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If you would like to be included or excluded from the Lafayette Community Directory soon to be published , please let me know immediately.  Currently we have:

Deer Hill Vineyards www.deerhillvineyards.com 925.283.2421

Captain Vineyards www.captainvineyards.com 925.631.0714

Parkmon Vineyards www.parkmon.com 925.631.7981

Los Arabis Vineyards www.losarabisvineyards.com 510.406.5680

Bullfrog Creek Vineyard www.bullfrogcreekvineyard.com 925.377.0433

Last One Picked Vineyards www.orindavineyards.com 925.210.0113

Vincenza Ranch and Winery of Moraga www.vincenzaranch.com 925.260.9734

Below are the Candidate Statements for the five open board positions that we will vote on after the next General Membership Meeting on January 31st.

Susan Captain

Since the inception of LWGA in 2005, I have served on the board in various capacities, mostly in sustainable educational information Sal and I gain from attending several seminars/ classes/ symposiums as well as being members of the Wine Institute and the California Grape Growers Association.  I also served as President of LWGA for 2 years, and I am on the AVA committee.

Currently, I am spending much effort with other members of our association to ensure that any rules and  regulations being prepared by the Moraga city planning department will be -growers/winemakers friendly-;    these rules are likely to be duplicated by Orinda and Lafayette.  I would like to seek your support again to continue serving.  Many Thanks

Carol Haag

I’m Carol Haag and the current Vice President of the Board.  I have been on the Board since 2009, serving as the Education Chair and Secretary.  My husband, Larry, and I joined LWGA in 2008 as grape growers and have enjoyed the camaraderie and dedication of the group’s members and the educational value from being a member.

In addition to being a grape grower, I am the small business owner of two companies, Scientific Symposiums International and Haag Associates Management Consulting.  Prior to owning my own businesses, I was in executive positions at Fortune 500 companies in the Bay Area and Chicago and feel that my corporate and non-profit experience continues to be an asset to the organization by serving as a Board member.

As a Board member, I have contributed to the growth and higher profile of LWGA within the Lamorinda community through several projects, including those with the California Independent Film Festival (CAIFF), the Town of Moraga, the Moraga Chamber of Commerce and Saint Mary’s College of California. I am an early supporter of the AVA and as a Board member have worked on its many phases through submission to be recognized as the Lamorinda AVA.

I believe that LWGA is a valuable Lamorinda community asset, whose full potential is only beginning to be realized, especially with the AVA designation.  I would like to continue to contribute to this exciting growth of the organization and would appreciate your vote as a LWGA Board member.  Thank you.

Saied Nazeri

My name is Saied Nazeri and I have lived in town of Moraga since 2003. My wife and I have a small vineyard of about 600 vines and are growing three varietals: Syrah, Pinot Noir and Merlot.  We were among the original founding members of the LWGA.

Over the last ten years I have served our organization as a board member in various capacities.  I started as the vice president for a number of years until last year when, with the new incoming board members, I assumed the role of board secretary.

Our achievements as an organization of growers or wine making families have been impressive as has the quality of wines we produce.  We are very close to achieving another important milestone by securing our AVA status.  I would like to continue to remain on the board for one more term to help with this exciting transition.   Thank you

Dave Rey

My name is Dave Rey and I am a candidate for reelection to the Board.  My family and I have have a small vineyard and winery in Lafayette called Reliez Valley Vineyards.  I am a longtime member and I am completing my second term on the Board.  My primary focus for the last four years has been the creation of the Lamorinda AVA.  I would like to serve one more term so that I can see the AVA effort through until completion.

Bill Scanlin

My name is Bill Scanlin, and I planted our vineyard in Lafayette in 1998.  We have been growing grapes and making wine since then with Deer Hill Vineyards becoming a bonded winery in 2010. I have served on the board of LWGA since 2008; managing the website and handling other administrative duties.

I believe that we have a great opportunity with our upcoming AVA to become a highly regarded viticultural area.  I would like to see our organization promote educational opportunities for both grape growers and wine makers, and I would also like to see us host social events to foster communication between our members and the community.  I would appreciate your support!

LWGA Members,

Happy Holidays!

We have a new “Classified” area on the Lamorinda Winegrowers site available to sell wine growing/making equipment, grapes and wine related real estate.  If we need other wine/related catagories, please let us know.

If you have questions or are interested in having classified items posted, please send an email with a description, price, contact information and attach any relevent pictures to: info@lamorindawinegrowers.com

LWGA Board

Below is a link to the presentation Leslie made at the Lafayette library this fall.

This is a large power point presentation.  Be patient as it may take time to download to your computer.

HISTORY OF WINE IN LAMORINDA

vS Wines

Eleven years ago a friend started making wine from a kit. I thought, if he can do it surely I could as well.  So after reading every winemaking book we could find and getting advice from the winemakers at Oak Barrel in Berkeley, my wife Kathryn and I made our first vintage in 2005 using Napa Valley grapes we picked.  For the next six years we sourced grapes from a high-end vineyard near the top of Mt. Veeder.  The fruit was always concentrated, but did have issues with Ph/acid balance and the uniformity of ripeness.  Using other folks fruit got us thinking that with our own vineyard, we would have nobody else to point to if we had concerns with the fruit!

We were renting at the time in Lafayette and so set about seeking a home. One of my primary criteria was that it would be well-suited for a vineyard and fruit trees.  Kathryn primarily wanted room for her 4 chickens, and secondly our three children.  We found our current home located on Johnson Rd, Lafayette in early 2012 and hired a vineyard manager to plant 620 two-year old vines on a south-facing slope.  The grapes are 70% cabernet and the remainder are Malbec, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot. We also planted 40 fruit trees and 30 berry bushes.  This year was our first harvest!

Kathryn and I took over vineyard management this year. Our vineyard manager was doing a decent job, but we felt hands-on would be better.  It has been more work than we anticipated, but we are enjoying the experience and all we have learned. Also, many years after escaping from the dairy farm of my youth, getting back into growing and using our hands has been a nice change.

We are excited about the growth of vineyards and wine in the Lamorinda area and the potential for our collective AVA!

Gerard and Kathryn van Steyn

In accordance with our LWGA Bylaw, this request is sent to all members in good standing who might be interested in serving on the Board of Directors.  There are 5 positions available and it is a 2 year term.  We meet typically the first Monday evening of every month.  Attendance is mandatory, unless prior and appropriate notice is provided to the President.

If interested, please send your Candidacy Statements to Bill Scanlin (bscanlin@gmail.com) who will then add to our website.  You will have the opportunity to introduce yourself to the Membership at the January General Meeting and voting on line will take place the following week.

Hoping to see you all at the Dec.15th Libation!

Established in 2014 by Kindra and Scott Sampson, Cinque Capre Vineyards sits in the heart of beautiful Rheem Valley in Moraga, CA.  Having moved from Connecticut in July 2014, our family of four quickly adapted to life in Lamorinda, enjoying all the unique “amenities” of our new home, which included not only a vineyard, but a barn housing 5 pygmy goats.  It seemed only fitting that we name the vineyard after our beloved new pets, the “Five Goats.”  (Photo Below from Left to Right: Oreo (white & black), Pablo, Billy (standing in the tree), Shadow (black) and Jasper).  Cinque Capre means Five Goats in Italian. Our vineyard sits on a gentle up-slope overlooking the house and consists of 350 Petit Syrah vines that love the warm days and cool nights in Rheem Valley. Like several different Lamorinda wineries, we grow our own grapes and produce and age our wine on the premises.  The first of our vintages (2014) is currently aging in French oak and is big and bold.  It will have aged more than two years in oak, as we expect to bottle it sometime in 2016.  The 2015 harvest yielded 40% fewer grapes, but luckily the decreased production did not impact the quality of the grapes.  Boasting the same beautiful deep purple color, the 2015 vintage is also aging in French Oak and will be ready for bottling in 2017.  We’ve come to appreciate both the work and art of wine making.  We’ve now grown accustom to the rush around harvest, the nights of plunging the cap as must is fermenting, and the weekly sampling of wine to ensure it is aging the right way. Our family is loving life in Moraga and has enjoyed learning about the winegrowing and production.  We felt fortunate to meet the Captain family and Sal and Susan Captain have been tremendously helpful in teaching us the basics of wine making.  Rheem Valley has a long history of agriculture and we are proud to carry on that tradition.  We hope to expand our vineyard in 2016-2017 by planting some additional white varietals on our ten acre property.  We are excited by the prospects that Lamorinda may boast its own AVA designation in the coming months.  We hope that it presents our community with the unique opportunity to further fuel the area into a legitimate wine-growing region.   We were blessed to have family and friends here to help with our 2015 harvest, which we know will continue to be a big part of the reason we will continue to love making wine.

• 1 plant        =      7.70 lbs.
• 1 ton          =      2, 000 lbs.
• 1 pound     =      0.075 gallons
• 1 ton          =      150  gallons
• 1 ton   =    63 to 66 cases
• 1 acre         =      1 ½ to 6 tons  (+or-)
• 1 vine         =      3.2 bottles
• 1 bottle       =     .75 liter (750ml)
• 5 bottles     =      0.990752 gallons
• 1 case        =      2.37753 gallons
• 1 gallon      =      3.785 liters
• 1 barrel       =     25 liters (300 bottles)
• 1 barrel       =     25 cases
• 100 liters = 26.42 gal. = 11.14 cases = 133 bottles
• 5 tons of grapes = 3,985 bottles of wine = 15,940 glasses of wine = 13.5 barrels of wine
• one barrel of wine = 59 gallons of wine = 1,180 glasses of wine = 24.6 cases of wine
• one case of wine = 30 pounds of grapes =48 glasses of wine = 12 bottles of wine
• ONE bottle of wine = 2.4 pounds of grapes
• 5.5 gal carboy =  2.31 cases =  25 1/4 bottles
• 73 lbs of grapes = one carboy
• It takes 6 (5 gal) buckets of grapes to fill a 32 gal fermentor  with grapes. Approx. 150 – l70 lbs of grapes.
• It takes 8 to 9 (5 gal) buckets to fill a 32 gal fermentor with must to the 20 gal step.
• 3 gallon carboy = 3 gallons 18 oz., or 402 oz, = 1.26 cases = 15 bottles
• 5.5 gallon carboy = 5 gallons 48 oz. (3 pints),  or 688 oz
• 1 ton of grapes = 2.7 barrels
• 1 ton of grapes = 66.4 cases, 797 bottles.

Info thanks to Tom Morehouse.