Shipping Again Now that Fall is Here…

Every summer I become very selective about where and when we ship our wines due to weather. As you know, the heat of summer can have a negative impact on wine when bottles are stuck in a hot delivery truck. Now that our weather has cooled, all Toucan Wines ordered for delivery in California will again be shipping from our cellar each week – and those shipments headed back east will remain on-hold for just a couple more weeks. Further, we added Golden State Overnight delivery service to help us in California, Nevada and Arizona. Remember, it’s always best to provide a business address for your wine deliveries.

Order from our great line up of award winning wines and save up to 20% on your order. Call or email me if you have any questions about our wines, parings, and current favorites.

Two New Events and Vineyard Update...

Our event dance card is becoming more and more interesting. This Thursday I'm at Monterey Street Wines with Mojo Cellars sharing our wines with customers - drop in this Thursday and say hello and try a few wines.

On the 13th of June, Toucan Wines has been added to the winery line-up at the Ojai Wine Festival and I look forward to seeing many of our friends there. In the same neighborhood, find our wines at Paradise Pantry and Mary's Secret Garden, both in downtown Ventura.

Today, we're getting a little rain and this could easily be the last rain of the season. I've started hoeing the vineyard and at the same time making my second pass on suckering. The next chore will be tying the longer shoots to the drip wire to save them from tractor damage and the effort somewhat shapes the vines arm position.

The weather has been strange, we've had a cooler than usual year so far and the vines got off to an early start - hopefully this means a longer hang time. We've also had the latest frost (just last week) that I can remember, but fortunately no obvious damage resulted.

Please take a close look at your calendars for any opportunity to visit us at one of the many upcoming events we plan to attend. And remember our special 12 bottle case discount is 20% on any mix of our wines plus only $1 shipping in California.

Spring Weather Rocks... Wine Tasting... Vineyard Work

I had a great time at the Taste of Huntington Beach this past weekend and enjoyed the crowd, met new folks and many returning friends and customers. We previewed samples of the 2008 Carignane which was a big hit with the Huntington folks.

This weekend, being the first weekend of the month, you'll find Toucan Wines on the tasting bar all weekend at Monterey Street Wines in San Luis Obispo. You'll also find me pouring our wines at Lund's in the village of Arroyo Grande on Saturday 1-5pm.

I love this time of year - work in the vineyard has begun with suckering, gopher trapping, hoeing and other spring chores. The weather has been consistent lacking the usual spring heat wave or last year's late frost. The vines seemed to taking off a little earlier this year with the Petite Sirah leading the pack. I've already suckered the Petite vines and will be starting on the Zinfandel before the week is out. I forgot to mention mowing, three passes through the vineyard on the mower so far and another day of mowing is in store for me by next week.

76 Degrees, Bottles and Air Conditioning...

I'm writing this quick note while waiting for our bottles to arrive via truck for the 2008 vintage. Over the last couple of weeks I've been sampling the 08' wines and they are stellar. Last night we tasted the 08' Estate Petite Sirah from the single barrel and it's clearly our best PS to date.

Today it's 76 degrees in the shade at the winery and 57 degrees inside the winery barrel room. The weather has been beautiful the past few days and we're enjoying it.

We finished pruning the vineyard a few days ago and I've already applied to the vines a product used to help burn away mildew spores that weather over the winter season. Soon we're hoping to find time to raise the single drip wire a few inches on every vine.

Also coming up is the release of the 2007 Estate Zinfandel (as mentioned in previous notes), we're getting ready for this release by updating order forms and preparing for the usual orders that come with a new release.

We've had a few people ask about more pictures of the winery and vineyard. I know the winery slide show is a little buried on the website and I'll have to fix that. But, we also have lots of pictures on Facebook which you can see with or without joining.

In addition to the bottle delivery, today we placed the new 3 ton AC system in place in the winery. I'm looking forward to having this production space cooled in addition to the barrel room which has it's own AC unit.

Vineyard, Rain, New Release Dates and Specials...

We're several days into pruning the vineyard and it's going really well. The mild weather is a pleasure and we've had good timing between rainstorms. We have already reached the average rainfall for the season and the usual big rain comes in February.

We just cleaned out the winery, moving stuff that was being stored and making room for a new 3 ton air conditioner. We will also be bottling soon, so the space made will help with that process. I just tasted through all the wines in barrel and the 08' and 09' vintages will be wines to look forward to. But wait, we haven't released all the 2007 wines yet!

The release date for the 2007 Estate Zinfandel is Feb. 27th at Lund's in the Village of Arroyo Grande and the 28th at the OCWS Extraordinaire at the Anaheim Hilton.

Stop into Lund's for a no charge tasting of our new release and join us in Anaheim for a fun event full of food and wines.

Finally, I ask that you check out our website specials page beginning next week, these specials will be available to all customers.

Wet Weather has us Working in the Winery

We've reached about 11 inches of rain for the season, a great start for a region that usually doesn't see much of the wet stuff until January. The cold weather and rain forced us into the winery to look for projects, of which we have no shortage.

So, we're currently labeling the recently released Estate Toucanet. I had some time after harvest to label and packaged enough of the wine to support the release, allowing me to begin shipping - but we blew through that batch quickly.

The Estate Toucanet is perfect holiday gift and wonderful toasting wine for the season. Enjoy this dessert wine with friends and family.

Winter Arrives with Rain and Cold... Last Event of 2009

On Monday, the second rain of the season brought another 1.5 inches adding to the 5.5 inches gifted at the end of our harvest. More rain is expected this weekend making this a great start for the season. Our first frosty nights arrived in October, but yesterday the temps dipped into the mid-20's leaving a blanket of frost that covered our entire valley.

Our very last special tasting event will be at Monterey Street Wine Co. in San Luis Obispo on the 18th (Friday) from 5 till close. Frankly, this will be more of a party, the venue is great and improving everyday, and the tasting will be a selection sparkling wines and Toucan Wines. They'll feature gourmet foods, wines to taste and wines by the glass. This will be the perfect chance to enjoy some great wine and select a few last minute holidays gifts.

Plus, I'll be pouring our wines at Lund's in the village of Arroyo Grande every Saturday from 1-5pm through the end of the year.

Events and Beautiful Weather...

This past weekend we poured our wines along side some great food at Woodstone Marketplace. We met new friends and shared a glass with several vineyard volunteers and friends who attended.

And we have some other exciting events coming up over the the next week and over the holidays, please take a look at our events page to see if you can join us in the coming weeks.

The weather has been mild and it truly is a beautiful fall here on the central coast of California. If vacationing in the area, please consider attending one of our tasting events and better get to know us.

Finally, if you have the need to send gifts this holiday season - consider a gift of Toucan Wines! We can ship to your friends and clients to your specifications even using your own holiday cards or notes. Contact us at the winery if we can help this holiday season.

2009 Toucan Wines tucked away in barrels...

It's been a weird growing year - first the continuing draught and then just when we thought everything might be lost to heat, the weather and the fruit cooperated and turned out a lovely crop. Further, the weather then turned cold at night slowing down harvest (just a little) and definitely helping by cooling down the winery at night. As our harvest was coming to a natural end, the gift of 5.5 inches of rain put any hope for a second crop harvest to bed.

Overall our estate vineyard yield was down but the quality was there and that's what really counts. We sincerely thank all our friends, volunteers, family and supporters for all the help this year - another year where your help really counted!!

As you can see in this picture, the recent rain has already turned the vineyard green (at least for now).

First Rain of the Season...

On the central coast we are receiving our first real rain of the season, this storm will deliver as much as 6 inches of rain fall.

Fortunately, we spent yesterday morning pulling in the last of the ripe fruit from the our small estate vineyard. Overall quantity from our 3 1/2 in going to be down from previous vintages, but the quality is terrific.

Thank you to those who attended our Estate Toucanet release party at Lund's in Arroyo Grande. If you'd like to taste our latest releases, including our new Dessert Wine, see our Event schedule for an opportunity to taste our wine and say hello. Our next event is this Thursday in Pismo Beach...

August Newsletter

Here is our August newsletter for those not on our email list. We are announcing the Toucanet Release Party October 10th at Lund's in the Village of Arroyo Grande, specials, and other news. Find us on Facebook and of course please check in on our website to view special deals or new releases.

The weather has been colder than I'd hope for this summer, but a heat wave is coming later this week. I'm thinking late September for the first grapes from our state vineyard. We've been focused on getting ready for harvest, but we still have some work to do in the winery racking our 08' wines. I'm feeling good after knee surgery and getting stronger every day.

Vineyard Netted and Ready for the Birds....

Well, we're not hoping for birds but we get our share. And yellowjackets too. It's that time of year and this time the netting was done with the help of the crew from the Huasna Valley Farm. These folks chipped in and made it all look simple - I drove the tractor and they did the rest!

Today, I worked with Terrie to fine tune the ends of the rows by adding bricks to pull back the nets from the fruit. Birds will team-up and weigh down the nets to get access to the ripe fruit. Those birds know every trick in the book - and were working to keep one step ahead. Yellowjacket traps are set, Terrie has about 12 traps that she keeps filled with cat or dog food. Seems to be working great right now.

A dry year and now very windy. Not hot, but mild and dry. Should be an outstanding year for our estate wines.

We also have a bunch of new pictures for the series "Where Did You Wear Your Toucan Wines Hat". This is a picture of Dave Smith, of St. George Spirits - this is the high-end distillery we use to produce brandy from our estate wines and for our Toucanet.

To view additional pictures, join us on Facebook - click here. To get your own Toucan Wines Hat, visit our website.

Good weather and lots to do...

We've enjoyed a few days of warm weather and still expect a few more. A little hot for this time of the year, but its good for the vines and the garden too.

We've been working on hoeing the vineyard and next I'll begin suckering the unwanted growth on each vine. I made two passes through the vineyard spraying catfish emulsion and I've now mowed the vineyard twice.

We had a very good time at the Taste of Huntington Beach event and met many new folks and now new customers -- I'm looking forward to our next event later this month in Newport Beach.

Remember we still offer $1 shipping and we still have a little 06' Estate Petite Sirah and the award winning 05' Estate Zinfandel ready to ship to customers.

Spring Activities

We've recently enjoyed a little rain and now very mild weather. The spring flowers are out and the valley is beautiful. We've been busy with landscaping projects and work on our tractor shed. Next in the vineyard is a hoeing project and then we'll be suckering the unwanted shoots.

Amazing Weather...

I'm at Lund's today, in the Village of Arroyo Grande, and it's 75 degrees and beautiful outside. If only I was at the beach. Tomorrow we'll be racking our 08' Carignane and topping wine in the barrel room. Now Sunday, it again is a beautiful day - we started work in the winery and after brunch will begin racking.

Wrapping up for the season

The process or art of wine making, at least the initial and critical stages, are wrapping up for us at Toucan Wines for another season.

A final pressing tomorrow and one more harvest of second crop later this fall will be the last effort for the year. We'll move to racking, bottling, cleaning and storing away the equipment we only use during harvest. In the vineyard we're waiting for second crop and then we'll remove the nets and again wait for the right time to begin pruning.

We enjoyed a brief rain yesterday and now a little wind mixed with pleasant sunshine is making for a perfect Sunday afternoon. Warm days are in the forecast as we move into the most beautiful time of year on the central coast of California.

September: Harvest Time

Harvest season is here and the picking has started all over the central coast. Our weather has been perfect for ripening grapes over the last week. We're dry and very warm and the fruit is nearly ready for harvest.

We're working on the last minute prep as harvest is nearly here. Terrie is recoating the press with a food grade epoxy, I tore apart the destemmer and cleaned it top to bottom, all the bins, and tools have been cleaned. The new barrels, yeasts, nutrients are all here waiting and I think we're ready to go.

Yesterday the rails for our barrel hoist system arrived and today we'll power spray those and paint them before installation. This hoist will enable a three barrel height in our barrel room - necessary as we leave our wines longer in barrel.

This time of year is perfect for celebrating harvest and the long year of work in the vineyard. This photo taken by a guest while I talk with our dinner guests about the vineyard and it's progress. Above, the netted vineyard stands out over the back drop of our home. Thanks Morley for the pictures.

Overall the vineyard looks good and the crop is developing nicely. Harvest will be the key, we'll work through the vineyard with several passes to capture only the ripest fruit.

Weird weather, harvest begins on the Central Coast...

I'm on break from shuffling case goods around to make room for more barrels in the barrel room.

The weird weather, over the past couple of weeks, has brought humid days and even a little rain. It's started to feel like fall (and we're still in August), cooler nights and morning fog are the norm these past several nights. The long warm days never materialized with the exception of the two seasonal heat waves. The days have been warm but not hot - just very pleasant. This will extend the growing season and pay us back with high quality.

Our harvest is still on track for late September and October, but earlier this week Edna Valley began harvesting Pinot Noir and later this week Zinfandel will be harvested in Paso Robles.

Getting things done in July

We're getting the normal warm weather with a little wind. The closest fire is the Gap fire in Goleta about 90 miles away. We've seen some haze from this fire and we smell some smoke depending on the direction of the wind. Friends in town mentioned they see a little ash on their cars in the morning. We always worry about fire this time of year, in our small canyon we only have one way out and escape could be dangerous. This coming week will bring another heat wave to the central coast - let's hope fire fighters can make progress before then.

The vines are looking good, growth is slowing in the vines and the grasses have mostly gone to straw. July will include some hoeing in the vineyard, a final mowing, and prep for netting in early August. In the winery we'll be working to install a lift system in the barrel room and begin servicing equipment in preparation for harvest in September.

Record heat now behind us

Very, very hot weather in the 105-111 degree range for five days damaged vine leafs and burned a few clusters. The nights seemed more like N. County in the 70's. I can't remember such intense heat with no relief. Typical of Central Coast weather, we're now in a cooler period of fog and breezy days offering cool days and cold nights.

We stayed inside those five days of blistering heat. We worked on painting the winery and paperwork. Our new air conditioner did a great job in the heat keeping the wines at a perfect storage temperature.