Well, it’s time to fire up the old blog, after almost a year’s hiatus after our lovely and talented bloggerette Erin Barrett left for new pastures last year. Now it’s my turn, as winemaker, to put up some thoughts now and again. Our tasting room staff members will also be helping out and chiming in regularly, just to keep things interesting. We will definitely stay in touch more frequently now that we’re back up and running.
We are writing this, of course, here in Oakland—the heart of urban winemaking. It may seem as though we would be taking a little … Read more
Winemaking is only part of the equation here at Dashe Cellars—the vineyards and the personalities that create the grapes we use in our wines are an essential (Mike would say the most essential) part of making complex wines. With that in mind, we decided to devote a few blogs to highlighting the people behind the grapes at Dashe Cellars. Today’s profile is one of our most celebrated grape-growers, Mr. Jack Florence.
The Florence Vineyard Zinfandel is one of our most popular wines here at Dashe Cellars. Each year, it walks away with high scores and accolades from wine critics across … Read more
As old vine zinfandel producers, we’re often asked how old a vine must be to be called “old vine.” There’s not really a legal definition for “old vine,” leaving the issue a bit hazy.
Some zinfandel producers have a general rule of thumb about how to classify the age of the grapes they use, but most would agree that anything 50-years-old and older can be considered “old vine.” That’s the standard we use when we label a wine “old vines,” such as our Todd Brothers Ranch or Louvau Vineyard bottlings.
Why call anything “old vine” anyway? What’s the difference? The … Read more
Filmmakers Martin and Matt Carel are producing a movie on natural winemaking in California, working title: The Proof is in the Vine: Natural Wine in California. Martin came to the winery on Monday and interviewed Mike about natural winemaking. Take a moment to check out the Wino Brothers’ website to read about Martin’s visit, see the interview, and learn more about their upcoming film. Or go directly to the video:
A Visit to Dashe Cellars — http://vimeo.com/20771728… Read more
First, congratulations to Sheila O. who won February’s Monkey & Fish Photo Challenge. Keep sending in those shots!
And, last week, February 24th and 25th, we bottled several of our wines (see blog entry State of the Union). We promised to post a few pictures, so here’s a quick look at the process. To watch it live, in action, take a peek at our video on our Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/fYlSDv.… Read more
State of the Union
Today and tomorrow (the 24th and 25th), we’re bottling our 2009 Todd Brothers Ranch and Louvau Vineyard Old Vine Zinfandels, our 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, and four of our 2010 vintage wines: The Grenache, the Vin Gris, the Riesling and the McFadden Zin. This is always a high point—and the most nerve-racking—in the wine making process. It’s satisfying to see the wine move out of the barrels and into bottles. And it never fails to amaze us when we watch thousands of gallons of wine being put into bottles, one-fifth … Read more
On Tuesday, Mike and Anne kicked off our new Monkey & Fish Photo Challenge — a monthly competition, which we named after our logo. And, having a distinctive logo, of course, means fielding the perennial question in the tasting room: “What’s with the monkey and fish?” We don’t mind being asked, obviously. We’re pretty proud of it. Hey, we named the blog after it, and we named our new photo contest after it! We clearly like the story.
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When Anne and Mike started Dashe Cellars in 1996, they weren’t sure what they wanted to put on their bottles. They … Read more
There are several different ways that people define the term “natural wine making,” and these discrepancies have, at times, caused much debate and argument in the wine world. Perhaps you’ve noticed. New York Times columnist Eric Asimov (whose writing we love) wrote about this somewhat charged issue several months ago.
What’s In a Word?
Anne and Mike gingerly dipped their toes into natural wine making years ago. Loosely they define “natural” as being as non-interventionist as possible. They start by selecting vineyards with what they consider distinctive characteristics—a special combination of soil, aspect, and climate that together make wine that … Read more
In honor of ZAP‘s upcoming 20th Annual Zinfandel Festival on January 27-29, and to kick off the brand-spankin’ new Dashe Cellars blog, Monkey and Fish Tales, we think it only apropos we should talk about the very first wine that Mike and Anne Dashe created together: The 1996 Dry Creek Zinfandel. Although now each vintage of Dry Creek Zin wins its share of approval and awards, when they started the winery in 1996, they weren’t sure how their bare-bones, by-the-skin-of-their-teeth winery would turn out.
Who?
Anne and Mike met in 1995. He was an assistant winemaker at Ridge … Read more
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