From the Briede Blog Archive 7-2-2020

Welcome to a new series of blog posts where we will be sharing some memories both old and new from our former site.

We hope you enjoy this look into the vineyards past!

Moving Forward: Exciting Updates from Briedé Family Vineyard

Hello, Wine Lovers!

We are thrilled to share some updates about our journey at Briedé Family Vineyard. Life has been quite the adventure lately, and we can't wait to bring you along for the ride!

Paul has recently transitioned from the 777 to the 787 due to cutbacks. His training will begin soon, and he is genuinely looking forward to this new chapter. With just a year and a half left before retirement, we are excited to focus solely on the vineyard. Paul has been diligently managing our vines, and we are optimistic about the beautiful 2020 vintage that awaits us. So far, so good—let's keep our fingers crossed!

The Grape Journey

This summer has brought some intense heat and dryness to our vineyard. Our baby grapes, La Crescent and Marquette, are feeling the heat. We’ve been hand-watering them multiple times, as we opted not to install an irrigation system. Carrying hoses around the vineyard is quite a workout, but we take great care not to damage the delicate shoots. We can’t wait to see them grow bigger!

Embracing Technology

Meanwhile, Loretta has been busy learning the ins and outs of computers. Of all the tasks we tackle, this is probably the one I find the most challenging. However, with practice and time, we are making progress.

Tasting Room Update

Our tasting room has been closed for a while, and it looks like it will remain that way until the six-foot separation guidelines change. However, we are still OPEN for business! Our tours have seen an increase in attendance, and we are thrilled to welcome more visitors. We are currently operating with restricted hours: Saturday from 1 PM to 6 PM and Sunday from 1 PM to 5 PM. We also offer periodic entertainment and food, so be sure to check our calendar for upcoming events. If you’re not on our mailing list, please sign up to receive information about our events!

New Wine Releases

We recently tasted our new wines, including Tannat and a Tannat/Arandell blend, and they were exceptional. I wanted to bottle them up and bring them to the tasting room right away, but our winemaker advised us to wait until December. The complexity, depth, color, balance, aromatics, and finish of these wines are outstanding. We can hardly wait for them to be available in the tasting room!

Arandell is set to be bottled on July 8th, and we are very excited to have this wine back in our tasting room. However, it will take another month before it’s ready for tasting, as wines go through "bottle shock" and need time to settle. Arandell has been a fantastic wine for us, selling out of the 2017 vintage. We also sold out of Cayuga White 2018, Verde 2017, and limited amounts of Sparkling Winchester 2017. We still have 800 bottles that have remained on the lees for another year, and we will keep you updated once that wine arrives at the vineyard.

Enjoying Our Offerings

We are pleased to announce that we are now offering flights, glass, and bottle sales. No reservations are required during our regular hours. However, we do accept reservations for tours during the week, with a minimum of six guests required since we are closed. We have ample space and seating, well above the required guidelines.

A Community of Resilience

We are excited to see how everyone has taken these changes in stride. It’s been an unimaginable time, but we are all adapting and moving forward together. #vawinetogether

Thank you to everyone who has supported our vineyard by visiting us and helping us feel a sense of normalcy again. Your support means the world to us.

All the best,

Paul and Loretta Briedé

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