November 2012 - Halter Ranch Vineyard

Touring the Wintery Vineyard with Lucas

November 28, 2012

Wintery Vineyard and Winery

As the vines begin to go dormant for winter we spread hay on all the hillside roadways to keep erosion to a minimum. Beyond its pragmatic purpose, the hay highlights the various routes through the vineyard beautifully. Our cover crop this year is composed of Barley (nutrient sink, planted first), Legumes (nitrogen fixing, planted second), and wildflowers (pretty, planted last). We are just beginning to see the first barley and legume seedlings as their sprouts begin to peek. (more…)

Posted in: In the Vineyard, Our Wines, Photos, The Ranch Grounds

Pesky Experiments

November 26, 2012

A Little Fruit Seeking Fiend

We have arrived at the time of year, twixt the end of fall and the heart of winter, when swarms of sweet-loving flies descend upon our tasting room to torment customers and employees alike with their overzealous death-dives into our tastes of wine and other general isectoid skulduggery. This problem occurs, from what we can ascertain, as a result of shifting food sources. At the end of harvest each year we compost the pomace, or grapeskins and seeds from which all the juice has been squeezed, in low piles along the creek, circumstantially creating a massive food source for Drosophila melanogaster (also known as the common fruit fly). The weather has not grown cold enough–there have not been enough hard freezes in a row–to wipe out the enthusiastically growing masses. Thus, portions of the population migrate down to the tasting room where (JOY OF JOYS!) there is absolutely delicious wine being poured! (more…)

Posted in: In the Vineyard, Our Wines, Pairings & Recipes, Photos, The Ranch Grounds

Just Photos: Big Skies, Delicious Scents, and Harvest 2012

November 20, 2012

Oak in 52

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Posted in: In the Vineyard, Our Wines, Photos, The Ranch Grounds

Paderewski Festival Finale Vibrates Through the HRV Barn

November 17, 2012

We were pleased and privileged to host the 2012 Paderewski Festival Finale on Sunday

This past Sunday the Halter Ranch Barn proved itself an excellent venue for instrumental performances. A chill hung still in the air from the frosty evening preceding as three young Polish musicians warmed up pre-performance on the Yamaha baby grand temporarily gracing the western edge of the old Smith barn. (more…)

Posted in: In the Vineyard, Our Wines, Photos, Press, The Ranch Grounds

Portugal and Spain Grace Halter Ranch for Harvest 2012

November 7, 2012

Raquel of Portugal and Spain ‘s own Orestes smile while sorting fruit

Each fall at Halter Ranch we bring on a few interns to assist with the process of harvest and to share their knowledge while gleaning what they can by working with us. This year we are privileged to have the help of two very experienced burgeoning Oenologists from Portugal and Spain respectively. Raquel and Orestes arrived in mid-August and have helped us through one of our busiest and most compressed harvests yet. (more…)

Posted in: From the Winemaker, Our Wines, Photos