Winemaker scared, but not of Harvest

OK, so harvest this year has had it's challenges. Between having broken presses, rainfall, broken down trucks and ravaging deer I probably should have started to go crazy a little while ago. my wife Jen says I did, but I think that she is just talking about my normal charming ways.

Harvest has been hard, but what really has me shaking in my boots is the amount of private tastings that I fear may be in the 2009 season. In case any of you did not already know we at Tarara have a little deal going this football season. A deal that might have my cocky attitude knocked down a notch, some hope anyway. The deal is that anyone who buys a case of wine on Sunday or Monday to celebrate their favorite football team can be entered into the pool. I being a Northerner my whole life (from Canada, but close to the border) am a huge Buffalo Bills fan. At the start of the season I made the deal that if the Washington Redskins had a better season then the Bills I would do a private tasting for those entered in to the pool from case purchases on Sunday's or Monday's.

I was very confident this would be no challenge a week ago with my perfect 4-0 team. Well.....now the Skins have beaten the Cowboys and the Eagles in two weeks (two huge victories) and bringing them to 4-1, while my Bills lost to Kurt Warner and his Cardinals (after last weeks performance by Warner, I thought this game was a shoe in for me) making the Bills 4-1. On top of that the Bills have now lost starting QB Trent Edwards to a concussion. Bad news for me, great news for any case buyers on our Football days.

That all said, I have a huge recommendation to any of you reading this blog. November 1st we have a huge release of a brand new wine at Tarara. If you are a football fan and a fan of huge reds, I recommend you stop by and check out this new wine. If you come of November 2nd it also happens to be a Sunday so if you buy a case it could make the wine purchase even more fun if Buffalo's luck carries over from yesterday.

So, as much as I would like to sit here and sweat about the football season, I do still have to make some great wine for you to drink. Today, we crush Petit Verdot and we will let our Merlot (from the Hill Block), Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon hang through this stretch of great weather we are supposed to have. I hope to see many of you here over the month of October (Virginia's Wine Month) and into November and further enjoying some of our new releases for Thanksgiving and this exciting football season.

Cheers!