Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Friday nights not so black...

So a customer asked me why most wineries are not open later and I said, “It has been my experience few people come to buy wine after 6 pm.” During the first few years we were open, we tried being open every Friday until 9 pm and the result was I got a lot of work done, but not too many people stopped in to taste wine.

That said, we had fun on our “Friday Wine Night” last weekend with a good turnout and good feedback on the event. So I guess we’ll try a Wine Night in December and maybe a few more through the cold, dark, winter!

We are getting on track for our Black Friday event as well. We have been bottling fruit wines and have our special release wine, RIVERWALK, ready for tasting on Friday. We will be working the winery ourselves all weekend, so stop on in and say “Hi” and take a few bottles of wine home!

I have had a few emails about wine that pairs well with turkey, for obvious reasons. I suggest MISSISSINEWA WHITE for our dry wine lovers and WINDFALL for the semi-sweet wine drinkers. We recently tweaked the WINDFALL and I am extremely pleased with the result, so stop in and try the new version of this fruit wine.

Next time, we’ll talk about my wife’s life this time of year, entitled “Help, my dining room is full of gift baskets!”

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Whats New & Exciting?

So we are now hip-deep into the busy season at the winery and yet, are having fun! What’s happening and what is new? Read on…

We have started the roll out of the new sweet wines including our cranberry and blackberry already on the shelf. Coming soon is the raspberry and the cherry, blueberry may be a while yet! A new version of our sweet Gewurztraminer is in the works too, watch here and the website for updates. If you have not tried the new IRON BRIDGE, a semi-sweet Riesling, you need too! The buttery finish is making it very popular.

Dry wines? Yes, the latest Chambourcin looks great and tastes better and the superb Shiraz still sells very well, new batches of both in the tasting room! Piddling with a dry Riesling made with Johannesburg Riesling grapes that has a nice light flavor, I am. It is a nice counterpoint to the new Pinot Grigio we introduced last month and YES I do have some Seyval Blanc getting oaked, but I think it will still be after the new year before we will get excited about bottling it.

Special Events? There are TWO in the near future: Our first FRIDAY WINE NITE will be Friday, November 18th from 7pm to 9 pm (?) and is open to all. Wait, what is a “Friday Wine Night”? We will be open later (we normally close at 6) and will serve wine, but will have limited tasting available and there will be music, maybe dancing, and weather permitting, a fire pit in the wine garden. Oh yes, the Winemaker himself will be your host, so stop in and have a glass (or a bottle) and most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Second special event: BLACK FRIDAY! Friday, November 25 we will open at 11 am and will offer special deals until 1 pm. Then we will be open regular hours 1-6 pm for your shopping convenience. Wait, there is going to be a SPECIAL RELEASE that day; a wine unlike any the Oak Hill Winery has ever offered! So special it is a very small release quantity-wise. Stop in and rest from your weary sale shopping here and we will rub your feet (not!) and polish your credit cards (no way), while listening to your shopping adventure stories! See you there!