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not enough and too much are both right answers...
A lot of attention has been given
health and wine since
the French Paradox was released
years ago. And what
has stood the test of time and
studies is Healthy
Hearts and Wine. The benefits come
in different
doses for each gender and the
rewards follow a bell-
shaped curve. The bell-shaped curve
points out that
drinking a modest amount is better
than no drinking at
all. But starting at 3 glasses for
women per day and 4
glasses for men, the rewards of
modest drinking
quickly disappear. Moderation as
with most things is
key when incorporating wine in a
healthy lifestyle.
One of the good things in wine is its antioxidants and recent studies have shown that wines made from organically grown grapes have three times the amount of beneficial antioxidants. Our commitment to organic farming goes back well over 30 years. And yes, it was blind faith that helped me stay the course. And today, more and more, that blind faith is beginning to be officially recognized. You can feel even better when drinking Fitzpatrick wines made from certified organically grown grapes. |
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we could use your help.
Last year we sold our wines at two
Farmers' Markets.
Sales were good and we especially
enjoyed sharing
and trading our bounty with other
farmers. Farmers
markets are a win-win for customers
and farmers and
there's a welcome security and
sense of well being in
knowing where your food and wine
come from.
We see Farmers Markets as a perfect way for Fitzpatrick wines to reach customers that appreciate our commitment to quality. We'd like to sell our wines at 4,5 or 6 markets each week but need help to accomplish that. We're asking you, our customers, if any of you would like to sell Fitzpatrick wines at a Farmers' Market near where you live. The committment would be once a week. There are certain markets that would be potentially more viable than others. Not all markets allow wine as of yet. But if you're interested, let's talk about the possibilities asap. Initially , there would be some planning and logistical realities to cover. But once a routine is established, a weekly market should take only 4-5 hours per week. We'd set up a schedule of replenishing inventories and supporting one's efforts. I personally would come to the first market and occasionally thereafter. If that sounds interesting, let's pursue the possibilities. |
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Growing the perfect wine grape is a balancing act
The vines really do need their
sleep. Rest period and dormancy are
natures way of preparing for a new
year. The vine stores up energy
during the previous season, the
leaves fall and the vine doesn't
wake until an accumulation of heat
units says its time to open its new
buds and grow. That's where the
balancing act begins and the
farmer's every cut with his pruner
is telltale of what's to come in
2008. The vine is like a battery
which stores energy when energy is
available. Some years when rainfall
is plentiful the vine may store more
than ample energy for the following
year and when drought occurs little
energy is stored. The vineyardist
must have knowledge of the previous
seasons as well as the current
weather to make every cut
appropriate for each vine in the
vineyard. Cut too little and the
vine sets too much fruit and drains
its batteries too low. Cut too much
and the excess energy fuels rampant
vegetative growth competing with
developing fruit. It's the most
influential act a vineyardist can
do - pruning. The perfect balance is
achieved when a modest crop of fruit
perfectly shares the available
energy with the vegetative growth.
Every variety of grape calls for
different training and pruning and
each vine within each variety needs
the skill of each pruner to
customize the number of one-year-old
buds left that will bear fruit. An
art, a skill that brings both
experience and knowledge together,
pruning is by far my favorite
activity in the
vineyard.
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The first releases are developing nicely in their bottles.
We've already released the first
four wines of this new
cycle of our wine club. (And anyone
who has not
joined yet
can easily catch up -so please we
welcome your
membership). But these new red wines
are getting
better all the time as they mature.
The 2005 Cabernet
Sauvignon is geting high marks in
the tasting room.
And we're all reveling over our
first ever 100%
Sangiovese which shines when pairing
with seafood,
vegetarian dishes and foul. Stop by
and taste all four
new releases.
Next new release will be our 2005 Syrah. Look for it's official relase in March but a sneak preview may be possible by late February. |
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Your choice to mix up a case at 30% off until 2/28
This shortest month of the year
which is already flying
by is your chance to sieze the
moment and grab 30%
off on a mixed case just the way you
want it.
Come up to the tasting room, order by phone, email or on our shopping cart and celebrate Healthy Hearts and Wine Month and invest in your good health with a mixed case of Fitzpatrick organically grown wines. And as a special treat and a thank you for your purchases katie and I have made our hand-dipped chocolate truffles and chocolate covered cherries - ask for them while supply lasts. |
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