Harvest News -- 2008 Vintage

• Vines: Quality was the rule over quantity as the total yield from this year's grape harvest was 6.5 tons, down by about one third from last year. This decrease was quite common across California's wine country of the "north coast" and we can point to water stress from near-drought conditions, juice-sucking bees, (read more...)
  
  
• Animals: The sheep and dog are repatriating to the vineyard for the winter. The rooster got nabbed by a coyote. Deb co-hosts "Sheep School," and Agnes and Gus sneak behind the bushes to... (read more...)
  
  
• Wines: So much news! Our 2008 syrah rosé has come through a long, slow fermentation and its first racking. The 2007 vintage of The Odyssey, our syrah-cabernet blend, was bottled with help from Patty and Paul in late September, just in time to make room in the barrels for the 2008 vintage we harvested, crushed, and pressed with Beth, John, Jennifer and Ed on September 30. Also, the 2005 Hill Climber (from Robert Biale) Sonoma Valley Syrah called "Jack & Jill," mostly made from Kiger grapes is now available! (read more...)
  
  
• Cheers: As always there were new adventures in sharing our wine -- at home and on the road -- and we have lots of new pictures to prove it! (new pix...)
  
  
• Farming: The BuSSToP (acronym for the Barn Storage Shed Testosterone Palace) is complete! KFV farm equipment storage has never had it so good. The compost and mineral amendments have been delivered and John contributed to an article (read more...)

We welcome your updates too! Please drop a line to tell us what's up. The next news update from here will be early Spring 2009, just after pruning.  

Cheers, l'chaim, and salute,
John & Deb

Kiger Family Vineyards is a member of the
Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance