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 happens after Harvest season and of some successful wine lessons we learned as we wind down for the year. We ask you to help us ponder, should be put our wines in Kegs? We also look forward to the December Holiday in the Vineyard event (Dec. 1-2), where we'll be joined by select, hand-picked vendors, a toy drive, plenty of tasty treats and even a barrel tasting! Meet some new friends and family members, see what's up with the wine club and our thoughts on some seasonal wine highlights here at Grand Island Vineyards.
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Vineyard News
Still Working the Vineyards!
by Operations Manager, Joe Salman
Harvest is over, so you think I would be on a beach somewhere, but no, the work is not yet done. For most deciduous crops this time of year might be the most important. Grapes and other deciduous trees and vines store a great deal of their energy now and use that stored energy in the early cool spring when their leaves and shoots first start coming out. I always took this at factual knowledge until the spring of 2017 when we had some vineyards with completely saturated soil when bud break occurred. I thought maybe the grapes were going to be okay as they started to come out, but then at about 4" of growth when the roots are said to start working, the vines just stopped growing and died all the way back.
It was apparent that the first growth was all due to the prior years storage and when it came time for the spring growth the roots could not function in the saturated airless environment. Fertilizer, soil amendments, composted grape pomace from the winery are all going back to the fields to help the vines store the proper amount of energy and ensure the soil is working an optimal biological environment. Cover crops will be planted soon if I ever see some rain on the forecast.
Happy Halloween and Thanksgiving from all of us at Grand Island Vineyards!
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Cellar News
Kegs of Wine? All Signs Point to Maybe....
Many of you already know this but David and I both have strong backgrounds in science. Because of this, we love to do lots of experiments, and working here at GIV, where we do everything in house, allows us to take that passion and run with it. Some great things come out of some of these experiments too! Those of you that came out to the Harvest Dinner have tried one of our tastier experiments to date: the soon to be bottled 2017 Salman Family Reserve Chenin Blanc.
And with that bottling coming up we're looking at trying something new there as well. Kegging wine has been slowly gaining in popularity, and we're thinking of offering wine club members the opportunity to request kegs of upcoming releases prior to bottling. It would be a great way to get a discount on a larger amount of wine for your family get together(s), parties, weddings, etc. We're currently looking to gauge interest so if this is something that might appeal to you please contact us soon and let us know!
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Tasting Room
Post Harvest Dinner, Looking Towards Holiday in the Vineyards!
By Tasting Room Manager Tess Jonson
Another Harvest Dinner success! There was a little worry with the north wind but mother nature decided to cooperate and it turned out to be a beautiful evening. A big thank you to Kilted Pig for the tasty meal and to The Why Nots for rocking out with us all evening.
GIV will be hosting their 2nd annual Holiday in the Vineyards on December 1st and 2nd, noon-4pm. This will be youir one stop shop for the holiday season. Gifts for members, sweet treats, vendor appearances from Stella and Dot, Chef's Olive Mix, The Nutty Gourmet, Twin Rivers Honey, Damsels in Defense, Makers Luck from Etsy and much more! We will also be hosting our toy drive again so please bring a new unwrapped gift and we will treat you to a glass of wine. Hope to see you all there!
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GIV Wine Family
Say Hello to Tamara Veeh, Fellow Wine Club Member
Tamara has been a wine club member since May 2018 and currently resides in Elk Grove where she's an analyst for the Elk Grove Police Department! During the day she works with Internal Affairs, manages contracts and writes policies for the department, while at night, she enjoys the only wine club she's a part of.... Grand Island! She particularly enjoys the Blanc and Red Blend but has enjoyed every variety she's tried.
Tamara has a B.A. in Finance from East Carolina University and also has her teaching credentials in North Carolina. She grew up working the orange fields in the summer so she knows how to enjoy the fruits of the earth. She learned from and worked with her father, who is also a Grand Island Wine Club Member.
Originally coming to Grand Island Vineyards with her family and best friend, she really likes how you feel like family when you walk in. That and that while it's only 15 minutes from her home, it feels like you are really far away from the city. We like that too, isn't she great?
Tamera loves the staff and the owners and has even met the two most recent family members, the Salman twins! Having twins of her own, two 17-year-old boys, and a 20-year-old, no wonder she likes wine so much! Kidding..... She enjoys Paso Robles and the Minassian Young Vineyards Black Saint Peter. She particularly likes to drink wine around the fire-pit in the backyard with fellow wine club members on a weekly basis! She has personally brought in five friends that have joined the wine club over the last several months.
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Wine Spotlight
2018 Harvest Wrap Up
By Winemaker David Shattuck
Now that we have the last of the grapes harvested and through fermentation, Ed and I are excited to share our early impressions of the 2018 vintage. This year was marked by cooler temperatures during ripening season that has led to high acids and fresh fruit notes in the white wines. The reds wines were characterized by firm tannins, bright fruit core, and nice dark pigment.
We have some exciting new wines and some old favorites that haven't been on the tasting menu for a while. We are producing a beautifully floral symphony, bone dry chenin blanc, and barrel fermented Fiano. We are particularly excited about the Chenin Blanc and invite you to come down and taste it from the tank in the tasting room for the next several weeks.
This year we have also harvested merlot, petite verdot, and an exciting new port project that we hope to unveil around Valentines day. In addition to these new red wines, an old salman family recipe is returning to the tasting room in the spring. We will be releasing the 2018 Rouge et Blanc, which is a pleasant blend of stainless steel aged Cabernet Franc and Symphony.
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Wine Club
Grand Island Wine Club - We Bring Wine Right to Your Door
Get great discounts on Grand Island Vineyards Wine! Our Wine Club makes it easy to get wine delivered to your door!
For roughly $40 a quarter, Wine Club Members receive three bottles (shipped or picked up at the winery) and the ability to customize each order from our many, many wines.
Wine Club Members also receive an ongoing 15% off any bottle purchase as well as 20% off all case purchases! Members also have access to wine family only wines, discounts on live events, exclusive Members-Only quarterly parties and one free group tasting for up to 20 people per year!
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 After Dark - Friday, November 2, 2018
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Tressa Gaye and Friends - PRICE: Free!
Join us for another exciting Grand Island Vineyards After Dark Event! This monthly event, during out after hours is the perfect place for live music and delicious wines. Buy your favorite wine by the bottle or by the glass and enjoy the talented musicians Groovy Judy we've chosen for the event. Indoor and outdoor service is available in an intimate setting to enjoy all that Grand Island Vineyards has to offer.
Holiday in the Vineyard, Saturday Dec. 1, 2018
Noon - 4:00 p.m. - PRICE: Free!
Our HOLIDAY IN THE VINEYARD weekend will be a one stop shop for holiday fun and a good way to knock out some of your Christmas shopping at the same time! W
e'll have a variety of different vendors to check out and other fun things to be a part of, like barrel tasting, sweet treats to enjoy, and a toy drive. Bring an unwrapped gift to get a FREE glass of wine.
Our vendors available for both days will be
MakersLuck from ETSY,
Chefs Olive Mix,
The Nutty Gourmet,
Damsels in Defense,
Twin Rivers Honey,
Stella and Dot.
Purchase futures of our latest vintage of Pinot Noir or Fiano and get 25% OFF!
Holiday in the Vineyard, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018
Noon - 4:00 p.m. - PRICE: Free!
Our second day for our HOLIDAY weekend. Come for the shopping and stay for the wine, or the other way around, like barrel tasting, sweet treats to enjoy, and a toy drive. Bring an unwrapped gift to get a FREE glass of wine.
Our vendors available for both days will be
MakersLuck from ETSY,
Chefs Olive Mix,
The Nutty Gourmet,
Damsels in Defense,
Twin Rivers Honey,
Stella and Dot.
Purchase futures of our latest vintage of Pinot Noir or Fiano and get 25% OFF!
GIV After Dark - Friday, December 7, 2018
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Featuring Live Music by Kyle Tuttle - PRICE: Free!
Join us for another exciting Grand Island Vineyards After Dark Event! This monthly event, during out after hours is the perfect place for live music and delicious wines. Buy your favorite wine by the bottle or by the glass and enjoy the talented musician Kyle Tuttle we've chosen for the event. Indoor and outdoor service is available in an intimate setting to enjoy all that Grand Island Vineyards has to offer.
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