Bottling, Birds, and Passports
J&J Bottling, the mobile bottling rig of choice at Winterhawk Winery was here last Friday for a bottling of close to 700 cases. J&J stands for John and Jenny, a super hero wife-and-husband team that get the job done. They’re alot of fun to work with, flexible, and totally organized. They are winemakers themselves and know the bottling industry like the back of their hands. With a crew of five guys, J&J helped us bottle our Petite Sirah, reserve Meritage, and some other private label blends that will be released sometime in July.
making labels adhere properly takes talent!
Matt Smith, our sleep-deprived winemaker, oversees bottling calmly
We’ve had a lot of events here at the winery since Spring started. In addition to our $5 WBTG and free pizza Saturdays, The first Annual Suisun Valley Passport Sunday was held on April 19th. With a sold-out crowd of 360, all seven wineries (some not normally open to the public) opened their doors to Passport holders. Food pairings were provided by local restaurants at each location. Great weather, great wine– a great time was had by all.
Passport travelers enjoying Winterhawk's crushpad atmosphere
Rancho Solano's catering staff serving up vineyard-side gourmet food pairings
Winterhawk winery hosted a special educational event on Monday. Our vineyard manager Jim Parr and the Suisun Wildlife Center came out and gave a talk about sustainable agriculture here on our grape and olive ranches and how predatory wildlife is an important part of vineyard management. Quality of life is a driving force of why Jim farms the way he does. He believes the way he farms has a huge impact on alot of people and animals in a much larger area.
- These female red-tailed hawks and owls are capable of eating up to a thousand gophers and rodents per year in our vineyards.