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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

LWGA Colleagues,

We at Captain Vineyards are offering our grapes this year as our winemaker Sal Captain has a knee injury. We might have not met some of you yet, so here is a little bit about us.

We’re a founding member of LWGA and I served 15 years on the board. We operate a micro boutique (~350 cases per year) family vineyard and winery rated 5 stars on Google, Yelp and Trip Advisor. In 2005, we planted six red, French varieties, naturally grown and dry-farmed on our Moraga hillside in clay loam soil.

Below is an approximation of the amount available, and producing an expected 6 tons this year:

Petite Sirah –  Est. Tons: 3.0 Vine Count: 1200 Clone: 03NM Rootstock: 3309C
Petit Verdot – Est. Tons: 1.5 Vine Count: 700 Clone: 400 Rootstock: 101-14
Cabernet Sauvignon – Est. Tons: 0.9 Vine Count: 200 Clone: 169 Rootstock: 420
Cabernet Franc – Est. Tons: 0.5 Vine Count: 700 Clone: 214BE Rootstock: 3309
Pinot Noir – Est. Tons: 0.8 Vine Count: 700 Clone: 115BE Rootstock: 101-14
Grenache – (negligible) Vine Count: 50

We’ve won county and statewide recognition for our green and sustainable practices.

NBC “California live” at Captain Vineyards

Please contact us to arrange a visit to our vineyard/winery to discuss details and logistics!

Cheers!

Susan Captain

www.captainvineyards.com

Email us: sara@captainvineyards.com, Call or Text us: 415-960-7053

Greetings, dear wine folks!

Our meetings would be even more enjoyable, if we all got into the habit of bringing something tasty to share. Good wine and good food, after all, are meant for each other!

So please bring an appetizer, warm dish or dessert to share to the meeting tomorrow, July 30th 3:00 to 6pm PM at Daniel and Annemieke Howsepian’s home, located at 3345 Hermosa Dr. off Reliez Valley Rd in Lafayette.  Ph # 925.828.7000

Hi, my husband and I are wondering if anyone in the LMGA has had any experience with the green laser for deterring birds from your vineyard. Manufacturer is the Bird Control Group out of the Netherlands.

Thanks so much,

Karen and Todd Watson

Hello All – 

I am happy to announce that Crane Terrace Winery is now a Bonded winery!  

For those of you we have yet to meet, we have 4500 vines in the rolling hills of the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood in Orinda.  The vineyard was planted in 2003.  We grow Syrah, Grenache, Chardonnay, and Roussanne.  

I’d like to thank Andrea Anderson of Beer and Wine Services, Inc. who has been an outstanding guide and compliance person, navigating the entire process for us (really, she does it all). If you need help with becoming bonded or compliance, Andrea can be reached at 707-942-6911.  Her website is www.beer-and-wine-services.com.

Cheers! 

Leanne Pilot 

Crane Terrace Winery

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

Our next Lamorinda Wine Growers meeting will be on July 30th at the lovely vineyard home of Daniel and Anniemeke Howsepian. Please mark your calendars and reserve July 30th, 3pm to 6pm, for what will be an interesting, informative and fun event. Lamorinda winemakers with award winning wines will be pouring their wines and describing how the grapes were grown and the wines were made. An interactive question and answer session will follow, so we can all learn new ways to grow better grapes or make better wine. There also will be ample time for socializing, and Howsepian vineyard/cellar tours as well.

Secondly, if you have recently won an award for your wine and are interested in sharing your wine and talking about it at the meeting, please email Gerard van Steyn at gerardvs1@gmail.com with information about your awards.

The reminder….

Our annual celebration of the Lamorinda AVA is coming up May 7. If you haven’t got your tickets yet, members have a discounted rate! Purchase your tickets here: https://www.tinyurl.com/LWGAMay7

The request…

We’re looking to borrow the following for the event. Let us know if you have any of the following:

• water dispenser
• A frame for street signage, or a realtors open house sign
• speakers (and if you’d like to be the DJ / play list coordinator) – last years speakers were loaned
• table decorations (about 6) – flowers from home, or similar

Looking forward to the celebrations!

Dear Members,

On Sunday May 7 2023 from 1 to 5 our bonded wineries will be holding their second annual bonded members wine tasting event.  Dave Ray has again offered to hold the event behind his property located behind the Wine Thieves building on Mt Diablo Blvd.  We are inviting all bonded winery members of LWGA to participate.  This event was a great success last year and we expect an even bigger one this year.  Please mark the date on your events calendar round up your friends and relations and attend?

This year the board is reaching out to the general membership asking you to please help us put on this event?  We are asking for at least 10 of our members to volunteer to help that day?  We will be breaking the day into morning and afternoon shifts. The morning shift will arrive by 10 AM  and help out till 1 PM to assist in setting up tents, tables, signs, ticket taking, and other stuff as needed.  We would like the afternoon shift to arrive by 4 PM to assist in helping take down, pick up, and general clean up for the event.  Last year we finished up by 6:30 PM.  

I look forward to hearing from you ASAP so please contact me at the ph # below or at dh1780@yahoo.com? 

David Hicks, President LWGA