The Party Is Here and Eight Arms Haikus

It’s almost 7 p.m. and I just finished getting everything ready for tomorrow’s release party. This is a really exciting moment for me. The idea of becoming a winemaker took seed in my mind about 6 years ago and it still amazes me that it has become a reality. All the hard work I have put in has finally come to fruition and it will be great to enjoy the party and share my wine with everyone. Looks like we are going to have some unseasonably warm weather tomorrow (it was 80º in Berkeley today!), so it’s good that Riva Cucina has an outside patio. I’ll post some photos of the event some time next week.

Yesterday I finished up crush at the winery. Stagecoach Syrah is now in barrel and it looked beautiful and smelled great. I think it’s going to be another great year from Stagecoach. It really is a wonderful vineyard and I feel fortunate that I’m able to get grapes from there.

Stagecoach Syrah free run wine getting ready to go into barrel

As I mentioned in my last post, SFist had a Haiku contest. They got a pretty good response. Here are some of them with the winning Haiku being the last one. (Click here to read them all)

aye taste buds yearning

green berries smoke pepper
wine
swirl sniff sip savor

wine's got bouquet, nose 

fuck's all that supposed to mean?

who cares; good with green.

Green Octopus Wine

Who in their right mind wants it

it's figurative

late autumn's sweet wine

a toast drunk to crumbling leaves

once green with vigor

Leaves no longer green.

Moonrise east; wine grapes, now sweet,

will fall by next moon.

Landscapes green with vines

Lush fruit transformed into wine

Playground for the senses

Blue-state green red? Huh?

Wine flows too fast when poured by

eight-armed sommeliers.

black ink and green wine

i need seven more glasses

beak gets in the way

up from the green depths

wine colored arms come seeking

to preserve the seas

The grapes are most green

In the state that is bluest

Where most prefer red