Wine Club
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COW Club Mooosletter
April - June 2012 ~ Volume 2012, Issue 1

Quarterly Club Wines - Ready for Pickup!

Second Quarter Club Wines will be available in the tasting room starting on Saturday, April 14th (wines for "ship-to-me" COWs will sent UPS during the upcoming week).

2010 Westover Chardonnay, Ione Westover Palomares Estate Vineyards

2011 was such a cool year in Palomares canyon that we turned all of our estate Chardonnay into champagne, while 2010 was fantastic. Our 2010 Chardonnay was picked at 23-24 percent sugar with an acidity of 6.5 grams per liter. It was so perfect that we did not even have to add bentonite (a wine stabilizer) to the wine.

As you sip this Chardonnay, you will note the pear and apple aromas. It will remind you of being in our barrel room. Aging in barrels which were about four years old resulted in a wine which is not over oaked, yet with the perfect notes of acid and sugar resulting in a very smooth, very easy to drink wine. We only produced 100 cases of this perfect Chardonnay. It is ideal for a beautiful summer day. The Chardonnay grapes in this bottle come from vineyards which were planted on our estate in 1986 and which have been trained to produce just one ton per acre to achieve the highest flavor and quality possible.

2009 Palomares Tempranillo, Paso Robles, Shandon Vineyards

When Westover owners Bill and Jill Smyth travelled to Spain many years ago, they were introduced to one of Spain's most popular wines - Tempranillo. Tempranillo grapes are a black and designed to make full-bodied red wines. These are often referred to as Spain's "noble grape." Temprano means early, as it ripens about 2 weeks earlier than most Spanish grapes. Tempranillo can be consumed young or aged for many years. This vintage, under our Palomares Vineyards label, is from grapes with aromas and flavors of berries, plum and vanilla. When Westover released its first Tempranillo vintage, the grapes came from a small Spanish farmer in the Central Valley who only farmed a few acres. Today, we secure the grapes from Paso Robles and Shandon vineyards.

Wii Bowling + Wine
Thursday, April 12th @ 6:30pm - 9:00pm

There are still openings for Second Annual Wii Bowling Tournament this Thursday evening! If you'd like to join the fun, call Jill and Bill Smyth at the winery (510) 537-3932 or email bill@westoverwinery.com.  

Port & Cigars Under the Stars
Friday, June 1st @ 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Welcome summer with a favorite cigar, the perfect port and relaxed conversation on the patio with friends old and new. We'll provide a selection of cigar-friendly Westover ports, cheeses, savory snacks, sweets and a Westover logo port glass that's yours to keep. Bring your favorite port-friendly nibbles if you'd like, as well as a cigar to smoke and a few to trade. As always, the pool table and ping-pong table will be available for play.
 
      COW Club: $20/person (member and guests)
      Non-Club: $25/person
 
RSVP by Monday, May 28th. Limited to 50 people (must be over 21). Visit the tasting room or call (510) 537-3932 to make a reservation.

COW Fest 2011 with Special Guest Marshall Law
Sunday, June 24th @ 3:30pm - 7:00pm

Our FAVORITE PARTY - exclusively for our beloved COW Club members. This FREE event is our way of saying "thanks for being a COW!" So, pack the car with as many friends and family as you can fit! Bring your favorite picnic goodies. We'll have fun with a raffle, auction and COW themed games with prizes. Wines will be available for purchase by the glass or by the bottle. Non-alcoholic beverages and cheeses from AirsDream Deli also available for purchase. (No outside alcohol allowed).

Limited to 55 Carloads (one per COW account). $10/car deposit is required (deposit will be refunded at event - no refund for cancellations/no-shows). RSVP by June 17th: call the winery at (510) 537-3932 or visit the tasting room.

Summer Winemaking Class
June 5th, 12th & 26th @ 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Held in the Westover tasting room over the course of three evenings, this is a hands-on experience where you'll produce up to 60 bottles of your own wine. You'll learn winemaking fundamentals: fermenting, racking, clarifying, stabilizing, bottling and aging. Class size is limited to 15 people. Requires purchase of a Winemaking Kit and wine (grape) juice for creating your wine (up to two people can 'share' one winemaking kit, but each person must pay individual tuition). To ensure consistency among all class participants, winemaking kits must be purchased in the Westover tasting room.

COW Club Members $50/person (non-members $60/person). Deluxe Winemaking Kit $230 (includes grape juice for up to 60 bottles). Basic Winemaking Kit $150 (juice not included, purchase separately). Gift certificates are available. RSVP & Details: call Bill Smyth at (510) 537-3932 or email bill@westoverwinery.com.

About Our Winemaking Class
~ Jeff Roberts, Winemaking Instructor ~

Our first wine making course in March was a big success. The first night, participants went through their wine kits and learned the principles of making wine. They then put the grape juice in 5 gallon tubs and added yeast. Two weeks later, participants racked their wine off the lees, which means taking the clear wine from the top of the bin and separating it from the solids which fell to the bottom of the tub. During the third night, we stabilized the wine. Some newly minted winemakers also bottled their wines which tasted particularly good considering how young they were. Others decided to age and bottle their wine at a later date - we look forward to the results!

In October, we will have a sign up list of those who want to purchase our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The cost will be $1.50/pound and you will need about 70 pounds to make 5 gallons of wine (25 bottles). For more details, come into the tasting room and talk to me or our winemakers Bill Smyth and Scott Pearson.

Wine Notes, Happenings in the Vineyard and Wine Trivia
by Scott Pearson, Winemaker

We are happy to say that, despite the unusual Winter weather, this year is on track to be a good one in the vineyards. The buds are now coming out. Recently we went through the vineyards and upgraded the wires and t-posts which support the vines.

This edition of Wine Trivia will focus on fermentation. Fermentation is simply when yeast consumes grape sugars and converts them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Wild yeast 'grows' naturally on grapes in the vineyard, however, it is not always desirable in the winemaking process. To achieve specific flavors, during winemaking we 'kill' the wild yeast and add special wine yeasts. Fermentation creates heat which must be monitored and controlled by refrigeration, storage in caves or, in our case, by cool canyon temperatures.

Save 60%: "The Wine Seekers' Guide to the Livermore Valley"

The Wine Seekers' Guide to the Livermore Valley is the first exclusive guide to the Livermore Valley wine region, introducing adventurous wine lovers to 40+ wineries, the owners and winemakers and their wines. We're delighted that in the guide award-winning travel author Thomas C. Wilmer Westover Vineyards as "A must-stop destination..."

Exclusively for COWs - Only $6! This is a 60% Discount off the list price. This guide makes a great gift - buy one for yourself too! Our winemakers Bill Smyth & Scott Pearson will even sign and personalize the book for you.

Crafting our Tasting Room Menu
by Michelle Ellison, Tasting Room Director

Many have asked how we determine which wines to offer for tasting. We like to offer variety, so there's typically at least one Champagne, two whites, two reds and two ports. We always pour Quarterly Club Wines during the first four weeks after release - so if you want to taste, that's the best time to pickup your shipment. New wine releases are typically available for tasting during the first month after release (then, go on rotation with the rest of our wine list). Special promotion/sale wines are also available for tasting during the full period or the promotion. Finally, our full library of ports (except limited/rare vintages) is available for free tasting any time you visit the tasting room - this is an exclusive benefit for our COW members.