Club News with Faith
Faith Cunningham, Wine Club Manager
Happy June!
The weather has been lovely lately so Katie and I had the chance to go out and tag our Adopt-a-Vine Club Members’ vines! Your names are out there on your vine so come on over and see us and your vine’s progress.
Our Club Members will continue to receive special offers and promotions throughout the year, so please check your emails and join our Facebook Group “Seven Birches Wine Club Members” so you don’t miss out! Currently we have our 4th generation Legacy and our 2020 Blueberry available online and in house exclusively for you before we release it to the public on June 15th.
Be sure to treat Dad this Father’s Day and bring Dad in for a complimentary wine tasting!
Tasting Room News with Brian & Katie
Tasting Room Managers in Training
The Riverwalk Tasting Room Veranda has seen some scenic changes as the nice spring weather of May allowed us and Riverwalk Resort to tackle some outdoor projects. Enjoy the view of our newly expanded vineyard and the walkway out to the Pemi River trail, which is being beautifully landscaped. Take it all in with a glass of sangria, back on the menu for the summer season. We look forward to giving you a five-star treatment in our little slice of resort heaven.
Even though Memorial Day weekend was a bit of a wash-out, our Studio Patio is OPEN! We have 15 new tables out under our canopies, and have installed a new service bar outside the Atrium. Come and sip outside with us this Summer!
We also have Rhythm Craft Cider apparel inside our Studio Tasting Room along with some new snacks and food pairing items for sale. Come check it out!
Production News with Nate
Nate Maser, Assistant Winemaker
The month of May was a significant time for the winemaking crew. Having recently received our spring harvest from South America and South Africa, we are in the midst of our most important work in the winery. The grapes have all been through their primary (alcoholic) fermentations now and have been pressed-off and returned to tank. Most of the new wines are now being racked off the gross lees (first racking of removing wine off its sediment) and prepared for barrel storage and/or secondary (malo-lactic fermentation).
A couple of standouts right now include our “Harmony” which is the Pinotage from South Africa. Even after only 1 month, this wine has luscious red/black fruit flavors with some soft tannins and a remarkable smooth quality. MLF will make it even better over the next few months.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon is already moved to barrel. 10 barrels of your favorite “Gusto” is now undergoing a bacterial fermentation in barrel that will convert harsher malic acids to smoother lactic acids. Our barrels are stained from the amazing inky pigment of the cab skins.
Our whites are also done with their primary fermentations. Only the Chardonnay will go through the second fermentation, giving it that characteristic buttery notes. The rest are preserved to keep those bright fruit flavors and crisp acidity.
In the vineyard, we have flowering just about to begin on the 4 rows of 3rd-leaf vines. Soon, those flowers will polinate themselves and set the fruit which will become this year’s harvest. On all the other vines, we’ll be pruning off the flowers to avoid fruit-set and have the vines focus on growing their roots and trunks.
All-in-all, an amazing month here. We’d like to say goodbye to our friend, Brandon Welch, who helped us in the cellar (and everywhere) over the past year. Brandon is off to follow his career. Good luck Brandon!
Save the Dates!
Good Stuff Right Around the Corner
Now: Patio and Veranda are open!
June 15: Rebel Release Promo
June 20: Father’s Day (complimentary tasting for Dads)
