The Reveal

We want to thank you for following along this journey of creating our new wine brand. Over the last several month we have been busy selecting and designing our brand name and image, finalizing our packaging design, receiving state and federal winery approvals, creating our website, and establishing our presence on Twitter and Facebook. All of this was going on simultaneously while we monitored the progress of our inaugural release Pinot Noir!

It is with our great pleasure that we say goodbye to “X” Wines and introduce you to our wine brand... Zoetic Wines!

"What's going on?" you ask

It's been a while since our last update but that doesn't mean we've been sleeping on the job.  We have been busily preparing for the introduction of our brand but we are still waiting for a few final approvals to be completed by the federal and state governments before we make our reveal.  (These things take time.)  While we are exited to share all of this with you, we want to make sure all of the I's are dotted and T's are crossed.

We can let you know that things are progressing nicely.  The wine, the star of the show after all, is aging nicely in barrel.  The flavors continue to develop and we find ourselves enjoying it more and more with every sample we taste.  The branding and packaging is also coming along as well.  The suppliers have been selected and contracts have been signed. 

Seeing each component take shape after all these years is priceless.  We can't imagine how it will feel when the first bottles, filled with our first wine, roll off the bottling line.  Even more so, we can't wait to share it with you all.

Decisions, Decisions

I believe it was Mark Twain that said, “The clothes make the man.” What does that have to do with our wine? Everything when it comes to packaging. The next time you visit a wine shop or liquor store, spend a moment glancing over the different variations in wine packaging. Take note of the bottles themselves; their color, their shape. And in the labels you will undoubtedly see hundreds if not thousands of varying colors, shapes, and sizes. Closures? The common debate today is cork vs. screw cap. The packaging decisions are endless and that is the current situation at hand for us.

Bottles

Bottles come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and while there are no rules to state which style bottle we have to use for our Pinot Noir, we believe our wine will be best represented in it's traditional Burgundy-shaped bottle. The Burgundy bottle has more tapered shoulders than your traditional Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon bottle and presents a more elegant package which pairs perfectly with the elegance of Pinot Noir.

Labels

Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the process of creating our wine label. Being a winemaker allows me to be creative, so this is just an extension of that. However, once the label is designed, it doesn't stop there. With countless options available in the printing process, it can quickly become overwhelming. What texture should the paper have? Matte finish or glossy? Should I add any extra techniques to make it stand out on the shelf? Fortunately I have always had in my mind what I wanted our label to look like so now it's just a matter of bringing it to fruition.

 

Closures: Cork or Screw Cap?

In the past few years, one of the biggest debates in the wine industry has been whether a cork closure is better than a screw cap closure or vice versa. Studies have even been done to prove (or disprove) certain myths. While I know hearing the crack of a screw cap opening pales in comparison to the romanticism of a cork, the benefits of having a taint-free wine that offers consistent aging, maintains our wines flavor and freshness without the potential of getting the dreaded “corked” bottle is the way to go.

It won't be long now before all of these decisions have been made and the final package has been assembled, ready to be filled with our lovey Pinot Noir and ready to be shared with you.

The word of the day is: Ullage

In continuing to monitor the progress of our wine, we periodically need to address the evaporation that takes place from the barrel. If a container isn't completely air-tight, such as an oak wine barrel, evaporation takes place and the alcohol and water particles in the wine can escape as vapors. This is referred to as ullage.

Ullage (pronounced uh-lij) which comes from the French ouillage, has many definitions, one of which describes this process of wine evaporating from a wooden container, such as a barrel. It is also used to describe the head space within the barrel that is caused by such evaporation. And, if you want to impress your friends at your next party, it is also used to identify the air space in a sealed bottle of wine. Regardless of what it is called, the head space in the barrel often needs to be “topped off” to fill the empty space, which, ironically, is referred to as...ullage.

Sometimes we have to get a little creative on how we actually reach the barrels to make sure they are full.

In addition to topping off the barrels, we like to take a sample from each barrel to check the progress. Speaking of progress, I must say the wine is coming along quite nicely. The flavors are continuing to develop and the color is a beautiful, rich garnet. We are so thrilled with the progress and can't wait to share the finished product with everyone.

As the calendar counts down to the end of 2012, we would like to take this time to wish you and your family all the best. May you be surrounded by loved ones as you share good stories, great food, and fantastic wines.

Happy Holidays!

This Harvest is Over!

Activities are winding down in the vineyard.  All the grapes have been harvested, the leaves are changing colors and the cooler, crisp air is reminding us that winter is quickly approaching.

The 2012 growing season for Sonoma County is being described as everything from “very good” to “exceptional”.  The weather this year was close to ideal which allowed for a bountiful crop of mature grapes with well-balanced flavors. This year's harvest statewide is estimated to be around 3.7 million tons, up from 3.3 million tons in 2011 which is great for the California wine industry.

Activities have slowed down in the winery too.  Our wine has been in barrel for a few weeks now and we're continuing to monitor it's development in the aging process.  While it's too early to predict what the wine will ultimately develop into, it's starting to display the characteristics of a true Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches and you begin to plan your meals and wine pairings, keep in mind that nothing pairs better with Thanksgiving dinner than Pinot Noir.  Be sure to add your email address to this site to be added to our mailing list so you can have our pinot on your dinner table next year.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!