So in the recent past a lot has gone on. “What is that?” you might ask. First, we had a great Bread-baking contest and a record-breaking Chocolate festival! But that’s in the past, what’s really new?
We have been waiting many months for the return of a very popular wine, SWEETSER, made with Ohio-grown Catawba grapes. This semi-sweet wine has a unique flavor and every year we look forward to the new crop to see what characteristics it will show us. Some years the levels of tartness are very high and in some years it’s a bit mellower. The 2010 vintage leans towards mellow, but it still has that distinct sweet-tart tast wine everytimee our customer love.
The new Sweetser has another characteristic common to our naturally made wines, it has a tendency to have a bit of sediment in the bottle. We have found that when the wine ages to more then one year in the barrel, it tends to have much less sediment. As we have improved at winemaking, we have learned non-chemical means to clear our wines and reduce the sediment that occurs after bottling. But nothing replaces a bit more aging to help improve the LOOK of our wine.
Now that addresses an important point about our wine. We do not typically bottle a wine until its flavor stabilizes, so a customer tastes the wine and it stays pretty much the same for at least six months in their own wine “cellar”. But do we hold a great tasting wine until its appearance stabilizes as well? Our response is a firm “no” and the story of Sweetser is a good example.
I have had a few regular customers kid me that many of our wines are as clear and clean as any commercial wine and they ask, “Have you sold-out?” suggesting we were making wines just like everyone else. I always reply negatively, just getting better at wine making!
So, though we’d like a perfectly clear and sediment-free we hope you’ll stop in and add your comments to theirs as well! wine everytime, but you can’t always wait for the natural made wines to get that way. Those who have tasted the new Sweetser have said very nice things about it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
June is a Fun Month
Oh a slow Sunday it is. We survived the hailstorm last night and the wind did not blow anything away. We’ve been busy here, got the new semi-sweet red out, EEL RIVER, made with Cab Franc grapes and I am pleased with it. Watching the 2010 wines mature, had a little barrel tasting last night so I can gauge other people’s reactions to the new wines as they come to life, flavor wise. A few are close, several are a long way from being all they can be, but that’s typical at this stage in the game. August-September is prime time for new wines generally. We’ll see what’s going on soon enough.
If you check the website (www.oakhillwines.com) you’ll see the schedule for free events is up through August. We are still working on the September Cheesecake Festival date, keep an eye out. Next Saturday, June 11 is the Bread Baking Contest, always fun with bread AND wine. The 8th business anniversary party and Gourmet Chocolate Festival is July 16th, that’s a biggie. Offer people free chocolate AND wine and they come out of the wood work. Then we kick off Indiana Cheese Days on August 13th. Basically we buy ten pounds of Indiana Cheese and give free samples as long as it lasts, usually a few days.
We are working on a late summer winery bus tour and we hope to have news VERY soon. We keep running into wineries that want to charge us for bringing them 44 wine buyers, like $5 to $10 per person! I recognize that paid tastings are becoming common in many wine regions, but this is driving me nuts. We typically buy ten cases of wine per stop, more or less. I would LOVE for someone to bring me a ten case sale in a 90 minute window any day. Oh well, we move forward…
Come on by next Saturday and vote for your favorite bread! We need bread-eating judges!
If you check the website (www.oakhillwines.com) you’ll see the schedule for free events is up through August. We are still working on the September Cheesecake Festival date, keep an eye out. Next Saturday, June 11 is the Bread Baking Contest, always fun with bread AND wine. The 8th business anniversary party and Gourmet Chocolate Festival is July 16th, that’s a biggie. Offer people free chocolate AND wine and they come out of the wood work. Then we kick off Indiana Cheese Days on August 13th. Basically we buy ten pounds of Indiana Cheese and give free samples as long as it lasts, usually a few days.
We are working on a late summer winery bus tour and we hope to have news VERY soon. We keep running into wineries that want to charge us for bringing them 44 wine buyers, like $5 to $10 per person! I recognize that paid tastings are becoming common in many wine regions, but this is driving me nuts. We typically buy ten cases of wine per stop, more or less. I would LOVE for someone to bring me a ten case sale in a 90 minute window any day. Oh well, we move forward…
Come on by next Saturday and vote for your favorite bread! We need bread-eating judges!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Its a little after 9 am on Saturday and I have been working since 6:30 am getting set up for the open house today. Its a big job since we rarely open the winemaking area to the public, its small and we just do not have the space to walk people through for tours on a regular basis. But a couple of times a year we do open up to show people our unique natural method of making wine.
We put up our brite red canopy to call attention to the place and set up some chairs downstairs. Last year we had alot of people show up for this event and we have added extra staff to help out.
My only regret is we are out of our semi-sweet reds right now, the popular SWAYZEE and a new wine, EEL RIVER, should be bottled soon. The new version of FAIRMOUNT has proved popular, using a white grape blend I developed to mimic (not too closely) the fruity Niagara grape wine we have used in the past for this wine. We exect the 2010 vintage of FAIRMOUNT to be with us in mid-summer, but the substitution is not too bad...
Watch here for the upcoming BREAD BAKING CONTEST in June; its a great time for both bread baker and bread eaters here at the Oak Hill Winery and, like all special events, its free!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Windy Sunny Day
Hey Wine Fans! All is good as I sit here in the winery. Well, not good, “good” would be a full house of wine drinkers, but HEY! Its Sunday and us Hoosier folk do not think you can buy wine on Sunday. Ok, some of us know…
I am piled high with blue barrels. We get some of our juice in blue barrels and I have been stacking them up higher and higher and, well, it’s time to get rid of some. So if you’re looking for a heavy –duty trash can; a colorful rainbarrel, or something to store big stuff in, try one of our slightly used wine-juice barrels for $15; or two for $25: or five for $60.
I see the sunshine as I look out the winery windows, but the wind is blowing and its kinda rough outside. Inside I have been working on the next free seminar on winemaking next Sunday. Yes, I know its easter for some folks, but last year we were closed on that Sunday and I got complaints, so we will be here and we’re having a free winemaking seminar. Oh, I said that already…
On May 7 we will have our annual Spring Open House, something we started a few years ago and people seem to like a lot. We open up the winemaking area for tours every half hour and last year I was swamped! We usually have a snacks and run a few specials on wine stuff. We also do a little advertising and that seems to bring in the people. Come buy and say hi!
New wines? We have intro’ed a fair number in the past few months, but I am playing with a semi sweet red to add to the list. Keep an eye here, I let you know.
This summer we’ve got the great lineup of special events, see the last blog for details and mark your calendars now! We’ll get dates for the July-Aug-Sept festivities pretty soon. And another winery bus tour???
I am piled high with blue barrels. We get some of our juice in blue barrels and I have been stacking them up higher and higher and, well, it’s time to get rid of some. So if you’re looking for a heavy –duty trash can; a colorful rainbarrel, or something to store big stuff in, try one of our slightly used wine-juice barrels for $15; or two for $25: or five for $60.
I see the sunshine as I look out the winery windows, but the wind is blowing and its kinda rough outside. Inside I have been working on the next free seminar on winemaking next Sunday. Yes, I know its easter for some folks, but last year we were closed on that Sunday and I got complaints, so we will be here and we’re having a free winemaking seminar. Oh, I said that already…
On May 7 we will have our annual Spring Open House, something we started a few years ago and people seem to like a lot. We open up the winemaking area for tours every half hour and last year I was swamped! We usually have a snacks and run a few specials on wine stuff. We also do a little advertising and that seems to bring in the people. Come buy and say hi!
New wines? We have intro’ed a fair number in the past few months, but I am playing with a semi sweet red to add to the list. Keep an eye here, I let you know.
This summer we’ve got the great lineup of special events, see the last blog for details and mark your calendars now! We’ll get dates for the July-Aug-Sept festivities pretty soon. And another winery bus tour???
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
2011 Calendar of Events Part One
I have been promising a schedule of upcoming events, so here we go!
Sunday, March 27th at 4:30 pm: PLANNING A WINERY WEEKEND; a 90 minute seminar for those who would like to visit a group of wineries in one of the following regions: Southern Indiana; Southeast Michigan; Southwest Michigan; Northwest Michigan; Missouri River Valley; and the Finger Lakes Region of New York. This will offer advice on where to go, how to plan your trip, and what pitfalls to watch for once you are there.
Sunday, April 24th at 4:30 pm: WINEMAKING - AT HOME & IN THE WINERY; a 90-minute seminar for those who want specifics on small and large scale winemaking with a focus on questions the audience has on any related topic. Both beginners in home and commercial winemaking are welcome.
Saturday, May 7th, 1- 6 pm: OPEN HOUSE AT THE WINERY; Free tours in the winemaking “cellar” with Q&A by the winemaker every 30 minutes; free winetasting with music and snacks.
Saturday, June 11th, 1-6 pm: ANNUAL BREAD-BAKING CONTEST; Enter your best home-made bread for a shot at glory & prizes and come help us pick the best commercially-made bread by tasting and voting on your favorite. Bread and wine make a great combination!
Watch here for more on: July’s free CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL; August’s INDIANA CHEESE TASTING; and the Big Event of the Year, September’s CHEESECAKE FESTIVAL!
All the events we have at the Oak Hill Winery are FREE and we hope you’ll come join us for fun and a little wine too!
Sunday, March 27th at 4:30 pm: PLANNING A WINERY WEEKEND; a 90 minute seminar for those who would like to visit a group of wineries in one of the following regions: Southern Indiana; Southeast Michigan; Southwest Michigan; Northwest Michigan; Missouri River Valley; and the Finger Lakes Region of New York. This will offer advice on where to go, how to plan your trip, and what pitfalls to watch for once you are there.
Sunday, April 24th at 4:30 pm: WINEMAKING - AT HOME & IN THE WINERY; a 90-minute seminar for those who want specifics on small and large scale winemaking with a focus on questions the audience has on any related topic. Both beginners in home and commercial winemaking are welcome.
Saturday, May 7th, 1- 6 pm: OPEN HOUSE AT THE WINERY; Free tours in the winemaking “cellar” with Q&A by the winemaker every 30 minutes; free winetasting with music and snacks.
Saturday, June 11th, 1-6 pm: ANNUAL BREAD-BAKING CONTEST; Enter your best home-made bread for a shot at glory & prizes and come help us pick the best commercially-made bread by tasting and voting on your favorite. Bread and wine make a great combination!
Watch here for more on: July’s free CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL; August’s INDIANA CHEESE TASTING; and the Big Event of the Year, September’s CHEESECAKE FESTIVAL!
All the events we have at the Oak Hill Winery are FREE and we hope you’ll come join us for fun and a little wine too!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cleanliness is next to...
One of the ongoing jobs at the winery is tank and barrel cleaning. I handle the majority of the icky, scrubbing, scouring, de-gunking jobs in this category. But on occasion I do ask for help.
We had another load of juice coming in and I was getting all the empty containers ready to transfer the new stuff in for fermenting. But one of the big tanks had a stain I could not get out through regular means. I soaked, pressured-washed, and scrubbed with a long handled brush and mop, but could not get it gone.
Now, these tanks are about 6-feet high, 31-inches around, with a 15-inch lid, so I was doing all I could. But then I thought about my wife’s much lesser size (and girth!) and asked if she would help out. Of course she would!
So I took off the lid and she crawled right in! With her close up view, she was able to get more pressure on the crud and with about 30 minutes, it was back to its sparkling clean state.
So while I often get the credit for what the wine tastes like, my lovely wife is always willing to chip in and do her part when a job is too big (or I am, in this case, too big) for me to handle.
If you have not been by, we have LOTS of new wines in stock and the popular BUNKER HILL is selling well, as expected. A new wine WHITEWATER we tested the last few week has won a place in our regular line-up. So come by and see us!
March 27, free 90-minute seminar, PLANNING A WINE GETAWAY, is now able to be booked. Limited to 20 people, send in your reservation today! Next month’s topic: MAKING WINE AT HOME AND IN THE WINERY. Watch here for details.
We had another load of juice coming in and I was getting all the empty containers ready to transfer the new stuff in for fermenting. But one of the big tanks had a stain I could not get out through regular means. I soaked, pressured-washed, and scrubbed with a long handled brush and mop, but could not get it gone.
Now, these tanks are about 6-feet high, 31-inches around, with a 15-inch lid, so I was doing all I could. But then I thought about my wife’s much lesser size (and girth!) and asked if she would help out. Of course she would!
So I took off the lid and she crawled right in! With her close up view, she was able to get more pressure on the crud and with about 30 minutes, it was back to its sparkling clean state.
So while I often get the credit for what the wine tastes like, my lovely wife is always willing to chip in and do her part when a job is too big (or I am, in this case, too big) for me to handle.
If you have not been by, we have LOTS of new wines in stock and the popular BUNKER HILL is selling well, as expected. A new wine WHITEWATER we tested the last few week has won a place in our regular line-up. So come by and see us!
March 27, free 90-minute seminar, PLANNING A WINE GETAWAY, is now able to be booked. Limited to 20 people, send in your reservation today! Next month’s topic: MAKING WINE AT HOME AND IN THE WINERY. Watch here for details.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Too Much Wine! Is it Possible?
The winemaking continues! As the new 2010 Concord, Niagara, and Catawba wrap up fermenting, we have the new fancy grapes coming in. We will have 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Shiraz being shipped in from cold storage and beginning to ferment within the next week. These will be ready for (we hope) next fall when we head into the busy season.
Space is a big problem this time of year in the winery. We have more wine in barrels and bottles than ever before. The 2009 is still in house, now selling, and the new 2010 wines are resting, awaiting their turn “at bat”, so to speak.
We get asked about tours a good bit and we generally explain the cellar is not really set up for tours. We do have a spring open house every May, when we do open the cellar for a peak as to our naturally-made wine methods. Watch both here and the website for more information.
March will be the month of planning for spring and summer trips, so we will offer a FREE 90-minute seminar on planning a winery get-away. Where to go? What to look for? What else is there to do? We will offer tips on wine tour trips to Indiana, Michigan, New York, Missouri, and more. Whether you want to go for a day or a week, we’ll talk about destinations for wine lovers. This fun-filled (we’ll be drinking, of course) gather is Sunday, March 27th at 4:30 pm; email us your reservation with SEMINAR and the date to reserve your spot.
Is there a wine-themed seminar you’d like to attend? Send us an email at oakhillwinery@yahoo.com and we’ll consider it!
Space is a big problem this time of year in the winery. We have more wine in barrels and bottles than ever before. The 2009 is still in house, now selling, and the new 2010 wines are resting, awaiting their turn “at bat”, so to speak.
We get asked about tours a good bit and we generally explain the cellar is not really set up for tours. We do have a spring open house every May, when we do open the cellar for a peak as to our naturally-made wine methods. Watch both here and the website for more information.
March will be the month of planning for spring and summer trips, so we will offer a FREE 90-minute seminar on planning a winery get-away. Where to go? What to look for? What else is there to do? We will offer tips on wine tour trips to Indiana, Michigan, New York, Missouri, and more. Whether you want to go for a day or a week, we’ll talk about destinations for wine lovers. This fun-filled (we’ll be drinking, of course) gather is Sunday, March 27th at 4:30 pm; email us your reservation with SEMINAR and the date to reserve your spot.
Is there a wine-themed seminar you’d like to attend? Send us an email at oakhillwinery@yahoo.com and we’ll consider it!
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