Each day a bit more of our vision emerges...

Each day the winery takes on the shape we envision. Our new space in the Brewery District will be simply a functional winery with public tastings and events. A building full of character to showcase other local artisan products, crafts and entertainment. We have no intentions of being a full service restaurant. Our focus is on our wine and not the food. As we open to public, we plan to offer a fresh cut selection of various meats, cheeses and vegetables that pair well with our wines. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us. Please enjoy updated renovation pic.

Transfer of Licenses, Bond and More Decorating

About 35 hours a-piece into this (so, 105 hours cumulative) and Marty comes out dry-walling hell to inspect what Michael and Paolo are up to. I'd like to say what Michael and Paolo have achieved, but "achieve" suggests something productive.

Look carefully at his expression. Is it one of bemusement or mild satisfaction or incredulity or paternalistic tolerance displayed by the master to his erstwhile apprentice? At least he's not gesticulating with that pry-bar in his right hand. At least he's not turning red, which is more than could be said for Paolo on Friday night after spraying the cieling a brownish color.









This is what Marty sees. Paolo waving a spray wand thing covering the blue paint with a white primer, and Michael's legs. Michael holds a board where cieling meets wall to prevent the previous night's cieling work getting ruined.

Paolo is sporting a Captian Scarlet look, excpet he's more Captain Harlequin. Apologies to Super-marionation and the Captain Scarlet series.









See Michael. See Michael with the board. Michael is happy. See Michael smile.

Michael is happy that he need never buy white socks again now that Paolo has kindly sprayed a pair on him.

Happy Michael. Helpful Paolo.








Some of the windows beyond where we were paitning. This is the old dance floor - our primary fermentation area.













The same area, but this time with benefit of flash.

















The tasting area before painting. There will be different areas here for relaxation and games and tasting wine.













View into the dance floor/primary fermentation area fromt he barrel room.
Michael is on the ladder.


















One wall in the barrel room. The wall is damp so it is a natural source of hydration for keeping the barrels from drying out and their moisture up so they stop drinking the wine.














Barrel room. Event Room.
















Dance area/primary fermentation.

























Note the professional sound system that's installed in the air. A second set of the same speakers are at the opposite end. The sound hooks ups etc are on the stage.

License transfer

On April 28 we sent in our request to transfer the license for the winery to the new premises.

We also have to transfer our bond too, which means when our transfer request is accepted we have 60 days to move our current inventory of wine or pay the excise due upon it. Since we cannot move the barrels, we will pay in advance the excise on them. The bottled wine will be transferred to the new place and b eplaced under its bond so we will not pay in advance its excise duty.

Today we should have the State's application to transfer the State licenses to the new premises sent off too.

And So It Begins (again)

Yes, it is true. This blog started back in 2006 when we were applying for our first Federal and State winery licenses. Now we are applying for a transfer of those licenses to new premises. We have come a long way, in our small way.

Before we start posting pictures of demolition work and decorating of the new premises we wish to thank Pete N, without whose help, faith and hard work, we would never have the fabulous opportunity we have now in the premises we have now.

This new move started a year ago when Pete N saw an article in a local newspaper about us and matched us to this property. Although the initial attempt to close a deal faltered and was almost forgotten due to 2009's grape crushing, etc, Pete N still held the vision and worked with us so that we are now able to move this winery into the next phase of its growth and development.

We believed there always such a thing as an "Angel Investor" and we were right. Ok, no-one's investing in us, but we mean we believe in being presented with those who can help us when we need it, and we got that.

We believed that if you held a vision and put the energy out there about it, things would turn to accommodate you. And we were right.

We believed you didn't have to go into stupid amounts of debt to do this. And we were right.

We believed we could accommodate events, galleries, music/bands, markets, fairs, shows, talks, groups, parties etc in our new premises. And we were right. It even has a stage and a top-line professional sound system and loads of space.

It also has brick arch character and columns in abundance. Also a ton of ghosts that we managed to "move on" - mostly.

So, when you wish for things, wish big 'cos you get what you ask for. You also get it a the time you need it too, so patience people.

Now all we need is more local support and Columbus will get the wine it deserves.

Thank you Pete N.
Thank you Reid W for being open to this venture.

Tasting at Clintonville Community Market

If you have something to say to us, want to catch up, or simply taste wine, then come visit us at our Host's on Friday April 2nd, 6.30 - 9pm.

Our Host is Clintonville Community Market.

We thank you.

Tonight & FaceBook

Tonight
We have a comfortable, and hopefully "pally" group of 12 coming by for tasting tonight.
Do we think that among these will be the first to identify a truly unique piece of wine-making equipment?
We should run a lottery type thing on it as there is to date, not one vintner who can even identify it - talk about separating the vintners from the agriculturalists and chemists, although I'd have though someone with some basic engineering would have figured it out if they paid attention to our humble process.

Actually if you look back to 2006 posts, you'll get the answer. I may post the item again (it's here somewhere), but FaceBook is just so easy it will probably end up there. Facebook is also the reaosn this blog has been neglected as updates, video and pics go straight to FaceBook now.

In fact we have two retailers who order/deal with us only via FaceBook.

Last Outings and Upcoming

Upcoming... see us at Vino Where You Live - April 10th - 5pm onwards - please book with Laura

Or call us and catch us while we still here before we launch at the new secret location...you know there may be benefits for those old-timers who knew us before the leap.

And we were at...

The Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls
Whole Foods Market, Dublin
Simply Living Annual Meeting and Fair.

WOT A SLOG! October 4th, 2009

(with apologia to Mr. W. Shakespeare's King Henry V Act II Scene III)

Via Vecchia Crush 2009, Act II, Scene III, The Winery Steps

"This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crush 2009 shall ne'er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remembered;

We few, we happy few, we band of vintners;

For he today that stomped and carried the grape to the vat with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in Ohio now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That slogged with us upon Crush Day 2009."

Why the dramatis? Well, although 'tis not unusual for something to go wrong and make life a tad more bothersome, Crush 2009 really did itself proud in the "pain" department and it will go down as the slog to end all wine-making slogs. And as is oft the case with adversity involving people pulling together, it will make for good story-telling and thoise who were not there will wish they were. And that made me think of King Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech to the troops before he gave the French the trouncing at Agincourt (1415).

So what was so pianful this time around? Well, namely we again pushed production to the limits of our heritage wine making method and it was lucky we know how to do it by hand or forget it. ..

1. Grape turn up 2 days late and still cold - oh no, risk of stuck fermentation, boo-hoo, get the lab-coated man-not for us, we can deal with this with no artificial intervention.

2. Merlot won't go through the hopper to the pump and on to the fermenters;

3. Ditto for Cabernet Franc

4. Ditto for Cabernet Sauvignon

5. Ditto for Pinot Noir

2 through 5 thus involves putting a black bin under the crusher to collect juice and skins, then carrying bin down twelve steps to winery (it's underground for temperature reasons), where the grape is again crushed in the bin before being poured into the fermenter. It meant a completely manual process no tknown since 2004 when we did it all by foot for the last time!

Some perspective - the above procedure was repeated @ 330 times with each bin weighing between 50lbs and 70lbs of juice, skin and seeds.

Just as well the Syrah and Sangiovese behaved and we were able to bypass the above hassle and pump juice

and skins to the fermenters.

A rythm was eventually adopted by Paolo, Marty and Joe working this process in the winery where each would work 2 out of 3 trips, rotating on crushing duty. It developed into hour after hour of a play on the Abbot and Costello "who's on first?" sketch, 'cept this time it was "who's on top and who's on bottom?" The bottom referring to who cam down stairs first and therefore was in position to crush again.

Of course, "top and bottom" can mean other things too, which made for a lot of painful laughter and some concern from those at top of stairs doing the initial crushing.

Anyway, as the speech says, I would kick myself if I hadn't taken part even though it was a slog.

[still to come..

our pre-crush event, honour role of thanks for volunteers, pressing update]