The Wine Year – Chapter 2

The last couple of months all of our thoughts were on grapes, grape growing and harvest.  We now enter the time for fairs, festivals, wine dinners and other events.  It began with the start of the State Fair (OKC).  This week we will be at the Tulsa State Fair.  There will be a festival in Duncan, Ardmore and Drumright in October.  We will be in several events in many other communities as well.  StableRidge is all over the state in stores and restaurants.  With over 32 tons of Oklahoma Grapes this harvest, we are excited about some of the wines we are gong to have in 2010.

Ready or Not – July 30, 2009

Well it is that time of year again.  We hang the harvest banner on the front porch of the winery.  Every day we are checking the grapes from one or more of our vineyards.  All of our harvest equipment is being checked out and made ready to go.  August is the month that we determine the entire year for StableRidge.  Harvests generally start at day light and we hope to have the grapes at the winery before noon.  By the end of the day both white and red grapes are starting their road to wine.  Anyone who is serious about learning the process can join us as we turn the grapes into wine.  Please email or call and we will schedule a day for you to join us.

 

Don Neal

Hello world! This is our first entry

People/customers think that growing grapes and owning a winery is romantic. It is not a lifesyle it is a life! Our winery was literally created as a result of two tornadoes. The first one gave us the vineyards and the second provided the winery. Our tasting room is an 1898 Catholic Church that was sitting on the property on historic Rt.66. We can grow all the same grapes grown on the left coast. Anyway it is sleeting today and so I am cleaning up in the winery. We racked over/moved Pinot Grigio yesterday. We had been cold stabilizing it…..Back to the life vs. lifestyle thread….All our friends and acquaintances are grapegrowers or winemakers. We are only good with other conversation for about 30 min.I can bore/captivate a tour group forever with facts way beyond their need to know. We are growing grapes,making wine and competing in a world wide industry. We have a couple of international gold medal wines and we sent some off last week to three more competitions….It is days like today (sleeting)and no customers on Rt.66 that give me time to reflect on all the work this romantic industry is and that ag-gravation and ag-riculture have a lot in common. I am so ready to be back in the vineyard.