, the lightest red wine they create. A fun fact is that this particular barrel had been from one of the first Community CRUSH events held after the winery moved from Powell to Columbus in 2010.

Malbec 2013 | Transfer

Argentinian Malbec grapes finally reached the peak of primary fermentation this week! Paolo stands next to the 900 gallon tub with one plan in mind- Transfer to Secondary Fermentation.

  


Shoes come off and the people jump in~







Paolo & Lindsay load buckets with grape skins into the Grape Press. This machine delicately applies pressure to squeeze out wine that has been created during primary fermentation. This is also how Via Vecchia winemakers separate skins from wine for secondary fermentation.

Wine is transferred into another chamber with a lid to continue the fermentation process without skins. 

 This had been a smaller CRUSH for Via Vecchia Winery, so they decided to store the remaining wine inside a family-heirloom demijohn that was hand blown and dates to almost 133yrs old~ You can see grape seeds gathering at the top!

Olive oil will sit upon the wine, which creates a seal for the demijohn.

This prevents oxygen entering while allowing CO2 gas to escape.

Community CRUSH 2013 | pt.1

Typically, the annual Community CRUSH is scheduled for the early weeks of October..

This year, Via Vecchia Winery had a preliminary Community CRUSH that explored a new variety of grape from South America; Chilean Malbec. 
  

Chilean Malbec grapes from Chile

This would be the very first CRUSH to take place in Narnia; an area in the back of the winery that recently became the designated production room for wine. All equipment had been pre-set about a week in advance, including the notorious 12-ft wine trough that would house the traditional stomping. 

Crusher/De-Stemmer Machine

There were separate stations arranged for each task at hand that hosted volunteers, a mix of familiar and new. Throughout the event, people are encouraged to try each job based on their own preference. High-energy music echoes across walls decorated in graffiti, creating a truly unique work environment that welcomes smiling and dancing!

Anyone for Over-Time?

Paolo Rosi, Erica Blinn, Button Le Button, Tony Peluso, Craig Bortmas

Sara, PJ, Shelley

Grapes are emptied out of containers and dumped into large black bins. Volunteers that hand-sort them are advised to remove any low-quality grapes, including leaves or loose material from shipment.

Kai Aleckson, Erica Blinn, Sophia Rosi, Cynthia Rosi

Co-Creators Paolo Rosi and Michael Elmer show their passion for making things happen- After the grapes have been sorted, Michael would lead the black bins up the conveyer to the Crusher/De-Stemmer machine, where Paolo Rosi awaits. Stems are projected out of the side as luscious grape skins and juices make there way down into the massive vat for primary fermentation.

David Chew, Michael Elmer, Paolo Rosi

When about half of the work is done, a family style dinner is provided by Via Vecchia Winery.

Kevin, our neighbor across the street (owner of Frezno's Bar & Grill), graciously accommodated this feast complete with spaghetti, fresh-baked bread and salad.

O - H - I - O

Paolo Rosi, Michael Elmer, Ziel, Ron Minardo

A very sincere thank you goes out to everyone who had been included in pt.1 of Community CRUSH 2013. We accomplished an incredible amount of production in a small amount of time~ Please join us again when we open our doors for Community CRUSH pt.2 and feel free to bring others!

*For more pictures, please visit our Facebook

A Taste of Fashion | Via Vecchia Winery

  Alternative ·Fashion·Week·Columbus
     [awl-tur-nuh-tiv]  [fash-uh n] [week] [kuh-luhm-buh s]

1. A week-long affair, featuring several locations, all of which host unique fashion-focused events that build anticipation for one incredible Runway Finale show composed of local designers from Columbus, Ohio.
2. Week of the Alternative Fashion Mob, brainchild of Kelli Martin, from Project Runway.

See Also: Fashion-Forward, Creatively Focused and Community-Minded



Alternative Fashion Week Columbus could be defined many ways when considering all of the elements the celebration had been set to bring. Via Vecchia Winery had the opportunity, as many may not have known, to sponsor this event in more ways than one- hosting an event and creating fashion for the event!

Via Vecchia Winery opened their doors for Colors & Bottles on a Wednesday evening so that guests could enjoy live painting while sipping wine. The model wore an outfit by Aaron James, created for his line Ruby Hill- This same outfit would be worn in the Finale Runway Show at the end of the week.

Kelli Martin was incredibly spunky and fun to be around. She joined the group in live painting, speaking up a few times to share her perspective in how fashion paintings contrasted from others.








Via Vecchia Winery was happy to be part of an exclusive event that involved community. Stealing a view glances, you could see many of the guests enjoying their time & creating absolute stunning replicas of the model from their own point of view.

Before saying her good-byes, Kelli posed with Via Vecchia Winery, Co-Creators & Marketing.

Co-Creator of Via Vecchia Winery, Paolo Rosi, designed several hats for the Label Yourself line by local Designer, Crys Darling. Her theme was 50's Housewives attending a bake off.


  

 

 

Her unique presence at the runway finale show is sure to be a tasty-talk for time to come. Marketing Manager for Via Vecchia Winery, Lindsay Everson (far left) modeled for Crys as well.

[ Bob Dawson of Teen Fiction and Crys Darling of Label Yourself Fashions ]

Vino Visualizations

    Already this year, Via Vecchia Winery has opened their doors to many diverse private & corporate events, including a record amount of weddings. Seeing the expansive space used by the community in creative ways is always exciting, however lately it seems folks are asking " Is this really a winery? " while peaking around corners.

"Yes, this is a winery!"

Is always the answer.

     In fact, the vino visualizations for this year are the strongest most organized yet- Via Vecchia Winery has decided to take the leap to create a production focused room known as 'Narnia' where all of the machinery & wine making supplies will live, including empty bottles that will soon be filled with a few more unique wines to join the following originals that have been featured throughout the years-

Trovato~ SanGiovese Pinot Noir Blend
Light, Floral Smooth Fruit Taste

Adamo~ SanGiovese Cabernet Franc Blend
Light to Medium, Peppery Spiced Taste

Jorro-Ma~ Syrah
Medium, Rich Smokey Earth Taste

Trouve~ Merlot Cabernet Franc Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium to Heavy (changes during course), Dry Pungent Taste

Product is always available for purchase at Via Vecchia Winery, Whole Foods & Celebrate Local. If you would like details on locations or to arrange a larger purchase, please feel free to contact them!

     Via Vecchia has finally barreled Charbono from California, of which there are only 30 acres of in the country; A very special thank you to Joe Mercurio of Mercurio Produce Distributors for helping this varietal become a reality. This should be ready for tasting in about two years, which is the standard time-frame of ageing. We also transferred our signature Trouve, building more stock of this crowd favorite.

 

In summary, the cork is popped & the bottle is pouring for fresh ideas- Production is steady as always, a stronger taste for balance between events and wine retail is developing more than ever this year. So, as answered above "Yes, this is a winery!" & Via Vecchia plans to prove this point by keeping those glasses full!

Cheers

City Music Columbus | 2013

   Another wonderful season of City Music Columbus has come to a close, leaving those that crave culture wanting more~ 

Columbus locals can now discover nationally recognized talent in the convenience of their own city. Via Vecchia Winery had the pleasure of hosting several afternoon shows, creating an enjoyable experience complete with live music, delicious meals & natural wines. Some even bring along a book or their laptop for a comfortable change of environment!

 PROJECT Trio from Brooklyn, New York

Featured artists captivated guests with soul-filled performances; some even shared personal stories of their journey or inspirations too. After the concert, guests are welcome to purchase merchandise & often encouraged to chat with artists.

Grammy-Award winning, Bill 'Birdsong' Miller

There is also the option of sponsoring a table in your name during the event, for an up-close perspective of world-class musicians. This package includes tickets & meals for 8 guests! For reservation please contact 614-223-3093.

 

If you would like to see more images from past events or to be informed on upcoming ones, please visit Via Vecchia Winery on Facebook

To find out more details on tickets, sponsoring or upcoming seasons, please visit City Music Columbus