Blue ribbon chocolate cake!
Let’s stick with my childhood memories for a minute. Why do some memories remain while others fade or never stick at all. Who knows? But, it is clear, that our experiences shape who we will become. These accumulated threads of time weave the tapestry of our lives. So, what memories have driven me to seek exploration and a drive for excellence in grape growing and wine making? Well, I can recall one early memory in particular. I was 11 years old. Creating things was a passion of mine and I explored drawing and cooking, two activities modeled by my grandfather, C. Willard Hancock. The Washington County Fair was rapidly approaching in the summer of 1979, and I just loved chocolate cake. But, I was pretty certain I could make a better cake from scratch than one handed to me by Betty Crocker in a cardboard box. I don’t recall where I found the recipe, perhaps from the ever-present “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book”. This was the spiral bound kitchen bible of the 1970s, often found on the kitchen counter in our home, with many pages stained by Crisco shortening. Regardless, I set out to construct a three-layer confection that would astound the palate. Much to my chagrin, and my mother’s surprise, I went on to win the Blue ribbon at the Fair. This accomplishment instilled in me a lifelong commitment to tackling new skills and adventures and a confidence that diligence, education and practice could result in an outcome I would be proud of. Baking and cooking are like making fine wine. It’s all about creating a perfect compliment of flavors. When making ShuVin wines, we strt with cultivating the best ingredients. This is NOT box caked mix! It's wine made from scratch. Blue ribbon wine! I still reflect on this memory when I approach growing wine grapes and producing wine. I will keep working hard and innovating, to cultivate the best grapes and ferment the best wine possible. It’s just what I do.
What’s happening in the vineyard?
The late afternoon winter sun shines on the dormant vineyard, creating a dream-like setting. I use this time to hone my newly acquired pruning skills. Well, “skill” is a term I use rather loosely at this stage, but let’s just pretend for a moment. You don’t build aptitude and confidence in any new skill without practice and making mistakes. Like cake baking, for instance! A randomly chosen, unfortunate vine of Pinot Noir is my first “guinea pig”. I notice that the vine has NOT been subjected to the more modern, “European” method of “sap-flow” pruning and I immediately see the potential we have to bring our vineyard to the next level. This is exciting shit! It's been a crazy warm winter and the pruning cuts expose the underlying wood that weeps like a toddler denied a second cookie. The sap should not be flowing like tears this far into the winter. This means there may not be enough stored energy in the trunk and roots for the early vine growth come spring. Valentin, my loyal and talendted vineyard manager, will return from his small rural hometown in Mexico, Santa Maria Tindu, at the end of January. We will begin pruning in February or March. The later the better this year.
Every Thursday, I trek down to Salem to attend my viticulture class at Chemeketa. We worked on how to measure cane weights this week. That’s where we prune off all the canes that grew last year and weigh them. We take a representative, random sample to get an idea of how much growth, or vigor, occurred and this helps make decisions on how to prune this year. See the photos below of my classmates and me out in the Chemeketa vineyard!
The tasting room continues to take shape. I assembled the new bar stools and can’t wait to pour our first tastings on February 7th. If you haven’t signed up, just click the “VISIT US” tab above to make your reservation.
