All posts by David Hicks - 2. page

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

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

Sorry for the typo regarding the date. The correct date is the 29th of January, not the 19th which is a Thursday. Sorry for that.

DH

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

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

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

Dave Rey has asked me to remind members attending Sunday’s meeting to kindly park on Mt. Diablo Blvd and not in the Wine Thieves Parking lot.

Thanks, See you all Sunday.

DH

Be sure to attend our Fall meeting at Wine Thieves Sunday at 3:00 PM. As is our custom several of our kind members usually bring an hors-d’oeuvre tray or three to accompany the fine wine provided by our other kind members. We hope it stays nice and warm as it has been but bring a jacket just in case?

David Hicks, President

Hi winemakers, Next Sunday is our Fall meeting at Wine Thieves lower courtyard. We will be discussing this years harvest with a Q and A as well as any other wine and grape topics and questions you may have. Bring a bottle of your finest wine to share along with friends and guests who love wines and reconnect with other members whom you have not seen due to the covid pause. We will be having snacks for all. I look forward to seeing all or you there. David Hicks, President

Good evening Lamroinda Wine Makers. We will be having our Fall meeting as guests of Dave Rey and Wine Thieves from 3 to 6 PM Sunday Oct 23. Dave is again kindly providing us with the patio area just outside of his wine storage facility. He has requested that you please park on the street as parking behind the store is limited. Please bring a bottle of your favorite wine to share with others? There will be nibbles. Since many of us have recently completed picking and are in the process of wine making we will have some discussions about picking and winemaking as will have several of our more experienced growers and winemakers to answer questions and lead discussions. We will additionally focus on the social after our long hiatus.

We’ve set the date of December 6 for our resumed Holiday Season Fiesta to be held at the Lafayette library great room from 6 to 9 PM. Stay tuned for more info to come.

See you all at Wine Thieves on the 23d?

David Hicks, President.