at the Vintage House located at 264 First Street East,Sonoma
Past Events May 16 Cline Cellars visit lead by Cline's winemaker, Charlie Tsegeletos. March 8 Christopher Sawyer, the sommelier for the Sonoma Lodge, was our speaker and his presentation was related to wines of Sonoma, their differences, and what foods go best with them. February 8 Michael Weyna, representing Saury of France, presented barrel types, roasts, and the variances surrounding barrel choices. Two significant points he made were that we should minimize use of barrels smaller than 60 gallons (nominal) and we should look for “blisters” in our barrels. Blisters will not get thoroughly cleaned and we may experience problems. To download the outline from Michael's seminar, click here. January 11 Tony Correia was our speaker. Tony has many years of experience in the wine industry and you can visit his website. His presentation was on the various AVA’s and it's meaning to us as home winemakers. He has many years experience in real estate aspects of the wine industry. December 10, 2006 The Holiday Party at The Herrick’s Barn View Photos from the Holiday Party October 14, 2006 Sonoma Valley Home Winemakers Celebration. Attendees tasted some of the finest hand-crafted cult wines of the Sonoma Valley from over 20 home wineries and enjoyed some local cuisine at the First Annual Sonoma Valley Home Winemakers Celebration. Hosted by the Valley of the Moon Dilettante Enological Society (VOMDES) and the Sonoma Valley High School Boosters, all proceeds for this event benefit SVHS. September 14, 2006 Linda Hale of Madrone Vineyard Management presented activities that are performed within the vineyard during the end of the growing season, shutting the vines down for winter; post harvest irrigation, fertilization, and composting, etc., also what was done during the recent hot spell to reduce vine/grape loss/damage. August 10, 2006 Pat Watkins of Napa Fermentation Supplies spoke on the differences and uses of Barrels (plastic, glass, stainless steel, wood) Bottles (standard and fat neck) and Cork (D/D Extra first and super select) for the home winemaker. Pat has many years of extensive experience within the home winemaking business. May 11, 2006 Randall Watkins, Winemaker and General Manager at Moon Mountain Vineyard shared with us one of his specialties -- blending prior to fermentation -- and other methods used in making wines at Moon Mountain. February 9, 2006 We visited Gundlach Bundschu, one of the oldest wineries in Sonoma valley, going back six generations. GB started the Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival over 105 years ago. Stuart Young led a cave tour and Linda Trotta led a tasting and presentation on Old vs. New Vine Cabernet. January 12, 2006 Grant Raeside, the Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance, presented on the direction the Alliance is going to brand Sonoma Valley wines, the area, and events that will be taking place this year. December 11, 2005 Annual Holiday Party. November 10, 2005 Vicki Mastbaum spoke about used equipment within the wine industry and what her company, Transition Equipment Company, has to offer. October 13, 2005 Chef Dishman is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, has worked for several famous restaurants in New York city and throughout on the East Coast and had his own restaurant prior to moving to Sonoma. He spoke to us about “Wine Tasting From the Chef’s Point of View" and discussed taste and how some great wines get lost in the food and visa versa. Preston is no stranger to the wine cellar having 5,000 bottles with over 150 different wines to choose from. September 23-25, 2005 Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival For a list of winners, click here. Read the 8/18/05 Sonoma Valley Sun article by Bradley Gray, click here. August 11, 2005 Mr. Jef Stebben, a consulting wine maker will be our speaker. Mr. Stebben generally provides advice to commercial wineries, but he has helped home wine makers, including our member Mike Muscardini. Mr. Stebben will talk to us about the judicial use of SO2. A recent article in the Beverage People's Newsletter noted that over their 30+ years of providing supplies to home wine makers, they have not been able to get the home wine maker to comprehend the proper use of SO2. Mr. Stebben will address how to measure, how much to use, when, etc. With the crush just around corner, this subject is quite timely. July 31, 2005 Deadline for entries for the 2005 Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival Amateur Wine Competition. July 16, 2005 Annual Picnic at Hanzell Winery. See June Newsletter for particulars. July 14, 2005 Business Meeting June 9, 2005 Guest Speaker: Ned Hill, President of Parmelee-Hill Vineyard, shared his significant experience in vineyard management as it relates to small vineyards. The company manages 350 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel grapes all in Sonoma Valley. Ned is the past President of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance. Mr. Ned Hill discussed the problems that vineyard owners are facing this year due to the excessive rains. Botrytis being the main problem in Chardonnay and Pinot because the clusters are more formed and canopies are full. He said it was the first time they have used helicopters to dry fields. Another problem is the weed growth as the ground has been so wet making it almost impossible to use equipment. The philosophy has been to let the weeds grow, as they will help absorb the ground water. Ned also discussed the controversy between growers and wineries as to the demand for longer hang times and the problems that creates for growers. At the least, it creates extra labor and continued vineyard issues and risks. It also dilutes profits as volume (tonnage) is reduced and the winemakers are immediately rehydrating. It was a very interactive discussion with Ned responding to many specific questions from the floor. |
Sommelier for Sonoma Wines:
Christopher Sawyer (r)
Sommelier for the Sonoma Lodge. Real Estate Aspects:
Sonoma Valley 2006 Home Winemakers Celebration :
VOMDES and the Sonoma Valley High School Boosters Club would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to this year’s Home Winemakers Celebration. Because of your efforts, we were able to raise a nice amount of money to help fund key school initiatives. We look forward to seeing you again next year.
Barrels, Bottles and Corks:
Pat Watkins (r) of Napa Fermentation Supplies. (Aug 10 2006)
Old vs. New Vine Cab Tasting:
Linda Trotta, Wine Maker for Gundlach Bundschu, with Jack Bertram (Feb 9, 2006) Wine Tasting From the Chef's Point of View:
Preston Dishman, center, executive Chef for The General's Daughter. (Oct 13, 2005)
Schug Winery Visit:
Walter Schug (second from left) Annual Picnic at Hanzell Vineyards: Picnic July 16, 2005 at Hanzell Vineyards included a tour and tasting.
Hanzell Vineyards Winemaker, Michael Terrien, pictured center in red with VOMDES members. VOMDES Donation: VOMDES donated a gas powered string trimmer and several hand tools to Sonoma Valley's Vineyard Workers Services.
Shown in the photo accepting the donation are, from left to right, Andrez Garcia, Juan Quezadaz, Francisco Neri and Elia Guido.
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