Some of you are probably wondering what I have been up to the past few months...work, work, work!  (no seriously this is the time of year that we must work...i mean work hard)

It is a busy but exciting time out here at the winery because now is when we get to see the fruits of our labor.  We have to clear room for the upcoming harvest, which means we will be taking the aged wines from the barrels to blend them.  Once we create a well-balance blend, the wine will be ready to go into the bottle.  Luckily I have the privilege of using our state-of-the-art bottling line to bottle our new wines.  This bottling line allows for a gentler handling of the wine which prevents the wine from being bruised and degrading the flavor.  Once the new wine has been bottled it is allowed to rest in the bottle for several months.  And serveral months from now, you will get to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Enough about the process and back to the wine drinking...now that summer has officially started, it is time to enjoy the nice chilled Woodriver white wines.  I would encourage everyone to enjoy an evening out here at the winery to take in the beauty of the grounds and the wine on our back patio, as I so often get to do!

Here's to "Toasting the Good Life"!
Neil

Now that the weather is warming up...or is warm one day, cold the next, them warm again, all wine makers are getting really excited.  This is the time of the year where we get to taste some of our creations and begin choosing which wines are ready to be released.  Go figure, me excited about tasting more wine! 

In the next few weeks, I will be racking the wines and basically deciding which wines need more time to age and which will be ready to go.  When I find my wines that are ready and up to my high standards, I get to begin another exciting process -- blending.  Blending wines is such a special and exciting process for me.  Not only do I get to taste many wines but I also get to be a chemist!  Its like a chef using different spices, I mix the different components until I get the perfect blend of wine.  Then one of the most exciting things happens...it is bottled and ready for all of you to taste!  As a wine maker, that is my absolute favorite part of the job seeing someone enjoying my creation. 

I appreciate all those that support my craft and look forward to putting in the hours to create something special for you to enjoy!

Here's to "Toasting the Good Life"
Neil

When the New Year comes around, everyone is always talking about changing their lifestyle to be healthy and workout more.  Then you see all of the news stories about different workouts and foods you can eat to better your health.  When I see all of these, I can't help but think of how healthy I am because of the wine that I drink.

There are a few health benefits from that lovely red stuff that I so often consume.  Resveratol is a part of wine that reduces the bad cholesterol in your system, prevents damage to blood vessels and prevents blood clots.  This antioxidant has also been proven to reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks and some cancers.

The French Paradox is an actual study done by Bordeaux University in France that suggests French people have a significantly lower risk of heart disease, despite eating more saturated fats than Americans.  They also suggested that the Frenchies red wine consumption is the reason that they are healthier.

Basically studies only help to prove that I am responsible for helping many of you be healthy!  So remember to keep drinking that red wine and you're all welcome!

Here's to "Toasting the Good Life"
Neil

The other day, I got a call from one of my long-time good friends.  Besides giving me a hard time about how easy it would be to be a winemaker, telling me the latest political jokes and recalling a few stories, he had called to find out which type of wine he should give as gifts during the holidays.  I figure if a guy I have known for most of my life doesn't know how to gift wine after drinking wine with me, then I should probably share a little info with everyone.

The first question you need to ask yourself when giving wine is, is the wine gift for an experienced or non-experienced wine drinker?  The reason I say this, is because 90% of the experienced wine drinkers will prefer a dryer style wine and the non-experienced ones will probably want something sweeter.

Having said that, the safest bet for any type of wine drinker is a Sparkling Wine or Champagne.  This wine will go great with Holiday brunches, any type of party/celebration (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa) and is the only way to ring in the New Year!  Sparkling Wine does cost a little bit more just because of the additional effort it takes the winemaker to produce the wine, but is well worth it!  Until next time...

Here's to "Toasting the Good Life"
Neil

First of all, thanks for checking out my new blog.  I always thought I had great things to share with the world and here's my chance!  Here we go...

On Thanksgiving Day, in the United States over 2.5 million turkeys will be consumed.  Now that is a lot of birds!  Predominantly white wines are chosen for the big day with most people leaning toward the sweet side like WRC's 2009 Gewurztraminer or 2009 Riesling.
At the Glancey family dinner we do it a little differently - wine at every stage of the meal!  We usually serve Sparkling Chardonnay or Champagne to go with the appetizers as everyone begins to gather at the dinner table.  The Sparkling Wine matches everything from bacon wrapped scallops, crab stuffed deviled eggs to fresh oysters. 
By the time we are seated at the dinner table the smooth spiciness of Gewurztraminer is a perfect match for the juicy white breast meat of the turkey and still has enough acid to balance with the traditional gravy. Riesling or Gewurztraminer wines also appeal to the holiday only wine drinker with their easy tannins and hint of sweetness. For the die hard red wine drinkers I would recommend a medium body red wine like our 2009 Malbec. The black pepper and blackberry fruit flavors match well with cranberry sauce, and will also carry through into dessert.  I like my pumpkin pie with a some expresso, but you can also go back to drinking the Gewurztraminer.  But anytime after dinner, I suggest Dessert Wine, especially with the chocolate or more decadent desserts. 
Hopefully this helps a little bit in planning out the perfect Turkey Day meals...Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Here's to “Toasting the Good Life”
Neil