MCV FARM NEWS

MCV FARM NEWS - 8.13.10 - Fingers Crossed!!!

2010-08-13T04:36:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

   It has been some time since I have written and I apologize. Lots of things have happened since I have last written, but like Ceasar Milan says, "Live in the now." The vineyard continues to chug along. If you have not yet done so please take a quick walk out to the vineyard and check out the veraisoning (sp?) or verating (Is that a word?) of our grapes. Veraison is when the grapes change color.
   Since all grapes start off as green like the canopy (wine industry way of saying foliage) the color change obviously differs for red and white grapes. Our white grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier will turn a beautiful golden color. An exception to this green to golden color change rule is Pinot Grigio (or also know as Pinot Gris). Pinot Grigio turns from green into a grayish (gris, grigio) purple. However, the wine will turn out to be a white wine.
   As for the red grape varieties their color change is much more dramatic. It is amazing to watch the fruit change from green into a deep red color. It truly is magical to watch this all unfold. Honestly, the whole process of grape growing from the very beginning is truly magical. As our logo indicates we are "Growing Magic." However, this color change signals to Robin and I that we must prepare for the second half... winemaking.
   The season is looking to be a full two-weeks ahead of schedule. However, Jim and the crew has remained ahead of the curve and continue to do things in a timely fashion despite no one telling us that this season would be two weeks ahead! Mother Nature just does that to you sometimes... Jim and the crew are now applying nets in an effort to thwart off our avian friends. While I personally am becoming a bird lover, nothing drives me more crazy than a huge flock of starlings flying into the vineyard. Veraison is the vineyards way of advertising that "Sweet and juicy fruit is available here!" The birds are more than happy to sample. Bird netting will deter these voracious customers, but will not prevent them. The most frustrating thing about Starlings is that they are not a native species. But, it is suitable really because neither are our grape vines. Keep your fingers crossed as we come down the stretch!
   This weekend we will play host to a Wiffle Ball Tournament and the NoFo Craft Beer Festival. It is suitable as we are the "Official Craft Wine of Craft Beer Drinkers." I will have the opportunity to see many of my good friends and colleagues from the brewing world. In fact I will speaking on a panel with Spencer Niebuhr from the Southampton Publick House (my old stomping grounds). We will be discussing food and wine vs. food and beer pairings. It should promise to be a very entertaining discussion, to say the least.
Lastly, I would like to say congratulations to Robin Epperson and her fiance Andrew McCarthy as they prepare to get married. Robin will be returning as Robin Epperson McCarthy on Wednesday! Congrats Robin and Andrew! As always Eat Local, Drink Local, Live Local!! WoRd...

Cheers,

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com www.marthaclaravineyards.com
CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 7.9.10 - Martha on the Move...

2010-07-09T04:18:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

   It has been a busy week at the farm and winery. The vineyard continued its record procession towards ripeness this week. A report that was issued this week from Cornell told us that we are around 200 growing degree days ahead of 2007. If anyone recalls 2007 it was an incredibly warm year that yielded beautiful fruit. At this point in time we are well ahead of that and we still have the rest of July, August, and September to go! Typically we will begin to harvest in late September, but this could happen sooner if we continue this warm trend.
   At the winery we have finally received some our long anticipated packaging material so we will be able to continue bottling soon. Robin and I have been discussing and tasting blends. This morning we will be tasting through the 2009 reds as we prepare to rack these wines. Additionally, we have been discussing our strategy for the 2010 winemaking season. It is closer than we would like to think!
   This weekend we have a whole bunch 'o things going on at the vineyard. We will have live music on Sat. and Sun. Tomorrow at 11am I will be leading a group of people and canines on our first Vines and Canines walking tour. Along the way I will discuss the history of Long Island's geography, the history of the farm, and information about viticulture. On Saturday evening we will take back to the high seas for our Sunset Sails Wine Cruises with Captain Bob. Please be sure to check out the website for all of the great stuff we have going on!
   For the folks in Nassau County we will be hosting a wine dinner at the Plattdeutsche in Franklin Square on Saturday evening July 17th. It will be a great opportunity to enjoy Martha Clara Vineyards wines without having to come out to the vineyard. The dinner will be served al fresco at the Plattdeutsche which if you have not been, is a truly special place filled with a rich German history. Please tell friends and family to the West to come on out and join us!
   Lastly, we will be releasing the much anticipated 2009 SO VIN YON BLONK in the tasting room. The 2008 SO VIN YON BLONK is just about running out. The 2008 won Sauvignon Blanc of the Year at the New York Wine and Grape Foundations annual competition. The 2008 is a beautiful wine, but the 2009 steps up the intensity. Both are dynamite wines, but I am just happy to be able to offer the 2009, so come on down and give it a taste! Catch ya'll later!!!

Cheers,

Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

IMPORTANT: E-mails from this company normally contain confidential material for the sole use of the intended recipient. The use, distribution, transmittal or re-transmittal by an unintended recipient of any communication is prohibited without our express approval in writing or by e-mail. Any use, distribution, transmittal or re-transmittal by persons who are not intended recipients of this e-mail may be a violation of law and is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please contact the sender and delete all copies. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this transmission. This message is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or related financial instruments. All e-mails sent to or from Martha Clara Vineyards, LLC, and its affiliates are to be used for our business purposes only. E-mails sent from or to the company are subject to review by the company.

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 7.2.10 - Celebrate Independence, DriNk LoCaL.

2010-07-02T04:06:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

   Well, the Summer continues to motor on as this weekend is already
the Fourth of July! Traditionally we celebrate our freedom from
"Mother England" by grilling various foods and drinking copious amounts
of fermented beverages. This year I ask ya'll to celebrate by drinking
a bit of the great local wines that the region has to offer, and there
are a plenty to be had!
   The vineyard continues to move right ahead. The warm dry weather
continues to be relentless as growth in the vineyard continues. In
fact, we have completed fruit set and now have pea sized berries across
the vineyard in all 14 varieties. Jim and the guys continue to hedge,
leaf pull, shoot position, and have even begun some irrigation. The
craziest thing about all of this is that the extended forecast
continues to look favorable for fruit development. At this pace
harvest could start 3-weeks earlier, but I don't want to "jump the gun"
on this one.
   The next step will be the arduous task of fruit thinning. Grape
vines will always produce more fruit than is ideal for making wine.
Remember, natures plan in all of this is to promote the species, not
to make wine. We are the crazy ones turning the grapes into wine. In
order to make high quality wine we will "thin crop". In doing this we
take newly developed clusters and cut the to the ground in the hopes of
taking the vines fruit ripening ability and focusing it in on fewer
clusters. Thus, producing riper and more flavorful fruit. Both of
these are critical to produce the tasty good stuff we offer in the
tasting room.
   As for the winery we are preparing to bottle the 2008 reds as well
as the remaining 2009 Whites and rose'. It has been a tumultuous
bottling season with some packaging being harder to secure than others.
However, there is now some light at the end of the tunnel.
   So, as you go about your normal holiday routine please remember to
drink responsibly and drink local when you can! Happy Fourth of July!

Cheers Ya'll,

Juan.

P.S. - The Dog Days of Summer officially start tomorrow!

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 6.25.10 - Strawberry Moon.

2010-06-25T13:37:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

   The season is in full swing. We have reached and passed the Summer Solstice, Strawberry Festival, and the Strawberry Moon. The season continues to be a great one in the vineyard. Jim and the guys are in the midst of pulling leaves, lifting wires, hedging and mowing! Fruit set is all but complete in the vineyard and it seems like we have had a good fruit set. The next step is to get leaves removed in order expose the newly forming clusters to sun and air. Leaf removal will naturally give a better resistance to diseases that sometimes can affect the vineyard. Also, Jim will be giving his second class of Vines to Wines. There will be much to discuss in Vines to Wines.
   It is going to be a busy week on the North Fork. The first annual Food and Wine Festival will be held in Greenport. In celebration and conjunction with the festival we will offer a barrel tasting at the tasting room. We will be offering barrel samples of the 2009 Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Robin and I will be on hand to offer these samples . For more information on this festival check out our website and click the link to the North Fork Food and Wine Festival. If you like food and wine, well you will not want to miss this!
   Last weekend we had our Maiden Voyage for Sunset Sails and a great time it was! We had a wonderful evening of beautiful scenic views, great wine, great food, great people, and great conversation. We have more dates available and highly suggest people take advantage of at least one voyage. Sunset Sails is a great deal for our wine club members as they receive $20 off of each ticket.
   If you are single and/or you know some single people tonight is our Singles Mingle. DJ Phil will be making the tunes happen and Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Patchogue will be offering a group lesson. But, hey Singles Mingle is not limited to singles! If you like to dance and drink great wine, well Singles Mingle is for you as well! Enjoy the great weather and hopefully you will be making the North Fork a destination this weekend! DriNk LoCaL.

Cheers,

Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

IMPORTANT: E-mails from this company normally contain confidential material for the sole use of the intended recipient. The use, distribution, transmittal or re-transmittal by an unintended recipient of any communication is prohibited without our express approval in writing or by e-mail. Any use, distribution, transmittal or re-transmittal by persons who are not intended recipients of this e-mail may be a violation of law and is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient please contact the sender and delete all copies. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this transmission. This message is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or related financial instruments. All e-mails sent to or from Martha Clara Vineyards, LLC, and its affiliates are to be used for our business purposes only. E-mails sent from or to the company are subject to review by the company.

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 6.18.10 - Summer in Full Swing!!!

2010-06-18T06:47:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, Lady Summer is in full effect showing us all why we love Long Island so much! Sometimes during the Winter it can be tough here on Long Island, but then Spring rolls around. Soon after Spring we have our beautiful Long Island Summers. We are in the midst of one of those beautiful and very seductive summers right now. Many things are ahead of schedule this year including the vines. Jim and guys have been trying to keep up with all of this wonderful weather we have been having.

In the recorded history of the wine industry on Long Island this is the earliest we have seen flowering and fruit set. There are many activities that are being completed all at once in the vineyard. We are suckering, mowing, raising wires, hedging, and starting to remove leaves all at once. In a typical year we would be conducting two to three operations at once. Does this mean we are going to be picking earlier this year? Well, the jury is still out on that one... We will just have to wait and see...
I received some very good news yesterday. It seems at the NYS Fair Commercial Wine Competition we received several medals. We received Double Gold for the 2008 Viognier, Gold for the 2009 Riesling, and Silver medals for the 2009 So Vin Yon Blonk, 2009 Gewurztraminer, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2007 Five-O Red. The wine club members this quarter received a knockout selection of wines with all three of their wines receiving medals! To see the results for yourself check out this link:

http://www.nysfair.org/uploads/files/results/2010_Commercial_Wine_results.pdf

Our wine club event last week was a huge success. It was great to see everyone and share our latest offerings! Two of the three wines are not even available in the tasting room yet! Yet another great reason to be a member of the wine club. Lastly, we will be heading off with Captain Bob this weekend into the Sunset. Sunset Sails will be this weekend. It will be a great opportunity to see the North Fork and all its splendor from the Long Island Sound. It will be 1.5-2hour cruise aboard the Captain Bob V in Mattituck. Some light food will be available and with each sail we will have some wines that are library or not in release just yet... I hope to see you on one of the sails this Summer. Check out the website for more information!!!

Cheers Ya'll,

Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

IMPORTANT: E-mails from this company normally contain confidential
material for the sole use of the intended recipient. The use,
distribution, transmittal or re-transmittal by an unintended recipient
of any communication is prohibited without our express approval in
writing or by e-mail. Any use, distribution, transmittal or
re-transmittal by persons who are not intended recipients of this
e-mail may be a violation of law and is strictly prohibited. If you are
not the intended recipient please contact the sender and delete all
copies. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or
error-free. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any
errors or omissions in the contents of this transmission. This message
is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed
as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any
securities or related financial instruments. All e-mails sent to or
from Martha Clara Vineyards, LLC, and its affiliates are to be used
for
our business purposes only. E-mails sent from or to the company are
subject to review by the company.

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 6.11.10 - As Local as Local Wine Gets...

2010-06-11T08:05:00.001-07:00

This was supposed to go out early this morning, but I had some problems with sending it... Enjoy!

Hey Ya'll

    Well, we received some much needed rain. We were considering turning on the irrigation, but Mother Nature did just that for us! The rain has come during the sensitive time of flowering in the vineyard. In 2009 we had several severe storms that came during flowering and these greatly lowered yields. We will evaluate to see if we had any damage.
    It surely seems that Local is in! It seems that many bars and restaurants are proudly talking about their use of Local produce and Local wines. It is great for our region to have more and more of this occurring. We are fortunate to be in region that grows incredible grapes and other forms of produce. As farmers we are integral part of keeping the East End as beautiful as it is.
    When you buy Local wine it supports so many people in the local community. It is an integral part of the economic ecosystem on Long Island and NY as a State. It is a great time of year where you can visit a farm stand and buy produce and then visit a vineyard to purchase wine. If you are a on-the-go type of person there are many great options for restaurants serving Local as well.
    As always I know it is not possible to keep Local in the food and drink rotation 100% of the time, but just keeping it in the rotation is doing your part to support Local and I thank you! Every little bit helps! It is not criminal to substitute a non-local wine in here and there, but only as long as it is here and there. Otherwise, the "Local" Police may come for you. They are kind of like the "Fashion" Police except the "Local" police where denim coveralls.
      Lastly, I want to mention that we have some cool things going on in the near future. For starters tomorrow night we have our quarterly wine club event. It is an Exclusive gathering for Wine Club Members. I will be on hand to talk about our new release 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, 2009 Riesling, and 2007 Five-O Red. Also, next Saturday and during other Saturdays we will have our Sunset Sails Wine Cruise's. These are an hour and a half cruise leaving from Mattituck Inlet with Captain Bob. Reservations are a must! We will feature an assortment of wines, some library wines not available in the tasting room for sale. They will be a lot of fun! Please check out the website for dates and times.

Cheers Ya'll,

Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com
CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!
FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 6.4.10 - Eat Local, Drink Local, Live Local.

2010-06-04T04:27:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya’ll,

Well, Summer is certainly upon us and this warmer weather has accelerated growth. It is estimated that we are approximately 2-3 weeks ahead in the vineyard! The recent warm weather has caused one of the earliest blooms in the history of viticulture (fancy way of saying grape growing)! Bloom is when the small flowers on the vines come into “bloom”. The earlier than normal bloom could have impacts on our harvest, but it is entirely to early to say what will happen. We will have to keep a keen eye to the weather and watch as 2010 unfolds. The uniqueness of the wine industry is that you are always at the whims of nature and no two vintages are alike.

One week ago we had our first ever Wine and Wigs Dance Party and it was a great time. We had a number of great wigs on hand and the Penguin even had a wig too! You can follow the Penguin on Twitter @mcvpenguin. There is always great banter between Robin and the Penguin on Twitter as they sort out there differences. The Penguin has been quoted as calling Robin a “poser”. His issue is that she falsely implies she is a bird with her name “Robin” when in fact she actually is a mammal. I understand his argument, but chill out Penguin! Robin can be followed on Twitter @robinepp.

Local seems to be all the buzz. It is great to see an emphasis on local. Local food and local drinks are incredibly important to our local economy. (Pun not intended) When you buy locally produced products you support your neighbors. It can be challenging to live a life completely filled with only local products, but if everyone gets local into their rotation it could greatly help our local economy. So the next time you are out and there is a local option, please consider local. Your neighbors thank you!

Cheers,

Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 5.21.10 - I'm a Little Tea Cup...

2010-05-21T04:27:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya’ll,

Well, things continue to chug along in the vineyard. Jim and the guys continue to monitor the vineyard as growth continues. We are all very much looking forward to warmer weather. The next step in the vineyard will be to get the wires up as the tender shoots continue to grow. The new growth is tender much like a thin stalk of asparagus. If we were not to secure this growth with wires it could fall victim to winds. The wires also ensure that growth occurs in a vertical manner. Our method of trellising is called VSP - Vertical Shoot Positioning. In the vineyard you can see what will form a cluster of grapes in the near future. It is an exciting time of year in the vineyard!

Robin and I spent some time tasting and discussing the 2009 vintage wines. We are getting ready to “rack” the wines from barrel. A “racking” of the wines will help clarify the wines. Our red wines are bottled unfiltered and aging in barrel is the way that we allow nature to filter our wines naturally. We typically rack the wines every 3-4 months.

In the tasting room the 2009 Riesling and Gewurztraminer have been received with rave reviews. It is exciting to have our third vintage of white wines in release. It is wonderful to the see the great consistency in the wines. We have some really nice wines waiting for release in the 2009 Vintage. The 2008 Sauv. Blanc and Pinot Grigio are almost out, but we need to sell out of these before we can release the 2009’s. There has been some sneak peak tasting of the 2009 Sauv. Blanc and someone said it was “drop your draws” good! Wine Club Friends will be receiving the 2009 Sauv Blanc prior to its release in the tasting room. However, let’s not forget the 2008 Sauv. Blanc won best Sauv. Blanc in NYS last year!

Next Friday is our first Wine and Wigs Dance Party. Wigs are not required, but are certainly welcomed! The JuanMaker has several wigs (Why am I not surprised…) and needs your help to decide which one to wear. Check out

www.youtube.com/juanmaker

to see his latest video and maybe you can help him out? ( I really think he is beyond help personally.)

The Twittersphere has been blowing up as Robin and the Penguin are in a heated battle to get more followers on Twitter. Robin our Assistant Winemaker can be followed on twitter @robinepp and the Penguin can be followed @MCVPenguin. I personally am pro-Team @robinepp because it seems that fame has gone to the Penguins head. However, the bird or person to get fewer followers will have to sing “I’m a Little Tea Cup” for a youtube.com video. Alright, ya’ll so if you could help the JuanMaker decide what wig to wear and follow Robin or the Penguin on Twitter and pass on the word! Catch ya’ll later!

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @phermentation1 and #marthaclara

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 4.30.10 - Contingency Plan.

2010-04-30T04:59:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya’ll,

May is Rose’ month and we will be offering a pink flight at the vineyard. We will offer the Brut rose’, Bernie Rose’, and re-offer the Syrah Rose’. The Syrah rose’ was offered two wine club shipments ago and we have some of this still available. So, we will re-offer it for the flight. However, any purchase of this rose’ is ONLY available to wine club members. Current members and new members may purchase as long as it lasts!!! We will also offer a sneak peak of the Five-o Rose’ and when the Syrah Rose’ runs out we will offer the Five-O in its place. I spoke about the Five-O Rose’ last week so if you missed that email then give it a read as a refresher.

I am looking forward to bottling the Five-O Rose’, but that darned volcano has caused havoc in the shipping industry. My screw cap shipment has been delayed as a result of the volcano. It really just shows how small the world is! Everything is connected…

In the vineyard Jim and the guys are drawing nearer to completing tying. The cooler weather has been an ally in helping complete the job comfortably. Early April was a bit scary for all vineyard managers as the early warmth meant an early bud break. Early bud breaks in theory are great because this could lead to earlier ripening and harvesting, but other issues can arise with an early bud break.

The most scary scenario is a Spring frost. When the tender new bud growth comes out it is highly susceptible to frost. Grape vines in general even with mature growth are highly susceptible to frost. An early spring frost could cause severe damage to new bud growth. However, Mother Nature has a contingency plan for these types of events. The first buds that emerge are called primary buds. If the primary buds receive damage mother nature has secondary and even tertiary (these come out after the secondary’s) buds ready to go.

While it is just amazing that grape vines have evolved to handle many of the elements that exist in nature, the secondary buds are never as fruitful as the primary. What this means is that the “secondary’s” will never produce the amount of fruit that the “primary’s” could. So, a frost would automatically decrease the potential amount of fruit that the vineyard could yield.

However, at this point in the year and looking at the extended forecast one would believe that the potential of frost damage is minimal at this time. One would hope… So, keep your fingers crossed and let’s get this Spring ball rolling and bring on Summer!!! WoRdD.

Cheers Ya’ll,

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 4.23.10 - NoLa Knows Local.

2010-04-23T08:43:00.001-07:00

Hey ya’ll,

Well, I am pleased to be reporting from the home of Local, New Orleans, La. While Local has been really gaining steam in other parts of the country it has always been the way of life in New Orleans. From local fish, crawfish, pastries, coffee, breads, sausage, music, and veggies to name a few things NoLa Knows Local. It is great to be part of such a dynamic city which offers so much incredible cuisine and music. From your local Po Boy (Poor Boy) shop to your high end cuisine you will find heaps of local products on menu’s. Local is the norm, not the exception.

Gumbo one of the more well known cuisines from the city is a great inspiration to my wine making. The Five-0 series of wines is a wine gumbo. There is never more than 50% of any one variety (Hence the name Five-0) and it is a true gumbo of the wine world. I often will describe our Five-0 wines as gumbo’s. I am pleased to announce that in addition to our White and red wine gumbo we will be releasing our pink or rose’ wine gumbo.

The Five-O rose’ is a blend of ALL of our red grape varieties. It is an intriguing blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Pinot Noir. All of these were field blended (meaning harvested together) except the Pinot Noir. These were crushed, soaked, pressed, and fermented together. The blending occurred in the vineyard. It was fermented in an oak tank and stayed on the lees for 4-months. It will be a dryer style of rose’ that will pair well with many types of cuisine. It will continue the line of dynamite gumbo’s that we offer at the vineyard.

While enjoying many of the wonderful cuisines I have been introducing myself to some of the wine buyers in the area. I am hopeful that in the near future Martha Clara wines will be served in New Orleans. It would be a great honor to have Martha Clara wines served along with the incredible cuisine that NoLa has to offer!

Although I am away there has been much going on at the vineyard as Michelle and Robin have been taking the show on the road showing the MCV wines around with great reception. Also, this weekend Jim starts the much anticipated Vines to Wines program. This should be a great opportunity to learn about the art and science involved in wine growing.

I am very much looking forward to returning to the vineyard, but in the meantime I am off to hear the great music of New Orleans at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as well as taste many of the wonderful delicacies that the Fest has to offer. I will be updating Twitter and Facebook frequently, so keep a look out!

Cheers Ya’ll,

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 4.17.10 - Somebody's Getting Married...

2010-04-17T06:51:00.001-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it was a pretty busy week here on the farm... Jim and the vineyard crew continue to tie in the vineyard. The recent weather has been in our favor. The rapid growth has slowed down, but their is still plenty of tying to be done in the vineyard.

I would like to welcome Robin Epperson to the team here at Martha Clara. Robin will be serving as Assistant Winemaker. She is a locally raised winemaker that has traveled and worked extensively both here in the U.S. and abroad. She brings a wealth of knowledge and talents to Martha Clara and we are pleased to have her join us.

Michelle and I were in NYC this week and we are pleased to announce that the Rattle n Hum Bar will have eight Martha Clara wines by the glass. We also have a promising 2-4 wines on at another prominent Manhattan location.

Michelle and Robin attended the J. Kings food show at Hofstra University along with our distributor Boening Bros. Many great contacts were made and hopefully we will see more Martha Clara wines at local restaurants. Another great promotion that we are participating in is the Great Local Restaurants of Long Island. Definitely check out this dynamite promotion at www.greatlocalrestaurantsofny.com.

At the winery we were bottling, bottling, bottling. We bottled the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Grigio. It was a big week of bottling, but it is nice to have these wines in bottle and in the warehouse.
Lastly, I would like to congratulate (our Graphic Designer and the man behind the camera of the JuanMaker) Matt and his lovely wife-to-be as they prepare to get married. Congrat's! In any event cheers ya'll and remember to drink local!!! Word.

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

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MCV FARM NEWS - 4.9.10 - "Its Spring Again..."

2010-04-09T08:32:00.001-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, Spring has certainly sprung with the recent warm weather. Every where you look there are budding trees and beautiful flowers. It has been an interesting year thus far and we are only in April. The vineyard has been pretty intense trying to stay ahead of the budding vines. Jim and his crew have been diligently tying down canes.

We are seeing definite bud swell in the vineyard. This is pretty much 3-weeks ahead of schedule. I am frequently being asked how this will affect the vines. Well, being that we are about 3-weeks ahead of schedule there is still a risk of frost. However, several factors are in our favor. Primarily it has been very warm and the heat has been increasing the earths temperature making it more difficult for a frost to occur. Another important factor is the lengthening days. The days are getting longer so the chances of dropping down to frigid temperatures decreases as the percentage of daylight increases. Another major factor is that all so important maritime climate. The bodies of water surrounding us moderate our temperatures and buffer us from temperature extremes. If we have no frost, well it could be an amazing vintage. Whites in August and Reds in September?

None the less we have many months ahead of us to make judgements on the vintage and I am sure there will be many... The Farmer's Almanac called for a snowy winter and that was pretty much right on. The Almanac suggested we would see a warmer than usual Spring and at this rate that seems pretty much right on as well. The projections for the Summer are a warm dry summer. Stay tuned for more news...

Lastly, we would like to welcome Granola our newest tortoise on the farm. Check out our Facebook page for some photos. Talk with ya'll soon!

Cheers,

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

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MCV FARM NEWS - 4.2.10 - "Sun is Shining, Weather is Sweet..."

2010-04-02T06:03:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya’ll,

Happy April!!! The weather has been interesting to say the least… I think most folks here on the East End would agree that we have not seen anything like this in the recent past. Some people have asked how this will affect the vineyard. Well, because we are not yet in the growing season this will have no effect. The concern in the vineyard right now is bud break. The weather that we will see over the next several days will certainly initiate bud swelling which precedes bud break.

The “buds” (and no I am not talking about beer) are the parts of the grape vine that will be the source of new growth. These buds will emerge from the canes that were grown the previous year. It is very important that we complete both pruning and tying prior to bud growth getting too long. Many vineyard managers are nervously watching the increasing temperatures. Jim has taken on some extra hands on the farm to assure we get things completed. It will none the less be close, but this winter posed a challenging work environment.

I am awaiting some final packaging, but look to start bottling next week. The 2009 Riesling and Gewurtz will be going into bottle with the 2009 Sauv. Blanc and Pinot Grigio following shortly behind. It is an interesting time of year in which we are still working on last years wines, but eagerly awaiting the beginning of the 2010 season.

Lastly, Michelle and I spent some time in Brooklyn meeting with accounts. It is great to see how well Martha Clara Wines are being received. There are some really great wine shops in Brooklyn along with great restaurants. It is great to see and be part of a renaissance of neighborhoods and witness an increased demand for local wines. While talking with a wine buyer from a bottle shop in Brooklyn we were told that the presence of local wines in their store was fueled by demand. That is consumers coming into the shop and asking for local wine. The local thing is happening and it is awesome! Talk with ya’ll soon and enjoy the weather!

Cheers,

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

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MCV FARM NEWS - 3.26.10 - Born to Be Wild!!!

2010-03-26T04:37:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

It was a busy week around here at the vineyard and this will continue right through the weekend. Last weekend's Wine Club event was a great success. I had a sneak preview of the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. These were warmly welcomed by the folks that attended the event. Larry Kolar of LK Catering provided some delicious noshes for people to taste and Victor from Arthur Murray Dance Studios of Southampton and Patchogue led a group dance lesson. Merengue was the flavor of the evening along with a bit of Hustle led by James of Arthur Murray in Merrick. The event was a lot of fun and I look forward to our quarterly releases.

The vineyard continues to get pruned and Jim has been spending a lot of time preparing the vineyard for the upcoming growing season. In addition Jim is starting to prepare for his Vines to Wine program which will launch this Spring. Check it out at: http://marthaclaravineyards.com/VinestoWine.shtml It will be a great way for someone with an interest in wine and especially viticulture to take their interest to a whole new level.
If you are into great wine, African Art, Weddings, Egg Hunts, and/or Wild Women then Martha Clara is the place for you this weekend! We have an events calendar chock full of great stuff!!! I know for sure that the JuanMaker is into Wild Women, but that guy is just off of his rocker! God Bless the lady that can tolerate the JuanMaker...

Lastly, I attended a delicious dinner with colleagues at Love Lane Kitchen hosted by Lenn Thompson on Wednesday evening. It was an eclectic mix of 12 people from the industry. Each of us brought a wine to be tasted blindly and it was mix of local and non-local wines. The local wines that were peppered into the tasting showed quite well. I can say without hesitation that our wines can stand up against wines from anyplace in the world and it is great to be part of an industry that can produce such a diverse array of high quality wines. Quite frankly drinking local is real easy to do when their is such a high caliber of wines being produced right here in our backyards. I am quite excited about tasting more of the liquid goodness being produced right here on the East End. DRiNk LoCaL, EaT LoCaL, Word!

Cheers,

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

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MCV FARM NEWS - 3.18.10 - On the Road Again...

2010-03-19T07:02:00.001-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, it seems that Spring has sprung...for now. It is still March and winter can still make a quick appearance (But we are all hoping that does not happen). It is nice however to see the green of plants pushing through the soil. I was in the vineyard yesterday and you could see the flow of sap from the pruning wounds. These wounds will soon heal and the sap will not flow from the vine, but this flow indicates to us that the soil is warming.

Bud break typically does not happen until Early May, but it has happened earlier than that in the past. Jim and the guys have most of the pruning completed, but there is still tying and chopping that needs to be done. The warmer weather such as we are having now is enough to make every vineyard manager sweat. My indicator for bud break are the dandelions, and thus far I see no sign of them. Bud break always coincides with a beautiful bloom of dandelions in the vineyard. Although considered a weed by most they are a beautiful site in early Spring.

Michelle and I have been on the road in NYC. We have been busy visiting accounts and we are much to our pleasure finding people interested in local wines. As the greater awareness of all things local increases it is wonderful to stop into an account and find that people are genuinely interested. This is very exciting as we have some great local wines to offer.

Sure you can by a $5 wine from another place in the world, which may be very nice. However, where does that money go? Does it stay in our community, township, county, state, or even country? Although only $5 dollars there is possibly a greater loss because that $5 is gone from our local area. Buying local means you support your neighbors and your friends. I am not saying only drink local, but definitely keep local in the rotation. There is nothing better than being able to visit the vineyard, winery, brewery, farm stand, oyster bed, farmer, etc. that your food and/or drink may be coming from. What is even better is when you visit you can see that we are all part of the same community and if you are coming from New York City it is but a mere 75 miles from where all of this great stuff is coming from.

At the winery there is much preparation of the 2009 White wines that will soon be going to bottle. I know there are lots of fans of the 2008's, but the 2009's are exceptional. I cannot wait to see some of these wines released. If the 2008's were turning heads the 2009's are going to make peoples heads spin right around and quite possibly may pop right off! These babies are smokin'! In fact we are going to have the A/C on while bottling just to keep the equipment from overheating. It is a first in which we have had to do this, but we will find it necessary for keeping the equipment running. Well, in any event I hope to see Wine Club Friends at the event this weekend. And if you are not a Wine CLub Friend... What are you waiting for? Catch ya'll later!

Cheers,

- Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

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MCV FARM NEWS - 2.26.10 - I <3 Petroleum

2010-02-26T06:19:00.001-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, things continue to move along in the winery and vineyard. The 2009 White wines are getting closer and closer to bottle. The 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling are truly stunning wines. We will have a terrific line-up of wines to replace the 2008's when they run out and there is not much of them left. You better snatch them up and let folks know that the 2008's are almost running out.

The 2008 Riesling is just starting to open up and change aromatically. When it first went into the bottle it had intense tangerine peel and white tea leaf aromatics with a balanced acidity. The wine now has about a year in bottle and the acidity has settled down a wee bit and the tangerine peel and white tea leaf have begun to turn into petroleum. If you are newer to the whole idea of tasting wine think Vaseline and or fuel(I know this is weird). This group of aromatics in wine are referred to as "Petrol" like. Well, the 2008 whites are just starting to evolve and will age very well. All of the whites are changing and will taste beautifully for the next 3-5 years. I do believe the viognier and chardonnay will drink well for at least 5-7 years if aged properly.

The wine club event on Saturday, March 13th will be a lot of fun. In addition to being able to taste the 2007 Cab Franc, 2007 Cab Sauv, and 2008 Five-O White I will have tank samples of the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. The new wine club releases will again be paired with tasty morsels prepared by Larry Kohlar of L.K. Catering. Larry prepared those awesome mini-pot pies that paired amazingly with the 2008 Estate Reserve Chardonnay at the last wine club release party.
But, that's not all!!! We will have Arthur Murray Dance Studios of Southampton and Patchogue on hand to give a group dance lesson to our wine club members. Arthur Murray is great!!! Bridget and I have been taking dance lessons for the past 3 years!!! Rumor has it we may just be showing off some of our fancy footwork. Bottom line is this wine club release/pick-up party will be a lot of fun!!! I hope to see you there!!! And if you are not a wine club member, what are you waiting for? Stay warm and think Spring.

Cheers,

- Juan.

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2010-02-23T18:29:00.001-08:00

Anybody watchin' Frontline? Crazy sh**!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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2010-02-23T13:47:00.001-08:00

Big NeWs... Our new paper cutter has a laser! That is pretty sweet!

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MCV FARM NEWS - 2.19.10 - To Decant, or Not to Decant???

2010-02-19T05:15:00.001-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

This week was a little more bearable as we were spared any serious snow accumulations. Here on the East End we had a heavy dusting of snow, where as our neighbors to the west saw considerably more. I was shocked upon driving to Franklin Square to see the amount of snow on the ground in Nassau County.

I had to travel to Franklin Square to meet with the folks from The Plattdeusche Restaurant to discuss a wine dinner that Martha Clara will be hosting in July. Yeah, it seems hard to believe but we were discussing an evening of wine under the stars in July as we walked over piles of snow! I am very much looking forward to this dinner in quite a magnificent place filled with history and culture. I am also looking forward to warm summer evenings!

***SnAp**** Okay, well back to reality it is mid-February and I have "tasted" a good number of red wines this winter. I am often asked, "should I decant my wines?" Well, if you asked me this a few years ago I would have told you, "no." Now we find wines being released sooner and I am beginning to understand the value of a good decanter. With 3 decanters in the house all of a different shape I have had many decanting options and opportunities. My findings have been that regardless of shape decanting is recommended!!!! I find opening a cellar cooled red best if served decanted for about 1 hour prior to tasting. If you doubt this, open a bottle of wine and pour a small glass out then decant the rest. Immediately taste the glass you poured out and take note of its flavor. Now, vigorously swirl the decanter to expose the wine to air and let stand for 1 hour. After an hour pour a glass from the decanter and compare this to your non-decanted wine. The decanted wine will be more expressive in regards to flavor and the tannins will have softened. Please try it for yourself the next time you open a red wine, if you have not already done so or better yet maybe you already decant?.

If you do not finish the bottle the first night it can stay in the decanter for a day or two. Most homes are on the cooler side this time of year and the wine will hold just fine. It is important to keep the decanter opening covered when not in use. Others have asked me, "What about the red staining in the decanter?" Yeah, what about it? That just indicates a decanter that gets used!

Well, that's all for now. I have also been asked to tell you that the JuanMaker now has his own Facebook page and you should friend him at your leisure. Catch ya'll later!!!

- Juan.

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Untitled

2010-02-16T07:55:00.001-08:00

My in-laws with the Lombardi trophy. Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/y9dm5wj

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Untitled

2010-02-12T13:56:00.001-08:00

Holy tartrates Batman!!!

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Office 631.298.0075 x23
Fax 631.298.5502
Mobile 631.767.5003
Email: phermentation1@aim.com
www.marthaclaravineyards.com

CHECK OUT THE JuanMaker on Youtube.com!

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WINERY!

FRIEND ME ON FACEBOOK!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!

Posted via email from phermentation1's posterous

MCV FARM NEWS - 2/12/09 - Think Spring.

2010-02-12T10:51:00.001-08:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, it has been a while since I have written a formal email but, if you have any particular questions please ask!!! You can ask me on Facebook, Twitter, Posterous, LinkedIn, Blogger and YouTube. I ask that you friend and/or follow me and fan the vineyard on all of the websites I just mentioned. As always if you have questions I will answer them.

The wines are moving along well. We will soon be bottling the 2009 whites in early March. The 2009's will have dynamite concentration of flavor with beautiful acidity. I am quite excited to see these wines make there way to bottle. The 2009 reds are moving along through malolactic fermentation and are starting to enter their teenage years in wine speak... They are still a bit awkward, but starting to come around and show their potential. I have been busy preparing the 2008 blends. I am very excited about these as I am really having a lot of fun looking at all of my blending options.

Blending is much like a conductor, conducting an orchestra. Each blend component is a different instrument bringing a different attribute to the ensemble. Some are big up front, some have beautiful middles, and others have a wonderful finish. However, the whole that is created when brought together will be greater than any part. Needless to say blending is the art of wine making and quite enjoyable at that!!! The vineyard is in its winter slumber, but Jim and the guys continue to tend to the vines one by one.

The vineyard has been in its winter splendor and despite the biting cold is truly a beautiful sight. So, if you can put on a few extra layers and take a winter hike through the vineyard. It is great to see the vines and how they look when they get a "haircut." Talk with ya'll soon and enjoy the winter!!! Think Spring.

Cheers,

Juan.

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MCV FARM NEWS - 11.6.09 - Let the Picking Begin!!!

2009-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, harvest will re-commence this morning. We have had a little hiatus as we have wanted to ride out this most recent batch of nice weather. Jim and the guys will be going in to pick Syrah. This is the latest Martha Clara has ever picked Syrah, but the fruit that is on the vine is quite nice and will make a beautiful Syrah. We will also be picking the little bit of Viognier that we have left out to be co-fermented with Syrah. The most recent 2007 Syrah is a blend of 93% Syrah and 7%Viognier that was also co-fermented. This is classic blend that is used in Cote Rotie' in the Rhone region of France. I am very excited to be continuing this tradition in the 2009 Syrah. Patience is a virtue in the wine industry and it will be at the least two years before this 2009 Syrah is ready for release.

Speaking of releases... The wine club is gearing up to receive their December shipment. We will be hosting a wine release party for Wine Club Members on Friday, December 11th. This will be an "action packed" shipment! It will include the 2007 Syrah, 2007 Malbec and the 2008 Estate Reserve Chardonnay. All three of these wines will benefit from cellar time and will most certainly raise eyebrows and garner awards of all types when media and competitions gets their paws on these beauties... 2007 was a stellar vintage yielding concentrated wines of rich, ripe fruit balanced with elegant tannins and great acidity that makes these wines a delight to have with food. The next possible release for Malbec will be 2013! We will not be producing any of this varietal for the 2008 nor the 2009 vintage. So, this is truly a special and rare offering that quite frankly... Rocks! I am willing to admit a small amount of bias, but this is the most limited production wine that I have ever made and at only $24.99 it is an absolute bargain for Wine Club Members. Recently I was chatting with another local winery owner, (who shall remain in nameless infamy) and he informed me that they would be producing a Malbec as well for 2007. The price for their Malbec will be well over $100 a bottle!!! You may as well put your hands up when buying that wine because you are being robbed!!! "Oh, but it was hand picked..." So was ours. "Oh, oh, but we used new barrels..." So did we. "Oh, but it was harvested by nubile virgins on the full moon..." Yeah, I can't say we did that, but if were up to the JuanMaker...

In any event Harvest continues to move forward and we will be bringing in the Merlot starting next week and it will yield beautiful wines. It is late for us this harvest, but It doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to the finish line in the wine industry, it just matters that you get there! I don't like to talk before the Fat Lady has sung, but I feel this vintage will certainly be well above average teetering on exceptional. It is not the way that I would write an above average/exceptional vintage to occur, but we are still getting to the same end point. The only thing for this vintage is that the yields will be extremely low. Fat Lady, start warming up those pipes!

Cheers Ya'll,

- Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 10.16.09 - Bazooka Jim.

2009-10-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Okay, well it was a big week. We picked a lot of fruit this week and I am happy we did. Originally when Jim and I were discussing to pick we were under the impression that the weather was calling for a chance of a few showers over the weekend. We had no idea or thoughts that a mini-'Noreaster was on its way! I am pleased to say that we picked a lot of fruit and I am even more pleased to say that its awesome! This week saw the remaining Chardonnay picked, Viognier, Riesling, and Merlot for rose'.

Jim and the guys came out to the vineyard at the beginning of the week to pick grapes and chew bubblegum, and they were all out of bubblegum!!! So they picked grapes and they picked lots of them! As the week went on the forecast began to indicate rain being more and more iminant. However, it was not until Wednesday night that the weather people began to even mention 'Noreaster for Friday. Boy, I hope they do better jobs with hurricanes!!! Also, they discussed the rain starting later on Thursday, but by 9:30am yesterday the drops began to Fall. Luckily we were just about done with the pick when the rain started! We had the last 3 tons of Riesling to pick yesterday and the last few picking baskets got a little wet.

This is the time of year where I have to make many decisions regarding our wines. However, there was a lot of work put into the grapes getting to me in the winery. Based on the quality I am seeing on a year that has offered its fair share of challenges I am very excited about the wines we will have to offer next spring!!! All of the hard work and decisions that have been made in the vineyard through the growing season have paid off! I cannot wait to offer a third year of awesome white wines!!!

However, the job does not stop with me. I know this time of year is also a busy one for everyone in the tasting room. There is no, "I" in team and wine is most certainly a collaborative effort.

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 10.9.09 - Will Work for Sugar.

2009-10-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, Fall is most certainly here!!! Everywhere there are signs of the cooler temperatures and shorter days. We have several things in the winery and fermentations are in full swing. Thus far we have Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and some Chardonnay in the winery. We will be gearing up to pick some more on Monday and Tuesday. We will be picking Merlot for Rosé.

This is the time of year in which I call into action my kind friends, yeast. Yeast are the little guys that make all of the magic happen. Fermentation is the consumption of sugar by yeast, yielding alcohol and carbon dioxide. The addition of yeast to juice is called, "inoculation." Yeast come in a dried form very similar to that used for making bread. However, bread yeast vary greatly from the yeast used for winemaking.

Most of our wines use yeast that is purchased, but our Estate Reserve Chardonnay employs local yeast. I allow the E.R. Chard to be fermented by yeast that come in with the grapes. This is what we call a spontaneous, natural, or "wild" fermentation. Half of the E.R. Chard is inoculated with a yeast that I have selected and the other half is allowed to go spontaneous. The natural/spontaneous fermentation is slower, but offers a nutty complexity and fuller mouthfeel. The commercial yeast offers more of the pear and apple apple characteristics. The two combined offer a more complex wine that has both attributes. I like to define our Estate Reserve Chardonnay as Burgundian in style, but North Fork in attitude! Burgundy is the home of Chardonnay. Many of the worlds most coveted Chardonnay's come from Burgundy, a region in France. I utilize many of the Burgundian techniques, but seek to make a wine that is balanced with a bit of acidity to make it a great complement to food! Keep a look out for the New Release 2008 Estate Reserve Chardonnay!!! Spoiler alert... It's Awesome! In any event let me know if you are interested in checking out the pick and/or the winery!!! Talk with ya'll soon!

- Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9.29.09 - Harvest Cometh...

2009-09-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll,

Well, it is that time of year again! Thus far we have safely in the winery some Sauvignon Blancand Pinot Noir. We also have all of the Pinot Grigio. This upcoming week we will finish picking the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The remaining Sauv. Blanc and Pinot Noir look awesome!!! I am really excited about the Pinot Noir this year. The other whites are hanging nicely and will possibly hang for another week or two! The flavors thus far are great and I am very excited about the quality of what has been coming in.

The reds are hanging nicely and have at least another month or so before they come in. I am hopeful that the reds will come around in the next month or so. Flavor development is starting to happen in the reds, but we just need more sun to help finish them out in the coming weeks.

One of the most common questions asked is how we decide when to pick? Well, the JuanMaker has some words about that... Check out his latest non-sense at www.youtube.com/juanmaker. Till next time...

- Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9.11.09 - 2013: A Wine Odyssey

2009-09-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

It certainly is a windy and dreary morning on the North Fork. Things are moving along nicely in the vineyard as the vines are all netted and the guys have been spending the past week cutting what I like to call "Greenies". These are the clusters that are the late bloomers. Okay, what do I mean? Well, when the red wine grapes turn from green to red this is called veraison. However, this process in not like a light switch being turned on. Some clusters start veraison earlier than others, why? This is a question that is still not fully clear to professionals in the wine industry. The fact of the matter is that when we get to around 75-80% Veraison you can clearly see the clusters that are ahead and those that are behind. The guys will go through the vineyard and cut the "late bloomers/greenies" from the vine. In a week or so we would not be able to discern which was ahead or which was behind. This small amount of effort can make huge differences in the quality of our wines. Typically this decision is an easy one to make, but in a year like this in which yields are already so low it means that we are purposely reducing the crop again. This is a quality minded decision, rather than a quantity minded decision. Not all vineyards/wineries make this effort, but in the long run it is the best for wine .

Marth Clara Wines will be on the move and headed South for the Winter. We have been recently working with a new distributor in Florida called Tag Wine Group. Should any "snow birds" come into the tasting room please let them know that we can get wines to Florida! This is pretty exciting as Florida has such a large concentration of people from New York. I like to call Florida... South New York. Please send people to tagwinegroup.com.

Some of the 2007 Reds are starting to hit the shelves. The three that are out are the Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Syrah. I am very excited about these three and we will continue to see more of the 2007's released down the line. These wines will be sure to turn heads in the wine industry both for wine quality and the fun new packaging that we have selected. These wines will also have incredible longevity, and will certainly benefit from years of aging. One of the wines that I am most excited about is the 2007 Malbec. It is stunning and it is for wine club members only! We will NOT be making this in 2008 and 2009. The next chance we have at this is 2010. The next time this wine could be available for sale is 2013. That is a long time, so this wine is truly special and limited. In any event that is the news for now, stay dry!

Cheers,

- Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 8.21.09 - It's All About the Seed...

2009-08-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, things are moving right along in the vineyard. The crew is busy applying nets to the vines and tying them at the bottom all in an effort to thwart off our avian (a.k.a. - birds) friends. The vineyard looks awesome and the berries have begun the all important process of veraison(pronounced veh-ray-sohn). Veraison is the point in time in which grapes change color. All grapes start off as green and ultimately will change in color depending on the variety. Most of the whites turn a golden color, with the exception of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. Gewurz turns a subtle purple-ish color and the Pinot Gris turns a light grey. Gris = Grey. Okay, how many of you just had that, "Ah, I get it" moment?

The vine has its own agenda, which is quite different than ours. The vines agenda is to see that it can pass on its genes via seeds. When the berries first form in the early spring they lack seeds. These seedless grapes to the eye are as green as the canopy (fancy way of saying the leaves) and are loaded with acidity (think lemons). Once seed development occurs the grapes will now start to change color as to differentiate from the canopy. This signals other species of animals to take notice of the berries because they are no longer camouflaged.

In addition to changing color the tart acidity begins to decrease and in its place sugar is now found. As the berries continues to mature the acidity continues to drop and sugar increases. It's an inverse relationship for those of us that remember all of that junk! This is a process that completely fascinates me.

In any event we have had some big news as it relates to two of our wines. Our 2005 Five-O Red received DOUBLE GOLD in the Best-of-Appellation Program through Appellation America. This wine is defined as one that demonstrates the potential of the North Fork. So, it is a big honor to have this. Additionally, we received BEST SAUVIGNON BLANC in New York State at the 2009 Wine and Food Classic for our 2008 SO VIN YON BLONK. I just loved reading that spelled out in the email I received informing me of this accolade. So, we have two more great selling points to offer our customers in addition to the many others!

The wine club is being prepared for shipment and in the fall wine club the all new 2008 Syrah Rose' will be included (96% Syrah, 4% Viognier). This is a wine club exclusive and just this past week we bottled the 2007 Malbec another wine club exclusive that will be available in the Winter wine club shipment. The Malbec promises to be a gem! Talk with ya'll soon!

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 8.1.09 - Spoiler Alert...

2009-08-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll,

       Well, I apologize for my recent weeks of silence. In any event lots of things have transpired since my last email. The vineyard is in full swing. Jim and the guys have been doing a great job of managing the canopy.  One thing is "for true"... the yields will be quite small this year. One of the benefits of having a large vineyard is that we have lots of vines which yield fruit. On a typical year we sell fruit to other local growers. On a year such as this we either don't sell or reduce the quantity that we do sell.
      This year we will only be selling a small amount of fruit, so we will be able to meet our needs in the winery. Quality is a question and concern of many people I speak with this year. To be quite frank mother nature has been....hmm...how can I say this...a bit challenging is a nice way to describe her behavior. However, as of late we have been quite sunny and warm.  Sure, we have been getting rain, but this has been occurring at night maximizing sun during the day.
     Because the yields are so small the vine will have less fruit to ripen. So, even though it has been a cooler year historically speaking the yields in the vineyard are quite low. I am hopeful that this will balance out in the long run. We have a lot of hang time left and I am hopeful that we will see this year turn around.
     The winery has been busy churning out bottles of the 2007 reds. These babies are going to be nice.  Spoiler alert...these wines are AwEsOmE! The combination of sexxy new packaging and great wine will be sure to have people talking about Martha Clara. I am quite excited to have these wines hit the market. These will be the first red wines that I have created fully as a head winemaker! These are the nicest wines that I have been involved with in all of my years in the industry. I know there has been much abuzz about the 2007 and 2008 whites, well the 2007 reds will follow that trend when they are released! I cannot wait!
     That's the news for now... Talk with ya'll later!

      Cheers,

         - Juan.

Turn on the Switch!!!

2009-06-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

        Well, I would like talk about the weather but quite frankly there really is nothing I can do about it! In the industry vineyard manager's often talk about Long Island and its seasonal transitions as being quite abrutpt. It is often typical for one to describe the change from Winter to Summer as if someone has turned on a light switch. Well, if anybody out there knows somebody...that knows somebody...please have that person in charge of the switch, turn the damn thing on! I wonder if there is anybody out there that truly enjoys this weather?
        The primary question I get now is how will this affect the grapes? Well, the truth is we really don't know? I am optimistic that it will be minimal because we are taking many necessary precautions to combat the excessive moisture. Canopy management is always crucial in any year, but it is especially crucial on years such as this. We have been removing shoots to minimize crowding and also removing sterile shoots. (Sterile shoots are those that do not bear clusters.) Leaf removal from the fruit zone is going to be a crucial part of good canopy management. So, this vintage is not over yet and I am still very hopeful that things will turn around!
       Finally, the U.S. Open finished this week and it was a memorable Open for many reasons. Many spectators were able to watch World Class golf as well as enjoy World Class wines in the clubhouse. We were pouring an assortment of wines in the clubhouse and the feedback was great! We are on "Par" with the best wines in the world! (pun intended)
      We filmed another episode of the JuanMaker. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYdVVF6RyQ. We have gotten a bit better with some of the editing, but keep in mind this is still being done on virtually no budget! So, I hope that these continue to make people laugh a little as well as make people scratch their heads, mainly wondering, "What is he thinking?" Yes, some may say I am a little crazy, but remember it takes one to know one!

           - Juan.

No "I" in Martha Clara.

2009-06-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon ya'll,

        Well, we had a great write up in the NY Times on Sunday and I wanted to share with ya'll! Please seehttp://events.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/nyregion/21vinesli.html for more information on this great article.
       While, I am referenced in this article I just want to let everyone know that this is something that we have all earned. Wine is not made by one man or woman alone. It takes lots of hard work by many people and this is not limited to the winery and/or the vineyard. It requires the assistance of everyone and this is something we all earned. So, congratulations to all of us!

          Cheers and Thanks,

                 - Juan.

Pun Intended.

2009-06-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

       Well, the weather continues to be rainy with intermittent rays of sunshine. The forecast looks like things should start clearing up next week. I have been getting many questions in regards to the vineyard and how this is affecting us. While this weather is not ideal we are not at the end of Harvest yet and we still have an entire summer ahead of us and hopefully a beautiful Fall. So needless to say I have not yet had any doubts that we can still have a great year!
       The weather does cause us to change strategies. In many respects vineyard management is like a game of chess. The reality of this business is when we win it is because Mother Nature let's us. We cannot out-wit mother nature, but we have to adjust our strategy based on her moves.
      Our strategy in the vineyard has changed a bit. Every year we remove leaves from the fruit zone (the area in which all of the grapes grow) to allow for sun exposure.   We will begin this process a bit earlier than usual to help counteract the overcast conditions we have had. I guess you can say that this is a combination of being reactive and proactive. We do this to encourage drying in the soon to be flowering clusters. More drying equals better fruit set and less disease pressures for us.
      On the event side of things the US Open at Bethpage Black is in full-swing (pun intended). We are very pleased to be pouring at the NYS Hospitality tent. Unfortunately, the rain has put a bit of a damper (pun intended) on tournament play but play will resume today. It is a great honor for us to be pouring at this tournament of great competitor's.
       We will be the host of several great events this weekend including a Gala for the Peconic Bay Medical Center, Casino Night for East End Art's Council, Summer Time Grillin', and a Sports Memorabilia Show to name a few! So, please let people know about all of the great things that we have going on farm.
       That's the news for now, talk with ya'll soon!

       Cheers,

              Juan.

Let's Do the Twist

2009-06-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

Morning ya'll,

      Well, I believe everyone would agree in wanting this rain to get out of here! The weekend looks like it will be beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the sun. The upcoming week will be warming up, but it looks like the chance of rain will still exist. It is still early in the growing season but all vineyard manager's and winemaker's want sun!
      The guys in the vineyard continue to remove suckers and put the first wire up on the trellis. We put wire on the trellising to provide support for the vines and to minimize damage to the vine as various equipment travels down the vine rows. In addition to support and minimizing damage the trellis allows the canopy to grow vertically maximizing the amount of sun each vine will capture. The more sun exposure we have the greater amount of sugars and flavors are developed. The vine does turn Sunlight into Wine. An industry book has been written titled this and it is truly amazing what occurs in a grapevine.
      At the winery we are pulling the 2007 reds out of barrel and prepping for bottle. We have some new label designs for the reds and look forward to getting these on the bottle. The labels promise to keep us on the cutting edge of packaging. The new packaging is simply stated and elegant. We hope that all will like it!
      I was quoted in the local paper regarding screw caps this past week. There is a growing interest and understanding of screw caps in the industry as well as by the consumer. It is unfortunate that many consumers were taught that "cheap" wines went under screw caps because this is no longer true.  There are the hold outs in the wine industry that may never convert, but there are always those people out there. However, when it comes to consistency of wine quality for the consumer no comparison exists. Many studies have been conducted involving the bottling of a particular wine under screw cap and cork. The results time and time again are conclusive that screw caps help preserve freshness in a wine not to mention eliminate cork taint. Hopefully more people will be doing the twist!
      In any event I look forward to seeing some of you tonight. As always feel free to send in your questions! Talk with ya'll soon.

BAM!

2009-05-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

       It has been another busy week both on the farm and off! There have been lots of events going on different parts of the Island. Many of us have been traveling to show off the great wines that we have to offer. I attended Brooklyn Uncorked this week at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). This event showcases Long Islandwines to the folks in Brooklyn.  Long Island continues to peak interest for many Brooklyn-ites. There is a great sense of awareness in regards to the importance of LOCAL wines, not to mention the importance of tattoos and piercings!
       The 2008 Riesling and Gewurztraminer were huge hits. People were really enjoying the intense flavors and aromas of these wines.  The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc has also been grabbing peoples attention. This is not out yet in the tasting room, but will makes its appearance soon.
      Once again our new screw caps did not receive a single negative comment. In fact I had several positive comments regarding our conversion. Additionally, I had multiple positive comments regarding our labels. Our labels are eye catching and are loved by many!
      Another webisode of the JuanMaker was filmed this week and is available for viewing at:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnIlld4lU6o . Please check it out! I have been receiving lots of positive comments from people in the industry. Please let people in the tasting room know to check us out on youtube.com as well as friending us on Facebook and MySpace!
      Lastly, the vineyard has slowed down in pace a little bit as the temperatures have cooled. It is very early in the season so this does not have any serious season long consequences. Granted we would prefer more heat and more sun, but it is so early in the season. Growth looks good in the vineyard and it seems that we have had a pretty good bud break. The winter was a cold one and it appears that we were relatively unscathed by Old Man Winter. The crew continues to peck away at various things.
      In any event if you have questions...ask them, otherwise I shall talk with ya'll soon!

The Tide Has Turned

2009-05-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

      Well, this week has just rocketed by! Between bud break in the vineyard, tasting's/events in Manhattan, new labels for approval, meeting with miscellaneous sales people, etc. it has been busy! Things are moving along well in the vineyard. Bud break has happened earlier than it has ever happened before and just like I said last week the full dandelion bloom coincided with bud break. Dandelions are the nemesis to many, but the vineyard does look beautiful when the dandelions are in flower!
      I attended a trade tasting in Manhattan on Monday and it went very well. The tasting was largely attended by trade and wine writers. The reception to the wines was very favorable and the only comment that I heard about our screw caps were positive ones. It is great to see the trade and wine writers embracing screw caps. They are well aware of the benefits that these have for wine. The folks that I encountered on Tuesday night at a tasting whom were largely Manhattan twenty and thirty-something's also embraced the screw caps. It is wonderful to see that the tide has largely turned.
     This weekend I will be attending a gathering of wine bloggers at another winery on Saturday. It will be interesting to meet many of these people that are blazing the way of the wine world.  While the old stand-by's in print media continue to chug along, it is the medium of the web that is reaching the most people. We are making large attempts to get ourselves more viewable on the web. Please let our customers in the tasting room know that they may follow us on MySpace, Facebook andTwitter.
      During the course of the past week I received many comments on the JuanMaker.  It is was interesting to see the response.  We again are paving the way in a new quirky format of tasting notes via the web. I really want to deconstruct what has been the tradition of the tasting notes and merge them with the odd-vertising has been all around us in the past couple of years.  It seems to have struck a chord with many and I look forward to creating more of these. So, keep on passing the word about the JuanMaker (tell them to got to youtube.com and type in juanmaker as one word)!

What Penguin???

2009-04-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

      Well, Spring showers certainly showed themselves over the past several days. We received lots of rain and signs of spring are all around. The vineyard is all but complete with tying and will be done very soon in duetime for bud break. The next step in the vineyard will be bringing the wires back down in preparation of the new growth in 2009.
      The warm weather that will be coming over the next several days will promise to push bud swell and I would not be surprised to see some bud break around the vineyard. I have noticed over the past several years that bud break coincides with the big bloom of the dandelions. I was in the vineyard yesterday with Jim and we noticed sprouting of dandelions here and there. The vineyard is truly beautiful when the dandelions are in full bloom.
      Shortly I will be going with Rudy to conduct a tasting with our new distributor. It is never to early to drink wine as it is always noon somewhere in the world! We are scheduled to have our meeting/tasting at 6:45AM!
      Matt and I have been busy developing our new wine tasting note campaign. We have developed an "odd-fer-mercial" of sorts. The JuanMaker is the new character that we have developed. There have been many likeness's used to describe the Juan Maker, but ultimately it is an opportunity to have fun with wine tasting notes. We want to make them more interactive and have fun at the same time. If we can get a chuckle out of people and/or get people scratching there heads, we have succeeded. So please check out the following link to youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWLqhpVsXhI Please feel free to share this with friends, family, or any goats you may know! Pass on the fun! There will be more of the JuanMaker in the future. So, keep an eye out for further adventures of the JuanMaker! Please also let guests at the tasting room know about the JuanMaker. The best way to get updates is to follow the JuanMaker on Twitter, Facebook on Martha Clara's page as well as the JuanMakers page. We will also be posting this on our MySpace page as well!

Sir Lee

2009-04-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, things at the winery have been picking up. We have been receiving packaging for our 2008 wines. Once the 2008 white wines go into bottle the much anticipated 2007 Reds will not be far behind. Both the 2008 Whites and 2007 Reds are tasting really nice and I am excited about seeing these go to bottle.

We will be "racking" (winemaker for saying, "coming out of barrel") the 2008 Estate Reserve Chardonnay. The barrels will be cleaned and the wine will return to barrel for several more months.20 This wine was fermented in barrel and will spend a total of 9 months in barrel before going to bottle. Half of the barrels were fermented with added yeast and the other half was fermented with natural yeast. After the fermentation the yeast was allowed to remain in contact with the wine. We call this extended contact sur lie (pronounced - sir lee) aging. It is a common technique used in Burgundian chardonnay.

When we age sur lie we develop a slight creaminess and nuttiness. What occurs over time is yeast break down releasing different aroma and flavor compounds. This results in increased complexity of our Estate Reserve Chardonnay and main line Chardonnay.

Our main line Chardonnay is aged sur lie for four months, but we ferment in tank rather than in barrel. We obtain nuttiness and creaminess along with the freshness and crispness that a tank ferment yields. Whether it be in tank or barrel I feel that Chardonnay is a varietal that benefits from sur lie aging.

I want to welcome James Thompson onto the Martha Clara team. Jim will serve as vineyard manager on the farm and brings a wealth of management experience. Many people have had the opportunity to meet him. We welcome Jim to the team and look forward to many great growing seasons!

Cheers,
Juan

Bigger is Better

2009-04-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

It was a busy week on the farm, winery, and warehouse. The 2008 wines continue their procession into bottle. When the wines are bottled they are transported from the winery to the warehouse. Dan the Man had a small mishap on his way to the warehouse this week. A strap came loose and cases shifted! In the end a few cases were broken. At the time things looked worse than they were. These things do unfortunately happen and when you move thousands of cases like Dan does a few cases of breakage is small potatoes. The breakage happened in our 2008 GE White. For a small time it looked as if we set-up a U-Pick Wine on the corner of Northville Turnpike and Sound Ave.

During this mishap a very kind woman stopped by with her children and offered to help. In addition she gave us several pairs of gloves that she had just recently purchased to use in the clean-up. While many people just rubber neck and gawk it is nice to know that there are still people in the world that are willing to help. It was an incredible gesture and I really do thank that woman and her family! Thanks!

A bunch of us at the winery have decided to become even more connected to the "Matrix". There are several new Blackberry's on the farm. I was the recipient of a new Blackberry Storm. I really think they designed these things for Hobbits as I cannot manage to touch correct key on the touch pad of this device. Everything is so small! I am old fashioned, but bigger is better. I guess I need one of those Honey I Shrunk the Kids devices to make myself smaller when I am using this thing. I hope it gets better, but I know what my parents felt like when they first tried Atari or Nintendo!

The main purpose of these new devices is to update web sites like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. I will spend more time attempting to figure these sites out and I will be bringing lots of photos and quips about things going on in the vineyard and winery. So, please let customers know to check us out on these websites as well sign up to be friends. Well, that is the news for now. I hope all is well, and a Happy Easter to all!!

Cheers,
Juan

Whole Lot of Bottling Going On!

2009-04-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, it seems that this year March was in like a lion and out like a lamb. April seems to have brought along its showers in 2009. I am hopeful that we will see a spring this year. I can honestly remember as a child having nice springs, where as in recent years it seems a light switch signals Winters' end and Summers' beginning.

In the vineyard the task of brush pulling and chopping continues. Jim has been taking more soil samples and ordered what will be the first soil additions made this year. We will be making many additions throughout the growing season. Our philosophy is to grow healthy well fed vines that in turn will have less susceptibility to vineyard pests.

The winery has been a buzz with lots of bottling going on. We have bottled the following 2008 wines: Rose', Riesling, Gewurtz, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay. The screw capper has been working well and I am quite happy about the move we are making. During the day today I will prepare a little informational sheet about screw caps similar to the one that I created when we released Sabor. I know there will be many questions and if there is something you are unsure about please let me know. There will be many questions and thoughts from our customers. The main one will be, "What about the romance?" My answer to this is "If you need the cork for romance there are other issues going on..."

The main reason we are making this move is quality. I will explain more in my informational sheet. I will also send it via email so those of us that are unable to make it to the tasting room to read it.

I also want to mention to everyone that Martha Clara Vineyards is on Facebook and I will begin a Twitter account as soon as I get a new phone. This will hopefully happen in the next few days. So please have customers check us out on Facebook and Twitter. We will be offering special discounts on these two social networks.

Lastly, we will be offering a special flight of 2007 Reds in the tasting room for the month of May. Right now we are scheduled to be tasting the following wines: Syrah, Merlot, and Malbec. The Syrah and Merlot will have a futures discount available and the Malbec is the only sneek peek non-wine club members will have of this wine. The Malbec will only be a production of about 145 cases and will not be made in 2008. As I have mentioned before I will be making wines for the Wine Club Members only and this will be the first off the line. Talk with ya'll soon!

Cheers,
Juan

Here's to Health, Happiness, and All Things Screwy...

2009-03-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, things have been a bit SCREWY at the winery in the past week. The 2008 Riesling, Gewurtz, and Rose' have been bottled. The most exciting news of all for me was the fact that these wines went in under screw cap. I am very excited about these wines being released. We will be holding off on release of the Riesling and Gewurtz until mid-April. The rose' will be immediately available and you will see the new screw capped version soon. I welcome any questions about screw caps. I have written about this in past emails and I recommend re-reading some of these. Check out my blog on our website for more info. If you have any questions that I have not addressed PLEASE let me know! I want to provide as much information to all of you as we make this transition. I want us to be well prepared for all of the questions that you may receive in the tasting room as well at off-premise tasting's. I will prepare an informational sheet regarding screw caps.

Jim and the guys in the vineyard have been quite busy. As each day passes more brush is being pulled and chopped. The chopping of the brush allows nutrients to be returned to the soil. Jim has been looking quite intently at the soil at Martha Clara. Along with the help of a local soil guy Jim is developing a program that will get us on the road to healthy and happy vines. Healthy and Happy vines yield yummy fruit and yummy fruit yields awesome wine!

I received handful of medals for wines that were submitted to Appellation America. We received Double Gold for the following wines: 2007 Pinot Grigio, 2007 Riesling, 2007 Chardonnay, and 2007 Estate Reserve Chardonnay. We received gold for 2007 Viognier and 2007 Gewurtz. The best thing about the Chardonnay awards is that these were awarded for the Best of Appellation category. This means that these wines define the quality and character of the region. While some of these wines are sold out the 2008 vintage of these wines were made in similar to identical style. So I expect these wines to sell out even faster as the buzz gets around about the great things going on at Martha Clara Vineyards. Well that's it for now, but please email me any questions that you may have.

Cheers,
Juan.

It's Spring Again...

2009-03-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it is now officially Spring and the signs of spring are all around us. In the vineyard the guys have been tying the pruned vines down on the fruiting wire. The chopper has been going up and down vineyard rows chopping the canes that were cut during pruning. These canes after being chopped will return to the earth providing nutrients back to the earth.

While walking the vineyard with Jim I noted that sap is beginning to flow through the vines. We can see this because of where we prune we see moisture. The vine will eventually heal itself and this sap will stop flowing. However, these are some of the first indicators that the growing season is on the horizon. Also, while walking you could see that the ground was cracking as the winter ground thaw goes away.

Earlier in the week Jim and I had a great conversation with a local soil guy. We are looking more intently at the soil and nutrients as we realize that these are the building blocks to fruit quality and vineyard health. With increased vigilance in the vineyard we will see increased fruit quality. Not that we are doing that bad at the moment, with the news that I received from Appellation America today.

I received an email from Appellation America this morning indicating that we received Double Gold for our 2007 Chardonnay and 2007 Estate Reserve Chardonnay. They were both awarded this in the Best of Appellation Category. This is great news as both of these wines in 2008 were made in the identical style to the 2007. I look forward to the 2008 Chardonnay going into bottle as I know many other people do. Talk with ya'll soon!!!

Cheers,
Juan

Brushfire Fairytales

2009-02-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well it is another blustery day on the North Fork. The weather for the past week has been quite nice allowing the guys to move along in the vineyard. Most of the pruning is completed with the exception of the Pinot Noir and Syrah. The crew is more or less split between finishing pruning and pulling the brush from the wires. The "brush" is what the guys have cut from the vine. They place the "brush" in the middle of the rows where it will be chopped into mulch that will return to the soil as nutrients. In years past many vineyards would burn their brush, but now it is pretty standard to mulch it.

When the pruning is completed we will begin tying the canes to the fruiting wire. These canes will provide the new growth for the upcoming year. I am very excited about the upcoming growing season. Now having the experiences of two vintages I feel a greater relationship developing with the vineyard. Vines are much like people and each variety behaves in different ways. Also, each variety depending on where it is in the vineyard and when it was planted will change vine behavior. Now I begin to sound "hokie", but good vineyard managers and winemakers listen and pay close attention to their vines and wines. It is these subtle nuances that when noticed or possibly ignored can and will make significant differences in wine quality.

Cheers,
Juan

Turn of the Screw

2009-02-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

Morning Ya'll,

A cold morning it is. I cannot believe it is Friday. I have been busy this week between checking things out in the vineyard and winery. This week we received our Stelvin caps. "Stel" or Stelvin is the winemaker/geek way of saying, "screwcap". Stelvin more specifically names the company that developed the technology. We do this often in language with things like Kleenex and Band-Aid. These more specifically name a brand rather than the product itself. However, these become so synonymous with the product that we call all brands by such names.

A year ago when I was looking into screw cap's they were only two companies that were producing. While cork suppliers are a dime a dozen, screw cap suppliers were few. While at Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento I noted several new producers.

The guys in the vineyard are cruising along with pruning. They are finished with the white grape varieties and have finished all of the Merlot. They still have Cab. Franc, Cab. Sauv, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Syrah to complete. Our crew has some pretty serious arctic gear when they are in the vineyard, but when temperatures dip below 25 degrees with serious wind chill factors they do not work. I will say it many times...As a winemaker we often receive all of the credit, but any winemaker is only as good as the guys in the vineyard.

- Juan.

Three guys Walk Into a Bar...

2009-01-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, I am reporting from the West Coast as I am currently attending The Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento, California. This is an annual event which highlights trends and important information regarding many aspects of the wine industry. California as we may all well know is at the forefront of agriculture in the U.S. and often they are the ones to first feel consumer demands, shifts, and trends.

Major topics of the symposium this year have included sustainability, market trends, and the economy. The Californian wine industry is seeing increased demand from consumers for SUSTAINABLE products, but what does that mean? I will elaborate on this issue further in future emails.

Major market trends are showing the great acceptance and demand for wine from Millennial's and Women. This is great news for the wine industry as we will see increases in demand for our products. During my own recent "market research" (Ie. having dinner at a bar on Long Island) I noted three gentleman who seemed of various trades as indicated by their apparel sharing a bottle of wine together. I really could not believe my eyes when I wintnessed this. A bar filled with taps of the "big boys" of the beer industry and here they were sharing a bottle of local wine together at the bar! I think a tear came to my eye... This was a testament to me of how wine is seeing greater acceptance across the board.

The Economy has been an issue across all factions of business. While retailers saw declines in consumer spending the wine industry saw an increase of about 7% in increased sales during the Holiday season compared to 2007. It seems consumers are "trading down" when it comes to wine purchases. Value wines are finding their way onto more tables these days. This is great news for a local winery such as ourselves on the North Fork. We have been long known to be a beacon of value and consumers will certainly respond to this as they embark on their weekend sojourn's to the North Fork. I feel strongly that consumers may "trade down" in price for our wine, but will note the high quality that we offer. We offer great local BANG FOR THE BUCK! While we may struggle for competitiveness in pricing with the "Big Boys" of the wine world we are still a dynamite tourism destination offering many things for families to enjoy! Besides buying local wine supports your neighbors! So let's definitely talk up the great values that our local wines offer!

Lastly, I want to mention the sad and devastating passing of Ben Sisson a long time Veteran of the Long Island Wine Industry. I learned of Ben's passing upon arriving here in California. Ben was a devoted and passionate member of the Long Island Wine industry, Friend to many, Husband, Father and will be greatly missed.

Cheers,
Juan

Fridgid Temps. and Industry Losses.

2009-01-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll,

Morning. This is the first time I have written in the New Year, so happy New Year! The local news in recent weeks has been the loss of two integral members of our small industry. Christian Wolffer was the first tragic loss that we heard of in the New Year. The second loss of Robert (Bob) J. Palmer occurred just about one week ago. Both of these gentleman were quite influential to the industry in their own respects and will be missed.

Palmer was the first Long Island wine that I ever had. It also was the first winery that I visited on Long Island. Fresh out of college with thoughts of finding my "last" Summer job, before I started a "real" job in the Fall I headed out East. I applied for work at that time, but the then tasting room manager informed me they had no positions available. How times have changed... I am now a winemaker and my wife is now the tasting room manager at Palmer. Bob Palmer and Christian Wolffer will be missed.

The vineyard has been cold and the guys have been continuing the work in the vineyard. We are busy pruning away. The work they are doing is the framework for the 2009 Harvest. We are finished pruning all of the white varieties and are beyond the half-way point in the vineyard. Vineyard work is often under appreciated as winemaker's often take all of the credit. The fella's out there gear up every morning and take on the arduous task of pruning in these cold temperatures. When the temperature dips drastically the guys will not work, but it is still pretty cold out there. My hat's off to our guys in the vineyard!

Cheers,
Juan.

It Ain't Dirt

2008-12-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

Morning ya'll,

Well, this is the time of year where things just chug along in the vineyard and winery. The vineyard crew has been off for a couple of days as the weather has not permitted them to work. The winery crew has been busy prepping wines for the winter bottling's.

Soon we will be sending off samples for soil analysis. This is the time of year in which we will send soil samples to a lab to have analysis of their contents conducted. This analysis will allow us to check the health of our soils. Let's just say it is a yearly check-up of sorts.

The results will tell us a lot such as soil pH, micro nutrient content and macro nutrient content. Micro nutrients are those nutrients that plants need in small amounts and the Macro nutrients are those that a plant needs in larger amounts. Either big or small all nutrients are needed to help develop a strong and healthy vineyard. A deficiency in one micro nutrient can lead to a compromised plant. These plants are also then more susceptible to disease. So, if we can ensure a healthy vineyard an increased resistance to disease is encouraged. Once again plants and people are very much alike!

Soil is a living organism. It ain't dirt! Dirt is what we sweep from a floor. Soil is filled with life and at the same time can sustain life. It is an entire ecosystem within itself. Long Islands' soil is the result of glacier's melting during the last ice age. The glaciers ended where Long Island now rests. We were the GLACIER'S END. It was eye opening for me many years ago when I took a soil science class to find out that soil really is a complex and integral part of all of the world around us. It was something that I truly took for granted, but now look at differently.

Lastly, remember we have some great things going on at the vineyard this week. We have great cooking demos from Chef Frank Tramantano of Ever So Saucy Sauces and I will be hosting a chocolate and wine tasting with Chocalatier Tad Van Leer from J. Emmanuel Chocalatier. Both promise to be very palate rewarding experiences! Talk with ya'll soon.

Cheers,
- Juan.

Diamonds are Forever

2008-12-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

Morning ya'll,

Well, this is the time of year when we begin the arduous task of pruning the vineyard. Our crew has begun shaping the vines into the base from which the growth in 2009 will come. We have started in Pinot Grigio and have moved along into Riesling. Each vine is tended one-by-one when pruning. There is indeed a technique to pruning. A proper technique will already begin to mold fruit quality that the vineyard will yield. As we prune we are already planning and discussing the 2009 Harvest.

At the winery we are preparing our white wines for bottling. Filtration and stabilization of the wines is underway. Stabilization is when we look to remove any hazes that the wine may have as well as remove tartrate crystals. Tartrates as we call them sometimes are referred to as 'wine diamonds'. Tartrates are in fact crystals formed from a naturally occurring acid called tartaric acid. However, with time and cold temperatures tartrates will form and drop out. We can accelerate this process by adding tiny amounts of cream of tartar which acts as a magnet for tartrates.

The removal of tartrates are only an aesthetic operation as they do not effect wine quality. However, the average consumer that may see these crystals in a bottle may think the bottle is bad. So, as a result all white and rose' wines are cold stabilized. Our red wines do not go through cold stabilization, but rather the time in barrel helps lose a large quantity of tartrates.

Lastly, we have just received our screw capper at the winery. We have been busy working on a customized Stelvin (Correct name for a screw cap) that will bear our logo. The new packaging will look quite sharp and help bring us to the fore front of what is happening in the wine world.

Cheers,
Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 11/21/08 - "What goes with Turkey?"

2008-11-24T09:36:00.001-08:00

2008-11-07T12:21:00.003-08:00

MCV FARM NEWS - 11/7/08 - We're All In.

2008-11-07T12:21:00.001-08:00

Morning ya'll,

Well, it has been a while since I have written the news and I apologize. Harvest is officially over as we have picked all of the fruit. It was an interesting vintage as Mother Nature gave us a complex and nuanced year. It was the year of all weather events. The good news is that our low yields have given us nice ripe fruit. The heavy spring rains during flowering of the reds greatly reduced the crop size. These rains at the time seemed to be a negative, but the reduced crop led to increased ripening. I have been quite happy and surprised by the numbers of the fruit this year.

The white wine fermentations are now finished and await preparation for bottling. We will begin clarifying the white wines and filtering them in the next several weeks. We have some really nice white wines and I am quite excited about the return of Sauvignon Blanc. The 'SB' is showing lots of nice intense tropical fruits. We will begin offering futures on the this wine in the tasting room. We will discuss 'futures' during our staff meeting this evening and on Sunday evening.

The red's that came in latest such as the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are still moving along. As I mentioned in a previous email the reds are fermented with their skins and seeds. As the fermentation moves along large amounts of Carbon Dioxide(CO2) are released by the yeast. This large amount of CO2 pushes all of the skins and seeds to the surface of the tank. The skin and seeds form a cap that literally floats above the fermenting juice.

Well, the skins and seeds in the cap have lots of valuable compounds that lead to flavor, color, and structure of the wine. So we need to get those good things into our fermenting wine. So, we utilize two main methods for obtaining these goodies.

The first is a punch down. A punch down occurs when we literally "punch down" the cap into the fermenting wine. This is done anywhere from 1-4 times per day depending on how active the fermentation. The second method is the pump-over. A pump-over occurs when we gently pump juice from the tank over the cap. This action gently washes the skins and seeds of there valuable compounds. This is also done 1-4 times per day depending on how active the fermentation.

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 10/17/08 - Soaking and Marinating

2008-10-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, it has been another busy week of picking here on the farm. We have picked our Merlot, Semillon and Syrah in the past couple of days. I am quite happy with the quality of our fruit. We had very ripe Merlot as our yields were very low in the vineyard. Low yields equals riper fruit. Earlier in the year we had severe rains during flowering which greatly lowered yields. Our yields have been low in Merlot, but quality high. Semillon was picked and allowed to have skin contact prior to being pressed. We wanted to extract some of the precious flavors that are held in the skins. It is exciting and a large relief to have most of the grapes now safely in the winery.

When the red grapes are picked the fruit is de-stemmed and put into stainless steel tanks where they will cold soak for several days. Cold soaking is the equivalent of allowing a steak to marinate. During the cold soak we obtain extraction from the skins of the grapes. Cold soaking will help us assure that we get as much of the tannins as we can from the skins. I typically soak on average about 3-4 days prior to starting the fermentation. This helps assure that we have the softest and richest tannins on the palette.

After several days of cold soaking I will call in the aid of yeast and fermentation will commence. Fermenting reds are handled differently than fermenting whites and I will talk about this more next week. As always please feel free to ask any questions that you may have in the tasting room! Talk with ya'll shortly.

Cheers,
Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 10/10/08 - Yeast are People Too!

2008-10-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

I apologize for the delay in writing, but things have been "full-on" in the last two-weeks. As of today we have almost all of the white wine grapes in the winery. The only thing we have left in the vineyard are Semillon, a touch of Riesling for Himmel and a tiny bit of Viognier to be co-fermented with Syrah.

Once the grapes are picked they are brought to the winery and are quickly pressed. The juices are collected in tanks and are allowed to settle for 36-48 hours at 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Any solids such as grape skins and pulp will sink to the bottom of the tank much like pulp in O.J. The clean juice is then 'racked' (winemaker way of saying transferred) to another tank where I allow the juice to resettle again for another 48-hours before being racked a second time. This now very clarified juice has some yeast nutrient and yeast added to commence fermentation.

The yeast we use comes in a form much like the yeast that you would purchase for bread making. There are many yeast strains to select from each having unique properties. There are many different types of yeast but, there are yeast that are specialized for winemaking. We could not use bread yeast to ferment wine.

A winemaker's yeast is his greatest friend during fermentation and it is my job as a winemaker to make sure they are happy while they are doing there job. Unhappy yeast will let you know they are unhappy by not working efficiently, creating off-aromas, and/or quite possibly just refusing to work. Yeast are people too!

My job once the juices are 'inoculated' (Fancy winemaker way of saying the yeast has been added) is to see that the yeast are happy. I will taste the individual fermenting juices up to several times a day to just make sure that all is going well with the ferments. In addition we are monitoring the temperature of the fermentation and its Brix reading. Remember, Brix is the measure of sugar in the juice and as fermentation proceeds the yeast are consuming the sugar and creating alcohol, carbon dioxide and heat as by-products. So, I am looking to see that there is a slow and steady decrease in brix as the yeast breaks down the sugars.

So, I am relying on the lab for there numbers as well as my palette for detecting yeast unhappiness. Ironically enough different yeasts have different needs/personalities. Some like warmer temps., some like colder temperatures, some have high nutrient needs, some have medium nutrient needs, some have low nutrient needs, some like to ferment white grapes, some like to ferment rose', some like to ferment red wine, some are high alcohol tolerant, some only tolerate lower alcohol, some are slow workers, some are medium paced workers, others are fast workers, some do not mind working with others, some like to work by themselves, some are French, some are Australian, Some are German, etc... You can really begin to see some20of the parallels here between yeast and people. So remember, Yeast are people too!

As always please feel free to ask any questions and if anybody is interested in visiting the winery I would like to make myself available for a tour on Monday morning of next week (Oct. 13). I know it is a big weekend for us on the farm but I am sure some of you would be interested. I was thinking earlier than later perhaps 9A.M. or 9:30A.M.? If anybody is interested just shoot me an email. Talk with ya'll shortly.

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9/26/08 - You Like-a The Juice Eh?

2008-09-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, it has been an interesting week. The week started great with an extended forecast that looked dynamite, but then by Monday afternoon the weather people started singing another tune. Rain was forecasted for Thursday through Saturday. This was certainly concerning for myself and Wojtek. So, Wojtek and I started assessing the vineyard and looking to see what could be picked.

According to different things such as the numbers from the lab, the flavors of the fruit, and the health of the vineyard we decided to pick several different varietal's. We picked Syrah for rose', Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot for rose'. We picked a lot of grapes in the past several days! Having things in the winery safe is always a nice feeling. From the looks of things we have some pretty nice flavors in our juices at the moment.

I am really excited about our Syrah for rose' that eventually will be blended with Viognier. This will be a Wine Club Member Only wine. I will be making some Winemaker's Reserve wines for our Wine Club Members. Wine Club Member Exclusive wines are just one of the great perks to being a Wine Club Member. We will be bottling the 2007 Malbec for our Wine Club Members in the New Year.

The Pinot Grigio has some very nice flavors in the tank right now as well as the Sauvignon Blanc. The Pinot Grigio is showing flavors of candied apple and notes of honey with a savory richness on the palate. The Sauvignon Blanc is showing nice vibrant acidity with intense aromas of lemon zest. I am very excited about the return of our Sauvignon Blanc. I'm bringing S.B. back!

The freshly squeezed juices are in tanks right now settling. The juices when pressed have pulp, pieces of skin, seeds, etc. in suspension. We have all seen the clear bottles of orange juice with pulp. Well, if you shake that bottle up you evenly distribute the pulp and then if you let it rest the pulp settles out. Well, with the juices in the tank now we are waiting for the pulp to settle out. We will then take the good clear juice and transfer that to be fermented.

In any event I have to commend all of the hard work that was put forth in the vineyard in the past couple of days. We picked a lot of fruit by both hand and machine and we were able to beat any rain that was forecasted. Wojtek and I will be vigilant in monitoring the vineyard with all of this unsettled weather coming through. It is a tough time of year for vineyard managers, winemakers, and winery owners. We are all closely watching the weather and the vineyard. Harvest is both equally exciting as it is exhausting, but it is a labor of love for all of us. I will have some juice in the tasting room over the weekend for ya'll to taste. As always if you have questions please feel free to ask! Talk with ya'll soon!

Cheers,

- Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9/19/08 - Sugar Is Sweet!

2008-09-19T09:07:00.002-07:00

Morning ya'll,

The chill is in the air. As we approach the last official weekend of Summer, Fall is making its appearance. It is quite cool this morning. Mother Nature has been quite cooperative in the past several days and promises to be cooperative for next several days coming up. I will take more samples over the weekend and will get a better sense of when the pick will begin. Picking is not far off and something will inevitably will be picked in the week to come. I am thinking that the Pinot Grigio will be one of the first varieties to come off the vine.

Deciding to pick is one of the toughest things to do as a winemaker. There are many factors involved in picking. The main factors include the weather, the vineyard, the science and flavors. There are times when the weather will force you to pick and this time of year Wojtek and myself are watching the weather very closely. The vineyard will also give you signs. We want to make sure that we have a good healthy canopy (fancy way of saying the leaves). The canopy is integral for turning sunlight into sugars. The science which are the numbers that I get from grapes being analyzed at the winery will tell me how ripening is moving along. The science will give me precise numbers, but the other major important factor is flavor. Flavor is judged by just getting into the vineyard and tasting berries. This time of year the grapes are starting to develop amazing flavors. Our Sauvignon Blanc has exquisite flavors developing as does our Gewurztraminer and Pinot Grigio.

Last weekend was a busy one here on the farm. The weather held out beautifully for our Oktoberfest and the weddings that were hosted here on the farm and the feedback was that we had many people enjoying the Fest. On Sunday I was able to host the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program from St. John's University. It was a pleasure spending time with this group here on the farm. Professor Heidi Sungh from St. John's brought her group out to the vineyard. We walked through the vineyard, winery, tasted wines, and discussed many facets of the wine industry. Once again this a great group asking great questions and for many it was there first time out here on the Eastern End. There was a lot of fascination and true excitement that this was going on right in there own backyards.

On Wednesday I was able to partake in filming of a show called Dining with Mastro hosted by Tom Mastriani. We filmed three different shows. The first show featured wine making and the techniques involved. The second show featured a cooking segment along with the pairing of our wines. The third show featured third generation chocolate maker Tad Van Leer of J. Emanuel Chocolates and his artisan chocolates. We paired many Martha Clara wines with his exquisite chocolates. Wine and chocolate...does life get any better?

I learned that there is a lot involved in filming these cooking shows. Joseph Ciminera and his crew made the magic happen around us. Tom, Tad, and myself just had to talk, eat, and drink! This will be airing on WLIW 21 and I will keep ya'll informed when it will air.

Well, that's the news from the farm. Enjoy this nice weather, because I know the grapes certainly are! Talk with ya'll soon. Eat and drink good stuff!

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9/12/08 - It's Fest Time

2008-09-19T09:07:00.001-07:00

Morning ya'll,

Well these weeks seem to be zipping right by. It was a busy week for me with tastings and wine presentations. I did have the honor and pleasure of teaching a class for Master Sommelier Roger Dagorn of Chanterelle Restaurant in NYC. I presented to a class of about 15 students at C.U.N.Y. in Brooklyn and discussed the past, present, and future of Long Island wines. We had interesting conversations and it was a pleasure to find out that many had already been to Long Island wineries.

This Sunday I will host students from the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program from St. Johns University. I will spend time with them in the vineyard, winery and taste them on our many wonderful wines. It is really a pleasure and honor to spend time with so many people that will be influencing our industry. It is nice for them to know that we are crafting World Class wines right here in there own backyard.

Work in the vineyard continues as Wojtek and the guys are prepping everything for harvest. The vineyard is looking great and after sending some samples for analysis we are finding that things are ripening nicely. The Sauvignon Blanc is developing nice flavors as is the Pinot Grigio. I would suspect that we will continue picking in a week or so. Pinot Grigio will lead the way for the white wines. Once that gets started things really get churning in the vineyard.

Things do look very good in the vineyard. We have faired well against the recent rain. All of the hard work in managing the canopy earlier in the season helps to greatly reduce the disease pressure. The rains that we have had came through quickly and then the winds kicked up. This is the perfect case scenario in the event of rain. The weather has cooled a bit, but fruit ripening continues optimally above 75 degrees or so. Above this temperature ripening does not accelerate. In fact if it gets to hot the vine will shut down. So, this is one of the benefits of being in a cooler climate that we do not have vine shutdown, but rather we have nice even ripening which creates wines with exquisite aromas and flavors.

This weekend is our Annual Oktoberfest. Our Oktoberfest is always a good time to celebrate German culture with an authentic German band, great German beer, excellent German food, and incredible German-esque wines (Riesling and Gewurztraminer). Everyone can be German for a weekend at our Oktoberfest, so come one, come all! As always if you have any questions please feel free to ask! Talk with ya'll soon.

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 9/5/08 - Wine Chem 101

2008-09-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well by the end of today we will be five tons closer to the end of our harvest. We will be picking Pinot Noir for sparkling wine. The incredible weather that we have had the past few weeks has really accelerated ripening. Earlier in the week samples of the Pinot Noir were taken for analysis. At this time we look at three different numbers these are Brix, pH, and Titratable Acidity.

What are Brix, pH, and Titratable Acidity? Well, Brix is the measure of sugar in the grapes. We all know Thompson seedless grapes that are purchased at the local supermarket... Well these are typically around 16 degrees Brix. The grapes that are picked for sparkling wine are around 19 degrees Brix. The grapes for table wines are typically in the range of 22.5-24 degrees Brix. As you can see wine grapes are really sweet. "Why are these not sold in stores if they are so sweet?" These are not sold in stores because they have very thick skins, the grapes are small, and they have lots of seeds. The average consumer wants a large grape, thin skins, and no seeds. Thompson seedless would not make a very good wine.

pH is a tougher subject to explain. I will keep it simple. The range for pH is between 0 and 14. A pH below 7 is considered acidic and a pH greater than 7 is considered basic. A pH of 7 is neutral. Water has a pH of 7. Okay, if you want to think acidic think lemons and limes. These have a pH below 7. If you want to think basic, think milk. This has a pH greater than 7. We look at pH to help us determine how ripening is happening in the clusters. The optimal pH for wine depending on the type of wine we are producing is in a range of 3 - 3.7 on average.

Titratable Acidity is a measure of the total quantity of acids in the grapes. This is important once again because it allows us to measure ripening. As I mentioned in an earlier email that the berries are super acidic before veraison, but once veraison begins sugars accumulate. As we accumulate more sugars the amount of acidity decreases.

Another factor and very important one in picking is flavor. Tasting the berries to assess flavor is critical and equally important in determining ripening. The numbers can indicate one thing, but the flavor is critical to determine the day to pick.

The most important factor and one that we have zero control over is weather. As we all know we have a storm coming our way. This is concerning for us, but the vineyard is equipped to handle strong winds and rains. All of the posts, wires, and hardware in the vineyard helps us to handle the environmental factors. Our sandy soils allows for quick percolation of water through our root zone. The most important thing for us in the vineyard that these storms move quickly through our area. This time of year we are watching the weather very closely to help us determine when to pick. Well, stay dry and if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 8/22/08 - Nothing But Net

2008-08-22T10:12:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya’ll,

Well, another week has passed. Things are looking great in the vineyard. Veraison is well under way almost all blocks. The only variety that is not showing color change yet is the Petit Verdot, but this variety is stubborn and takes a bit more time. In addition to changing color the fruit begins to soften during veraison. This is what the Merlot looks like right now.

The birds have been buzzing around the vineyard. As a result of bird pressure we put nets on the vines to help protect our fruit. Below you can see some pictures of nets going on the vines. Once the nets have been applied we have to tie the nets at the bottom. The nets help reduce bird pressure, but do not eliminate it. Birds are just some of the critters that are interested in our tasty grapes! Here are some photos of the guys netting Pinot Noir.

This time of year winemakers begin making necessary preparations for harvest. I have been spending some time reviewing the types of yeast that I will use in our ferments this year. Yeast are fungi. Without yeast, wine would not be. Yeast consume the sugar that was stored in the grapes and convert it into three main by-products: alcohol, carbon dioxide, and heat. Yeast are involved and/or responsible for many things that we consume; Bread, Beer, Wine, Spirits, etc. (Pretty much all of the good stuff in life.)

However, like many things in winemaking there are choices to be made. What kind of yeast do you want to use? What temperature do you ferment at? How long do you stay on the yeast after fermentation? What quantity of yeast do you add to the juice? What type of nutrients do you provide for the yeast? Etc…

There are many “commercial” types of yeast that winemakers can choose from. Commercial yeasts come in a dried form exactly like what is used for baking. Commercial yeast are yeast that were identified in nature as being suitable for winemaking and were isolated down to a single cell and then propagated.

A winemaker can chose to allow “natural” yeasts to ferment the wine. All yeast are natural, but when we say natural yeast we mean the yeast that come in with the grapes. As I mentioned earlier yeast are every where in our environment. Well, cheers to yeast and all things fermented!

- Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 8/15/08 - Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2008-08-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, I again apologize for letting two weeks get away since I have last written. The business continues on the farm. The guys in the vineyard continue to do some touch up work in the vineyard with leaf pulling. In addition to leaf pulling, the hedging of the vines continues. Wojtek and his guys have been doing a great job keeping the vineyard tidy. The vines are getting there last "haircut" before we will be putting nets on the vines.

The vines have now reached veraison. Veraison is when the grapes will begin to develop sweetness and change color. Grapes intended for white wine will turn golden yellow. Gewurztraminer and Pinot Grigio develop a bit more of color. As for the grapes intended for red wine they will turn...you guessed it, red. It is actually a pretty cool time to take a walk into the vineyard because you will see some red berries amongst the green berries. If time allows take a walk into the vines just beyond the offices. It is pretty cool to see this natural process of veraison in action. I will take some photos over the weekend and send these out for all to see.

As we all know, it has been pretty wet lately. The rain is not great for us, but it is not the end of the world either. However, in the past week or so the East End saw some hail in spotty areas. In a matter of minutes several vineyards received damage due to this form of precipitation. Fortunately for ourselves we had no hail damage. Other regions of the world such as Mendoza, Argentina see powerful hail storms at the end of the growing season that literally can shred a years work in a matter of minutes. Hail is not typically a form of precipitation that we see here on Long Island, but we have seen it a couple of times this Summer.

As for the rain... we have received it just like everyone else. All of the shoot thinning, leaf pulling, hedging, etc. that we have done in the past couple of months is truly important when we are having a weather pattern such as this. Once again these canopy management techniques are critical for expediting drying of precipitation and for maximizing sun exposure.

Lastly, I would like to make myself for another vineyard walk for those staff that could not attend last week. Would a Friday evening or Saturday morning work best for most? Also, if you have any wine vineyard/questions, let me know. Talk with ya'll soon and remember: Drink what you like, like what you drink!

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 8/1/08 - Cool Climates

2008-08-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

Morning ya’ll,

Well the past week on the farm has been pretty busy. Last weekend we hosted Sounds on Sound music festival, The Anything But Chardonnay & Merlot Festival, as well as hosting the Farm Bureau Dinner. The dinner was attended by the Junior Senator from New York, former Presidential candidate and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. In addition to Hillary several other politicians and many of the East End’s Farmers came out to support farming. We really are not a bad looking bunch when we are all cleaned up.

Wine is truly a product of farming. Many wine consumers forget that wine is a product of agriculture. The greatest thing about Long Island wines is that anybody can come on out and visit the farms in which the grapes are grown to make the wine that they enjoy at home. Sure one can visit California, France, Italy, etc. However, in this tough economy folks can come out for the day and enjoy the beauty of the World Class vineyards producing World Class wines right here in their backyards.

In fact the Long Island wine region will be celebrating and holding a symposium at Stony Brook Southampton celebrating Cool Climate Grape Growing. This two-day event will have speakers from cool climate grape growing regions all around the world. It will be an exciting opportunity to spend time and here lectures from prominent grape growers and winemakers. The wine in dustry is a global one, but a small one. I look forward to sharing much of the information that will be learned at this exciting symposium.

Wine is so intriguing to me because although it has existed for thousands of years we have not perfected it. There is always something new to learn and nature is always keeping you on your toes.

Lastly, if you can get a chance it is a good time to take a stroll through the vineyard. In fact I would like to make myself available next Saturday in the morning to staff to take a stroll through the vineyard with me. We can discuss the vineyard and I can answer any questions that anyone may have. Please let me know if anyone is interested in doing so.

Cheers,

M2

MCV FARM NEWS - 7/18/08 - Passing the Seed.

2008-07-18T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Well, it has been dry. We have been irrigating the vineyard to help the vines through this drought. Drip irrigation is a tool that we have at Martha Clara that allows us to get through a drought phase. Not all vineyards have drip irrigation, but it is a nice tool to have. Otherwise things in the vineyard are going well. The guys continue to remove leaves to allow maximum amount of light to penetrate the grapes. The grapes are slowly growing and developing tartaric acid and malic acid. So, if you were to try the grapes now you would notice how tart and acidic the grapes were.

Nature is really pretty clever. The reason that the grape is so acidic is because the seed has not been developed yet. So, if a bird or person were to eat the grapes now there would b e no seed to pass on, because it has not been developed yet. Nature as a result makes the grapes really acidic and keeps them the same color as all of the foliage. It really is genius. The grapes are camouflaged and really acidic. So this means they are difficult to see and if someone or something did taste them they would be in for an unpleasant surprise. Acidic! Ick!

So, while nature is developing the seed it keeps the grapes unpalatable. Once the seed is fully developed and ready to pass on the genetic code, veraison begins. Veraison is when the grapes begin to change color. Red wine grapes start turning red and white wine grapes start turning a golden color. (All grapes start out as green.) In addition to a color change the grapes start softening and developing sugar. As they get sweeter the amount of acid decreases. Now they start to become more tasty to eat. When the sweetened grapes are consumed the now fully developed seed may be passed and as a result a grape vine may successfully pass on its genes. Genius.

In any event this week we received some information from the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, NY that our 2007 Pinot Grigio was selected to be poured in there tasting room. This is an honor because they select the best wines of New York State to be poured at their tasting room. We were one of only three Long Island wineries to be selected. So, this is a pretty nice honor.

Cheers,

Juan .

MCV FARM NEWS - 7/5/08 - Kermit is Not Green?

2008-07-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon ya'll,

Well, Independence Day has come and gone. Things here on the farm continue to motor on. Wojtek and the guys continue to leaf pull. Once again we pull leaves in the vineyard to maximize the amount of sun that we can get on the clusters. A vine will produce many leaves in a season of growing. However, some of these leaves will make access to sunlight for the fruit more difficult. So, this is where we come into play.

Removing leaves is critical in cool climate viticulture (fancy way of saying grape farming). In hot region viticulture farmers may want to encourage shading as this will slow down ripening. It is ideal to have slow even ripening versus fast and furious ripening because the former encourages maximum flavor development. I have said this before, but flavor development and sugar development happen separately.

Flavor development in grapes requires a slow progression, sugar development on the other happen can happen quickly. In many hot regions sugar development out paces flavor development. Vineyards are forced to pick because if they do not, then sugar will be very high and the resulting alcohol will sky rocket. Long Island which is a cool climate can develop lots of great flavors, but we have to do things like leaf pull to help us attain maximum sugar development.

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 6/28/08 - Still Growing Magic.

2008-06-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

This week the weather was a bit more cooperative with less rain. The guys have been continuing to work in the vineyard. Soon we will begin leaf pulling in the vineyard. This is when we remove leaves from the fruit zone. The newly formed clusters need maximum sunlight to achieve optimal ripeness, so we remove the leaves to do this. In addition if we get rain it helps assure that the clusters will dry in a more timely fashion.

All of the staff has been quite busy preparing for upcoming events. Tomorrow we have our Summer Time Grillin'. Yesterday we bottled our new release wine, Sabor. I will be providing notes on this new, exciting and unique offering from Martha Clara. It is the first wine of its kind! I will say a few things about Sabor:
- Sabor is spanish for 'flavor'
- Sabor contains natural flavors of pineapple and coconut
- Sabor is a white-merlot, so it will be offered as a white wine
- Sabor is "Summer in a Bottle".

I know many will ask, "how do you make a white wine from a red grape?" Well, it is quite easy. We pick the grapes earlier in the growing season so they have not developed as much color. We also pick the grapes early, early in the morning when it is the coolest. Why is this important? Well, temperature will effect how quickly color will extract/leach from the skins. The cooler the temperature the slower the color extraction/leaching and the same vice versa. Once picked the grapes are quickly transported to the winery and pressed immediately. Because the grapes have little to no skin contact at very cool temperatures they extract little to no color. Lastly, as a wine ferments and goes through its lifecycle at the winery whatever small amount of color it had is lost over time.

Many will ask what was the inspiration for this wine? Well, quite honestly it has been my family. I am Mexican and my family here and my family from Mexico always enjoy the wines that I have made over the years, but very few they have truly loved. The one type of wine that they truly loved was dessert wines. This was because of the intense tropical flavors that a dessert wine develops, but we all know how expensive dessert wines can be for everyday drinking. So, I figured lets put tropical flavors into an affordable everyday wine and the idea of Sabor was born. The past wineries I have worked for would not have been the right stage for a wine such as this. Mr. Entenmann and Jackie being open and welcoming of everyone on their farm welcomed this idea. I thank them for this opportunity as will my family and soon the entire Latino community! The great thing about this wine is that it will not only appeal to Latino's but will have a broader appeal as well. Remember: It's Summer time in a bottle! Please give it a try for yourself when in the tasting room.

Cheers ya'll,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 6/19/08 - Lightning Strikes and Cougar Attacks.

2008-06-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, things in the vineyard continue to roll on. Wojtek and the guys have been busy tending the quickly growing vineyard. Right now we are in 'bloom' in the vineyard. Bloom is when the newly formed inflorescence's begin to open up. The photos show the closed inflorescence and the following photo depicts the almost fully bloomed cluster. People ask if we require bees to help pollinate? Well, grapes are a self-pollinating so we do not require the assistance of bees. Although, the bloomed flowers do not require insect pollinators they produce a very subtle and distinct aroma. In fact it smells faintly reminiscent of suntan lotion. I honestly do not fully understand why if grapes do not require pollinators do they still create an attractive aroma? It would seem an unnecessary action. If you get a chance take a walk into the vineyard and give these a sniff!

Pre- Bloom Bloom

In addition to bloom going on in the vineyard the guys continue to shoot thin. Once again the vine will produce more growth than is ideal for premium wine production. So we have to go out and shoot thin. Shoot thinning as we call it is when we select shoots to be removed from the vine. If you look below you will see the photo of a row prior to shoot thinning and a photo after shoot thinning. You will notice all of the thinned shoots on the ground. Also, you will see the photo of a shoot thinned vine. In addition to reducing yield, shoot thinning allows increased sun penetration, better air flow for drying out the canopy, and better coverage when we spray. This operation can be slow and tedious but it will not only help ensure a quality crop, but also a healthy crop.
Pre Thinning Post Thinning

The wild weather over the past week took its toll one of our trees. We are not sure if it was a lightning strike or the strong winds that took down the tree, but none-the-less no one was hurt.

Lastly, I have been attending various tastings as of late. Debbie and I participated in a tasting for Boulevard Magazine at the De Seversky Center in Old Westbury. This was a great event and it is good to see so many people that are familiar with Martha Clara. On Saturday night Ben and I participated in a tasting for Canvas Magazine at a gallery in Huntington. The event went very well, however at the end of the event I was attacked by several cougar's! (Cougar - think Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore) The Cougarus americanis is a persistent species. This particular group of cougar's surrounded me and were very persistent in myself joining them for a post-party cocktail. I graciously declined and escaped unscathed with the help of some other event attendees. It was a close call none-the-less! In any event that's the word on the farm. As always please feel free to ask any questions! Talk with ya'll soon!

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 6/13/08 - Office Mate Wanted.

2008-06-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, growth in the vineyard has exploded! All throughout the vineyard we see lots of growth. The guys have been busy tending the quickly growing vineyard. They have been busy putting up wires in the vineyard to keep the tender growing shoots in place. Without these crucial wires the tender shoots would be susceptible to the elements and could literally break off the vine. A new tender shoot is very similar in consistency to a thin spear of asparagus. In addition the guys have been completing the job of shoot thinning.

Grapevines have the mind set that more is better. So a vine will put out more shoots than is necessary for producing premium wines, of course the vine does not know that is our intentions. More shoots means more fruit and too much fruit makes wines that lack concentration and depth of flavor. Nature has different reasons for producing fruit than we intend it for. Nature wants to produce fruit that is just tasty enough to entice something to consume its fruit. This "taker" will hopefully pass the seeds to a new area or location and the vine can now establish a new territory. This is natural selection at work! If you look at the world of wine and what is planted some varieties have done a very good job.

We have been busy racking reds out of barrels in the past week. The reds continue to show nicely and I will be very excited when these will eventually reach the bottle next year at this time. Racking is when we pump the wine out of barrels. When we rack we pump out all but about a half gallon of wine or so. This small amount of wine which we call the 'dregs' is discarded. The dregs have all things that gravity has naturally pulled out of the wine. Okay, what do I mean? Well, picture a clear container of orange juice that has pulp. When you first see the bottle all of the pulp is at the bottom. If you shake the bottle vigorously the pulp disperses and there is no longer any pulp at the bottom. However, if you wait several hours you will see that gravity pulls that pulp back out of suspension. Well, gravity takes a little longer with wine. About every three months we rack wines off of their pulp or in our case 'dregs'. Once the barrels have been pumped we then clean the barrels. After we have racked all of the wine, we clean the barrels and then return the wine to clean barrels. This whole process is repeated every three months up until the wine is bottled.

I want to thank, congratulate, and wish Matheus Xavier Gabriel the III good luck! After many years of service Matt will be leaving Martha Clara Vineyards for a design job. When I first heard that Matt would be leaving MCV, I immediately assumed it would be to pursue his life long love of photographing Quinceneras and Bat mitzvahs! I was informed by Matt that this would continue to be "just a side gig and that dream has not yet been realized." Please see below for one last look at Matt's fine work.

Matt has worked tirelessly on many projects while at Martha Clara. We thank him for his hard work and we wish him the best of luck!

Cheers Ya'll,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - 5/31/08 - Man in a Dress?

2008-05-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Good morning! It seems that Mother Nature has been a bit more cooperative with us in the past week. We have seen some great growth in the vineyard. The vineyard is a funny place one week your ahead, another you are behind, but then weather improves and you are ahead again so on and so forth... We do all that we can to make the best wines possible. Sometimes Mother Nature makes this more challenging, but we have to react to what she delivers us. We can do many things that are proactive in the vineyard, but ultimately we are a reactive bunch.

I have been spending time researching the new screw capping machine that we will be purchasing. The technical/wine geek term for screw caps are Stelvin's. I am not fully sure, but I believe that this comes from the original company that produced them. I guess it is much like we call facial tissue, Kleenex. Kleenex is technically a company that produces facial tissue.

There are many considerations to be made in the switch over to Stelvin. First you have to be aware of what glass is available. Not all of our bottles are currently available as a Stelvin. So at this point in time some of our product line will have to remain on cork. Our main glass manufacturer, Vitro Glass has most of the glass that we will use, but not every bottle as a Stelvin.

Second, we have to choose which type of stelvin to select? There are two main options in the world of Stelvins, the traditional Stelvin and the Stelvin Lux. The traditional Stelvin looks like any screw cap that you may have seen before. See the photos below:

The Stelvin Lux is a little fancier. To the consumer it appears a little less obvious that it is a "screw cap". It is slightly disguised as to its true identity. However, my feelings with something like this is if you put me in a dress, you would all know that I was a man in a dress! (I mean no offense to those men that like to put on dresses) Maybe some would be fooled, but most would see what is going on. I must say that the Stelvin Lux is a bit nicer looking, but I am not saying that I like men in dresses! I have included some photos below:

You can see in these photos that the Lux is a cleaner look, without the obvious look of being a screw cap. However, it is still a screw cap. There is a cost difference between these. The Lux is a little bit more expensive and there are different machines required for applying each closure. I would be interested to hear some of your thoughts on this issue. Which is preferred aesthetically? Perhaps, some of you have come across both of these and have a personal testimonial. Please share! The great thing about these closures is that they can be decorated with art work and even embossed on the top of the closure.

Another consideration to be made is the type of liner placed on the inside of the closure. There is Saranex which allows a little bit of air in the bottle. This maybe most suitable for reds. There is also a tin liner, that allows very little oxygen and may be best suited for our aromatic whites. The best thing is that either way we say good-bye to cork taint! Beyond these considerations there are more decisions to be made, but I have discussed the major ones. So if you can let me know what you think in regards to preference and the next time you are in the bottle shop have a look around at some of the closures to get a first hand view of these.

One last quick thing... Martha Clara wines will be featured at a wine dinner on Sunday evening at North Fork Table and Inn! I will be there to pour them! Till next time, drink what you like and like what you drink!

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS - MAY 23, 2008 - NoFo to D.U.M.B.O.

2008-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,

Morning! It has been a pretty week eventful here at the vineyard and it will continue straight through the weekend. Sysco food group held there annual vendors event on Tuesday. There were all sorts of delights to be had from tasty beef, lamb, and seafood dishes to deep fried cheesecake and cappuccino's. People from many different restaurants were present to taste the wares from Sysco as well as sample our wines.

On Tuesday evening Kylie and Gina went from the NoFo to D.U.M.B.O. (Directly Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) to pour wines at an event. It was an event to benefit The American Cancer Society. Geri and I poured wines at an Event in Astoria, Queens. Dish Du Jour hosted the first ever, Best Burger of the Borough Battle. Both events went well with the exception of the rain we had to drive through.

It was pretty amazing returning to the vineyard on Wednesday morning. The Sysco event was done and there was little to no indication that any event had ever taken place. I was quite pleased to hear on Wednesday morning that at the conclusion of the event any unused food was picked up by Island Harvest.

This weekend will mark the unofficial beginning of Summer. You know it is almost summer on the farm when Bobby and his crew at American Tent are pitching a tent!

We will be ringing summer in with a bang! Our Red, White, and Barbecue Blues Festival will be held right here on the farm. We will have all of our great Martha Clara wines available along with Maple Tree 'cue, and Blues music by Kerry Kearney. Come one, come all! The weather looks as it will be a great day for enjoying the beauty of the farm! Please check out the website if you have any other questions.

A lot of people have been asking how the weather is effecting the vineyard. Honestly, right now some may say we are a little bit behind, but if we get a streak of warm weather we can catch right up. It looks as if we will be heading into some nice weather relatively soon. In the vineyard the guys have been disbudding. Disbudding is when we select shoots to be removed. We do this in an effort to help control the yield in the vineyard. It is a fairly simple task, but it is one that takes time to complete. I will have some photos of before and after disbudding.

Lastly, I would like to mention that we got a small write up for our Pinot Grigio on Lenn Thompson's Wine Blog. Check it out at www.lenndevours.com. We are mentioned in the section under Brooklyn Uncorked written on May 19, 2008. I have been getting a lot of great feedback from people about the Pinot Grigio, which is great to hear. Well, I hope all of ya'll have a great Memorial Day weekend and maybe I'll see you at the Festival!

Cheers,

Juan.

Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez
Winemaker - Martha Clara Vineyards
6025 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Office 631.298.0075 x23
Fax 631.298.5502

MCV FARM NEWS - May 16, 2008 - Hanging Tough.

2008-05-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

This past week Gerri, Ben and I were able to attend Brooklyn Uncorked. Brooklyn Uncorked is an event hosted by Edible Brooklyn and the Long Island Wine Council. At this event most of the L.I. wineries and Brooklyn wineries get together to pour their wares. The event is great because the folks in Brooklyn are very receptive to North Fork Wines. The idea of a vineyard growing World Class wines only a short drive away is incredible to them. As it should be.

Our wines showed very well. We poured our Brut, '07 Pinot Grigio, '07 Viognier, '07 Chardonnay, '05 Pinot Noir, and '05 Five-O Red. All of the wines showed very well, but there was a lot of excitement surrounding the 2007's. The Pinot Grigio, Viognier, and Chardonnay were big hits. The word must have been going around because people were coming up to the table and asking specifically to taste these wines. After tasting all of our offerings people were quite impressed. It was great to hear all of the positive feedback. We handed out a lot of VIP tours so I hope we see a lot of Brooklyn neighbors coming out to visit!

Tonight Martha Clara will be hosting a wine dinner at Morton's Steak House. Ben and 'Aunt' Bev. will be in attendance. Nancy has set up another corporate event this evening and I will be conducting the tasting. The word is that these folks will be conducting a team building exercise that includes playing the Nintendo Wii! It should be interesting to see. I am not a video game guy, but I have played the Wii and it is a lot of fun.

The really big news this week is virtual. Our website has undergone major renovations. Matt and Bernie have been hard at work with the renovations. It looks pretty awesome and it will continue to undergo changes and additions in coming weeks. So, if you have a few moments please check it out at www.marthaclaravineyards.com ! Bernie is still busy working on some aspects of the site, so if you click on something not yet completed you will see a photo of Bernie with his construction cap!

Lastly, I know some people will be running a little bit late to work today because The New Kids on the Block will be performing on the Today Show. Ben seemed pretty excited about this reunion! He mentioned that he would record it and view later... over and over again. Well, that's the farm news for the week! Talk with ya'll soon!

Cheers,

Juan.

MCV FARM NEWS ~ May 9, 2008 ~ No Suckers Please.

2008-05-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Morning Ya'll,

Well, it is a wet morning and looking like it will be a pretty wet day. This past week was a pretty busy one on the farm. Wojtek was pretty busy with his guys planting vineyards. I was unable to get photos, but there is still some more planting ahead. However, things are on hold with this latest batch of rain.

The guys in the vineyard have begun disbudding. When we have bud break each vine will produce more buds than we ideally want. Each bud as it breaks will form a shoot. Each shoot has the potential of forming clusters. However, we will remove buds to reduce the amount of fruit the vine may produce. Disbudding as we call it means simply removing the tender emerging buds that we do not desire.

Which ones are these? Well, we do not want overcrowding so if we have two buds coming from a similar place we will select the healthier one. Also, we prefer buds that are growing on the top portion of the cane versus one that is growing from the bottom. We also will remove any buds that are growing on the lower portion of the trunk these we call suckers.

We have a bunch of new wine releases coming soon. We should see the new Chardonnay being released this weekend. The new Gewurtz should be released very soon. Viognier is also following closely behind those two releases. We have released the new 2007 Pinot Grigio to great response. It seems that the staff is really enjoying the P.G. as well as our customers!

Yesterday, Ben and I were able to taste some of the 2007 wines with Lenn Thompson. Lenn writes for his blog Lenndevours.com, Dan's Papers, Edible East End and other various periodicals. It was the first opportunity I had to taste with a wine critic and I felt like it went very well.

Lastly, I want to mention that next Wednesday, May 14th is Brooklyn Uncorked. This is a great event for Long Island wineries hosted by Edible Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Market is a great one that shows great potential. The people are "thirsty" to learn about there local wine region.

Also, next Friday, May 16th we will be doing a wine dinner at Morton's Steakhouse in Great Neck! On June 1st we will be doing a wine dinner with North Fork Table and Inn. Today, I will be meeting with the folks at Gemellis in Babylon about setting up a wine dinner possibly for June 2nd. These will all be great opportunities for our customers to enjoy an evening of great foods and great Martha Clara wines.

I will be sending some photos in the next day or so showing some of the growth in the vineyard. Till next time drink what you like and like what you drink!

Cheers,

Juan

MCV FARM NEWS - MAY 2, 2008 - Mud Pies.

2008-05-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

Morning ya'll,

Well, the weather is quite different now from one week ago. The past week has been a more typical week in April. The rain was well needed as the earth was quite dry. However, the amount of rainfall we have had has put a delay on planting. We had several vineyards that we were scheduled to plant this week. As a result of the rain this has been put on hold.

Planting a vineyard requires much soil preparation. First the cover crop must be cut, then the earth must be sub soiled, and lastly the surface must be disked several times. A subsoiler is a piece of equipment that turns the earth approximately 2-3 feet below the surface. Sub soiling is followed by disking to break up surface clumps of earth. Ideally when planting we desire finer particles of earth, large clumps make planting more difficult. The rain creates additional headaches because it essentially forms an earth cake batter (I think as kids we have all made mud pies?). Wojtek our vineyard manager needs the soil to be relatively dry to plant. A wet vineyard causes difficulty in getting equipment through the vineyard. In fact the equipment could just get stuck. Earlier in the week we had some pretty serious downpours that required a few days of drying. Well the drying occurred, but now it is raining again! The forecast indicates that there are chances of showers through Sunday. So, all of these projects are tentatively on hold.

Mother Nature really has the last word when it comes to the vineyard. Nature is the part of the wine industry that makes it so interesting, but this also is the part that can cause the headaches. I would not have it any other way. Every year is different and unique, especially in grape growing and winemaking. Some people have asked if this rain effects the vineyard? Other than Wojtek using a few more explicative's in regards to putting the planting a few days behind... no, not at all. Talk with ya'll soon and remember to drink local stuff and shoot me some questions should you have them!

Cheers,

Juan.