When SiMi passed away, we knew of a young female Akita which had been rescued and was in a foster home, waiting for adoption. So, Pauline and I didn't wait any longer, drove to Belleville and came back home with a new addition to the family. We named her "Kinu" which means "silk" in Japanese, because her coat is smooth and soft like silk. Here is a picture of her.

Sad Halloween

On Halloween night, we lost our veteran vineyard security dog, SiMi. She was adopted from the Akita Rescue network and thought to be around 11 years old. She loved to run around the vineyard and make sure no raccoon came in. She will be missed.

At the winery, we had stuck fermentation everywhere. The fermentation of all four Pinot Noir fermenters and the Pinot Gris tank had stopped just short of the expected end. So, we had to innoculate and get the fermentation going again. So far, so good.

The "vignerons"

Here is a picture from the 2006 harvest when Pauline and I picked the very first cluster. Our total crop, then, was 30 kilograms of Pinot Gris and 100 kilograms of Pinot Noir. Well, the 2007 harvest is finally over. From Thanksgiving Day, October 8 to the 10th, our friends helped us pick 969 kilograms of Pinot Gris. Thank you to the ladies: Alison, Catherine, Jane, Karen, Mags and Rolande, and to the gentlemen: Bruno, Christian, Dave, Derek and Derek, Deryck, Doug, Jens, Mike and Terry. The cost of your work: bottles of our wines. Your friendship: "priceless". The following week we picked the Pinot Noir from 4 separate blocks. Working with professional pickers from other vineyards and a handful of friends, we, quickly, picked just over 3,000 kilograms/3 tonnes. For a first experience with a large crop, it was very intense. But at the end of the day, very worthwhile. Again, Pauline and I are very grateful to all the pickers.

Harvest 2007

As the long range weather forecast calls for lots of rain after Oct. 14, we have to start picking the grapes sooner than anticipated. Friends will join Pauline and I on Monday morning to pick the Pinot Gris. There is about 1.5 tonnes of grapes on the vines.