Learning wholesale and working with the Switz on Keuka

By Mike "Ollie" Oliver, Wholesale Sales Representative

Highlights from the world of Wholesale Sales: As the newest members of the Wholesale staff, I have had the opportunity to meet a wide variety of personalities. I thought I would take this chance to share some of the more memorable moments from the road.


First and foremost, it’s important for you to know that I have had no sales experience of this type before joining the Heron Hill Winery team. I have learned, the hard way, that there are unwritten rules and procedures to meeting with Wine and Liquor store owners. For example, if you walk into a store and the owner or manager is meeting with another Sales Rep, you have to wait for them to finish. This, apparently, applies even if you have made an appointment! I walked into a particular store and saw this unfolding. I was about to go back outside and wait, when the owner asked if she could help me I introduced myself and was about to explain my intentions, to which she responded, “Well, you can just go outside and wait until we are done!” This was not exactly the warmest greeting that I have received, but after the other rep left, I went in and the owner had a totally different attitude.

Last week, I was in Scotia working with one of our distributor’s Sales Reps. After four mind-numbing hours of driving and a miscommunication with the navigation system, I was able to find the store where I was to meet with the rep. I parked, noticed that I was right on time, and called the rep to see if he was already in the store. He responded with, “At the store? We aren’t meeting until tomorrow!” He dubbed my response as “dead silence”, but let me dwell on it for a moment. Then, he let me off the hook by saying, “Yeah, I’m inside. I just had to start the day off right!” After meeting him, I realized that this was par for the course with him; watching him interact with his customers was comical at times!


I have also had the highly productive visits that ensure that I can continue to come to work. After being introduced by our distributor’s Sales Rep to a store owner and pouring samples for him, he proceeded to order in 9 different wines! As it turned out, he hasn’t been open for very long, but he is slowly trying to build a New York State wine selection. I have learned that this job is all about timing.


Several weeks ago, Paul Wilson, retail manager at Heron Hill winery, and I met with Brianne, the manager of the Switzerland Inn on Keuka Lake. She had approached us about doing a wine and food pairing dinner. She showed us menus that they have used in the past. Suffice it to say that I was very impressed; in general, six courses that showed some real ingenuity and forward thinking! We will be meeting with the Chef soon to start looking at the menu for the event. If he is open to it, I may even offer to take a course or two! Keep an eye out for tickets; they will only be seating 40 for this event. More information will be available soon. 

My trip to San Diego

By Kara Wilson, Wedding and Events Coordinator

Six more months until our wedding?! Wow. Time sure does fly. Everything is almost done, however, I keep forgetting about buying the wedding bands. You would think that would be the first thing to come to mind.

Anyways, about two weeks ago I was in San Diego. My finance and I had an amazing time. We ate tons of food; Chinese, Mexican, fresh fruit and so much more. We visited Lego Land, several beaches, Old Town San Diego and a few wineries. My favorite part of the trip was our first day there. We went to a town called La Jolla. The town created a man made breaker on one of the beaches so kids could swim and not get pummeled by the waves. The concept was a great idea, but the seals had an even better idea. They have made the beach their home. They spend all day and night playing in the calm water, laying on the rocks soaking up the rays and stinking up the beach. As cute as the seals are, they are by far the worst smelling creatures EVER.

We visited several wineries in Temecula and Escondido. Orfila Vineyards in Escondido had the most amazing view and good wine. In Temecula, I found Wiens Family Cellars to be very hospitable. Our taster poured me their best wines and educated me on their area and grape growing techniques. What amazing upcoming areas. The scenery is to die for.

Now it is time to settle in. Things have been super busy in the wine shop. The February End of Vintage sale was a huge hit. I am currently working on revamping the gift shop with new wine related items and local keepsakes. If anyone knows of any interesting wine products or a local vendor that we may like to carry, have them contact me, events@heronhill.com

Wedding season is almost here. We have a lot of weddings booked for this summer. Again, it is going to be another busy year for us.

Thanks to Heron Hill team for helping me get acclimated with my new surroundings! 

Ticonderoga, New York - Who Knew!

By Christina Bowe, Wholesale Sales Manager

Last Spring, I had the pleasure of going to the Northeast area of New York. The village is charming and the town is full of history, which all residents are very proud to boast about. My trip introduced me to a newly built Best Western on the outskirts of town on Burgoyne Road. This beautifully maintained hotel is a jewel. The Burgoyne Grill within the hotel adds something special that you don’t usually find within a hotel.

I met one of the owners, Denise Ward along with her staff. The restaurant guests had been asking for NY wines, our Unoaked Chardonnay, Semi-Dry Riesling and Cabernet Franc are on their list as the featured NY wines. At that time, we talked about the possibility of doing a wine dinner. I was excited when I got the call in the Fall. At that time, I met with Chef Bob Jennings and staff. They had never tackled a wine dinner, but we all put our heads together and had an amazing event.

The Friday night sold out, the Chef and his staff recreated the magic for Saturday evening as well. Chef went to work to put together a 4-course meal paired with four Heron Hill wines. The first course was an amazing squash soup paired with 2007 Heron Hill Semi-Dry Riesling. The next course was a scallop salad with caramelized onions, this was served with the 2008 Heron Hill Unoaked Chardonnay. These perfectly paired dishes were received very well by the guests. The third course was a piece of art and unfortunately, there is not a picture to do it justice. It was a twice-baked potato, fresh carrots with a delicate sweetness and a perfectly grilled filet dressed with homemade herbal butter with parmesan chips perched atop the butter. The pairing of 2006 Heron Hill Cabernet Franc, complimented the main course. The homemade apple pie with melted Vermont cheddar cheese with a chocolate truffle was served with 2007 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc.

Chef Jennings pulled out all the stops, and if you are ever in the area it is a must visit stop. Specials are offered every night and I had the most delicious hamburger I have ever had. I want to thank particularly Kourtney Kraft for her attention to detail, which made the night run smoothly. I travel and attend many wine dinners, and I have to say this dinner was in the Top 5. Thanks to all at the Best Western and the Burgoyne Grill in Ticonderoga!

The Montcalm Liquor Store in town was the site for a Saturday tasting. The Manager, Nancy, brought in some amazing snacks and I tasted the wines from the dinner the previous night. Several of the guests from the previous night’s dinner were there too. This is a great store, friendly customers and a true interest in New York Wines.

At the tasting, most of the locals where giving me information about their famous Fort Ticonderoga. I was intrigued at what they told me, so I thought I would do some research and add it to my blog. Fort Ticonderoga, originally Fort Carillon, was built by the French military between 1755 and 1759. The Fort is at a point where Lake Champlain narrows and the shore of Vermont is a cannon shot away. At this point, the water from Lake George enters Lake Champlain through the La Chute River. In 1776, a fleet of small warships and gondolas were rigged and fitted out at Mount Independence. This fleet under the command of Benedict Arnold fought the battle of Valcour Island. In 1977, British General Burgoyne managed to place a cannon on Mount Defiance and forced the Fort’s garrison to evacuate. The British finally abandoned the Fort in early November following the surrender of the British army in Saratoga. In 1820, William Ferris Pell purchased the ruins to preserve it for posterity. In 1840 he converted his summer home into a hotel to serve the tourist traveling the Lake by steamer to visit the Fort ruins. In 1908, the next generation opened the Fort to the public with President Taft in attendance. Unfortunately, the Fort was closed for the season, but I thought it was noteworthy to talk about. You can find out more information at www.fort-ticonderoga.org. The grounds are beautiful with weddings and business events, as well as war reenactments happening in the open season. On March 10, 2010, there is going to be a story on the Sci-Fi channel on the Ghost Hunters documentary. Apparently, there are some ghostly occurrences happening at the Fort. Ticonderoga also has a ferry that you can take across Lake Champlain to Vermont! It is, of course, closed for the season right now.

Ticonderoga is another amazing town in our State that proves to be yet another great place to visit in New York State. I can’t wait until my travels bring me close to the town, hopefully in the Summer when all the attractions are open. 

What happens after fermentation

By Bernard Cannac, Winemaker

After all the excitement of harvest and the fermentations, I enjoy the quiet months of winter. By now, the 2009 reds are aging in barrels and the older vintages are maturing. The 2009 whites have to be prepared before being bottled in the spring and summer.




Like Brian explained in his January 15th blog, the white wines have to be treated with bentonite in order to be protein stable or heat stable. After the fermentation, the wine contains a lot of proteins, some of them coming from the yeasts’ cells. But too many proteins would lead the wine to turn cloudy if it was to be exposed to some heat. If you leave a bottle of white wine, or Rosé or Blush sitting in a car for hours in the summertime, the wine might turn cloudy or hazy. Under heat, proteins tend to form a haze. To prevent this to happen, bentonite is added to the wine. It will attach itself to the proteins in suspension in the wine. The result is a heavy molecule, which will drop down to the bottom of the tank due to its weight. The wines are racked after about one to two weeks after the bentonite addition in order to give it enough time to settle down to the bottom of the tank. Then, we just have to pump the clear wine and discard the sediments left at the bottom of the tank. A gross filtration will take care of any molecules that still might be in suspension.

The other stabilization we have to look after is called cold stability. If you have stored a white, Rosé or Blush wine in the refrigerator to chill it, you might notice that some white or sometimes pink crystals have formed in the bottom of the bottle. No, it is not sugar or sand, and it is not dangerous. If you were to drink some with your wine, the only inconvenience would be that it has a grainy texture and it would feel weird in your palate. One of the most important acids present in grape juice is tartaric acid. Grape juice also naturally contains potassium. When these two compounds react together, they form a crystal called potassium tartrate. This reaction happens faster at colder temperatures. That is why a wine that has not been properly stabilized will produce these crystals when being refrigerated. To avoid this happening in the bottle, we actually make the reaction happen in the tank. There are two ways to induce this: we can chill the tank down to about 28 degrees Fahrenheight and wait for about three weeks or we can add some cream of tartar to the chilled wine. We choose the latter because the stabilization happens faster, in a matter of days instead of weeks. The cream of tartar method is also called “seeding” because the small crystals of cream of tartar induce the formation of tartrates around each “seed” of tartar. When the crystal becomes heavy enough, it drops down to the bottom of the tank. Again, we rack and filter the clear wine and discard the sediments. The red wines get stable after their aging in the barrels, and they should not be chilled, so we do not have to heat and cold stabilize them. Moreover, consumers are more forgiving when they notice sediments in a bottle of red wine.

At this time of the year, we also are busy pruning the vineyard and doing some labeling before getting into bottling some 2007 and 2008 reds and the 2009 whites. I hope it wasn’t too technical and that it answered a couple of questions you might have had. Cheers!
 

My 38th year in a row pruning grapevines

By John Ingle, Owner/Grapegrower

I could blog about the assorted sources of stress in the “idyllic” life of a winery owner. Or I could rant about the hassles, hurdles and roadblocks encountered in dealing with government, laws and politics when trying to provide alcohol to the masses. Instead I’m returning to my roots and talking about grapevines.

I love being in the vineyard, it’s always different and always the same. There is a cyclical process that occurs over a year’s time and for grapevines, it’s call a “vintage”. Each vintage is different with the type of weather and growing season Mother Nature deals and it’s the same in that the recurring tasks and procedures required to yield the best grapes are quite similar each year.

It is now late January and for the 38th year in a row, I am in the vineyard pruning grapevines. People ask what do you do in the winter as a winery owner? Go to Vegas? Au Contraire, it’s the balmy breezes of negative digit wind chill readings that greet me each morning or I stand bundled up like an Eskimo to whack away at some 150+ grapevines a day.

Each year a vine will produce long canes, 2 to 6 feet, with buds or internodes along each cane, up to 200 buds per vine. If these canes aren’t cut back, the vine will over produce and shut down. The 150 buds must be cut back to 20-50 buds to “balance” the vine’s leaf surface with the crop load. You can get a bigger than normal crop one year but you probably won’t the next year.

Pruning 1 acre, about 600+ vines a week means I have twenty weeks to hand prune my vines myself, take out weekends, holidays, white outs or freezing weather and I’m busy from December 1st to April 1st. I’m tired just thinking about it. But I do love it, each vine, creating the “balance”. I feel like an artist.

I recently answered some questions from Lenn Thompson of the New York Cork Report, a blog devoted to New York Wines. Here’s a link to his online article: Q&A with John Ingle, Owner of Heron Hill Winery. 

Back from the Bahamas!

By Tambi Schweizer, Tasting Hall Manager

2010? Can it really be so? I just got back from 3 weeks in the Bahamas and headed back to work immediately!!! I always seem to be a glutton for punishment; I mean really…who is going to do my laundry?

While down south I worked for about 3-4 hours a day fixing up Adirondack chairs that I found either at the local dump or alongside the road, painted our new wraparound deck on the beach house and spent many hours in the back yard cleaning brush. I also spent many hours trying to get all the sand back to the beach that was deposited on our front porch from a large blow that had come through a week before we got there.

Well, it wasn’t all work and no play. My boyfriend and I headed to the Abaco Inn on an almost daily basis to check out the Jack and Ginger specials at noon (we did get very thirsty from working SO hard during the morning hours)! Can you see our drinking buddy, Mr. Lizard who joined us on a fairly regular basis!

The weather wasn’t the greatest for the first 10 days, so we focused on working and hanging out with the family. It was a great family vacation, as my mom and dad were there along with my sister and her two adorable kids and of course my fabulous boyfriend, who became my bike mechanic during the vacation.

During the trip we went kayaking over on the bay side and ran across a great statue named Kate (who seemed to be playing more than studying…I can relate!) A couple of our friends who live on the island, Mike and Gail, found the statue and donated money to the school to be able to acquire the statue and locate it to the perfect spot in the cove at Fry’s Mangrove. When we were out bicycling one day on our way to the Abaco Inn I saw this sign by the side of the road that really cleared up any questions as to which way to go…this way or that way! Oh, I can’t forget that we found a huge treasure chest and ran/swan into a large school of fish…aren’t they cool?

Well, January in 2010 has brought a nice warmth from down south and here in the north the warmth is coming to my cheeks as I sit here drinking a glass of one of Heron Hill’s library wines, (want access…join our Platinum Wine Club for limited releases of our library wines) our 2002 Baco Noir. It has aged very well over the last 8 years with softening tannins and huge fruit on the finish. Here’s to many glasses of wine over the next year with hope that all our resolutions come true in 2010!

Holiday events around New York State

By Christina Bowe, Wholesale Sales Manager

T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Sales at Heron Hill have slowed down for the season, however, in the October-December season, my cap switches from selling wines to retail customers to selling wines to consumers. There are many events; store-tastings and wine presentations in the past three months that keeps me busy, changing my focus to the actual consumers of Heron Hill Wine.

FIRST STOP - Syracuse Harvest Festival
November 13-16, 2009

At the Harvest Fest customers enjoyed a full weekend of unlimited sampling and purchasing fine quality food, wine and beer from New York growers and producers. Festival goers could taste everything from savory sauces to sophisticated wines and beers. There were also quality locally raised meats, specialty cheeses and fresh produce. There were cooking demonstrations and wine education seminars, which unfortunately, I was unable to attend. The attendance exceeded expectations, which surprised many of the festival organizers and vendors.

SECOND STOP - Palo Santo Restaurant, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York
December 5, 2009

Whenever I have an opportunity to get to Brooklyn, I have to stop at Palo Santo. For those of you who have never been or are planning a trip, this is a “must go” restaurant.

If you are an adventurous diner and excited about sustainability and local foods, you are in for a real treat. This restaurant's cuisine is “Latin Market Cooking with South American Wines." However, he is now beginning to bring in a small selection of NY Wines. We are thrilled to be on their list! Many of the foods served are grown right on the roof of the brownstone above. You need to check out their website for their interesting horticulture endeavors.

Bernard and Lisa Cannac (winemaker and wife), Whitney (my helper for the weekend) and I ventured to the restaurant on Friday evening after a long drive to the city from Upstate. Bernard and Lisa were up for the challenge, but my daughter, Whitney, was not quite as daring and a little reluctant. Our server guided us through a fantastic dinner with the true taste of South American market cooking. The meal was exceptional; it was so good we never thought to take some pictures. After the meal, Whitney expressed that it was the “best meal she had every eaten!”

THIRD STOP - City Winery, Sip, Savor and Shop, New York City
December 6, 2009

The City Winery venue was amazing! Again, the turn out was more than expected. New York City has always been a difficult market for NY wines and the showing of people proves that NYC is beginning to realize the quality of their home state wines. Local restaurants, food purveyors from throughout the State were also present.

On this trip, I was excited to have Bernard Cannac, our winemaker and his wife Lisa attending. My “side-kick,” Whitney and I had tremendous feedback on Heron Hill wines. The positive attitudes and looks of surprise on everyone’s faces made the afternoon one to remember.


FOURTH STOP - Pride of NY (Desmond) Harvest Festival, Albany, NY
December 12-13, 2009

The following week, another event that brings the far eastern part of the State together for a celebration of NY wines and products, the Pride of NY Harvest Festival. This is the 13th year and the turnout was great. They probably should have named it the “Holiday Festival” since harvest has long past, and most people are thinking more about the holidays. The attendance was down, but the people there were repeat customers that enjoy the event. 
Proceeds from Harvest Fest benefits the Classroom Enrichment Fund at the Community Foundation of the Capital Region, to help local teachers purchase curriculum and classroom.

So, until next year when I hop behind the wheel of the trusted Explorer and hit the Interstate spreading the word about Heron Hill Winery, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night! Have a happy, healthy and safe holiday
 

Starting out at Heron Hill as the new Winemaker

By Bernard Cannac, Winemaker

The 2009 harvest has been “interesting” for me, to say the least. I started it on Long Island, but continued and finished it in the Finger Lakes. It is easier to start a new job at a winery at a more quiet time, but I was up for the challenge.

The 2009 vintage has been full of challenges on its own: the weather hasn’t been cooperating all season long, too much rain in the spring, not enough heat and sun in the summer, an early frost... But nature doing things well, the fact of having rain during flowering induced a smaller than expected crop, which in turn was able to reach ripeness precisely because it was a small crop given the circumstances.

So all in all, I am very happy with the quality of the 2009 wines at Heron Hill Winery. The fact that it was a smaller harvest made it even easier for me to adjust to my new environment, and all my co-workers made it even easier. A big thank you to all the employees at Heron Hill, from production to retail and office, for welcoming me into the clan. I also feel honored by the trust owner John Ingle has put in me. We tasted the 2009 wines last week, and John was pleased by the results: it is always gratifying for me to see people enjoy the wines we have crafted in the cellar.

Now that the last whites are gently finishing fermenting, and the reds are waiting to get into barrels, I can take some time to discover the area. I have to say, my wife and I love Hammondsport. The village is only a couple of miles from the winery. We love to walk around the square and do some shopping, or just sit on a bench and enjoy the ambiance. It is an ideal place for a getaway weekend, and I am fortunate that it is where I live now, just a few steps away from Keuka Lake. What can I say? I love it here and I love the snow! Some of my co-workers think I am nuts…
 

The root cellar and freezers are ready for winter

By John Ingle, Owner/Grapegrower

The end of the harvest season is a time of mixed emotions. There is the feeling of satisfaction and completeness as another vintage comes full cycle and all the work – pruning, tying, cultivating, picking, etc. yields the bounty of a successful harvest. There is the apprehension as to how the wine will turn out. Will the Rieslings and Chardonnays be crisp and bright, will the Pinot Noirs and Cabernets be rich and bold, will the dessert wines be tantalizing? As the baton is passed from grower to winemaker, there is a bond and a trust that is renewed and cemented every year.
Along with the completion of the vineyard harvest, there is also the grand finale of the garden growing season. The freezer is full of bags of peas, spinach, beans and all kinds of berry fruits. The root cellar is loaded up with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cabbages, onions and brussels sprouts. The little freezer has sweet cider and grape juice, frozen so that it will be as fresh and delicious all winter as it was the day it was pressed. It all adds up to a lot of work that has been accomplished and the prospect of a long, cold winter enjoying the fruits and bounties of our labor. The cycle of life: plan-work-produce-enjoy-plan again.

Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. and Spit & Twit in NYC

By Tambi Schweizer, Tasting Hall Manager

I just returned from NYC where I poured wine at two different events. The first one was Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. 24.7.365. and the second one was Spit & Twit. They were both located in amazing places.

The Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. venue was down in the Chelsea area in an amazing post and beam warehouse located on The Tunnel & La Venue at 608 West 28th Street @ 11th Avenue in New York City. They had a lot to offer at this amazing site. For the “Cook.” Section of the event they had over 35 restaurants sampling their products…my favorite was this great homemade macaroni and cheese, with the creamiest cheese sauce I have ever tasted. It just melted in your mouth! Down in the tunnel area was the “Eat. & Live.” section with almost 30 different gourmet food brands, including cheese samples, lots of amazing sauces and some fabulous brownies from “Hot Blondies Bakery”. I even traded some wine in return for a couple brownies that I was able to actually save to take home for a gourmet chocolate treat in upstate! I was located in the “Drink.” area that included a sophisticated collection of fine wine from all over New York State with wine for both the novice collector and expert oenophile. Thank you to The Grape Exchange for sponsoring this section. They did a great job of getting about 40 wineries together to pour wine for a great crowd. I spent two days educating the public about the Finger Lakes wines and in general where the Finger Lakes region is located. Heron Hill’s Semi-Dry Riesling and the Ingle Vineyard Pinot Noir were the hit of the show. Most people seemed to really be into finding wines to pair with the Thanksgiving meal that is happening next week. The Pinot Noir is very smoky and earthy which pairs well with the roasted veggies as a great side dish. The crispness of the Riesling is amazing with the sweet potatoes and the softness of the turkey. Overall I think the show was a great success, I was able to get the word out about Finger Lakes wine with many retailers seemingly interested in pricing up at least a few of our wines. Hopefully our outside sales manager, Christina Bowe’s phone is ringing off the hook. Look for her in the NYC area in the near future.

On Sunday I headed down to City Winery located on Varick Street in the Soho district of NYC. City Winery hosted a really cool consumer tasting event called Spit & Twit. This was the first of its kind event, incorporating the Twitter platform throughout the tasting. As the consumers came through and tasted all the wines there were then encouraged to spit them out in the provided dump buckets and then Twitter about each of the particular wines. It was a fascinating idea that I believe just need a little bit of “tweeking”. I found that there wasn’t a lot of spitting actually happening, but that’s to be expected…it was a fun afternoon to have a few glasses of wines and try new wines that many people had never tried before. I found that people really needed to have a few snacks and after a few winery tastings and actually twitter about the wines they were trying. I think they forgot to keep twittering as the event wore on. I did get a lot of really great contacts from the event and would love to keep supporting these types of events, as I think they could be really effective in the social media aspect of marketing. The photo is of Morgen McLaughlin (President of Finger Lakes Wine Country) and I courtesy of Metromix.

Overall, NYC was a blast. I was lucky enough to bring by boyfriend (I even put him to work), we had some great food, did a little bit of Christmas shopping and for the first time ever went to a dueling piano bar called Sweet Caroline’s (located on 322 W 45th St.). I love to visit the city for a few days, but am glad that I live here in the Finger Lakes region, as it is one of the most beautiful (…and quiet) spots in the world!