Welcome to the Bridge - Monthly Newsletter of Grand Island Vineyards | |
For more than 50 years our family has tended our vineyards and grown our own grapes, for our wines, along the lush banks of the Sacramento River. We are striving to perfect the art and science of grape growing, and we’re proud to share the rewards of our labor by creating wines that showcase distinctive grapes perfectly. Bridging all aspects of our Winery from the Vineyard, to the Cellar, Winery Grounds,Tasting Room and beyond. | |
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KAY RAYNE LIVE
Saturday, Nov. 6th, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
RSVP Here | Cost: $4 - $5 *Members Discounts Apply
MUSIC: KAY RAYNE
WINE: BRIDGEHEAD, GRAND ISLAND VINEYARDS, SALMAN FAMILY RESERVE
FOOD: WE OFFER LIGHT FAIRE FOR PURCHASE AND IF ENOUGH TICKETS ARE PURCHASED, WE WILL GET A FOOD TRUCK.
NOTES: FYI, TASTINGS ARE BLACKED OUT DURING EVENT.
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BARREL ROOM MIXER
Saturday, Nov. 20th, 11:30 a.m./1:00 p.m./2:30 p.m.
RSVP Here | Cost: $10 - $15 *Members Only Event
Your afternoon mixer will include a glass of wine, barrel tastings with the winemakers, and a grand charcuterie display with artisan cheeses, Italian cured meats, seasonal fruit, nuts, and honey served with crackers and baguette.
Each time slot has max of 50 guests so please pick the time that best fits your day and join us for some good 'ole GIV fun!
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Thanksgiving Bottle Discounts | |
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Upcoming Events and Wine Club Releases
Written by Tasting Room Manager, Tess Jonson
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Choose your own is here again! Make sure to make your tasting reservation for the first weekend of the month if you want to choose your very own tasting.
Kay Rayne live is just a few days away. Make your reservations now for this bay area artist blowing up Spotify with her hits Scrambled Eggs and Deuces. Don’t believe me? Go check it out for yourselves!
Wine club party is just around the corner. Save the date, mark your calendars and make your reservations for our very first Barrel Room Mixer. The afternoon mixer will include a glass of wine, barrel tastings with the winemakers, and a grand charcuterie with artisan cheeses, Italian cured meats, seasonal fruit, nuts, and honey served with crackers and baguette. Space will be limited.
See all of our Upcoming Events or Tours and Tastings at GrandIslandVineyards.com!
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Introducing Two New, Exciting Wines!
Written by GIV Winemaker, David Shattuck
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We have two exciting new wines for the upcoming wine pickup that we are very excited to share: The 2020 Grand Island Vineyards Primitivo and the 2019 Salman Family Reserve Chardonnay.
The primitivo comes from a new block of vines near the winery and this is the first bottling from these young vines. It is a great happy hour wine and also works well with a variety of foods including guajillo chicken adobo, wood fired pizza, and charcuterie.
This wine pours an alluring cherry red color and immediately wows with aromas of blackberry, bramble patch, and petrichor. As the wine opens, the bouquet begins to pick up blackberry cobbler and sweet cream notes. This wine is luscious with a sense of sucrosity on the mouth and fine tannins. The finish is prolonged with a warming sense of fruit compote, caramel, and baking spice.
The Salman Family Reserve Chardonnay is one of my favorite thanksgiving dinner wines as it pairs beautifully with all of the standard starch dishes like candied yams and mashed potatoes while having the acid and oak backbone to take on turkey and ham. It also is a winner with a post dinner pumpkin pie or cheese plate.
This chardonnay pours a beautiful straw color. The initial aroma is of baked apple, frankincense, and bitter almond. With a swirl, the wine begins to display flavors of toasted coconut, lanolin, and brioche. The mouthfeel is viscous with a pleasing note of acidity to keep the wine fresh. The wine finishes with a prolonged creme brulee note.
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Harvest Wins vs. Rain, Heat, and Smoke!
Written by GIV Winemaker, Ed Seikel
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Another harvest here at Grand Island Vineyards has come to a close!
As far as harvests go it was relatively calm and boring, and that's a good thing! We were able to get the last of our fruit in and pressed off before the first rains so that was not an issue for us, and now we have all the wines in their respective tanks or barrels ready for aging or bottling.
We were once again lucky to not have the smoke affect us down here, and being so close to the river actually insulates us from the drought so that has not been an issue for us either. Overall we had a pretty nice year in terms of fruit quality, and I think we'll have some really nice wines to show for it.
This year's vintage of Symphony has an added complexity that I think will make it even more of a tasting room favorite, and our new block of Cabernet Franc came on line this year, so we're excited to finally get to work with that as well!
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Upcoming Wine Club Shipments and Dates
Written by Tasting Room Manager, Tess Jonson
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GIV WINE FAMILY
Fall Shipment
Billing is November 6th.
Pickup can be anytime we are open after the 6th and we will hold until next February.
You may change all except the Primitivo prior to billing.
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FAMILY RESERVE CLUB
Fall Shipment
Billing was October 23rd
Pickup can be anytime.
To adjust your shipment or to change wines, simply log into your account here.
See the BARREL ROOM MIXER event for a great time to pick up your wines, meet and mingle with other wine family members, staff, and winemakers.
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Why am I So HAPPY for the Rain????
Written by Operations Manager, Joe Salman
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I am not sure there are many people (at least in California) that were not just ecstatic to see the inches of rain we received in late October. The west coast drought of the last couple years has been widely publicized and effects are widespread, but why is it so phenomenal for me and my vines that we got the rain when we got it? Simple answer is we want to have great grapes next year.
There are many factors that have resulted in lower yields and overall a reduction in state grape tonnage, but the drought has been the main reason for all of that. Even with water supplies and functional irrigation systems the vines of the past couple years struggled to receive proper post harvest nutrients to really succeed the following year. While it might appear like nothing happens to the grapevines after the grapes are harvested, the truth is different. After harvesting, the vines will begin to distribute resources; from the soil, the grapevines will take up nutrients and minerals, and through the mechanism of photosynthesis, they will establish carbohydrate reserves and store them in permanent wood structures—roots and trunks. The post-harvest phase is also one of the most critical times for absorbing nutrients, as these reserves of carbohydrate are used by the vine for respiration during dormancy and for fueling new growth in the following season.
So not only did we have a lot of water to facilitate the nutrient transfer from the soil, the widespread soaking rain will actually send cues to the roots to possibly grow further past the normal irrigation zone to mine for nutrients. And all this happened while we still had greenish leaves for the required photosynthesis and carbohydrate storage. Thank you mother nature for the well watered field.
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