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 about the grape growth period known as Veraison, get an in depth look at the importance of Tannins, read about our upcoming event featuring unlimited ribs and meet a very important part of our team Marciano Motilla, our Vineyard Worker Supervisor. Get the skinny on our next vintage Cabernet Franc (2016), when you can pick up your wine club shipment and the dates of more fantastic summer events at Grand Island Vineyards.
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Vineyard News
The Metamorphosis - Veraison
by Operations Manager, Joe Salman
This time of year the vineyards are especially beautiful while grape ripening begins with the growth period known as Veraison. This is when the fruit hanging on the vines transforms from small, green and hard berries into what we recognize as grapes. Vines enter this stage in about 30 to 70 days, depending on variety and climate, after bloom.
During Veraison, the grapes lose their bright green color and begin to take on mature hues. These can range from greenish yellow for some white varieties to red, purple or almost black for red varieties. The grapes also soften and rapidly increase in size as the vine begins to pump sugars into the fruit, while acidity starts to decrease. Veraison doesn't happen at the same time throughout a vineyard, or even for all grapes on a vine or within an individual bunch; those exposed to more sun and warmth get a head start on the grapes in shadier and cooler areas.
I suggest coming and see this for yourself, you don't even really need to leave the winery grounds to see this first hand. Which is awesome because your other hand can still have a glass of wine in it ;)
Cheers!
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Cellar News
Tannins - Is There Anything They Can't Do?
Last month we went into greater detail on the main types of acid found in wine. This month we will be finishing up this series with a more comprehensive look at tannins in wine.
Tannins are a natural chemical that causes wine to have that dry, puckering mouthfeel, like a strong black tea. They are known to form complexes with a variety of different compounds, as well as themselves. They also bind up oxygen, so are natural antioxidants. They can be found in the bark, leaves, and fruit of a wide range of plants. The tannins found in wine are primarily from the grape skin and seeds, as well as from oak aging. They play a major role in a wine's color and aging potential, as well as the mouthfeel, which we have covered previously.
A wine's color is primarily determined by a compound called anthocyanin, found in the grape's skin. However, anthocyanins, by themselves, are very unstable during aging, and are quickly bleached by oxygen. Tannins will actually bind with these anthocyanins, forming very stable complexes that survive the aging process. As natural antioxidants, tannins will bind up any loose oxygen in the wine, further protecting the anthocyanins from being bleached.
As oxygen is also one of the biggest spoilage threats to wine, the antioxidant properties of tannins play a huge role in protecting the wine as it ages. So much so that the amounts of tannin found in a wine is a major determining factor of its overall aging potential once it has been bottled. This is one of the main reasons why you can generally age a red wine longer than a white wine.
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Tasting Room
Tasty Drinks and Fun Events all Summer in the Tasting Room!
By Tasting Room Manager Tess Jonson
Sangria Sunday was another huge hit! Thank you to all our guests who came out and joined us for music and sangria. If you missed it for the second time you can always try some sangria at our
Franc 'N' Ribs pick-up party.
This event and our
summer release pick-up party
will be held on August 18th, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
We will be serving a glass of our newly released Cabernet Franc, tasting past vintages of our Cab Franc, unlimited smoked ribs by Burgess Brothers, and of course our gourmet s'mores bar.
This event is a fan favorite and you definitely do not want to miss it. Hope to see you there!
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GIV Wine Family
Say Hello to Marciano Motilla, Vineyard Worker Supervisor
Meet Marciano Motilla, our Vineyard Worker Supervisor at Grand Island Vineyards. Marciano is incredibly valuable to our operations! He is the only other person besides our Operations Manager who sees every field and block during the growing season. Without Marciano, our wine would not be nearly as amazing as it has become over the years.
Marciano has been a part of our family for some time now since joining us in 1990 as a seasonal harvester. In 1997 he joined our family year round and is currently both a Supervisor at GIV and a Harvester Driver for Salman Farms, the Sutter Island "Home Ranch." Funny story...... Marciano originally came to love Grand Island Vineyards during the five years his mother spent working at Salman Farms! Small world indeed.
Marciano was born in Manila, Philippines where he lived for 13 years before moving with his mother to Kaui, Hawaii. From there he went to Florida where he began working in Landscaping. This later took him to California where he worked in Golf Course Landscape Irrigation. After that, Marciano got into Electronics in Milpitas, CA and later worked for the San Jose School District doing Food Delivery. Finally he realized his true passion as he worked for Sebastiani Winery (Turner Road Winery) doing seasonal work. He was also employed by Unilab as a delivery driver! As you can tell, Marciano has always worked very hard, and his employment at Grand Island Vineyards has been no exception.
His favorite wine, just like many of us is the Grand Island Ros
é, and he also really enjoys a variety of Bogle Red Wines. Typically he enjoys his wine after a long day's work and just before dinner. We joke he's most likely thinking back to his younger years on the beach in the Philippines, since it's been 17 years since he's been back! H
e says it's always very hot and humid in the Philippines, and when you take a shower, you're already sweating again before you get out! Marciano really enjoys the delta breeze here at the Winery, which
works out really nicely for all of us. Marciano is a very hard worker and a very nice man. If you ever get a chance to say hello, you will be glad you did.
All of us here at Grand Island Vineyards are proud to not only call Marciano an employee and a friend, but a true member of our family as well.
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Wine Spotlight
Introducing the Next Vintage Cabernet Franc (2016)
By Winemaker David Shattuck
Ed and I are very excited to debut the next vintage of Grand Island Vineyards Cabernet Franc. This wine, from the moment it entered the winery and right up to it being released after six months of bottle aging, has been special. The grapes were harvested with abundant red purple color and great flavor. The fermentation was long and slow to maximize extraction and varietal character. We aged the wine in 25% new french oak barrel.
The wine pours a vivid ruby with flecks of amethyst in the meniscus. The initial nose is a heady mixture of bing cherry, cocoa, and lavender. As the wine begins to open, wisps of soft oak, baking spice, and loam mix into sweet notes of cherry cordial. The mouthfeel of this wine is luxurious with flavors ranging from herb de provence and cedar to dried cranberry and sage. The plucky acidity drives this rich wine into a clean finish with lingering points of char and dark red fruit.
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Wine Club
Grand Island Wine Club - Discounts, Parties and Live Events!
Is there anything better than coming home and seeing that multiple bottles of awesome wine have arrived? Well maybe there are, but this is definitely top 5!
For roughly $35 - $45 a quarter, Wine Club Members receive an initial three bottles (shipped or picked up at the winery) and the ability to customize each order from our many, many wines.
All 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, August 3, 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.
Frank 'N' Ribs - Saturday, August 18, 2018
5:30 pm - 9:00 pm - Featuring Unlimited Ribs - PRICE: From $20 - $30
 Some of our Wine Club Members may remember last year's Pick-Up Party for August, aptly named "Roasting and Toasting". We've decided to kick up the barbecue theme up a notch with a different menu, a different name, but kept your favorites around. This year, from 5:30pm to 9pm, anyone can stop by Grand Island Vineyards for a grand experience. Tickets include unlimited ribs courtesy of Burgess Brothers Barbecue, a glass of our new release, 2016 Cabernet Franc, Citrus Sangria (while supplies last), access to our gourmet s'mores bar, games and prizes and a very special tasting of our past vintages of the Cabernet Franc. Guest tickets are priced at $30 and Wine Club Members tickets are priced at just $20.
You can buy your tickets online or stop by our winery before August 18th!
Click here
for more information on this event!
GIV After Dark - Friday, September 7, 2018
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm - Featuring Live Music by Mike Kalend - 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 live music by
Mike Kalend, that 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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