Live Music in February

Gloomy February will be a whole lot more fun this year. We have lots of live music set up to lift you out of your Seasonal Affective Disorder blues!

Friday February 5 from 6-9 pm: The Quons! our offical House Band plays for you on this First Friday, while new photography from the amazing Mike Putnam graces our walls.

Friday, February 19 starting at 7 pm: Mike Potter. Mike is great friends with The Quons so you know he's gotta be super cool.

Saturday, February 20 starting at 7 pm: Deb Yager and Bo Reynolds. Austin, TX transplants will wow you with their authentic Americana sound.

How to Enjoy the Tasting Lounge

I heard a gal on the street the other day sniff and say that we were “just a tasting room” – not quite sure what she meant by that, but I am sure that she has probably never been inside our place. And clearly, we are doing a poor job communicating who we are and what we do. So, here are some suggestions on how to take advantage of what we work so hard to offer.

Try Some Wine Made by Bendites!

Volcano Vineyards is an Oregon winery. That’s right – we make our own wine. In our Tasting Lounge, we serve our wines by the taste, flight, glass or bottle. A taste is about 1.5 ounces. A flight is a taste of each of our wines. We also sell our wines “to go” by the bottle or case.

We are not a multi-national company, we are not retired millionaires. We are two former waiters who moved to Bend in 2001. We make a mere 1000 cases of wine per year. “Small” wineries make 50,000. Gallo spills more wine in a week than we make in a year (yes, I am kidding, but you get the idea)

Try Our Bend-Produced Magmita Sangria

Don’t like red wine? We produce our own line of Magmita Sangrias (Magmita being a play on “magma”). Flavors are seasonal, such as peach, kiwi-melon-pineapple, and orange-mango, and Scott is working on some winter flavors right now, playing with cranberry, pomegranate, cherry, ginger and apple.

Prove to Your California Friends that Oregon Wines Rock!

Our Volcano Vineyards wines compete head to head with wines from California, as well as the rest of the world. And we consistently end up with Gold and Double Gold Medals. That means entire judging panels all think our wines are exceptional. We are pre-qualified for you to show-off!

Coif a Pint of Local Beer

We have a kegerator and offer beers made right here in Bend, like Silver Moon’s delectable Amber. Cold, refreshing and delicious. While we do make wine, we are big beer fans. As the saying goes, it takes a lot of beer to make a little wine.

Enjoy a Glass of White Wine or Bubbly

In the mood for something lighter or festive? We always have chilled white wines and sparkling wines available by the taste, glass or bottle. And remember – no restaurant mark-up here. You can enjoy your bottle right here in our cozy space for retail prices!

Have a Less Expensive, Super-Premium-Quality Glass of Wine Before Going Out to Dinner

If you ordered a glass of our wine in a restaurant, you would pay at least 50% more, if not 100% more than we charge here in the Tasting Lounge. No evil conspiracy going on, it is simply how restaurants have to structure their pricing. We have a much lower overhead in our Tasting Lounge space, and as the producer, don’t have a middle-man we are dealing with. So, in our Tasting Lounge, your dollars can support a high quality, artisan produced Oregon wine, and you enjoy the fruits of our labors (Sorry about the pun. Couldn’t resist.)

Quiet Girls Night Out

Meeting up with the girls? You need a least an hour to catch up on the latest news, right? Why not spend it in our intimate upstairs space? Save the hustle and bustle of a loud restaurant or rockin’ club for later in the evening.

Date Night!

The OLCC said we can no longer allow kiddos in the Tasting Lounge, so you are guaranteed a wine-filled, yet whiney-free evening (unless Scott had too much coffee, in which case I would say grab that bottle and head upstairs). And again, you can split a bottle, have a beer, sangria or glasses of your favorite Volcano wines.

Book Clubs, Meetings, Networking Groups, Wine Clubs, Showers, Poker Night, Small Parties

Your small group can reserve the upstairs space Sunday through Thursday evenings for your exclusive use. No room charge, no minimum, no service fee. All you have to do is call to ensure availability. 541-617-1102.

Larger Private Parties

Want the whole place to yourself? We have a very economical private party package set up. Call us for more info: 541-617-1102 or email: info@VolcanoVineyards.com

Hear Some Live Music with No Cover Charge

Several times each month we feature live music from some of Bend’s finest musicians. The Tasting Lounge space has amazing acoustics, and the cozy, intimate spot is incredibly relaxing.

All this, and in a few weeks, we’ll have cheap eats as well!

Just a few more things to finish on the ol’ bureaucratic check list and we’ll have small plates available (everything priced $5 and less). Onion tarts, brie and ham sandwiches on fresh baguettes, homemade soups, artisan cheeses. Deliciousness!

Should We Get a TV?

Scott and I have been tossing around the idea of getting a smallish flat screen in the Tasting Lounge. We would only have it on for big stuff, like tonight’s Oregon-Oregon State game (and I don’t care who wins, as long as they can beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl!). But it has been difficult for Scott to work Saturdays this fall with my calling him from home screaming about some play Penn State just made. What do you think?

We Are Open! (Or, Rather, We Will be at 3 Today)

Right this second Scott is at the OLCC office picking up our new license, so we should be open today at 126 NW Minnesota (between Wall and Bond) by 3 pm! Woohoo! The next two weeks we will be in “soft opening” mode, meaning we won’t have the full food menu (if any food at all) just yet, and the hours will be erratic, as we complete the move and iron out the new set up.

And now for the bad news: we can no longer allow minors into the Tasting Lounge. We sneaked into the Brooks Street space three and a half years ago just before a new regulation on tasting rooms went into effect. We were “grandfathered,” as it were, into being able to allow minors. Now with the move, we fall under the “new” regulations and kiddos can no longer be in the space. This includes our own children, even when we are closed! We wish it were different – it has been so much fun having the little guys in there, and having a place that weary parents can relax without having to worry about securing a sitter. And all the kiddos (with the exception of mine and Scott’s) were great – not once did I feel they were disruptive (again, with the exception of our own kids, who were a disruption REGULARLY).

Stay tuned for announcements about “Grand Opening” activities. We have some great ideas that hopefully we will find the time and energy to execute!

Moving to Minnesota... the Street, Silly, Not the State

Finally, finally moving the Tasting Lounge to 126 NW Minnesota Ave between Wall and Bond, Downtown Bend, right next to Clutch, across from Toomies. Very exciting, we are psyched. But, the next few weeks we will be in a state of flux, with weird hours, two locations, and Scott and I schlepping lots of things across Downtown.

So, I am formally asking for everyone to be patient with us during this time. We are just two people and are trying to get this move done as seamlessly as possible. We have to move all the stuff, plus our OLCC licenses need to be switched and we are getting everything squared away with the Department of Agriculture so we can have a small menu of food (and it will be simple, French bistro deliciousness, and we will always strive to have a few vegetarian items available). Tentative open hours are as follows:

Sundays, Mondays and Tuesday will be ‘by appointment only’ until our “Grand Opening.”

Saturday, September 19: noon to close at the Brooks Street space. This day is my and Scott’s 10th wedding anniversary, so if it is slow, we reserve the right to close up early, although not before 6 or so. I think we’ve earned it, right?

Wednesday and Thursday, September 23 and 24: 2 to 8 at the Brooks Street spaceFriday and Saturday, September 25 and 26: in the new Minnesota Ave space. It is Oktoberfest, so stop by and check the new place out. We will most likely NOT have food yet, except our beloved oyster crackers. Yummy!

Wednesday and Thursday, September 30 and October 1: 2 to 8 at the Brooks Street space

Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3: in the Minnesota Ave space. Oct 2 is Art Hop – we are hoping to have music, but our two go-to music artists are out of town that weekend – if you know anyone interested in playing, let us know. October 3 is the first day of Fall Fest Downtown – pop on by and check us out – again, probably no hot food yet.

We should be in the Minnesota space from this point on, although we will be closed the weekend (from Thursday on) of October 15. The next week, we’ll do our official opening so stay tuned for more info on that.

Thanks to you all for your interest and support!

Blah Blah Blog

My first blog for BendNights.com is now live. To read it, and other edgy Bend bloggy stuff, check out: http://bendnights.com/blog/category/from-the-vine/

I can't imagine having enough to say to do this blog and the BendNights blog, but I'll give it a shot.

So, how 'bout this weather we've been having?

All righty, a quick update on us. We are looking for a bigger Tasting Lounge space Downtown, and are hoping to find someone to sublease the Brooks Street spot. I am happy to say we’ve outgrown that location, and want to start doing more events in the Tasting Lounge, like wine dinners and technical tastings. We are still also working on getting a production facility up and running here in Bend by this summer – gotta get that Magmita Sangria bottled!

We started looking for investors for the Magmita Sangria and the Magna Wines last summer, but put everything on hold once it became clear the economy was tanking. I don't think we had a really clear picture of what our next step was going to be - Scott was thinking we might have to move to southern Oregon, I wanted to stay in Bend, were we going to use our current winery facility for the second labels or build our own and if so, how tricked out would it be... many, many uncertainties. But we seem to have narrowed our focus and as long as I can get Scott to stop coming up with new ideas ("Hey, let's do a whole line of frozen chicken called Lava Clucks" - it's maddening - somthing new every day) I will have our new business plan done by early March. It is all becoming clear to me now.

The Broken Window

Yes, our front window was broken a few weeks ago. It happened early on a Monday morning, right as the bars were closing. Apparently, some fella was desirous of some additional libations and was coherent enough to deduce we had such offerings in out tasting room. He was not, however, sober enough to notice that the front window is double paned with wired safety glass. So, all that happened was he made a very pretty spider-webby design in the top window pane.

He was promptly arrested, thanks to some quick calls to 911 from passersby, which we appreciate. We do not know this guy – but we look forward to having him reimburse us for repairs: a random act of drunken stupidity which will cost close to $1000 to fix.

Tasting Room Advice from The Wall Street Journal

I have had a few people mention to me piece written by John Brecher and Dottie Gaiter that ran in the WSJ a few weeks ago. It was titled “Tips for Tasting Rooms,” a very thoughtful list of suggestions. I am happy to say that most of them, we heed already: we’re kid-friendly, our wine club pressure is so low we usually forget to mention we have one, we have a simple tasting fee that we refund with purchases. Many of their bits of advice are the exact opposite of the “you shoulds” we daily hear from people in our tasting room.

The most frequent “you should” we get, next to “You should serve food” (and considering how tenny weeny our space is and the fact that there are too many restaurants in Bend already, food ain’t gonna happen), is that as part of the tastings, we should give folks a glass with our logo. John and Dottie say “No glass!” and we totally agree. After we moved our collection of winery commemorative glasses for he fifth time, Scott took them all to Goodwill. Two from this place, one from this other place, different sizes, different quality – just a big pain the rump. We opted to use Riedel crystal glasses in our tasting room. And while yes, they can be etched with our logo, the added expense doesn’t make sense.

The one bit of advice we are guilty of not following was “Ease up on the numbers” – meaning don’t spout off the Wine Spectator/Enthusiast etc scores. While we have yet to submit our wines to any of the “number” publications (and that’s a whole nuther blog in itself), our basic info on the wine includes our awards and our Wine Press Northwest or Northwest Palate reviews. This is information we feel is vital to building our brand – as a relative newcomer to the wine industry, people are skeptical, and having that “third party validation” of our wines absolutely adds to our “legitimacy.” Yes, your palates are not fooling you – our wine is indeed yummy!

Riverside Gold

The results of the Riverside International Competition were just announced, and we received two golds, one for our 2005 Syrah, and one for our 2006 Merlot. As far as we can tell, wineries from Oregon came away with a total of four gold medals this year (Willamette Valley Vineyards won the other two golds). The Riverside Competition is generally considered to be the most prestigious wine competition in the US. During Memorial Day weekend at our Tasting Lounge in Bend, you can sample the 2006 Merlot, as well as the 2006 Syrah, which won gold earlier this year at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

...Once Were Waiters

Since many of you are just learning of Volcano Vineyards, this is who we are:

Scott and I were both introduced to the wine industry at young ages. While I wish we could say that we learned to walk in granddad’s vineyards or jammed Uncle Harry’s bottling line with a Barbie Doll, the fact is our initial exposure was on the consumer side. Scott’s folks were big foodies and started visiting Napa Valley in the late 60s, became members of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, and have amassed an enormous wine cellar. My dad was hit with the wine bug in the early 80s, falling in love with Chateauneuf du Pape. The day we discussed French wines in my high school French class, I was the only person who said anything – Monsieur Beckman was so excited because I NEVER said anything in that class ever and suddenly I was “Cotes du Rhone-ing” all over the place.

Scott and I met when we were both waiters in San Francisco. San Francisco waiters are professionals who love food, love restaurants and love wine (and in the best restaurants, that will always be the case). As a waiter in a four or five star restaurant (such as McCormick & Kuleto’s or The Sherman House), the more you know about the food you are serving and the wine on your list that perfectly complements it, the better the experience your guests will have (and presumably, the better your tip). Restaurants spend an enormous amount of time and money training their wait staffs on wine, wineries, the nuances of food pairing. We were 70 minutes from Sonoma and Napa and spent almost every weekend up there, first visiting wineries, then spending time at Gallaway Vineyards in Healdsburg - the vineyard that Scott helped plant - which belonged to family friends. Once those vines matured, we started home winemaking, using Gallaway Vineyards grapes that were left on the vines after harvest. In the late ‘90s we both got lured into desk jobs, which was a nice break. But we both missed the buzz from the restaurant biz, we missed the people who are drawn to working in food and wine, and we missed the daily exposure to (and the consumption of) all that great food and wine!

In the fall of 2001 we moved from San Francisco to Bend, Oregon. And again, while I wish we could say that we were cashing out stock options or that we had sold our cracker box house for a million dollars, that wasn’t the case. We were renters in San Francisco, and when the house up the street from us in the Inner Sunset sold for $650,000 and the new owners proceeded to knock it down and build a new house, we knew it was time to go. We figured out very quickly that Bend is an entrepreneurial town, thriving thanks to small businesses. After a few months we went back to the Bay Area for a wedding. While there, Scott sent off an email to Randall Grahm, (founder of Bonny Doon Vineyards and the "Original Rhone DeRanger") stating that he was a local boy thinking about going “pro” with his home winemaking and would Mr. Grahm have any advice. About 20 minutes later the phone rang in Scott’s parents’ house (where we were staying) and it was Randall Grahm himself who said he had just had surgery, was bored out of his skull and would we like to come to his house to talk wine. When we arrived, he said to us, “If I were in your position, this is what I would do…” And by the end of that meeting, Scott had thrown his heart off the cliff, and there was no turning back. Volcano Vineyards was born.

December Sale Item Tasting Notes

Red Hawk Pinot Gris – Willamette Valley
It is a mantra in the wine industry – great wine is made in the vineyard. John and Betty Pataccoli, who took over Red Hawk in 2005, are reinvigorating the brand with a focus on vineyard health. The amazing results are already evident in their 2005 Pinot gris, a beautifully balanced, crisp and food-friendly wine: melon on the nose with tropical and green apple flavors plus a hint of minerals which come from the rich volcanic Jory and Nekia soils of this Salem vineyard. This is a great appetizer wine, and also pairs nicely with grilled seafood, roasted chicken, or pasta salad. Only 160 cases produced.

Sagelands Chardonnay 2005 – Columbia Valley, Washington
A well-balanced green apple and citrus chardonnay with a nice round finish. Great by itself or pair it with the traditional white wine foods – fish, chicken, salad.

Spangler Sauvignon Blanc 2006 – Southern Oregon
Sauvignon Blanc always reminds me of the coast – dining on Dungeness crab, paired with a bottle of white sitting in the sun at 1:30 in the afternoon. Ah – heaven? Why not capture that moment here in the high desert in December? My favorite of the Oregon Sauvignon Blancs.

Tertulia Cellars 2005 Viognier - Columbia Valley
The name of this new Walla Walla winery means “a social gathering of friends.” The 2005 viognier is their first white release. It contains 22% rousanne, another Rhone varietal valued for its crisp acidity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed - that is a gentler process that extracts flavor from the fruit of the grape, not the stems, seeds and skins as happens with traditional crushing. Fermentation occurred in 74% stainless steel and 26% neutral French oak, partial malolactic fermentation (the process that turns bitter malic acid into the softer lactic acid). Tertulia’s tasting notes indicate we should experience floral aromas, with pineapple, peach and apricot flavors, a smooth mouth-feel and balanced acidity. I got green apple and honey on the nose, tropical up-front fruit, a rich mouth-feel (from the ML, I would assume), melon, kiwi and pineapple flavors and a clean finish.

Cougar Crest Winery 2005 Viognier – Walla Walla
Estate grown, 100% viognier Cougar Crest tells us to look for floral and citrus aromas on the nose, followed by pear, pineapple, grapefruit and melon with a honey finish. The Wine Spectator gave this an 88, stating that it feels - and I am not making this up - “raw, offering ear and green peach aromas.” I have no idea what an ear aroma might be, and I couldn’t detect anything I would call “ear aroma” so... Also very chardonnay-like in weight and mouth-feel.

Fleming Jenkins Victories Rosé – San Francisco Bay
Yes, this is from California, but this one is special! Produced by Olympic champion Peggy Fleming and her husband, Greg Jenkins, 100% of their net profits from Victories is donated to breast cancer research (Peggy is a breast cancer survivor). Peggy and Greg have their own vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, just above Los Gatos – which happens to be Scott’s hometown. The wine is fragrant, well-balanced and crisp – really, it tastes like spring, and who couldn’t use a little of that in the middle of December?

Territorial Rose of Pinot Noir – Willamette Valley
Floral aromas, strawberry and peach flavors with a nice citrus overtone that gives this wine a bright finish. Try it with grilled foods or even creamy deserts.

Mystic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – Columbia Valley
This wine is solid and intense with flavors of blackberry, currant and tobacco, with round tannins and a plush mouth feel. Only 150 cases produced!

Zerba Cellars Sangiovese 2004 – Columbia Valley
They love to blend at Zerba! This Sangiovese has about 10% cab sauv, which adds some interesting nuances. Look for spice and an earthy overtone.

Zerba Cellars Cabernet Franc 2005 - Columbia Valley
Zerba’s 2004 Cab Franc was a huge hit in the Tasting Lounge. This 2005 vintage blended with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the result is a wine rich with black cherry and plum flavors (while the ’04 was distinctly currant). Tasting it right now, the 2005 shows more fruit, while the 2004 had some earthy overtones. As you would expect from Zerba, the nose offers rich vanilla and tobacco aromas. Only 190 cases produced.

Odds and Ends

Our website ( www.volcanovineyards.com ) is currently undergoing a redesign, so for the next few weeks, updates will be posted here on this blog. The blog, as well, will be housed on our site once we go live. Stay tuned for more info!

The menu for the Saturday, October 20 Winemaker Dinner is set. It is already half booked, so if you are interested, make your reservations today!

First Course: Crab Cakes with our Volcano Vineyards Viognier
Second Course: Wild Mushroom soup with our 2005 Merlot, Rogue Valley
Third Course: Coq au Vin with our 2004 Rogue Valley Lava Red Blend
Final Course: Tumulo Frams Cheese plate with our 2005 Syrah, Rogue Valley

Cost is $60/person which includes the dinner, one glass of wine per course, and service. Non-refundable payment is due at time of reservation. Call 541-617-1102 to reserve your spot today.

More stuff on sale...

Cancilla Cellars Chardonnay 2005– Willamette Valley, Oregon
A luscious Burgundian style chardonnay with the lightest hints of oak and butter. Soft, supple and food friendly with a good backbone.

EdenVale MidSummer’s Eve White – Southern Oregon
I do believe this is probably the worst name for a wine I’ve ever heard and yes, I know it refers to Shakespeare, but I, being a child of the 70s, have other inter-textual references pertaining to phrases containing the words “summer’s” and “eve.” ) This blend is great on any warm day, even if you have to create the warmth yourself by sitting next to a fire in your living room. A blend of chardonnay, pinot gris and muscat, this wine is off-dry with tropical overtones and a decadent lushness. Pair it with spicy Asian foods – perfection!

Mystic Wines Pinot Noir 2003 – Temperance Hill, Willamette Valley, Oregon
I had this at Hans the day I first met Mystic owner and winemaker Rick Mafit, a buddy of Scott’s. An incredible blueberry and tart cheery, full fruit Pinot noir, I had finished two glasses of it before the first course was even finished. Later than evening I ended up getting into an argument with a woman who blamed all the “evil Californian transplants” for everything that is wrong with Bend. While Rick thought that was hilarious, I decided to move the word TEMPERANCE to the forefront of my vocabulary. Temperance Hill is quite famous for its Pinot Noir, and it is managed by the legendary Dai Crisp. This Pinot Noir is balanced, subtle, and changes as you enjoy it, each sip bringing out new falvors. A treat!

Tasting Notes for our Mini-Sale Items

This is a "fall cleaning" kind of sale - we have just a few bottles left of each of these.

Sagelands Chardonnay 2005 – Columbia Valley
A well-balanced green apple and citrus chardonnay with a nice round finish. Great by itself or pair it with the traditional white wine foods – fish, chicken, salad.

Sonoma Oaks Chardonnay 2005– Russian River, CA
Don’t let the name fool you – this chard is UN-oaked. I’ve had many a disappointing un-oaked chard that have overtones of metal… errr, I mean, minerals, but these guys got it right. Luscious, round, full bodied with a crisp finish – finally, a chard that pairs well with food. Caesar salad, chicken cordon bleu, even pork chops would work well.

Tertulia Cellars Viognier 2005 – Columbia Valley
The name of this new Walla Walla winery means “a social gathering of friends.” The 2005 viognier is their first white release. It contains 22% rousanne, another Rhone varietal valued for its crisp acidity. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed - that is a gentler process that extracts flavor from the fruit of the grape, not the stems, seeds and skins as happens with traditional crushing. Fermentation occurred in 74% stainless steel and 26% neutral French oak, partial malolactic fermentation (the process that turns bitter malic acid into the softer lactic acid). Tertulia’s tasting notes indicate we should experience floral aromas, with pineapple, peach and apricot flavors, a smooth mouth-feel and balanced acidity. I got green apple and honey on the nose, tropical up-front fruit, a rich mouth-feel (from the ML, I would assume), melon, kiwi and pineapple flavors and a clean finish.

Cougar Crest Viognier 2005 – Walla Walla Valley
Estate grown, 100% viognier Cougar Crest tells us to look for floral and citrus aromas on the nose, followed by pear, pineapple, grapefruit and melon with a honey finish. The Wine Spectator gave this an 88, stating that it feels - and I am not making this up - “raw, offering ear and green peach aromas.” I have no idea what an ear aroma might be, and I couldn’t detect anything I would call “ear aroma” so... Also very chardonnay-like in weight and mouth-feel.

Mystic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 – Columbia Valley
This wonderful wine is solid and intense with flavors of blackberry, currant and tobacco, with round tannins and a plush mouth feel. Only 150 cases produced!

Bonne Chance Petite Sirah 2003 – Redwood Valley, CA
ORGANIC!!! Anise on the nose, tart strawberry, rich and bold with a deep purple color. Pairs nicely with bold food: steaks, Mexican fare, Cajun cuisine

Mt. Vernon Winery Port – Sierra Foothills, CA
This port is made from Syrah, a bold, rich and lush dessert wine with floral accents and a dark chocolate finish.

Stress Case? Relax!

Well, we blew threw eight cases of Relax Riesling this week. I guess the price was right! And now it is gone, but fear not – it you want more, we will gladly order it for you, by the case, at $8 per bottle (as long as the distributor keeps the price the same).

Members of The Order of the Volcano should remember that we will always order wines we do not normally carry for you by the case from the distributors and only charge 10% over cost. AND we will deliver to you in Central Oregon. That’s quite a deal, with some great service on top of it!

But back to the Relax issue. We are no longer going to stock it since it doesn’t really fit with what we are doing in the Tasting Lounge. When we first opened, just over a year ago, we only had two wines released – our Merlot and our Syrah. So we carry wines from other small producers to round out our offerings. We now have four wines, and are finding that most folks who have come in this summer are pretty much only interested on our wines.

We will continue to carry other unique and boutique wines from artisan wineries – these will generally be wines no one else carries, since we buy directly from the producers who are usually friends of ours. Relax is a German wine from a HUGE producer. Ordering a few cases is no big deal, and we are happy to do it. All you have to do is ask!

Yer Outta Here!

I know our hours of operation have seemed inconsistent and non-committal in the past. Much of that has to do with our trying to find optimal hours of operation, coupled with the fact that we are a three person team, and two of us are trying to run the rest of the business plus raise our two and four year old boys. But now that the Tasting Lounge has been open for just over a year we fell like we are hitting the balance, so we decided to abandon the wishy-washy “noon to close” and firm up our hours. Going forward this summer we will be open at 11:30 daily, closing at 6 on Sunday and Monday and 8:30 Wednesday to Saturday. We will remain “by appointment only” on Tuesdays.

The closing times probably seem early to some. But, a few Friday nights ago I had to “refuse service” to two gentleman who came into the Tasting Lounge around 9:30. The first clue that things were amiss was when one of them threw money at me and said, “Just give me a bottle of some sh$t red wine,” to which I responded, “I’m sorry but we don’t have any sh$t red wine here.”

They then seated themselves in the front window and I sat next to one of them and explained to them that I was not comfortable serving them as they had obviously had a great deal to drink before coming here and that I was going to have to ask them to leave. And one fellow said, “Oh, well, don’t you speak so nicely! Aren’t you just soooo polite.” Perhaps they would have felt more comfortable if I had begun swearing and threatening them, but I get the feeling that no matter what I would have said or how I would have approached it, these guys were hoping to cause a scene.

Then they started on the whole, “We’re just working guys, trying to relax after a hard day,” and then made some vague accusations that if diners from Deep were to want some wine I would welcome them with open arms. As I continued to herd them out the door I explained that if some patrons from Deep came into that Tasting Room I would be more than happy to serve them unless they, too, were visibly intoxicated in which case I would also ask them to leave. Then came the “rich a$$h*les” comments as they continued down the street.

Ironically, those two guys probably have more money at their disposal than Scott and I do. We haven’t gotten a paycheck in almost two years and we’ve poured not only our hearts and souls into Volcano Vineyards, but all of our savings as well (not to mention mounds of debt). That particular day I started working at 5 a.m. and it was after 9:30 p.m. that I threw them out. This year Scott and I have had a total of five days off. So we don’t have a lot of patience for this attitude.

This is not the first time we have had some self-pitying, intoxicated individuals come into the Tasting Lounge. The common thread is that these incidents always happen after the sun goes down. So after discussing this most recent episode, Scott and I reminded ourselves that we are not a bar. This is the Tasting Lounge for our winery. We want folks to be able to join us for a glass of wine after work or before heading out to dinner and, most importantly, to be able to enjoy their time with us. Having us act as bouncers is not fun for anyone.

Coming Attractions

Thanks to everyone who popped by the Tasting Lounge to try the 2005s and the finalists from Scott’s 2005 Lava Red Blend trials. We appreciate the feedback!

For the blend, votes were evenly split for the most part, although a slight edge went to the 75% merlot 25% syrah version, which is the one Scott ultimately decided to go with. The 2005 Lava Red Blend will be lighter on the oak than the 2004, each wine having spent only 16 months in 25% new French oak. I know you oak lovers will be disappointed, but we’re sure you’ll appreciate the true fruit you can taste when there is no oak in your way. Yum!

And, although we are sold out of the 2004 Merlot, we are probably going to hold off on releasing the 2005s until Wine by the River which is happening the first weekend in October this year, I believe. We were hoping the 2005 Merlot would be magically ready to go once the 2004 was gone, but it needs a few more months in the bottle to add a bit of refinement. Wines are like little kids – they change drastically during those first three years, then the development levels off a bit – we are going to hold the wines until their evolution has slowed down. In the meantime, for you die-hard Merlot lovers, we now have Zerba Cellars’ Merlot in the Tasting Room.

Don’t pop your cork!

On Sunday, we took the boys up to Hood River to see Thomas the Tank Engine and thought we’d make a few days of it before we went to our summer hours in the Tasting Room (which start this Wednesday, by the way – noon to close daily, except Tuesdays which remain by appointment only). Our plan was to spend Monday and Tuesday visiting the Columbia Gorge wineries. There are some great ones: Pheasant Valley, Syncline, Cathedral Ridge, and the Pines to name but a few. And I was going to blog about it here. However, after settling into our hotel room, the boys were CRAZY and we ended up deciding to leave (before we were asked to) and drove home instead. Two years old plus four years old plus ice cream plus confined hotel room equals nightmare.

So, instead, let’s talk about warm summer days and wine. Last week, a gal brought back a bottle of our syrah she had purchased the day before. The cork has been pushed out and I said, “Looks like you maybe left this in your car overnight…?” And she said, “Yeah, I did!” Well… wine is alive and very delicate and does not like temperature fluctuations. If it gets to hot, it will pop its cork…literally. This is also why we won’t ship wine during the summer.

We also suggest that once you open a bottle, try to finish it within the next 36 to 48 hours or so. While leaving a bottle un-gassed over night it a quick way to see if it has aging potential, any longer than that, it will start to oxidize. If you smell the wine and can detect aromas of rust or metal, the wine is dying. My parents are notorious for opening a bottle of wine, having a glass each, then putting the bottle back in the cupboard for a week or more. The next time they want a glass, the wine is undrinkable. Wine is, after all, fruit. And like most fruit, it won’t last forever once exposed to oxygen. So, drink up! (But, responsibly, of course).

We are tossing around the idea of doing half bottles, although it will probably have to wait until our production increases significantly. Doing a short run of labels for the smaller bottles would cost a fortune. Here’s to the day we can take advantage of economies of scale!

Volcano Vineyards Premiere Blog

This is something Scott and I have been meaning to do for months. So here it is. We'll focus on what's happening not only in the Volcano Vineyards Tasting Room, but our wine production, events we're doing (and have done) and adventures in small business ownership, and wine industry stuff.

The most common questions we get: "What do you mean, calling yourselves a 'micro-winery'?" Simple answer to that - a "small" winery is one producing under 50,000 cases of wine per year. For vintage 2006, our production in just under 1,000 cases. If that doesn't qualify us as "micro," I don't know what would. Secondly, our business model is similar to the one used by Jim Koch when he first created his Samuel Adams Boston Lager commercially - he made the beer at a brewery in Pittsburgh, PA. They had excess capacity; he wanted to make beer without having to folk over millions to build a production facility. For now, we produce our wines at Foothill Winery in Medford, Oregon. Once our production gets high enough, we are planning on opening a facility right here in Bend. Wish we could do it now, but we are too small and too poor!

Our Tasting Room is located at 930 NW Brooks Street in downtown Bend - we are between The Pine Tavern and Hans back patio. Upcoming events:
Thursday, March 22 6:30 pm: Live music from The Quons
Thursday, March 29 4 pm to close: Viognier Tasting Flight - five Pacific Northwest Viogniers and tasty appetizers, only $10/person
Thursday, April 5 7 pm: Four course wine dinner $45/person
Thursday, April 26 6:30 pm: Live Jazz
Thursday, May 17 6:30 pm: Live music from KouseFly

Visit our website for more info: www.volcanovineyards.com or call: 541.617.1102

Thanks!

Liz