Letter To The Editor at the Wichita Eagle

After seeing Barefoot Cellars (a California Wine) served at Governor Brownback's Inauguration, Grace Hill President Dave Sollo decided to take up a letter writing campaign. Below is the full version of a letter he sent to the Wichita Eagle. An abbreviated version was published in the Eagle today.

To Whom It May Concern:

I read with dismay the report from Governor Brownback’s Inaugural Ball that Barefoot Cellars California table wine was served there. We have a new governor, but we have the same poor choice being made for wine in Topeka. At a time when Kansas is trying to encourage job growth, agritourism, and rural development, why would any non-Kansas wine be served in any official Kansas governmental function?

I just returned from the Kansas Grape Growers and Winemakers Association Annual Meeting, and I can assure wine drinkers that Kansas does indeed produce some excellent wines. The wine industry is growing steadily with over 20 wineries now licensed in the state. Many other people interested in viticulture are putting in small vineyards and giving them personal hands-on care that is not found in many other vineyards across the country. The industry is poised for rapid growth that will add to the ambience and culture of our state.

I learned this weekend that Iowa has nearly 100 wineries comprising 5.75% of wine sales in the state. I also learned that Missouri does even better with 8.0% of wine sales coming from their very own wineries. This is real economic clout providing jobs and a healthy stream of tax revenue.

Unfortunately, our state has a history of neglecting the wine industry. Even our very own Kansas State Fair allows for the sale of Barefoot Cellars California table wine in the same building that is supposed to promote Kansas wines. Is not the Kansas State Fair about Kansas? I bet the California State Fair doesn’t serve Kansas wines there. Barefoot Cellars California table wine has no place at our state fair and no place at the Kansas Governor’s Inauguration.

As Wichitans, we support our local businesses. We buy local sweet corn, local peaches, local blackberries, local meats and so forth. Dollars spent on products raised here are important to building a strong economy and a healthy lifestyle. Next time you see the governor, thank him for his service, but also please remind him to raise a glass of Kansas wine the next time he throws a party. And if he’s still listening, you might remind him to get the California wine out of the Kansas State Fair too.

David Sollo

Grace Hill Winery

Vice President of the Kansas Grape Growers and Winemakers Association

End of the Year

It has been another incredible year at Grace Hill Winery. From pruning through harvest, at events under the tent, and all times in between we have been both challenged and blessed. But each year we are a little more confident that we really can make amazing wine here in Kansas.

Spring started out well for us and we seem to be doing better each year at pruning the plants to bring out their best potential. There were no late frosts, and the plants came through remarkably well. As they set fruit in the summer we were really encouraged. August brought extreme hot weather which reduced our yields, especially of the seyval which ripens first. However, the vines rebounded nicely once the heat broke, and the red grapes came in well.

Harvest was once again a great time, with lots of people coming out to help, including a lot of new ones. We made some really good new friends this year. We meet such interesting people here, which is one of the best parts.

We got a tent in May, which we used for the first time at our Spring Release Party. The party was great, and the tent was used all during summer and fall for a variety of events. The vineyard is such a good setting that some days it was hard to get people to leave!

We also had a great turnout for the fall release party, and were really proud of the quality of wine we released then. Our Cab Franc is better than we thought we would be able to make, and we go through a lot of it! It is going to be served with the main course at the Kansas Grapegrowers and Winemakers banquet next month, which makes us really proud.

I think the best news for us this year, though, was that when we tried some of the wines we made in 2006-2008, they were even better than when we first tried them. We were a little apprehensive trying the 2006 chardonel, from our last year of home winemaking, but it was surprisingly rich and complex. I just wish we had saved more. We thought the same about our old Barrel Reserve Red and Norton. So if you have some of those around, there is no hurry to drink them yet. They actually do improve with age!

So have a happy new year, and we look forward to seeing you back at the winery. We have some big plans for 2011, and I promise to blog more often to keep all our friends in the loop!

Grace Hill Harvest Update

HARVEST 2010 The first step towards the Grace Hill Winery 2010 vintage was taken on August 7th as harvest began. The abundance of hot sunny weather during July and early August caused the grapes to ripen quicker than ever before, leading us to pick during the first week of August. That first week we brought in our Vignoles and some of our Seyval, after which we had a barbeque lunch under the tent. The Vignoles and Seyval were the ripest of each grape we've ever had, which we hope will make them into excellent wines. We continued harvest the next weekend, this time picking our Chardonel as well as the rest of the Seyval. We were extremely pleased with the how the Chardonel turned out and have high hopes for it as it makes the journey from vineyard to bottle to dinner table. As is customary with white grapes, the freshly picked grapes were brought to the winery, where they were crushed, pressed (though not with our feet), and pumped into tanks to begin fermentation. The next Saturday, August 21st, we harvested the first of our 2010 red grapes as we picked our some of our Chambourcin and all of our Noiret (one row). We had another great crew of pickers on hand, causing the picking to be done very quickly. Since lunch wasn't quite ready when the picking was done, we decided a morning barrel tasting was in order! We went down into the cellar and tried wine from three different barrels, two of which we bottled the following Monday. We crushed the red grapes on Saturday as well, but left them in their bins for a few days before they were pressed. This is different from white grapes, which we press the same day they're picked, as the time a red grape spends on the skins allows it to achieve that deep purple color. If we pressed them the same day, all our reds would be pink! On August 28th we had our biggest harvest of the season, bringing in almost two and a half tons of grapes! We picked our Traminette, the last of this year's white grapes, as well as the rest of our Chambourcin. When the picking was finished we had lunch under the tent catered byBlue Collar Barbecue who came out and cooked it all up on site. Delicious! Most of all we want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who has helped out, as we could not do it without you! We only have a few harvests left, with only our Norton and Cabernet Franc still left on the vine, but we do still have some open spots for the coming weeks, so if you haven't joined in on the fun yet or would like to come out again, send us an email at info@gracehillwinery.com and we'd be happy to have you. Upcoming Events... Due to the great response and fun we had at our Spring Release Party in May, we have decided to continue the tradition with a Fall Release Party! On Friday October 8th from 5-8, we will be debuting four of what we think are our best wines yet, our 2009 Barrel Reserve White, 2009 Red Barrel Reserve, 2009 Cab Franc, and 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. We are very excited about this group of wines and hope that you will join us in the celebration of all our hard work! If you are looking for some Grace Hill Wine but can't make it out to Whitewater, we do have a limited selection in Wichita, Newton, Andover and Derby at these fine retailers: New additions - R&J Liquor at Douglas and Hillside Oldies But Goodies - ABC Liquor at Central and Woodlawn, 21st and Woodlawn, and 21st and Tyler, - Jacobs Liquor Exchange East and West - Groves Liquor at Kellogg and Webb. - Beyond Napa in Old Town Square - Newton Discount Liquor on Washington Street - Hills Retail Liquor at 1st and Meridian in Newton - Auburn Spirits at Maple and 135th - Rolling Hills Wine and Spirits at Maple and Maize - Flint Hills Wine and Spirits at Kellogg and Andover Road - K&S Liquors at Rock and Madison in Derby

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Grace Hill Winery Breaking News!
Harvest Update August 2, 2010 Greetings! We went out into the vineyard this afternoon to check the progress of the grapes. We knew they were coming along quickly, but didn't know how quickly. Long story short, rather than August 14th, harvest will start in earnest on August 7th. Dave says we need a good crew, so we are recruiting volunteers. Read on for details, and if you can come, great! We will start at 8, pick through the morning, and then provide lunch with wine. See you there! Sincerely, Jeff Sollo
Grapes and when to pick them Grapes ripen on the vine this time of year at different rates, depending on the variety and the weather. As we go into the vineyard to assess their maturity, we look at color, pH, acidity, sugar content and most importantly, taste. Picking them at the optimal time allows for the best balance of flavor, sweetness and acidity. Right now everything is coming together just as we had hoped. Of course, there are lots of other factors that come into play. First is the weather, which can speed or slow things, or even potentially ruin them. We don't want that! The next is pressure from various pests, such as bugs, birds, deer and turkeys. Then finally, there is still the risk of disease. If the weather is too humid, all sorts of rot can occur. Right now we have the propane cannon to scare the birds, and we are putting on nets as fast as we can. We aren't the only ones who know how good those grapes are. And right now, they are really good! So if you can come out for harvest this Saturday, August 7th, (or any other Saturday in August or September) send us an email at info@gracehillwinery.com.

July means harvest is coming soon!

June disappeared without me knowing it, and July is half gone too. What's with that? Did I blink?

Wherever I go people ask me about the grapes. So here is the status update, in case you're curious. The grapes are rapidly growing and maturing. We have received a ton (ok, many inches) of rain in the past few days, way more than we really needed, but the grapes continue to do well. They show no sign of rot, which is really good news since it has been so wet and humid. The berries seem bigger every day, though they are still quite small and sour. A guest tried one Saturday and pronounced it"like a crabapple". But it's early yet...

Even so, knowing that harvest usually starts in early August, we have less than a month to go. It's always exciting. And we have a few grapes, mostly noiret, that are already starting to turn color. Veraison is the proper term, and it is always an exciting time in the vineyard.

Harvest is even more exciting, and we will be calling for harvest volunteers in the next few weeks. We send out a list of dates in our newsletter, and will post it on Facebook as well. We ask that people interested in helping email us to reserve a spot. We harvest on Saturday mornings in August and September, offering our volunteer crew a true agricultural experience, followed by lunch with wine. And of course, discounts in our tasting room come with the work. We really do have a good time, and it is appropriate for all ages. We have literally had volunteers from ages 8-80 in years past.

Our other big news is about Georgia. She is a miniature bulldog puppy that Jeff adopted in the last month or so. She absolutely darling, a solid bundle of joy! Our family dog for many years was a bulldog named Chloe, and she was an amazing animal. Her portrait graces the label of Chloe's Cuvee. Georgia isn't related but she looks like she could be. She is often out at the vineyard, so come by and see her (if you're a dog person).

In the meantime, stay cool!

Blooms in the Vineyard

This is bloom season in the vineyard, where all the grapes-to-be are clusters of flowers. They aren't showy- you could never tell from the road what was happening. But up close it looks really wonderful, full of promise of a great harvest. You can even catch the fragrance, which is pretty unusual for grapes. The vineyard is really at its best this time of year, with everything lush and green. And our canopy management has never been better- just look at those well-trained vines!

May has been a very busy but very fun month at Grace Hill Winery. We started off with the release party. No, actually, we started with putting up the tent. It went up surprisingly well, and worked great! It even came down easily at the right time, which was a relief. The tent really added something to the night of the release party, since it was a little breezy. It gave the sensation of being protected while right in the middle of the vineyard- just what we were hoping for. We can't wait to use it again! And we had a great group of people out for the party, where the V was a big hit, as was the Prairie Pink.

Then we had the Rotary Ann group out for a tour and tasting. They seemed to really enjoy it, and the vineyard was once again gorgeous.

That Sunday night we had our wine dinner at Reba's restaurant. The food was excellent, and we continue to learn more about the things that pair well with our wines. For example, the appetizer was a ricotta toast with truffle oil, which went really well with the Seyval. I wouldn't have guessed that would have worked like it did. And we were concerned that the mint in the lamb sauce would fight with the Barrel 10 Chambourcin, but actually it worked great! We were fairly certain the strawberry cake would pair well with the Prairie Pink, and we were right.

And then our next big milestone, not a winery but a family thing, was Brian's graduation from Grinnell College. We are very proud of him. (Don't ask us what he's going to do next, because he hasn't said yet.) Shannon has been great at covering the winery while we have been gone.

So now we will be nurturing the vines to get them ready for harvest this August and September. There are lots of other fun things coming up, like the opportunity for people to blend their own wines, and then harvest. And we need to do some bottling to clear out space in the tanks and barrels for the 2010 vintage. There is always something to do at Grace Hill Winery!

Spicy Artichoke Dip Recipe

The Spicy Artichoke Dip was a big hit at the Grace Hill Winery Spring Release Party, so courtesy of the Women Of Great Taste cookbook compiled by The Junior League of Wichita, here is the recipe:

Spicy Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Puree all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Spread mixture in a shallow 9 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered until lightly browned on top, 30 to 45 minutes. Serve with lavosh crackers or tortilla chips.

Enjoy!