The Bridge News
September 2019 - Vol. 30
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: It's time for the 2019 Annual Harvest Dinner, September 14th, and this year has a Heritage theme, read more to find out why.  We'll explain our efforts in expansion a bit which are designed to provide the foundation for even better wine!  We'll get into the specifics of the Harvest Dinner as well which will be catered by our favorite caterers All Seasons All Reasons.  You can meet Colleen Maley, if you have not already, learn about out newest wine, a rare wine style we call After Dark, learn more about our wine clubs and see some of the great events coming up in the next couple months.  
vineyard
Vineyard News
Really? Harvest Time Again? How Is That Even Possible?!
by Operations Manager, Joe Salman

Well, harvest has begun again. I can tell this, because I'm sitting in my truck during the middle of the night writing this article on my phone.  

As I sit here having just left my warm bed and family, I can't help but to dream of THE HERITAGE HARVEST DINNER coming up soon. Not only because it's a great time and I get to see friends and family in a social setting, but because it's very symbolic of many things our family holds as important.

Why did we preface it with the word HERITAGE this year?  Well, I suppose that my Heritage and family history is what has brought me to the point where I am now (harvesting grapes in the middle of the night).   In some ways this is a small joke, but in many other ways, is not. Which I will now begin to try to explain.
  
My father and his father (a hard-working Croatian immigrant) have farmed and lived just down River from the winery since the 1920's! That ranch, known as the home ranch was planted in wine grapes in the late 1960's and I grew up in there working and playing in the vineyard.   And that was before the house at the ranch was even built! If you ever come by the ranch, you can still see the concrete pad where our temporary trailer was during construction.
  
On the other side of the family, my mother's father was a very hard working Italian truck driver with a small farm in Lodi that specialized in peaches and wine grapes. When I would visit my grandfather and German grandmother, I was well loved and well fed, everything from Ding-Dongs to Polenta, and from BBQ to Strudel. So I guess the answer to why I am here now (harvesting grapes in the middle of the night), is, well... my HERITAGE.  See what i did there?  Walked you right into it.

Deep... I know.  

If I look back at the enormous amount of hard work my mother and father did, and the tremendous amount of hard work their parents did just to get to the point where I was even born, I realize that this incredible work ethic is in my blood. And that it not only got me through college and some tough points in my life, it also got me my beloved wife Lenaya.  And it definitely had something to do with our four children if you know I'm sayin.... ;)


 
So, I hope that you will join us and I look forward to seeing you at the HERITAGE HARVEST DINNER on September 14th at 5:30 pm ( get tickets here). There's a lot going on this year, personally I will be accumulating samples of grapes prior to harvest and showing you what goes into the all-looming decision of when to harvest. We will, of course, sample wine in process including a sweet and spritzey beverage that you can really only get by coming to a winery at harvest time. This is a very special time of year for us and I would truly like to share it with you. 


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cellar
Cellar News
Expanding Efforts to Make Even Better Wines!
By Winemaker Ed Seikel

'Tis the season for new equipment!  Since opening the Cellar here at the Winery/Vineyard we've been slowly building it up with new equipment.  This is going to help us be more efficient and make the best wine we possibly can.  

This year we are adding four new 1,000 gallon tanks, along with a much larger tank chiller than we've used in previous years. 

This new setup allows us to easily press the grapes into tank and cold-settle the fresh juice before fermentation.  We will also be able to work with larger lots of wine, including fermenting whites and racking larger lots to tank for bottling.  This really provides us with room for expansion, which is very important as we continue to grow!

David and I will be doing tours of the cellar and showing off all our harvest equipment (along with tastings of our newest Salman Family Reserve wines) at the Harvest Dinner Open House, so don't forget to get your tickets and come see us September 14th!


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tasting
Tasting Room
Don't Forget our Main Event of the Year - Harvest Dinner!
By Tasting Room Manager Tess Jonson

Summer is coming to an end and we are just kicking off harvest. Our Heritage Harvest Dinner, prepared by our favorite caterer All Seasons All Reasons, is in just a few weeks and if you haven't purchased your tickets, you'd better get to it! You can reserve your seats and RSVP by clicking here.

We will begin our night with appetizer pairing stations as the winemakers take you on a tour of the wine processes. You will have a chance to ask any and all of the questions that you may have about the wine-making process, you might even be able to take part in punch-downs and will have many photo opportunities too. Dinner will be served buffet style on the front patio with the fine tunes of Denny James

To celebrate the Salman's heritage we will have food stations of Croatian, Italian and German food. YUM!  On top of all that goodness, we will be releasing our brand new dessert wine "After Dark" and pairing it with a milk chocolate gelato served with a chocolate-dipped biscotti. Why wouldn't you want to be there? 


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family
Wine Family
Say Hello to Colleen Maley!

Colleen has been an enormous help in building our social media effort and in growing our customer base.  Previously having already worked with Joe Salman on the Board of Directors for the Clarksburg Wine Growers and Vintners Association for four years, she was a natural fit when it came time to announce the Winery's grand opening.  That's where she got to know the entire family.

Colleen had previously lived in Elk Grove for over 20 years before moving out of the country to run a small farm along the Delta.  She also helps in marketing a few local wineries besides Grand Island Vineyards and runs a Construction and Interior Design business together with her husband for the past 19 years.  Not only does Colleen have her degree in Business and Interior Design from Moorpark College, she also attended San Francisco School of Arts for Interior Design. 

Formerly the Executive Director of the Clarksburg Wine Growers and Vintners Association, she was particularly attracted to Grand Island Vineyards because she believed in the story.  This included the rich family history and how far they've come through the generations of hard work.  She really liked the effort of opening a winery and showcasing the amazing grapes, vineyards, farming practices and the beautiful property.

Her favorite GIV wine is the Cabernet Sauvignon as she's a true red wine lover, although she also likes the white Fiano quite a bit as well.  Her favorite non-GIV wine is the reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Bogle or possibly the Petite Verdot from the Clarksburg Wine Company (which is a Salman grape!).  She particularly likes to enjoy GIV wine while sitting with her husband on their cozy outdoor sectional in the evening watching the sunset at their farm, overlooking acres of green alfalfa and the vineyards adjacent to them, often while having a bonfire.

Her passion for the wine world began over 30 years ago when she started her career as a sous chef and leaned the importance of pairing wines with certain dishes and desserts.  She was instantly hooked and did this while attending school to be an interior designer.  Her appreciation for entertaining friends and family through wine and food is genuinely one of the things that makes her the happiest in her life with the possible exception of her two beautiful daughters, aged 23 and 24 who are both off at college and living their amazing lives.  She also has a great love for the ocean and scuba diving.  


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spotlight
Wine Spotlight
Grand Island Vineyards: After Dark
By Winemaker David Shattuck

Ed and I are very excited to introduce our latest pet project to everyone.  One of the most exciting parts of working at a winery like Grand Island Vineyards is that we have access to the best grapes possible and control over every aspect of wine-making.  The Grand Island Vineyards After Dark is an example of a rare wine style we have the luxury of making for our consumers.  This new wine is a Vin Doux Naturel fortified wine.  

We used Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from the estate vineyard and fortified them with neutral grape spirits during fermentation.  The fermentation finished with a light residual sugar and sat on skins for the next 7 months in an open bin.  

This technique allowed our newest dessert wine to gain an impressive complexity.  We recommend drinking this wine alone or on the rocks with a twist of lemon as an aperitif. It is also incredible when pairing it with milk chocolate desserts.

This wine pours a beautiful brick red with a hint of orange in the meniscus.  The initial notes are cherry, strawberry, spice and earth.  The wine is mildly sweet with bracing tannins and a firm alcohol note.  It lingers on the palate with prolonged notes of berry compote, sweet brioche, and lavender.

Please come by and try this wine for the first time at our Annual Harvest Dinner.

 
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club

Wine Club
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)

If you still haven't picked up August's wine club shipment of the 2017 Cabernet Franc, 2017 Petite Sirah, and the 2018 Rosé of Cabernet, then please do so!  We love to see our members when they come to visit and we truly relish the moments we see our members with a smile on their face as they leave with their favorite wines in their club shipments.

There are smiles on our faces too in knowing that our Harvest Dinner is coming up on September 14 th

At this event we'll be able to share some exclusive tastings, excellent food, and great opportunities for guests and members alike who buy tickets. 

From food stations that exhibit the Salman heritage to an open house, look online in our events section to buy your tickets ahead of time or find out more information! 

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, 10AM to 5PM. 

We also recommend that you add wineclub@grandislandvineyards.com  t o your contacts to ensure emails don't end up in your spam folder.

RESERVE CLUB (2 bottles, biannual shipments, 20% discount Salman Family Reserve)

The next club shipment for our Reserve club won't be until November but we always have the Reserve wines, Chenin Blanc and Premier, in our tasting room for you to try. Next for release, and in the Reserve Club Shipment, will be the Reserve Chardonnay and the Reserve Pinot Noir. They are also two wines starring in our Harvest Dinner tastings and paired with cheeses. If you'd like to taste these new wines before November and before we officially release them, buy tickets for our dinner!

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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events
Upcoming Events 
View all events, R.S.V.P. or get tickets to Grand Island Events and Tours here!


GIV After Dark

Join us in GIV's tasting room, during our after hours, for live music and delicious wine! Buy your favorite by the bottle or by the glass and enjoy the talented musicians we've chosen for the night!

Entertainment: The Groovy Judy Duet
Event Duration:  3 hrs - 5:30 to 8:30pm
Price: FREE

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Heritage Harvest Dinner

We're going to hark back to our heritage in 2019's Harvest Dinner with great food, great music, great wine, and great people. You know, the same as every year!

Entertainment: Denny James
Event Duration:  3 hrs - 5:30 to 8:30pm
Price: $60 Guest, $50 Wine Club Member
 
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GIV After Dark

Join us in GIV's tasting room, during our after hours, for live music and delicious wine! Buy your favorite by the bottle or by the glass and enjoy the talented musicians we've chosen for the night!

Entertainment: TBA
Event Duration:  3 hrs - 5:30 - 8:30pm
Price: FREE

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Visit our Online Store for Tickets and/or to RSVP
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