by Rick Terry
Greetings from all of us at Terry Family Wines! Now that Harvest is behind us, the Terry Family Vineyard is all buttoned up for a winter of repose. 2016 was our third harvest and it was bountiful and of exceptional quality. More about that later. But now our attentions are fully focused on readying ourselves for our favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. We will have a house full of family and friends from near and far and Leslie is busy planning lots of familiar traditional dishes alongside a few new offerings to try as well. You can be certain that we will enjoy our 2014 Estate Pinot Noir with the heartier fare and the 2014 Estate Chardonnay for the moments when a bright and lively refreshing white is called for. Please order your Thanksgiving wine this week to ensure delivery in time for your Holiday plans. TO ORDER JUST CLICK ON THE LINK OF OUR NEW WEBSITE WWW.ANDWINECOMPANY.COM.
HENS AND CHICKS…and… so much more
Our growing season started with a dry winter followed by a warm spring and the earliest bud break on record. There were a couple of 99 degree days in early summer followed by a relatively benign remainder before a couple more scorchers ended the season. This see-saw of temperatures and complications at fruit set produced lots of hens and chicks in the vineyard, large seeded grapes (hens) and small seedless grapes (chicks) growing together on the same cluster. The French call this millerandage while the Australians call it peas and pumpkins. Whatever viticulturists call it, fully ripened smaller berries have a much higher ratio of skin to juice. Since the skin imparts color and tannins, these little grapes gave us wines of darker color and greater body and texture. So while we had a slightly lower yield than last year’s bumper crop, we produced beautiful color and ample body to support the ripe fruit flavors. I can’t wait to taste how it turns out when we bottle it next year.
THE STORY OF …AND…
Many of our clever readers have noticed in my previous ramblings (which can be viewed by clicking view news archive) the occasional usage of …and… in my prose. Now we explain our not too subtle rationale of foreshadowing this important element of our wine. Please click on www.andwinecompany.com to read the entire story.
…and… is more than a wine brand. It represents a lifestyle of inclusion. In the midst of a world that is too often marked by exclusion, we invite you to share a bottle of our wine with friends, old and new, and to harmonize, unite and gather to celebrate the simple things that join us all. We hope that you will enjoy our wines and that they will provide the backdrop for many happy adventures and exciting connections.
Wishing everyone a peaceful season of giving thanks.
The Terry Family
The vineyard in repose.