All posts by Raisin d'Etre Vineyards

What a beautiful day it was for the pruning workshop on Sunday, March 8, 2026. After a cancellation due to weather, we got the workshop on before it was too late.

There were 9 eager participants to learn as much as possible. The workshop was scheduled between 1-3, but everyone wanted to continue and review the pruning and all that goes with it until 4 PM! WOW

After the field work, there was time for a cellar tour and some wine tasting and we enjoyed a wonderful cheese and dip appetizer with a lively discussion on grape growing & winemaking.

Great outcome with great LWGA members. If you missed this one, I’ll most likely will hold another workshop next year. 😎

Hello LWGA Members

I am happy to announce that the Pruning Workshop can now be rescheduled for Sunday, March 8, 2026 from 1-3 PM

Anyone interest please send me an email and I’ll have you on the list for the workshop.

Please remember that there is a 10 person limit to the workshop, and will be based of first come, first served. So don’t delay with your response if you are interested on the topic of pruning your vines.

I look forward to seeing you all on March 8!

Daniel Howsepian

Raisin d’Etre Vineyards

925-858-7000

Hello fellow LWGA wine lovers;

I have prepared below the results of the compiled harvest reports for your review. I would like to thank everyone who responded to my requests for your harvest report. The numbers below are a total of the information I was able to gather from the responses. I am sure the numbers are a little low because I have not received responses from everyone. The numbers below are in pounds reported.

Cab Sauvignon 18,589

Merlot 4,056

Pinot Noir 10,705

Petit Sirah 6,850

Sauv. Blanc 760

Cabernet Franc 570

Tempranillo 837

Sangiovese 3,225

Chardonnay 3,315

Petit Verdot 900

Syrah 3,887

Zinfandel 3,440

Malbec 907

Grenache 1,300

Mourvèdre 1,500

Total reported gross Harvest combined for 2024 is 60,741 pounds

Well done everyone! You can see we have a wide variety of grapes for everyone’s tastes.

Looking forward to 2025!

Thanks again for your participation!!

Sincerely:

Daniel Howsepian

Raisin d’Etre Vineyards

Hello fellow grape growers.

If you remember, last year I tried to have a pruning workshop but it got cancelled twice due to weather.

I’m going to give it another try on Feb 1, 2025 @ 10 AM. And the weather forecast is looking good!

I have five spots left on this workshop and if you are interested, please send me an e-mail to:

Raisindetrevineyards@gmail.com and the first five to respond can join us.

Looking forward to seeing you in the vineyard for this special workshop!

Daniel Howsepian

Raisin d’Etre Vineyards

925-858-7000

Hello fellow LWGA members:

I am in the middle of trying to complete my annual Harvest Report for 2024. Unfortunately, I am far from completion because many of you have not responded to my earlier request for your harvest information.

I need your names; Vineyard name; total gross weights of each varietal you grow and any other information you may wish to share.

Please send this information to: Raisindetrevineyards@gmail.com

I am supposed to complete this by 12/31/24

Thank you again for providing this information.

Please call me at : 925-858-7000 if you have any questions.

Daniel Howsepian

I hope by now you have all harvested your grapes and are now barreled down and less stressed with the harvesting tasks.

As you know, every year we collect information to see how the association is doing with harvest. We have had great input from our members and hope to do the same this year.

I would like to request that you please send me the following information:

Your vineyard name

Amount of your yield in pounds. ie: 1,250 #

Varietal of your grapes. ie. Cab Sauvignon, Merlot, etc

Any comments you may like to share on this year’s harvest

All this information is only to compare year to year LWGA harvest. Your personal information will not be shared and the report will only have data, no names on it and will be shared with the membership only.

Please get this information to me by November 30, 2024

Thank you again for participating! And happy winemaking!😎

Please call me @ 925-858-7000 if you have any questions.

Sincerely:

Daniel Howsepian

LWGA Board Member

Petit Sirah and Grenache Grapes available 2024

Hello fellow LWGA members, we are looking for a winemaker to make wine out of our 2024 PS and G grape harvest! We anticipate a fruit yield of about 500 pounds of Grenache and 1000 pounds of PS.  

The heat has really worked in our favor this year, as here in south Moraga we are usually on the later side of maturity. According to our vineyard manager, we are on course for harvesting in late September/Early October. Unfortunately, professional and personal commitments prevent us from making our own wine this year. Instead, we will be responsible for the harvest, and you can make the wine!

Please contact me for any further info and to discuss details.

Doug Tucker 
cell (510) 913-0930
dtuckermd@gmail.com

Hello fellow LWGA members:

On Sunday, July 14, (also known as Bastille Day), LWGA hosted our bi-monthly general meeting at Daniel & Annemieke Howsepian’s Home and Raisin d’Etre Vineyard in Lafayette. We were all very pleasantly relieved that the weather was perfect for this meeting, especially given what we were dealing with recently.

31 members were present for the meeting which made for a great opportunity to interact with fellow members.
There was a very nice presentation of appetizers and wine offered by our attending members for everyone enjoyment.

Marcy Ryan-Nicol and Bill Saupe, our educational committee members, planned a detailed presentation of about 30 minutes regarding vineyard canopy management. Bill Saupe made the presentation and there was a lively Q&A throughout the presentation. Members walked about the vineyard and into the RDV Wine Production Cellar as well.

We are always happy to see each other at these meeting and look forward to seeing those that could not make this meeting at the next one in September.

Until then,

Respectfully Submitted

Daniel Howsepian

Hello fellow LWGA grape growers:

By now, everyone should have their harvest in for 2023.

Earlier this month, I had sent out a request for your harvest information. Thank you for those that have already responded, but there are many who have not yet responded.

Without getting all our vineyard information, I will not be able to get an accurate tally to compare with previous years as is our goal. I only have this week to complete my report, so if you have not yet sent in your harvest information, by varietal and pounds yielded, please do so by Wednesday, November 30, 2023.

Please send your information directly to me at: 5powderhounds@gmail.com

Thanks!

Daniel

Officially, the end of the growing season for 2023 vintners is over. And what a year! It was the best of vintages, it was the worst of vintages… For some growers and winemakers, this was a remarkable year for quality, and for others not as good. 2023 started late with exceptional moisture and delayed bud break. However, the growing season went along without any major heat waves or disruptions for an excellent extended growing season. I hope you had a good season.

Every year, the LWGA collects member information about your harvests. We would like to know what your gross weight yield in pounds (stems and all) was per varietal. I will accumulate this information anonymously by varietal and have a comparison spreadsheet from prior years to see how we’re doing.

Please send me your information soon so that I might be able to share this information with everyone very soon for an anticipated vigorous discussion.

Thank you!

Daniel Howsepian 5powderhounds@gmail.com

925-858-7000