Welcome to the Bridge
Bridging all aspects of our Winery from the Vineyard, to
the Cellar, Winery Grounds, Tasting Room and beyond. Our ongoing newsletter is an ideal way to stay up to date with all aspects of the Winery
and our newest wine releases!
In this Edition:
Learn what Organic, Bio-Dynamic and Sustainable truly mean, and what we are here at Grand Island Vineyards. See what's going on in the Cellar, we're over 1,000 cases so far this year and get an update on what's up in the Tasting room. We're REALLY excited to have a new member of the family, Tess's beautiful, new baby girl! We'll keep you updated but here's the initial information we have for Remington Alice Reed! Get the low-down on the 2019 Grand Island Vineyards Symphony, the 2019 BRIDGEHEAD Rouge et Blanc and see what we're pouring at the amazing events we have lined up over the next couple months!
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Vineyard News
Organic, Bio-Dynamic, Sustainable..? In case you want to know.
by Operations Manager, Joe Salman
I do realize that these terms are thrown around all the time now, and it usually connects to the food we are putting in our body. Do they matter? Are they marketing terms? I will let you be the judge. Here are some facts:
Organic:
Organic wine simply means that the grapes and all other ingredients used to make the wine (like yeast) must be certified organic. In other words, no synthetic pesticides or chemical herbicides may be used on the vines. Key words being synthetic and chemical, but there are pesticides and herbicides that can be used. In the U.S., organic wines also cannot contain added sulfites. Since sulfites occur naturally in wine (they're in grapes' skins), it's impossible for a bottle to contain no sulfites. However, other countries allow a small amount of added sulfites, so check the label before purchasing. Organic certification requirements vary from state to state, too. Organic grapes and wines are the only wines that can receive a legal certification from the USDA.
Bio-Dynamic:
This farming process holds the highest respect for the land and all living things within the vineyard's borders. It respects nature and the grapes as a complete ecosystem where all living things serve as integral parts of the winemaking process. Growers don't use synthetic chemicals, herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides or growth stimulants. Bio-dynamic vineyards also take into account lunar cycles and astrological events. Bio-dynamic wines don't contain added yeast or acidity adjustments. Bio-dynamic vintning is the most holistic approach to wine production.
Sustainable:
Wines labeled as "sustainably-grown" are made on vineyards where sustainable farming practices are used. Sustainable wines are not necessarily organic and some pesticides may still be used. The vineyard itself, however, follows sustainable practices that, for example, reduce waste, use solar power, encourage biodiversity and manage run-off. Sustainable vineyards are not regulated by government agencies. However, there are independent organizations that offer certifications and promote sustainable practices.
What WE ARE here at Grand Island Vineyards
 The Lodi Rules include six areas of focus:
- Business Management
- Human Resource Management
- Ecosystem Management
- Soil Management
- Water Management
- Pest Management
As of 2013, the six areas of focus have 101 criteria which are all scientifically measurable. One of the unique features of Certified Green with Lodi Rules is a pesticide assessment system that rates a vineyard's pesticide use on everything from farm workers' health to wildlife risk. Wineries and vineyards must also meet one of the three areas of sustainability laid out in CCSW: Environmental Soundness, Economical Feasibility and Social Equality. Finally, certified vineyards have to pass an annual independent audit to verify the certification.
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Cellar News
Ten Different Wines, Over 1,000 Cases Ready to Go!
By Winemaker Ed Seikel
Those of you that have been following along will be pleased to know our winter bottling is now in the books! And was very successful...
I always love this time of year because it feels like it's the end of the journey we started, at the beginning of harvest. Wines that need aging are in barrels, and our early to bottle and previously aged wines are all finished and bottled! So it's always fun to stop and look at what the outcome was for all our hard work from the full harvest cycle.
We bottled a whopping total of 10 different wines this run! We're very pleased. For the 2019 vintage wines we bottled around 100 cases each of Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Symphony, and Rouge et Blanc, as well as about 75 cases of our Ros
é, complete with a new look for 2019! For the 2018 vintage we bottled around 100 cases each of our Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as a limited run of Petite Verdot. That's right, there are two brand new red varietal releases to look forward to this year! And of course we also bottled about 240 cases of our Winemaker's RED and it should be available soon!
The Symphony and Rouge et Blanc should be available now and are the focus of this month's Wine Spotlight, and keep an eye out here or on social media for what will be coming up next!
Check Out these Videos of Bottling in Action:
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| Grand Island Vineyards Bottling |
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Grand Island Vineyards Bottling
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| Grand Island Vineyards Bottling |
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Tasting Room
Are you Ready to Drink Some New Wine?
By Wine Club Ambassador Melanie Jonson
In the last newsletter, Tess mentioned that we are pushing back Wine Club charge two weeks out to help with the holiday backlog. Well, we're celebrating the Winter Release with a
Valentine's pick-up party on that same day, the 15th, so here's another reminder! A chocolate fondue fountain, BRIDGEHEAD RED, Rouge et Blanc, and our After Dark dessert wine. Yeah, count me in. Hopefully, I can count a fair few of you in too. The band (not a food) Fish 'N' Chicks are playing and I'm really excited to have them back and rock out to their music again. Tickets are still on sale for the super good price of $5 per person for Wine Club and only $15 per guest. Not only that, but there are some pretty sweet case sales going on that day for a particular pair of wines.
If you want to find out what those are, I recommend reading about the event by clicking one of those handy-dandy links down below.
By the way, a lot of you have been coming in and asking about the RED so we're doing something special for our
February 7th After Dark. That night, we're selling the BRIDGEHEAD RED. Get your hands on it as early as possible!!
Other than that, the Fiano Release was a great success! Thanks so much for coming out, everyone. Despite the power going out, it was a good time. Mike Kalend kept playing on his acoustic guitar in the dark, surrounded by what candles we have, so you know the man is dedicated to his craft. I heard some good things about how the olives paired with the wine as well. And we had a decent number of first-timers trying out Reserve Wines! We're always striving to create great experiences for you guys in the tasting room and I'm looking forward to what's next.
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Wine Family
Say Hello to Remington Alice Reed! (Tess's Beautiful Baby Daughter!)
It's really hard to explain the level of excitement we have right now. Possibly not since the culmination of the Salman Six
have we so anxiously awaited the newest member of our family. We are very excited to present Remington Alice Reed, daughter of our own Tess Jonson and father Ross Reed.
Born at Sutter Davis (1:23 a.m. on January 23rd, 2020), weighing in at 7lbs, 15oz and 19.5 inches long comes Remington who enjoys long naps, eating and getting her diapers changed. While the verdict is still out on Jax the dog, we're all very happy even though she was kinda late, and made us all wait an extra two weeks!!!
While baby life is in full swing, everyone has absolutely fallen in love the first time they see her. Her auntie Mel loves her adorable fat cheeks in particular and how she smiles after getting fed. Tess will officially be back in April, but she may stop by from time to time before that, so it's best to come down and see :)
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Wine Spotlight
The 2019 Grand Island Symphony and 2019 BRIDGEHEAD Rouge et Blanc!
By Winemaker David Shattuck
We are pleased to release the first of the 2019 vintage wines,
the Grand Island Vineyards Symphony and Bridgehead Rouge et Blanc!
The 2019 Grand Island Vineyards Symphony
Both of these wines feature the floral notes of symphony grapes and both are off-dry. Either of these wines pairs well with heartier spiced dishes like Thai food, Ethiopian, and Latin American.
The 2019 Grand Island Vineyards Symphony is a pale yellow color. The varietal is an interesting cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache gris. The initial aroma is honeysuckle, pineapple, and linalool. The mouthfeel is luscious with a hint of grip followed by a pleasing burst of fresh acidity. The wine finishes with citrus rind, minerality, and soft vanilla notes.
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The 2019 Bridgehead Rouge et Blanc
The 2019 Bridgehead Rouge et Blanc is a delightful blend of youthful Cabernet Franc and Symphony.
This wine is a brilliant ruby and amethyst color and opens with notes of maraschino cherry and candied orange. The flavors run a gamut of earthy and luscious including hints of lavender, forest loam, cedar box, chocolate, and raspberry.
The finish is truly something to behold, it's pleasingly soft and round with just a hint of clean acidity to propel the wine into a long finish.
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Wine Club(s)
Two Wine Clubs to Choose From - Wine Family and Reserve
By Wine Club Ambassador Melanie Jonson
GIV WINE FAMILY (3 bottles, quarterly shipments, 15% discount on GIV and Bridgehead)
Who is ready for some BRIDGEHEAD RED? Everyone. Literally everyone. Luckily, come February 15th it will be one of the wines in your shipment for this quarter! The 2019 BRIDGEHEAD Rouge et Blanc is nothing to sneeze at, either. It's one of my personal favorites. The GIV 2019 Symphony is the third wine you will be getting, which sold out early when we released the previous vintage last spring!
We're charging a bit later for this shipment on February 15th so you can pick up your wine any time after that point. As always, I recommend coming to our Pick-Up parties. This time, we have a chocolate fondue fountain I mentioned earlier. Ooooh! Buy your tickets online or stop by our tasting room. We're open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday from 10AM to 5PM.
Have questions about your wine club? Want to know something specific for an event? Then feel free to contact us via telephone, email, or come to our tasting room. Our hours are Friday through Monday, 10 AM to 5 PM. We also recommend that you add
[email protected]
t
o your contacts to ensure emails don't end up in your spam folder.
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RESERVE CLUB (2 bottles, biannual shipments, 20% discount Salman Family Reserve)
There won't be a shipment for Reserve Members until May! But let me tell you: we have some really special things in the works planned for it. Make sure to keep an eye on our events section online and announcements in the newsletter!
Those of you who are a part of both of our clubs, GIV Family and Reserve, remember that you get a 20% discount off all wines! Yes, even Bridgehead and our Grand Island Vineyard label.
If you are not already in the Reserve Wine Club, or to access your existing account, please sign up or log in using our
online access area
on our website.
To verify your account upon sign up (via Billing Information or by Email) you can do so at our online Account Verification page.
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View all events, R.S.V.P. or get tickets to Grand Island Events and Tours here!
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