Welcome to the Bridge - Monthly Newsletter of Grand Island Vineyards

Welcome to Grand Island Vineyards!

Spring Release: 2022 Chardonnay & Chenin Blanc

Written by Winemaker, David Shattuck

This spring release contains a few of my favorite new wines we are releasing: the 2022 Chardonnay and the 2022 Chenin Blanc. Spring is one of my favorite times of year for white wine. The temperature is just starting to get warmer and the vegetables and fruits in the garden pair perfectly with both of these wines. The Chardonnay is a medium bodied white that pairs well with fava beans, braised greens, and ethiopian kale salads. The Chenin Blanc is a little lighter and more acidic and tends to pair well with young carrots, asparagus, artichokes, and fresh oysters.

The 2022 Chardonnay pours a vibrant hay hue. The wine opens with a dense melange of candied orange peel, toasted bread, and bright aprum fruit. The flavors weave fresh fruit notes and toasty brioche into a mouthwatering sip. This wine displays a lush mouthfeel with a firm acid core and hints of minerality that are reminiscent of sea spray. 

The 2022 Chenin Blanc displays a pale lemon hue. The initial aromas are of musky melon, jasmine blossom, honeycomb, and greengage. The wine opens upon being given air and displays a wonderful grapefruit aroma and hints of vanilla, linalool, and angelica. This wine powers into a viscous finish with a zippy acidity and bright citrus notes that linger on the palate markedly long.

Additionally, we are releasing a very exciting reserve wine this year. While tasting through the 2020 Cabernet Franc, we found 2 brand new french oak barrels with exceptional depth that could provide an amazing counterpoint to the heavy oak flavors and aromas. With that in mind we held them back for our Salman Family Reserve program. This wine pours an inky ruby hue. Initial notes of mocha, morasca cherry, and rosemary are an intriguing opening to this well extracted wine. The flavors will gain complexity with air and intermingle a delicate floral component reminiscent of lavender with a sensuous dark berry note. The wine is brawny with well managed tannins and a plucky acidity. The finish is long with notes of granite, charred oak, thyme, and ripe plum.

Reintroducing the BRIDGEHEAD Rouge et Blanc!

Written by Winemaker, Ed Seikel

Most of the wines we make at Grand Island Vineyards are meant to be enjoyed when they are released, but will continue to develop in new and interesting ways as they age.

Bright notes of fresh fruit will begin to mellow out, allowing other accompanying aromas and flavors to develop and come forward. Nowhere can this be seen better than in our own Rouge et Blanc. Originally released as a young, fruit forward, easy drinking wine, it has transformed into a softer, more complex offering with more of an emphasis on the tertiary notes of the Cabernet Franc portion of the blend.

We're excited to reintroduce this fantastic wine to everyone in our wine club in the upcoming shipment, as well as those that want to come down to the winery for a tasting!

BRIDGEHEAD

GRAND ISLAND VINEYARDS

SALMAN FAMILY RESERVE

Join Us for Great Events all Summer Long!

Written by Tasting Room Ambassador, Shannon French

We have some very exciting, joyful news to share with you! Sending a huge Congratulations to our Tasting Room Manager, Tess, on the arrival of her precious Baby Boy, Tanner! Mommy & Baby are both doing great, & we hope they will stop by for a visit soon. We are so happy for you & your family, Tess!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS

- May Wine Club available for pickup at the Tasting Room starting on Saturday, May 6th

- Join us for Mother's Day! Celebrate all of the amazing Mom's in your life with a day of Bubbles & live music performed by Ed Wilson. A complimentary glass of Bubbles will be served to Mom's, all other wines will be available for purchase by the glass or bottle (wine tasting will not be offered during the live music). Picnicking is welcomed. Make your reservation today!

- May Wine Club Event, Saturday, May 20th from 5:30pm-8:30pm.  

"Wine, Pizza & Trivia", a night of fun & laughter!  

 Tickets include:

• a glass of newly released wine

• personal Pizza by Happa Wood-Fired Pizza (additional pizza will be available for purchase)

• organized Trivia - teams of 4-6 people 

Purchase your tickets today!

* The beautiful flowers & trees at GIV are in full bloom! Be sure to make a reservation for a tasting, or come by to enjoy a glass of your favorite, while taking in the beauty of springtime from our patio. We look forward to seeing you, soon!

CHEERS!

Winter Showers Bring Wild Animals & Flowers ;)

Written by Operations Manager, Joe Salman

This Chardonnay vine is dancing in the wind. If you look at the video below, you can see the formation of the flower clusters already as we are still 2-3 weeks behind last year. 

I always love the co-existence of agriculture and nature. Both of these pictures I snapped recently, as I frequently run across ducks in the drainage ditches (below) and this pair of geese didn't really care I was taking their picture with a large tractor coming in behind them.

Or the ever loved LadyBug to the right, pretty happy to be hanging out on this young grape leaf. I hope it was finding some other harmful insect to make a meal of.

If you like nature, tasty wine and fun people, then hang out here at GRAND ISLAND VINEYARDS!  



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