Eve,
Last minute “emergency” bottling. If you guys are around the So. Bay PLEASE come by and at least sample some beer. Dinner always follows. Sorry for the late invite but this all just came together this weekend and although the “terminators” tell me I can leave the wine “as is” during fumigation–there is NO WAY that will happed and I am renting a refrigerated truck for the driveway along with a couple young, huge Samoans to do the barrel moving.
Terry and I would love to see you here.
Chateau Pacific Bottling Dream Team Members (the originals),
We here at the Chateau have encountered a rather perplexing problem involving a pest that is eating away at our facility—the dreaded TERMITE. It seems that the only way to eradicate this pesky animal is to tent the entire Chateau and fumigate. A few years ago we tried the Orange Oil treatment only to find that the termites loved the juice and multiplied quickly. I have no problem with the extermination event except for the fact that we will have to move the wine barrels out of the barrel room into some kind of on-site, climate controlled, storage unit. So as I was topping the barrels today I realized, by both noting the dates the wine was placed into the barrels and by tasting the poetic juice, that I have six barrels ready to bottle. That pencils out to be about 78 cases. Well, after checking on my cork and bottle supply here at the winery I found that I have enough of both to do 52 cases (4 barrels). That means that I would have only 10 barrels to move rather than 14 when the Orkin people come the last week in May to “gas” the T-mites.
There is more to this preface. As part of my month-long (April) celebration of my 65th B-Day, we (my entire office staff) were hosted by brew master Michael Bowe for a tour and tasting of his award winning Angel City Brewery at Alpine Village. Angel City Brewing Co. So to make a short story even longer, I am sure you all know that it takes a lot of great beer to make exceptional wine. Yes, we wine makers drink a lot of ice cold beer while working 20 hour days in the middle of the oppressively hot summer crush season.
So here is the offer: You bottle (there just ain’t no such thing as a free lunch) and—
We meet here at the Chateau at 3 PM on Saturday, May 15, bottle for 2 1/2 hours (this team will do this in 2), as we taste eight ice-cold Angel City Brewery selections. Now be assured that if you are absolutely not a beer aficionado you certainly still have the option of “wine from the tap”. Meatballs, cheeses and stuffed peppers will be on the hors d’ourves menu.
Then stick around for dinner which will include, among other offerings, a Burrata starter (think Gioia Cheese Co.), German sausage (Alpine Village Sausage maker) , sauerkraut, spiced herring (yum yum) direct from Poland), and much more to include something decadent for dessert.
Winemaker Gary and taster Terry.
P.S. I hope to convince the BREW MASTER (Herr Bowe) to join us and perhaps give us some input on his brew as well as play his sax. Michael Bowe | Cole Porter De-Constructed | CD Baby
Just received word as I am writing this e-mail–BREWMASTER IS IN
