A Long Winter's Nap

The grape vines at Robert Hall’s estate vineyards work very hard to deliver perfect clusters with exquisite character, rich flavors and deep color. After harvest we treat them to plenty of nutrients to replenish them before they shut down for the winter. They reward us with a short burst of beautiful color prior to the frost turning their leaves a rusty brown. Once their trunks are full with a store of nutrients and the weather turns cold they take a long, well deserved nap in anticipation of rapid growth in the spring.

The vines at Robert Hall may take a long winter’s nap during the winter months; however, the rest of the Robert Hall team stays busy. Being new to the marketing team, Robert Hall himself decided to give me the full tour of all the departments, the winery facilities and the Robert Hall estate. Here is the inside scoop on what happens during the month of December.
 

The face of Robert Hall is the tasting room and our tour began there. The hospitality staff is as busy as Santa’s elves in December. Extra merchandise is brought in to stock the shelves, complimentary cheeses and gourmet items are put out for sampling and the entire staff will often be found constructing gift boxes for the large, special orders received from many of the corporate customers. Tasters gather round the large golden bear to have photos taken (the bear is a giant trophy marking when Robert Hall Winery was honored with the Golden State Winery award). Not to mention the staff provides tours of the large wine caverns with barrel sampling several times each day.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the next building over, the event staff is also busy in December with caterers coming and going to host the many holiday parties held in the tastefully decorated event rooms at Robert Hall. The Library is perfect for small groups, the Meritage Room is ideal for large parties or corporate meetings and then for the full winery experience the wine caverns themselves are often used. The big event open to the public is the New Year’s Eve party – this year the winery is hosting two separate events, both with a Twilight Masquerade theme. The room decorations have been order, the mystical masks are stacked waiting for the party and ticket sales have been going extremely well, so if you want to attend be sure to order your tickets soon.
 

Over in the winery, the cellar workers are also working hard. Several of the wines have completed malolactic fermentation and are being racked and barreled down to quietly age. Tanks and winery equipment is constantly being cleaned in preparation for the next winery operation. The 2011 Rosé was being bottled the day Robert took me on the winery tour. There is nothing like watching the pretty pink bottles circling the line as they are filled, sealed, labeled and boxed. The Robert Hall Rosé always sells out quickly so I was delighted to have received a sneak preview with a bottle straight off the line.
 

The winemaker, Don Brady, has his hands full in December as well. In addition to overseeing all winery operations, his main focus in on planning for 2012. Bottling is an on-going activity, so managing inventory, crafting the blends, ordering labels and scheduling never ends. Then although the vineyards are dormant, taking a nap, crop sizes and 2012 wines are already being planned. Knowing the estate vineyards will not be able to supply all the wines required, Don wants to be first to secure contracts with the highest quality growers in the area, so he has been running around viewing vineyards, discussing grower practices and making deals.
 

The vineyard team is also busy. In 2008, Robert Hall Winery achieved Certified Sustainability in Practice (SIP) standards which entailed an independent third party audit of the vineyard and winery’s practices by our industry peers. As true stewards of the land, environmental sustainability is practiced to conserve our earth's natural resources. These practices mean extra work but the results make it worthwhile. Every other row in the vineyard is “ripped” deep to turn the soil. Compost and soil amendments are applied under the vines providing nutrients for plant growth, increasing the soil organic matter, mitigating soil erosion and optimizing water absorption. Now is the time to catch up on any maintenance repairing posts, replacing signs and general clean-up. It won’t be long before the teams of vineyard workers will be out pruning every plant. With the Home Vineyard, Terrace Vineyard, Bench Vineyard and Brady Vineyard, Robert Hall’s estate vineyard total around 250 acres. That keeps the vineyard team busy all year round.
 

Well that gives you a bit of the inside story of what happens here at Robert Hall in December. I’ll try to keep you posted each month through this blog. Oh…and if you are wondering what I am doing this December, I am working on a major website redesign, so be sure to check that out late January.
 

Happy Holidays!