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All posts by David Hicks

RESULTS OF ELECTION FOR LWGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

We have 3 re-elected board members and 2 newly elected members.

New members: Marcy Ryan Nichol, Bill Saupe.

Re-elected members: Amy Schofield, Bill Scanlan, Dave Rey.

Congratulations to both our old and new board members and to all of you members who voted, thank you. Our next board meeting will be March 4th after which we will post the agenda for the March membership meeting. The last Sunday in March is Easter Sunday. We just changed a membership meeting because of 49er football and now again possibly because of Easter. We will advise you ASAP if there will be a reschedule of the March general membership meeting scheduled for March 31st shortly. Stay tuned.

David Hicks, President

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CHANGE IN MEETING DATE/49ERS GAME CONFLICT

TO: LWGA membership,

Dear members, sorry for short notice but due to the 49ers championship game this Sunday conflicting with the exact hours of our meeting at Bill Scanlan’s we have rescheduled the meeting for 3 PM the following Sunday February 4th. Please make note of this short notice change and tell your friends about the new date? After attending CCWG’s annual dinner last weekend their attendance was down 30% and half the attendees had the game on their phones.

We will re-send this notice several more times and hope all of your read it and can make the February 4 change.

David Hicks President

Do You Have Ineffective Vineyard Managers?

Members,

The board has heard from a number of members that they are having performance issues with hired vineyard managers. The issues include not timely spraying for PM and/or bird netting installed or either not being done at all. Additionally the handling of trapping for coons and skunks and not having crews available for harvest.

Your board wants to understand any and all of these types of potential problems. There is little folks can do this year but we need to discover the number and types problems and find solutions. One potential solution is to pool and collectively retain a provider for a group of our membership

Please let us know if your vineyard management provider HAS NOT performed to your satisfaction, and on the other hand if your particular provider HAS performed please let us know that as well?

Please email you response to Dave Ray at: Dave@reliezvalleyvineyards.com

Thanks, David Hicks, President

General membership meeting on Sunday, July 30th at 3pm

Members:

LWGA’s next membership meeting will be July 30 3:00 PM at Daniel Howsepians home in Lafayette, located at 3345 Hermosa Dr. off Reliez Valley Rd in Lafayette.  Ph # 925.828.7000.  

Our presentation at this meeting will be three of our Members,  Bill Scanlin, Eero Teerikorpi, and me, David Hicks will be pouring one of our award wining wines for your tasting and enological pleasure.  Each maker will describe the grape source details and outline the winemaking process and answer all your questions.  

Please feel free to bring your own wines and nibbles to share as is our custom.   

As growers and winemakers we all love that this year Mother Nature has been kind with ample rain, lots of sunshine and moderate temperatures which indication of a great crop throughout the State.  If you haven’t already begun getting suckers off your vines and leaves away from you grapes bunches get on it today.  Also pay attention the the angles of your tendrils if they are slumping down along your cane you are down a bit in water.  

Looking forward to seeing lots of you on Sunday July 30 at Daniels.

Regards,
David Hicks

2023 January 29 Meeting 3:PM at Bill Scanlin’s

Our first meeting of 2023 will be in 2 weeks on Sunday January 29 from 3 to 6 PM at Bill Scanlin’s lovely winery and home in Lafayette. Address 6 Lois Lane just off Happy Valley Rd and just up from Bart Station. Bill asks that if there are more than one in a car that you drop off folks and any wine at his home and then park your car in the free Sunday parking lot at Bart and walk up back to his home. Parking at his place is limited. Bring phone with light or a flash light

As is our custom the first 40 min is for wine tasting and socializing after which there will be two programs starting with Bill Pence who will discuss “Why you need to regularly walk and check out your vineyard even if you have a manager.” Bill’s second item is his successful netting system and procedure. Then Bill Scanlan will review “How to use the club’s web site successfully” using his large video presentation screen and system. Suggest being prepared to take notes? There will be a Q and A after each presentation.

As usual feel free to bring a bottle of your best wine to share and if so inclined it would be great if several of you would bring nibbles and other delectable eats for all to share? I know that you will be very well appreciated. Meetings we’ve had at Bill S place are quite well attended so come early. The association is returning to face to face meetings this year if covid etc. will leave us be.

If you have any questions please contact me at the address below and I look forward to seeing most of you on the 29th.

David Hicks, President. dh1780@yahoo.com

LWGA Holiday Party – RSVP today!

Hi Lamorinda Grape Growers and Winemakers!

Last call for those of you that haven’t yet signed up for the LWGA Holiday Party being held at Lafayette Playhouse on School Street this coming Sunday at 5:30.   There is still room for you sign up so please sign up here: https://forms.gle/vMKQ2FkmnjQ9yTPH9 Join your winegrower neighbors, member or not in celebrating.  

The event is fully catered, so all you have to bring is yourselves and your wine.  For those already signed up, we have a few spaces left if you would care to bring an out of town guest or an additional couple, please sign those folks up as well.

Prizes on offer for the ugliest sweaters and more!

RSVP today via https://forms.gle/vMKQ2FkmnjQ9yTPH9

We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday the 4th.

David Hicks

GREAT NEWS re: Holiday Party in December!

The Howsepian family has graciously provided our club the Lafayette Town Theater facility on Moraga Blvd for our Holiday and Christmas party which will be held on Sunday December 4th from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM. [the Dec 6 event at the Library is canceled] The facility will hold up to 70 people has a bar for pouring wine, and a delightful ambiance which is perfect for our event. THANK YOU Howsepian’s! In November you will receive a formal invitation to which you will need reply on line. First come first served. This is a club membership only event with each member able to bring their spouse, a significant other or one friend. We have planned a lovely selection of food for diner and ask all our members, pro and home winemakers, to bring wine for all to enjoy. Pay attention to this site for additional info and watch for the formal invite and respond?

Regards, David Hicks, President