Exciting times are ahead!  Mid July we noticed verasion setting in. This is when the grapes start to develop their sugar levels and the skins begin to turn purple.  On Saturday we began applying the new green netting to Serendipty Ranch/Granny’s Vineyard.  It looks like we’ll be getting a harvest from the Tempranillo this year!  And of course the Syrah.  On Sunday, Mike and I hand selected the vines at the Black Canyon Vineyard to be netted.  We will make a small batch of wine from this vineyard this year.  They are so nice and full and lush to not do anything with, plus, it makes for fun exerience!

The 4th Annual Lum Eisenman Ramona Valley Wine Competition awards banquet was held on Sunday, 11 July 2010, where 61 winemakers, judges, and guests learned how Ramona Valley vines were evaluated by a panel of nine area wine experts.  See the update on the event at ramonavalleyvineyards.org.

Pamo Valley Winery received to Bronze medals at the event. First for it’s 2008 Merlot, made by winemaker John York from Pyramid Vineyards grapes.  Second, for a 2008 red blend originally titled “Temptation”, also made by winemaker John York with grapes coming from Pyramid Vineyards and Paccielo Vineyards. “Temptation” is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah, 17% Sangiovese and 5% Melrot.  I like to call this our “Hodge Podge” blend.    This wine has not yet been labelled.  19 cases were recently bottled.  Temptation is a name that has already been used or taken and legally we are not able to use a name that has been trade marked.  Hmmm, I should see if anyone has trade marked “Hodge Podge”.

I can’t say whether bottling is my most favorite part of being in the wine business or not.  It takes a long time and there is lots of cleaning involved.  It’s hard to get into the mood but once you are doing it, it’s alot of fun!  Mike and I have it down packed. No fuss no mess.  We can get a couple of barrels done in a few hours.  Here we are bottling our 2008 Indian Princess and another blend that we have to come up with a name for.  Any suggestions?

That’s me and my sweet dad who didnt want to miss being a part of the planting so he came to Ramona from San Dimas on Sunday to help tidy up the irrigation and finish any loose ends.  We also planted extra plants in conspicuous places around the property.

Planting day was executed at 7:30am on Saturday June 26th!  The planting crew consisted of Me, Mike, Mom, Jeff, Salea, Joseph, Robbie and little Jeff. Salea and Joseph are children of my friend Andrea from work.  Robbie and little Jeff are grandsons of Susan and Al (very nice neighbors from across the street) who were visiting from Illinois on their summer vacation.  We all participated in laying out the grow tubes, stakes, putting in potting soil, placing the plants, and adding fertilizer to each plant.  Amazingly, we were finished by noon.  At which time, Grandma and Don (or as they called themselves, “the food wagon”) pulled in with lunch to feed us all.  They made yummy potato salad, chicken nuggets, coleslaw and cake!

Time for grub!

Grandma and Don, the most appreciated food wagon!

First let me say I got a little behind on my progress posts and now I’m trying to catch up!  This was more like June 26th than July 6th.  Here’s a neat picture of Mike digging.  He has a nice friend who let him borrow the auger.  He sure knows how to operate that thing.  No wonder where he gets his muscles!  After Juan and Joey dug the 440 holes for the Sangiovese, it was Mike’s turn to dig the 125 or so holes on the other side of the swail for the rest of the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wow, the guys really worked hard yesterday!  I love this picture.  They completed 440 holes using the 2 man auger.  I’d say the heat got up to 88 or so but to them I’m sure it felt like the 100′s.  Go Juan and Joey! 

Jeff and Mike dug trenches and layed all the PVC underground.  I drove the golfcart while Jeff unravelled and layed out all of the drip line in each row from one end to the other.  Mike tightend up all of the tension wire and added stakes every other few plants or so to attach his wire to. 

Grandma’s boyfriend Don stopped by a few times to check on us.  He gave us some tips on keeping the crows away from the vineyard. 

Just before Don arrived, Wayne from UPS delivered our new arrivals, the plants!  Welcome Sangiovese and Cab to Pamo Valley Vineyards! 

Oh, as I was leaf thinning yesteray, I noticed this humongous leaf from a Primitivo plant.  Look at the size of that thing!  The Primitivo are really coming out in big numbers this year, more so than everything else.  Arent they pretty…

Second day into the project and Mike injured his foot, yikes! So the second and third days were pretty much a stale mate as far as the job was concerned.I wasn’t there but apparently a large metal object fell from his truck and landed smack dab on the top of his left foot. Ouch. Poor guy! It was pretty swollen and bruised by the time I saw it.He spent a full day and a half with it elevated and iced.Yesterday (the third day) he was out on the golf cart with his foot elevated and managing Juan and Joey who lined and marked the spots where the holes were to be dug.They marked approx 450 holes.Yes, perfectly aligned!Juan and Joey returned towards the end of the day to drop off the 2 man auger for tomorrow’s (today) work.The workers they are, they couldn’t just leave it there until tomorrow (today). They wanted to get a head start and ended up digging 3 rows of holes.
Go guys! They wrapped up for the evening and headed home for a much needed rest in the morning.More on today’s progress later!

Yesterday began the official start date of our new vineyard expansion project!  And it just so happens to land on my late grandpa Moose’s birthday, June 21^st.  He would have been 86 yesterday.  Like mom says, she feels him all around her property and now I will too.  Mike began digging the holes for the end posts yesterday as well as setting them in concrete.  I picked up about 18 bags of 60#’s which got the Southern side started.  He had his helper, Robbie, from Indiana, from across the street who is visiting his Grandma Susan and Grandpa Al.  Robbie is about 16 and really enjoyed being Mike’s runner and driving the golf cart.  When I got home from work yesterday I made a much needed trip to Hydroscape and Grangetto’s in Escondido. I usually deal with Eric from Hydroscape who is the Branch Manager.  I get along with him as he is very knowledgeable, good customer service, bright and cheery and has a vineyard planted as well.  I purchased all of the drip line, additional emitters (my dad donated several emitters – thanks Dad!), pvc, soil amendments and fertilizer from them.  Then I went just a few blocks down and visited Matthew, the manager at Grangetto’s.  He’s very helpful also. He sold me 200 additional grow tubes (several were donated by Paul Stykel and Jim Isaac who we are making wine for), tie tape and a tape tool.  I made it back to Ramona around 4pm, unloaded items to the greenhouse and helped Mike finish up with his day.  I made a comment that this time 2 years ago, we were working in 100 heat and yesterday it was only 78. It makes it a lot easier on everyone that’s for sure!  Oh, I ordered the plants yesterday. I went with Sunridge Nursery in Bakersfield, CA, this time as they had the plants we wanted.  I ordered 440 Sangiovese and 170 Cabernet Sauvignon benchgraft dormant 1 year olds.  They are due to arrive Thursday/Friday, just in time for the weekend planting!

Jeremy’s On The Hill, Teams with Local Buffalo Ranch and Winery

Wynola restaurant, Jeremy’s On The Hill, will collaborate with local Star B Buffalo Ranch and the Pamo Valley Winery to offer San Diegans a unique evening of wining and dining in the back country.

On Tuesday, February 10, at 6:30 pm, Jeremy’s is teaming up with local Star B Buffalo Ranch and Ramona’s Pamo Valley Winery to conduct a special, 5-course gourmet dinner event that offers haute cuisine consisting of grass fed bison meat, specifically paired with local fine wine.

Jeremy’s On The Hill is creating unique menu items that use American Bison, commonly referred to as “buffalo”.  Jeremy Manley, the 22-year old Le Cordon Bleu graduate and proprietor of upscale restaurant, Jeremy’s On The Hill, in Wynola, believes in using local products for creating his fare whenever possible.  “I felt that working directly with Star B Ranch and Pamo Valley Winery to create a unique dining event was a great way to introduce people to what we can do back here in the East County,” said Manley.

In addition to the salad and dessert courses, the 5-course dinner will include 3 unique dishes prepared with grass fed buffalo meat.  Each course will be specifically paired with local wines that compliment the flavors and ingredients of that dish.

The price for this event is $50 per person, and advanced reservations are required.  Tickets to the dinner can be obtained at Jeremy’s, at 4354 Highway 78, in Wynola, or by contacting Star B Buffalo Ranch, at (760) 789-5767, or Pamo Valley Winery, at (760) 271-3090 or info@pamovalleyvineyards.com.

Jeremy’s On The Hill is a fine dining restaurant, featuring California fresh cuisine.  They serve lunch and dinner, Thursday through Tuesday, and a Sunday breakfast.  They are located at 4354 Highway 78, Wynola, CA, (760) 765-1587.  More information can be found at www.jeremysonthehill.com

Established in 1979, Star B Ranch produces top quality buffalo breeding stock and fine quality buffalo meat.  Recently Star B Ranch has partnered with other mid-western buffalo ranchers to produce a full line of grass fed buffalo meat.  Star B Ranch, which is family owned and operated, is located in the Witch Creek area of San Diego County.

Pamo Valley Winery is a small winery producing premium, award winning wines from local Ramona AVA wine grapes.  They have been producing wine since 2004, and are located at 2032 Black Canyon Road, Ramona, CA, www.pamovalleywinery.com.