Major blasts of cold air (for California) have presented themselves over the past week, bringing concern to citrus growers; however vineyards have been largely unaffected as most vines are dormant for the winter. There has been a bit of rain but nowhere near what it would take to get us out of our severe drought situation. A fair amount is forecast this week, so our fingers are crossed.
The last quarter of the year is traditionally a busy one in the wine business, and this year is no exception. Our Tasting Room saw heavy crowds with the Wine and Food Affair weekend, and the Wine Club Appreciation Weekend for wineries along Route #116. Now holiday shoppers are keeping Kaitlyn and crew busy.
In the winery, staff are dusting off the bottling machines in preparation for client bottling, followed by bottling of our own wines (Rose of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc) after the first of the year.
This year has been a good one for Taft Street. Our distributors throughout the country are making headway, our Tasting Room sales are expanding, and our direct to consumer (on line) sales have shown remarkable growth. Perhaps most significantly we believe we have found an excellent fit with our new California Distributor – Henry Wine Group. We have been working closely with them developing a strategy for 2016. All this is dependent on quality wines, and our reputation as a top of the line producer continues to grow.
With all the above in mind we are quite pleased to announce the addition of Erin O’Brien as Assistant Winemaker. Erin is a professional with over fifteen years in the wine business, including stints at Truett Hurst/VML Winery and Joel Gott Wines. Erin will work closely with Winemaker Evelyn White to maintain the high quality of our own wines as well as the wines of our custom crush clients. Welcome aboard Erin!
All of us at Taft Street Winery wish you a peaceful and joyous Holiday Season!
Cheers!
Mike Tierney
And everyone in the Taft Street Family