Welcome to the Bridge - Monthly Newsletter of Grand Island Vineyards

Happy New Year - Welcome 2024!

What's New in 2024? Well, I'm glad you asked!

------- Written by GIV Winemaker, Ed Seikel

(Part one of a two part series)

Every harvest is a chance to try something new that will improve our current wine offerings, bring a new varietal, or find a new wine style to add to our portfolio.

This year, one of the first things we're working on is a sparkling wine made from the Chardonnay grapes. These are grown here on the GIV winery estate and we're looking forward to adding to our tasting room lineup!

These grapes come from the same vineyard we use for both our GIV and Salman Family Reserve Chardonnays, but the main difference is they go through a very different process, starting in the vineyard.

We look for grapes with bright fruit and minerality that are high in acid with minimal tannins in the skins. Then we harvest the fruit significantly earlier than we would for a still wine, which results with juice having a lower amount of sugar combined with higher levels of acid. The juice is pressed off the skins as quickly as possible after picking, which keeps skin contact to a minimum, further limiting the effects of tannins on the wine. We ferment the juice in stainless steel, so there is no oak influence, and we do not put the wine through malolactic fermentation either.

Once finished with primary fermentation, the wine is ready for the next phase of its journey to become a sparkling wine, which we will discuss next month!



2024: The Year of the Bubbles? Well, maybe...

------- Written by GIV Winemaker, David Shattuck

This month we are featuring one of my truly favorite wines for the Bridgehead series. That being the Bridgehead Bubbles, sparkling wine.

This unique sparkling wine is made in the traditional method, meaning it undergoes secondary fermentation and aging once it's in the bottle. The benefit of this style of production and aging is increased complexity, smaller bubbles, and longer aging potential. 

I love this sparkling wine because of how versatile it is when pairing with food. It pairs well with anything from caviar and blini to a smoked ribeye. Additionally it works incredibly well as the base to some great sparkling wine cocktails like a French 75 or a Death in the Afternoon drink.

Beyond this, our sparkling wine features a slight rose hue and fine bubbles with an initial aroma of ginger, dried cherry, and Angelica root. The mouth feel is impressively dry with a brioche component and light citrus zest.  Bridgehead Bubbles can be found in our online store, or at the winery.



Our holiday wines at their finest...

Goodbye to 2023 and a BIG Cheers to 2024!

------- Written by Tasting Room Manager, Tess Jonson

A big thank you to all GIV members and guests for your continued patronage throughout the year. We couldn't be more excited for 2024 and what it has in store for all of us.

For the new year, GIV is starting 2024 off with a new, upgraded winery software system. Things may look a bit different to you on the web and mailings, and while some things are still under construction and being finalized, this change will make store, winery and events processes easier and more secure. 

Those of you who have customer or club accounts with us should have received an email to update your password. If you missed it the next time you log in your old password will not be recognized and you will be forced to reset. Once in the customer dashboard you can see and update your information, so if you need it, you can find the Grand Island Vineyards Account Login here.

In the upcoming months we also plan to launch a huge benefit to our customers, a LOYALTY feature, where in that same dashboard you can see all the points you've earned. Look out for upcoming club packages and save the date, February 17th, from 1-4pm for our winter pickup party. See details here.

January Tasting Menu (free to members)

2022 GIV Chenin Blanc

2022 GIV Vin Gris

2022 GIV Symphony

BRIDGEHEAD Rouge et Blanc

2019 GIV Petit Verdot

2019 GIV Cabernet Sauvignon

2019 GIV Cabernet Franc

2017 Reserve Premier

Special note: The xmas sale has been continued on all Red Wines listed above!



Grapes are gone, leaves are too - Yep, winter is here!

------- Written by Operations Manager, Joe Salman

December 2023 was a nice, calm winter month. Considering the weather from the rest of 2023, this really isn't too surprising, considering the things we've seen.

The combination of cold, wet, and fog helped to get the final leaves to drop off trees and vines and allowed us to start our pruning process. Many of our vines will now get a large machine to trim them to a more manageable pruning geometry. 

Hand crews will follow and prune off excess growth, aiming for a pre-determined amount of fruit-full buds. These buds become the locations of next years growth and fruit, which of course is the first step to making an incredible wine. Let the process begin!

So now it's the time to take a breath and look back to evaluate the past year (2023) while making the framework of a plan for 2024. We wanted to wish everyone a HAPPY 2024 and we look forward to seeing you soon.



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