2006 "Fleuvage" Pinot Noir - Almost Sold Out

Understanding Wine and the relationship between the wine, the drinker and the chili.

One of the biggest hurdles a producer of wine will have to leap is the preconception the end user (consumer, drinker) has for your product. 
Trying to solve the riddle of what the consumer wants is a fools' game.  In other circles it's called "chasing the market".  As soon as you change your style and purpose, the market shifts, leaving you as yesterday's child.
What is the best wine and best way to make wine?  It's extremely subjective.  That's why I make wine that I like.  Wine that I will drink , that my friends and family will drink and, along the way, some people agree with what I do.
It's a lot like chili con carne.
That's right.  Spicy meat stew.
Why?
Because no one can agree what's the best way to make it and everybody has their favourite versions and that includes the vegetarians. 
Chili (the peppers) with meat (of some kind) is a North American (primarily Texan) variation of something that has been going on for millenia.  Ever since humans started preferring their meat singed by the flame, they've been looking at whatever nasty little beast they've managed to kill that day and asked,
"How the hell am I gonna make that taste good?".

Using local produce to flavour and/or preserve the meat is a time-honoured trick of history's chefs.  Like keeping wine in oak barrels, often the necessity of the times becomes the preferred style.
A complete history of chili is here.
Here's how I make mine.

Start with your meat.  The basic is some kind of ground beef.  But if you want to be real use some tough cut like chuck or hanger steak.  Remember, cookie was looking at some tired piece of mystery meat that was all dried up and turning a funny colour.  And he was also looking at a herd of tired, hungry range hands who needed food.  If you can lay your hands on it, use game.  That gets closer to what the frontier cooks had to use.  I've used ground moose.

Next, your chilies.  Seek out some nice dried peppers that are remotely close to what you want in a finishing flavour.  I don't go for scorching hot anymore; I prefer an earthy, slightly tannic pepper with some bitter notes.  You can get these at any decent specialty grocery store.  I'm using anchos/poblanos.  Pasillas are also good for this.  Here's a rough guide.  Of course, your tongue is the best research.  In the bowl in the photo has some fresh stuff from my garden that I'll use to 'finish' the chili towards the end. First thing, let's make tea.

Fire all those dry, crusty peppers into a pot and simmer in about half the pot of water for an hour or three.  You can remove the stems and shake out a few seeds to start if you wish.  I tend to do that at the end of the tea pepper steeping ritual.  While you're waiting for pepper brew, chop onions.  I like onions in my chili,  There's no rules but part of chili tradition is to use what you have on hand.  I like a  medium sized onion to every liter of chili I make.

Fire those onions, finely chopped, into your destination pot.  A little oil of your choice brought to heat will help.  Wait til they're translucent and remove to a side dish.  If it's been a couple hours we can start working the peppers.  If not, grab a beer and go see if the game is on the TV.  But set the timer or else the whole effort good go in the loo.

Let the pepper bath drain through a colander into a bowl.  Stir about to allow the peppers to release all their liquid goodness.  Reserve the liquid!  You'll need it thin your chili or your paste.  More on this shortly.

As you can see, I'm a tomato man.  I love the tomatoes.  I've got a couple pints of my garden's bounty(vintage 2009) ready to go in the pot. Tomatoes, and how much you put in, is a matter of taste. Which brings me to beans.  I like beans.  I like beans a lot. I even like beans in my chili con carne.  But I do not put them in until the service.  I do not cook my beans into the chili.  Do what you wish, use the beans you wish.  But I do not include the beans in the chili automatically.

Here's the pepper tea, still steamy.

Next, after allowing to cool, it is time to process the peppers.  I remove the stems at this point as I don't want an overdose of tannins and phenols. Whatever.

It all goes in the food processor.  How do you like my vintage Cuisinart DLC-10 Plus? Still works like a charm.  Process it to mush, use a little pepper tea if you need to thin it and make it a little more mixable.  Get it a little thinner than toothpaste but thicker than gravy.

Look at mine!

Not done with it yet.  You can throw it in like this but you'll be picking pepper skin and seeds out of your teeth forevah! I toss mine in an old fashioned food mill at this point to get nothing but pure pepper goo.

So I mill it down.  At this point you will have to taste it.  Depending on what peppers you have used, this may be a a bit of a shock. Have some milk on standby.  It's essential to know what you've created so you can gauge the addition of pepper paste.  Who is your target palate?  How much heat are you going to bring?  This is a little like tasting red wine out of the barrel in the spring right after the fall harvest.  You get a sense of the direction your little production is going to take.  Of course, while I'm doing this, I'm also browning the meat in the same pot I started the onions.  A little oil helps, especially it you're using very lean meat.  No salt or pepper.  Let the eaters add theirs later. 

Just as the browning

is coming to an end, turn down the heat and add your garlic to taste.  I loathe the bitter, angular taste of burnt garlic.  But I love garlic done right. That's why I always make sure the heat is indirect and not on a bare cooking surface.  Now it's time for the bulk of the non-meat items.

Here are the tomatoes, lightly fried onions and the pepper paste.  Plus some fresh bits from the garden.

Stir it all up and let it simmer.  To thin it, use the reserved pepper tea (will add a richer, spicier effect) or beer ( has an intriguing nuttiness).  If your add-in bits of tomato, fresh pepper and such thin the chili too much the only approved (by me) thickener besides slow reduction is masa (corn flour). 

Again, use the pepper tea to mix a masa slurry and then dribble/mix it into the chili.  Tastes great right away and even better refrigerated and warmed up next day.

And that's how I make wine.

Let's Play a Wine Game!

Everybody loves a challenging mental exercise in the form of a game or contest.  While this isn't exactly a game, it is challenging.  It's called design a wine label for a British Columbia wine.  The other part of the exercise: next time you're in your favourite wine store, try to spot how many wines are not labeled according to the rules.

Perhaps you've noticed that Black Cloud Pinot Noir has a bit of an outlaw label.  You would be right to think this.

The rules or regulations are many and they're designed by authorities on several levels.  The federal poo-bahs have the Consumer Labelling and Packaging Act.  We all know (at least in this country) there has to be plenty of English/French no matter where it is sold.  As a result "Product of Canada" must also appear as "Produit du Canada".  That and a host of other terms and notes.  They also define how large the print should be for the alcohol and volume notes and how wide the space between the numerals and metric volume measurement.

Some of the rules

• 
  

  The metric net quantity must be at least 1.6 mm in height

  
  

  There must be a space between 750 and ml

  
  

  The above must be in boldface

  
  

  Only this abbreviation is considered bilingual: "13.5 % alc./vol."  Make sure the periods are in there.

  
  

  There must be a space between "13.5" and "%"

  
  

Next, if you're part of the Vintner's Quality Alliance (VQA) program and are allowed to use the insignia "VQA" there are specific rules about where it should be placed on label and bottle.  Plus, using place names as geographic indicators or appellations is controlled.

Some of these rules have good reason to be and are helpful for the consumer.

I think for a wine producer, the most contentious issue is the description of the primary display label.  Bottles can have a front or back despite being cylindrical in 99% of all cases.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which enforces the Act mentioned above, interprets the label that is thought to be the one most often used to display the product as the primary display.  It requires all the legal stuff about the colour of the wine and where it was made to be on the primary display label.  The catch is:  the producer doesn't get to decide, the government agency gets to define what the primary display label is.

If you've invested heavily in product package design it's not too much fun to have the image ruined by text that could easily be moved to the secondary or back label.

Thankfully, enforcement is sketchy.  But that's why you can find all the 'artistic' labels in the stores.  Happy hunting.

Newport Liquor Merchants - our latest partner

Last week this great store in Port Moody became the latest partner in the Black Cloud Pinot Noir quest for world wine domination.
If you haven't been to this store I encourage you to drop in.  It's a great spot with friendly, knowledgeable staff.  Say hi to Janice and John and all the rest. And the neighbourhood is quite nifty with lots of other stores and services within walking distance.  You can easily spend a couple hours exploring, grabbing a meal and buying wine around this spot.

Is A New Winery In Your New Year?

Starting a new winery is a daunting task.  People come at the problem from varied backgrounds and levels of talent.  Everybody has a different idea about what makes a winery a success. But few would argue that a winery needs to be a successful business.

Often the decision to start a winery happens in the blink of an eye.  Sure, you may have mulled, pondered and ruminated about it for a decade.  But for most people, it comes down to a single moment of conviction when your passion, drive and hope come together and you say: Let's do it.

Forget about the awards ceremonies, the glowing reviews and the adoration of thousands of wine lovers: that will all come in good time.  The first thing you have to do is make sure you have a good business plan.  Without the plan, you're like a ship without a rudder.

The wine business is capital intensive at start-up.  Returns on investment are delayed, reflecting both the nature of a business linked to an agricultural cycle and a slow inventory turnover.  Investors looking to make a quick buck should look elsewhere as a five year lag before returns in not uncommon.  In fact, without proper funding, your winery could be in serious trouble by the time your second or third harvest comes around.  You may find yourself strapped for funds and without the kind of cash flow you may have expected

The wine business is heavily-weighted to a brand-driven model.  You'll soon have questions about how to best promote and market your brand. Before some of the details become insurmountable, consider engaging the services of a consultant.

In the wine industry that could be someone purely on the business side who has a familiarity with the workings of banks, government and the law.  Or it can be someone from development and production, like myself (the friendly guy in the photo), who will be able to tell you what you'll need to achieve the kind of excellence we all strive for in wine. 

Whether you're starting a new venture or working with an established company, there's never a bad time to re-visit the business plan with a fresh set of eyes.  Consider the talents of a consultant when you need to clearly identify your wine business priorities and and create viable, profitable solution.

Everything We Do Now Shows Up In The 2010 Pinot Noir

People often ask what a wine maker does this time of year. Some folks are just curious, not knowing how things are. Others are already sure that we're just loafing about, waiting for the grapes to grow ripe. Or goofing around like me and my son in the photo.

Truth is: I'm working on the 2010 vintage right now. A case could be made that I'm working on the next five, 10 and 20 vintages if you want to extend the premise.

I say this because everything I do in the next 10 months culminates in that one day in the fall when the grapes are picked and we begin to transform them into wine.

Every minute decision about the vine, about the winery and about the direction of our enterprise is reflected in the finished product.

Pinot Noir is one of the most reactive varieties when it comes to stylistic choices. "Style" can be defined in everything from vinification to cultural practices in the vineyard to the type of closure used on the bottle. Some of the other varieties seem to be able to produce consistent wines under different style regimes. But Pinot Noir walks a tightrope of quality. A consistent style allows the seasonal variations to shine in each vintage while protecting the integrity of the wine.

Black Cloud is still a young concept for a brand and a winery. There's quite a bit of style evolution to come. As an example, a year ago we were still planning to make some white wine. But we've come to realize our passion lies with Pinot Noir. That's where our focus will be.

We're still working on sourcing and growing the best fruit from our team of growers. Our plan is to do more work in the vineyards that allow our style choices to be accommodated easily. We're still working on defining what we think works best in the cellar to allow the treasures of the vineyard to be properly expressed in the bottle.

Around the world over the past year there has been tremendous change due to the global economic upheaval. It affects everyone including wine making operations. The important thing about this situation for a winery is to be adaptable and to see the change as something to embrace. It's what winemakers do every harvest; observe and accept the vintage and accommodate the change. Always with the same goal, which is to produce the best wine from the best grapes available.

For Black Cloud, that means consistently producing the best Pinot Noir in British Columbia.

Readers of this post: 2006 Black Cloud Pinot Noir is available for $19.99 + bottle deposit until January 8th, 2010. Regular price: $25.00 . Please email your contact details to wine@blackcloud.ca . We will respond to arrange payment and shipping.

Okanagan Vineyards for Sale - Is now the time for you?

Over the past few weeks, the weather has turned cool and the leaves are all but gone from the deciduous trees and grape vines. While nature is in repose, signs advertising the services of realtors have multiplied in the Okanagan Valley. Choice vineyard properties are festooned with FOR SALE signs like rarely seen before.

If I stand on my deck here in Penticton facing northwest at the southern end of the Naramata Bench, I can see three or four parcels growing grapes and looking for new owners. As a winery and vineyard consultant I need to know why. After all, somebody reading this may be my next client.

Why now? The quick answer may be a knee jerk reaction. It would be easy to say it's because of the recession. While that reason is probably a big contributor on a macro scale, closer to home there are a number of other contributing factors.

Taking a look at fiscal cycles and lending institution practices, it doesn't take too long to determine that some of the owners are in a little tight. They need to divest themselves of properties that may not be as attractive as they were one, two or three years ago. Now that it's time to re-write the mortgage, it may be a better time to sell. But at what price?

Prices are down. Just around the corner is a property with fruit trees, a shade under 10 acres, three homes (not palaces by any stretch) and much work needed but potentially a great vineyard location. They're asking about $75,000 an acre. I doubt they'll get that much given the work needed to get the property in shape. Two years ago that property would have been closer to $90,000 an acre and would have been scooped up quickly. Now, it's been hanging out there for a few months.

This next point needs a little background.

The wine business is good but changing. Most of the 130 or so wineries grow varying percentages of the grapes they need. Some buy 90% of what they require. Others are self-sufficient, needing no other growers to supply them with grapes. Before you've been in the wine making business long, you realize the advantages of controlling the production of the grapes you'll need. More and more wineries over the years have started growing more of their crop

requirement. As an example, when I started with Township 7, the two locations managed to grow about 10% or less of the crop for a 3800 case winery. Next year we anticipate growing close to 30% ourselves and our production is in the 8500 case territory. On a large scale, Vincor's massive plantings in the Oliver - Osoyoos area are reaching maturity. If you used to grow grapes for the makers of Jackson Triggs and such, you may be looking at being cut loose soon.

More background.

Over the past four years we've seen unprecedented expansion in the planting of speculative vineyards. These are properties not tied to any particular winery by ownership or contract. The idea was to plant great grapes and then sell the fruit for the best price each harvest. This has worked for a couple years: prices have been high, tonnages have been lowish due to two hard winters in a row and the consumers have participated by buying up everything.

Here's the point: While land prices are down and wine quality is up, winery inventories are also up. I've heard rumour of some wineries thinking of making only the MINIMUM amount of wine necessary over the next harvest period. The consumer is looking for deals and is no longer co-operating like they did in the boom years. If you own a speculative vineyard, there's no guarantee you'll sell your crop or get the price per ton your banker expects you to earn. The 2010 harvest should be the largest ever recorded in the 'modern'* era.

Owners of vineyards know this and are doing what they can to ensure viability. For some it means sell. It means sell the land and get out. For others, it means locking in commitments from wineries. One of Township 7's best growers was around this week just to pose this question: Are we still on for next year? For my personal brand, Black Cloud, I've already locked in my supply of top end Pinot Noir. I can't afford not to. Which leads me to the next point.

If you're planning on owning a vineyard, be diligent about these items.

• Quality: your grapes must be the best that can be grown. Make sure the site/variety selection is as close to perfect as possible. High quality grapes are the only way to increase or sustain your value in the market place. You need to set the benchmark for your peers.

• Commitment: Lock in your customer's loyalty. Grape sales contracts are not worth much but a friendly, productive relationship with the winery buying your grapes is gold.

• Passion: Cripes, what an overworked term. But you do need to surround yourself with people who have the drive and enthusiasm for the job at hand. People who sit on their hands and are happy with the way things are have no place on your team. That goes for the winery you sell to or your banker or the kid who comes in to cut the grass once a week.

• Timing: I can't tell you when it's right for you. Yes, change is here in the marketplace. But I see more turmoil ahead as independent grape growers scramble to find a place for their 2010 crop. This may lead to lower vineyard properties but probably not. Land prices are sustained by other factors here in the Okanagan. What we may see is well-run wineries being in a position to acquire more real estate.

I have several clients and acquaintances actively looking for vineyard property. I'd be happy to assist you if you have questions about this post or the Okanagan wine/vine business in general. Drop me a line. Let's kick it around.

*The modern era dates from 1988-90 when most inferior grape varietals were uprooted in favour of traditional wine grapes in a government-sponsored re-plant program.

Harvest Report: A Preliminary Look at the Rollercoaster

The harvest in Canada's famed Okanagan Valley and across BC is coming to a close for the wine business. Virtually all that remains are the vines designated for ice wine or late harvest wines.

It has been a truly exceptional year with a number of weather anomalies that kept wine growers guessing right to the end. Punishing winter temperatures last year resulted in smaller crops for many varietals. A late spring left growers wondering when they'd get a break. The summer growing season was long and warm. September, the month we must have perform, was beyond optimistic desires. And then, just a few days ago, the temperature plunged to record lows and abruptly slammed the door on the season. Milder weather is in-bound, but the vines are finished for the year and the crop is being pulled in.

Black Cloud Pinot Noir fared extremely well. A slightly smaller crop resulted in remarkable flavours. At this time, the Pinot is residing in French oak. It's finished alcoholic fermentation and is just beginning malo-lactic fermentation.

A more detailed report will follow in a few weeks.

Talking WIne and Social Media in Kelowna

I've been invited to showcase my wines and co-host a general discussion on the BC wine scene, Web 2.0 and social wine media to a gathering at the Wine Museum on Thursday night (May 7. 2009)

I'll be leading the assembled through a selection of Township 7 wines I've made over the past few years and, of course, I'll sneak in my Black Cloud Pinot Noir as well.

During the tasting, Julianna Hayes and I will talk about what's new on the BC wine scene and where things are heading. We'll also discuss what we're doing with social media and let the crowd know about what we think works for wine people. We expect to have a little give-and-take and some questions to answer.

Interested? Call the wine museum directly for tickets 250-868-0441

Black Cloud Pinot Noir is Ready!

It's been a great journey! And it's only just begun.

My wife and I took a situation that was really a kick in the backside and changed into an opportunity.

Back in August, when we lost a big consulting gig, we started thinking about how it sometimes seems like things are going great and then a black cloud moves in and rains on our parade. We talked long into the night about our dreams, where we came from, how far we've come over the years. We talked about our vision of owning our own winery and how that seemed to be just out of reach.

Then one of us remembered how every cloud has a silver lining. We decided then and there to make the situation work for us and not against us.

The wine I had been consulting on was excellent. I knew if I could get some we could use it to shoestring finance our dream. Long story short, my employer, Township 7 , agreed to help us establish the Black Cloud brand until we can spin it off into our own licensed winery operation.

We decided to adopt the Black Cloud name to constantly remind us that adversity makes us stronger and, even if things look bad sometimes, there's always a way to make things better.

In the vineyard, grape vines that have things too easy become insipid and unremarkable. The best fruit undergoes stress and trial.

We hope that our 2006 Pinot Noir exhibits all the character and complexity you'd expect from a hand-crafted, small lot wine. Made from vines that flourished while being tested by the elements.

The labels are on and we are ready to fill orders.

Simply contact us at:

blackcloudwine@shaw.ca

$25 /bottle

Vineyard Winter Damage

As pruning ramps up and people get out in the field, it's becoming more and more apparent that the cold snap in December has created some significant winter damage to grape vines.

Especially in the south part of the Okanagan Valley, vineyard workers are describing some blown primary buds and other damage.

As this time I don't have access to statistics but I will be checking and updating as available.

Okanagan Wine Services - Finally!

A couple of entrepreneurs have stepped up and will soon fill a void in the Okanagan Valley - especially in the south end.

Okanagan Wine Services (OWS) will begin offering warehousing and host of other services to area wineries in an area that seems to be chronically short of dedicated wine-friendly capacity.

Larry Stranaghan and Jeff Keen dropped by my neck of the woods the other day to introduce themselves and let Township 7 and Black Cloud wines know what they have to offer. The plan is to get started immediately. While they will consider using an existing building, they are prepared to build from the ground-up to satisfy the needs of their customers. Penticton seems to be the prime location under consideration.

Among the many features local wineries will find attractive:

• Climate controlled Storage: many wineries use off site storage but a lot of times you settle for less than ideal conditions to just get the stuff stored. OWS will be addressing the temperature, humidity and, hopefully, vibration issues.
• Custom packaging: it's old news in other jurisdictions but not here. The plan is to offer wine club shipping services and custom pick and pack. For all intents and purposes, a wine industry fulfilment centre.
• Inventory control through secure client access on their website. Shipped and received; barcoded and electronically recorded on your account.
• 24 -7 access and operation.

The website is operational at this time but there's still some detail to come. Use the phone number or email address under 'Contact us' to get more information.

www.wineservicesinc.com

Heading to Kamloops, Wine in Hand.

In early February, I'll be heading to Kamloops, B.C. to talk to Township 7 fans at a couple venues and to try and present the wines to some new customers as well.

The way the schedule is starting to align, it looks like my Black Cloud 2006 Pinot Noir will make it's debut on this trip as well.

So far the schedule looks like this:

Tuesday, February 3 - 7:00 pm
Gerry O's
2900 - 30th Street
Vernon, BC
(250) 542-3333

On my way to Kamloops, I'm stopping at this great store that sells our wine in Vernon. Once a month they put on these special tastings complete with food accompaniment. I suggest you call if you want to join me and taste a selection of Township 7 wines.

Wednesday, February 4 - 7:30 pm
Kamloops Winemakers

I think this is for members only but check with me if you're in the area and I'll try and sneak you in!

Thursday, February 5 - 3:30 to ???
Lansdowne Central Liquor Store
450 Lansdowne
Kamloops

I'll be at the store for a few hours, talking with wine drinkers and pouring a nice flight of Township7 wines. Drop in and meet!

Still working on: a trade tasting for Kamloops restaurants and license holders in the city and quick trip to Sun Peaks to talk to folks there. Will try to get a day in on the slopes Friday!

Can A Winery Name Be Arrogant?

Looky here! It's December already. Before the holiday entertaining schedule ramps up to full speed I thought I'd pop up a post.

Working through the mountain of name suggestions for our new wine brand has been very educational. At one point I was a little exasperated with our inability to really 'love' any one suggestion. I expressed this to a colleague and he suggested -

"Why not just call it Bradley Cooper? Everything you've done rests on your name. It's already got some presence."

When I presented that option to the partner it was if I had brought a bad smell into the room.

"That's conceited and arrogant. I don't want to work for Bradley Cooper Wines. This is a partnership!"

The lambasting softened somewhat when I said, "Kim Crawford, Robert Mondavi, Thomas Fogarty and a host of others". It's not a new concept.

So as it stands now, we may select a name that means something to us, and start building the value and the story around the name or we may go for arrogance.

What do you think? Is naming a winery after an individual a 'no-go'? I await your pithy response.

An Economy In Crisis: This is the Best TIme to Start A Winery.

The other day a friend of mine questioned my sanity in light of the current global economic woes and my decision to establish a winery.



He called me 'crazy'.



I can understand this reaction. But it's a reaction built on emotion. An emotional response to stimuli that produces more questions than answers and creates fear of the unknown. It's a diet of information that suggests volatility and instability in institutions previously considered to be rock solid.



Emotion alters our judgement. Rational discourse and strategic planning are difficult when running around the room pulling out your hair.



What is happening right now sets the stage for years of growth. Predicting the period of growth may be difficult. Just when it will happen is tough to say. But when it comes around, a business and its' drivers must be prepared for growth. If you're still in damage control at that point (or even just afloat) your going to miss the ride.



So starting a business at the bottom of the economic cycle isn't such a bad thing. It's important to be prudent, maybe even frugal, and make sure you're scalable.



We're starting shoe-string and with such a small inventory that I'll be able to hand-sell it myself. In fact, that's part of the plan. And without a plan, how do you know if you've screwed up or not?



Bad time to start a winery? I don't think so. Bad time to have a winery with a bloated inventory, no viable marketing plan and enormous debt? I think so. In our own backyard here in the Okanagan Valley, I think we're going to see some consolidation. Some of the bad actors will either merge or be bought outright. There will be deals to be had. Prices haven't dropped too much yet but they will as too much value is being attached to non-existent good-will.



So, my friend, my state of mind is not one of questionable mental health. Sure, I'm crazy.

Crazy like a fox.

Crush Crew 2008

Part of our crush crew for 2008 at Township 7.

We've been keeping busy bottling while we wait for the bulk of our grapes to ripen.

Season is late; blame it on the spring. Weather in September has been very co-operative.

Naramata Tailgate at Township 7: Post Mortem

Another sold out event saw wine fans and wine folk mingle at Township 7. About 400 sipped offerings from the 20+ Naramata Bench wineries, ate some great food and listened to the band.

I was late to the party due to other engagements but Elaine Davidson managed to take a few shots at the beginning of the show.

Great weather and great work by all the winery staffs and volunteers.

New Winery Grand Opening - Hijas Bonitas

One of the newest wineries in the Okanagan Valley is having their grand opening all weekend.

Hijas Bonitas in Summerland is rolling open the doors and inviting the public to drop by.

There's barrel tastings and helicopter rides and, of course, the fanastic scenery.

Lawrence Hopper and family will be on hand to welcome you. It's in north Summerland. Watch for the signs and balloons. The event is on all weekend with live music and food.

I had the opportunity on Thursday to pull a few barrel samples for the VIP reception.

It was a great afternoon.

VinoCamp: Geeks and Winos!

Next Saturday (August 16) in Vancouver the first ever Vinocamp will get underway at UBC's botanical gardens.

The tech/web/internet crowd that also loves wine is putting this together. While you don't have to be a geek to enjoy the day, you'll certainly have company if you are.

Use the links to check out their site and to find registration information. As they say in their tagline,
This is definitely not the wine festival.

See you there!

Naramata Bench Tailgate Party

The 5th annual Naramata Bench Tailgate Party is coming up September 13.
The venue has changed from last year. This year it will be at Township 7's rough n' ready location at 1450 McMillan (Naramata Road).

If you're used to the manicured lawns and elegant setting of previous events at Red Rooster then I'd advise a reality check. T7 is a bit more 'rustic'. There is no doubting where you are at when visiting Township 7: this a working winery and vineyard. Dress for it. Leave the heels at home, lover.

No matter how 'basic' the setting might be, it should be quite a party. There's more than 22 wineries on the Bench now. They promise a rollicking good time. Tickets can be purchased online at
http://www.naramatabench.com/

NO PARKING AT SITE: All guests will be shuttled to and from Township 7 as part of their ticket purchase.