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 Issue: As we move from harvest to bottling, we are pleased to announce several new wines and to detail our process of bottling 1000 cases. Meet some of our wine friends and family, learn about our new 2017 BRIDGEHEAD BLANC and see some exciting upcoming events, including the GIV BLANC Party, on January 5th and the New Wine Release Party on January 14th to release our new 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon!
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Vineyard News
New Year, New Vineyards! (And Wines)
by Operations Manager, Joe Salman
As the New Year approaches, I would like to take this time to talk about something else new this year to Grand Island Vineyards: some new young vineyards! You may have seen these young vineyards on your way into the winery, and we are really excited about them.
The first (below) is 1/2 acre block just next to the winery, which I mentioned in the June issue. This block consists of Petit Verdot and Primitivo. This was really the first block planted with our winery in mind. This block isn't just a demonstration vineyard either; we have big plans for the grapes. In barrels and in small quantities currently is a Bordeaux Blend type wine (Cab, Merlot, Petit Verdot), and at this point is looking like our first Reserve classed wine. We hope that the new Petit Verdot will be able to add to this program in the future. Stay tuned for our Reserve wine. The Primitivo in the block will be a great addition to enhancing and expanding the very popular BRIDGEHEAD RED. The red and dark fruit flavors of traditional Primitivo will only make this wine better.
The second block (upper right) was planted near the driveway as you enter the winery. As the demand at the winery and from other wineries increase this 1 acre block of Cabernet Franc is a necessary planting for us. We have just bottled our 4th vintage of Cabernet Franc (2016) and we look forward to sharing this wine with you. Watch these plantings mature as you enjoy your time on the grounds.
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Cellar News
From Harvest to Cellar - 1000 Cases Ready to Go!
By Winemaker Ed Seikel
Harvest may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean things have slowed down in the cellar! Now that winter is here, it's time for us to turn our attention towards finalizing our blends and getting them into bottle. This time of year we look to bottle the current year's white wines as well as the red wines that are ready after barrel aging. This past bottling was the biggest yet on site here at GIV, and spanned across two days. All in all we bottled close to a thousand cases of wine!
Day one we was the next Bridgehead Red, our 2016 Cabernet Franc, and two of our most anticipated new releases: the 2016 Petite Sirah and our red dessert wine, Velluto. We followed up on day two with the new 2017 BRIDGEHEAD BLANC white blend, the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, a 2017 Chardonnay, and our 2017 Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon. The first of these wines to be released will be the BRIDGEHEAD BLANC, and that is going to be for the BLANC party this Friday, January 5th! The Velluto will be released soon after during our Valentine's Day festivities. Keep checking back here or on our Facebook page for updates on when our next release will be!
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Tasting Room
First Annual Holiday in the Vineyards/Toy Drive Recap!
By Tasting Room Manager Tess Jonson
GIV's first annual Holiday in the Vineyards was a GRAND success! A huge thank you to all the vendors that came out for the weekend and made this event possible. We had so much fun, we are already looking forward to next year! One more shout out to all guests and members who took part in our holiday toy drive. Gifts were dropped off to West Sacramento Police Department the week before Christmas to get wrapped and ready for delivery, a true community effort.
Don't miss out on another special
After Dark Event on January 5th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. During this special After Dark GIV BLANC Party, we will be releasing a Holiday in the Vineyard weekend favorite, the new BRIDGEHEAD BLANC! Light food pairings and the wonderful blues music by Chicken and Dumpling. Come out and celebrate the new year right!
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GIV Wine Family
Say Hello to Jill and Chris Wylly!
Meet Jill and Chris Wylly, two of our absolute favorite people here at Grand Island Vineyards. The Wylly's have been a Wine Family Member now for two years, ever since opening day 2015! They live both in West Sacramento and Phoenix, AZ as the mood strikes them, where Chris is a Commercial Maintenance Supervisor and Jill is a retired Country Music Publicist. Jill finished her schooling in Birmingham, AL and later Van Nuys, CA, while Chris went to school in Los Angeles and majored in Agriculture. Needless to say, we have some great conversations here at the Winery.
Previous to this, Jill worked in Motion Pictures, TV and the Music Industry and has worked with such legendary talent as Dick Clark, Willie Nelson, Toby Keith, Kevin Costner, Alan Jackson and even John Cusack to name a few! Perhaps this is how she met Chris, as he was busy transporting luxury yachts all over the United States, so, would certainly stand to reason ;)
Like many other of our friends and family here at the winery, they both fell in love with the wonderful personality that is Tess Jonson. Combined with flowing wine and everyone making them feel like family, we see a lot of Jill and Chris, to which we could not be more thankful. Jill is a big fan of the Grand Island Fiano, while Chris prefers the Grand Island Cab Franc. When they are drinking away from the winery, Jill enjoys the Barefoot Moscato and Chris loves a bottle of the super-tasty Bogle Chardonnay. They enjoy drinking wine anytime and anywhere with friends and family.
Funny note, Jill and Chris were together romantically for four years in the 70's were then separated for 11 years and now have been married for 25 years! Consider stopping by Grand Island Vineyards where you can get to know Tess, possibly Jill and Chris and many other unique individuals that we are happy to call both family and friends.
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Wine Spotlight
Newly Bottled 2017 BRIDGEHEAD BLANC!
By Winemaker David Shattuck
We are very pleased to release our newly bottled 2017 BRIDGEHEAD BLANC! This white blend showcases some of the Clarksburg regions best white varietals, including Chenin Blanc, Riesling, and Chardonnay. Both Ed and I really enjoyed making this blend, as it used both stainless steel fermented wines and wild barrel fermented wine.
This wine is redolent with aromas of ripe pear flesh, honeysuckle, and melon. The first sip brings wisps of sweet oak and brioche that balance to the bracing acidity and stonefruit flavor. The finish is long with a gentle sweetness that transitions into minerality, hints of orange blossom, and candied orange peel. Overall, the BRIDGEHEAD BLANC is a well balanced fruit driven wine that pairs easily with a diverse array of foods from spicy thai to pesto sauce. Consider joining us at the upcoming BRIDGEHEAD BLANC party on January 5th, and come taste this unique and wonderful wine.
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Wine Club
So Many New Wines! Customize Your Club Delivery!
We are pleased to announce that Grand Island Vineyards has many new wines available, featuring awesome customization options for the 2018 GIV Wine Club delivery season.
All Wine Club Members get 15% off all additional bottle purchases, 20% off case purchases, access to family only wines, exclusive Members-Only parties quarterly and one free group tasting (up to 20 people) per year. For between $35 - $45 a quarter, Members receive 3 bottles (shipped or picked up) and the ability to customize their order from our many, many wines.
To enroll in the
Wine Club
, or to access your existing account and make changes on which wines you would like to receive each shipment, please login using our
online access area
. To verify your account upon signup (via Billing Information or by Email) you can do so at our online
Account Verification page
.
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Upcoming Events
View all events, R.S.V.P. or get tickets to Grand Island Events and Tours here!
GIV BLANC Party - Friday, January 5, 2018
5:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Live Music - PRICE: Free!
Join us in GIV's tasting room, during our after hours, for live music and delicious wine! Buy your favorite wine by the bottle or by the glass and enjoy the talented musicians we've chosen for the night! Starting at 5:30 p.m., the evening includes an intimate setting to enjoy Grand Island Vineyards wine, live entertainment, indoor and outdoor seating and service as well as a special tasting of our new Winemaker's White Wine Blend, the BRIDGEHEAD BLANC!
Click here
to view the event.
Cabernet Sauvignon Release Party - Sunday, January 14, 2018
1:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Live Music - PRICE: Free!
Come celebrate with us and enjoy the new release of our 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon! Starting at 1:00 p.m., Grand Island will be offering live entertainment, food pairings with our new Cabernet Sauvignon release, both indoor and outdoor seating and a wonderful environment to enjoy and experience the views of our lovely winery grounds. Click here for more information on this event.
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