::: Yellow Farmhouse Vineyard & Winery

The Defiance News

A “once-in-a–while, when we get around to it” publication of

The Yellow Farmhouse Winery

Winter, 2009-10

PLANNING A WEDDING?

Is there a wedding in your future? Why not consider the Yellow Farmhouse as a location for your big day. In 2010 be begin offering our beautiful hill, and our lovely Wine Garden to small wedding parties (up to 50 persons)

For a couple of years we have gotten inquiries as to whether the winery would be available for a wedding ceremony or a reception. We’ve declined for a lot of reasons, but probably mostly because we were not equipped to do the planning and execution, and the last thing we wanted to do was screw it up. After all, this is a big day in someone’s lives and everyone wants it just perfect.

Well, we’ve done the groundwork to accommodate small wedding ceremonies on the hill, and receptions in the Wine Garden.

Interested? Call Linda (314-994-9496) or Dale (314-409-6139). We’ll be happy to talk to you about your big day, and we would appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it.

T’IS THE SEASON

We were amazed back in August when some of the “big box” stores started to put out their Christmas decorations. Ornaments in August are just a little too much! As Linda says, “When the Christmas trees come out Labor Day can’t be too far away!” We like to think that the Season should be one of thoughtful gift giving and good tidings. From Thanksgiving through the end of December is a special time, but pushing it back to the middle of the summer is a bit much.

So much for the lamenting; now for the pitch!

Linda has been busy stocking our shelves with Holiday goodies that will make great Christmas gifts. Baskets with combinations of wines, mustards, pretzels, unique chocolates and all the little accoutrements that make Christmas special can be found in the Yellow Farmhouse Tasting room along with an assortment of logoed Yellow Farmhouse tees, caps, Chambray shirts and aprons. Stop by and see our selection of gift items How about a membership in the Yellow Farmhouse Wine Club as a gift for that “special someone”. Click on "Wine Club" on this web site and look under the under the "About Us" tab for more information.

Finally, we want to wish you and your family the Merriest of Christmases, and a happy and properous New Year!

WHAT'S NEW FOR THE 2010 SEASON?

2010 is going to be a big year for the introduction of new wines at the Yellow Farmhouse. We’ve been working for over a year to develop the wines you want to drink, and we’ve made some changes. Come out and see what we’ve been up to:

“Compass Rose” Rose’ We are making a new Rose’this year. It’s called “Compass Rose”. It’s made from Chambourcin grapes allowing the skins to tint the juice a beautiful shade of pink just before fermenting it in the big stainless tanks. Making Rose’ is as much art as it is science, and we only left the juice in contact with the skins for four hours before pressing and fermenting. We are really pleased with the results and our “guest tasters” agree. This is going to be a beautiful, pleasant and easy to drink dry Rose’

’07 Estate Grown Norton. In winemaking the words “Estate Grown” are not terms of snobbery. They represent the statement that the product is made from fruit grown fermented and processed on the premises. So it is with our “Biker Bar Norton” the first vintage of Norton from our vineyard up behind the Tasting Room. It takes a lot of aging in the big Oak barrels to bring Norton to its full potential, but we did it, and we will introduced our first “estate grown” Norton early in 2010.

“Rosso Dolce” (Italian for “Sweet Red). We’ve been working on a sweet red for over a year to replace Cave Rock Red, and we think we have found the answer. It’s a pure varietal made exclusively from Chambourcin grapes. The soft Italian-style red has a residual sugar of 8% definitely putting it in the “sweet wine” category. So, for all you sweet wine drinkers, here it is: a sweet wine that is not syrupy or over sweet, but just right for the sweet wine palate.

“Round Midnight” – our new Blackberry & Chambourcin dessert wine. This one is really unique. It’s the first wine we’ve made that is not 100% grapes. It’s 70% Chambourcin and 30% Blackberry wines blended together with Crème de Cassis. The result is a rich sweet (but not too sweet) dessert with overtones of cassis and blackberry that is perfect with chocolate desserts or even a piece of apple pie.

Of course, our old standards will always be around. Traminette, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vignoles, Edelweiss, Chambourcin, NY-76 and Barbera all return for an encore. “Old River Ruby Norton Dessert Wine”, our wildly popular “we can’t call it Port any more” dessert wine will be back in the spring.

So we prepare for the 2010 season with some new wines and some old friends. Hope you can find one on our wine list that suits you just fine!

HAVE YOU READ A GOOD BOOK (OR SEEN A GOOD MOVIE) LATELY?

We get asked this question a lot. And, as a matter of fact, we have. You might guess that our tastes are a little bit slanted toward books or movies about wine and winemaking, but there are several out there that are really pretty good. We're not talking about wine reference books, but good "curl up by the fire" novels with a story to tell. Here's our suggestions:

Billionaire's Vinegar, by Benjamin Wallace. The story of wine fraud and how unscrupulous dealers, collectors and negociants dupe unsuspecting dealers, collectors and negotiants by pawning off fake wine for astronomical prices. An amazing story that starts with bottles of wine represented to be a part of Thomas Jefferson's
Paris cellar collection that set the world price record at auction, but were later discredited as fakes. A good read with all of the twists and turns of a mystery novel.

Jefferson on Wine, by John Hailman. The story of Thomas Jefferson, fourth President of the United States and his lifetime love affair with wine as told through his meticulous cellar records, correspondence and journals. A fascinating story of America's first true wine connoisseur and his belief that America could become as good as Europe in the production of fine wines. The story traces his quest for knowledge from his pre-Presidency years as Ambassador to France and his years in Paris to his years in the White House and that famous residence's first wine cellar.

Judgment of Paris, by George Taber. It's the story of the 1976 tasting in Paris between the California wines and the French Grand Cru wines (with all French judges) in which the Americans swept the tasting and turned the wine world upside down. Written by the only reporter to cover the event this account accurately depicts the small tasting, held in a Parisian hotel, that would forever change the world's perception of great wines. The author, in addition to the account of the actual tasting, has researched and reports the story of the pioneer winemaking families of the Napa Valley, and how they came to become the wine powerhouse that California is in just a few short years.

The House of Mondavi, by Julia Flynn Seiler. Gotham Books. The story of an American Wine dynasty and the family fights, greed and ambition that destroyed it. A pretty accurate account of the Mondavi family's rise from grape merchants to one of the most innovative forces in the wine industry; then its fall finally resulting in the loss of the winery. Interesting reading and an accurate account of a tragic episode in Americn winemaking.

Wine and War, by Donald & Petie Kladstrup An interesting chronicle of the efforts of the French to keep the Germans from looting their wine and wineries during WWII. While large caches of French wine were stolen by the Germans, often for the German Military hierarchy, much was never found due to the efforts of clever French Vineyard owners and vintners. A fascinating read.

Bottle Shock (movie), starring Chris Pine, Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman (2009) An interesting, and pretty well acted, motion picture about the 1976 Paris tasting between American and French wines that tells the story from the perspective of one of the participating California wineries, Chateau Montelana. It's a "rags to riches" story of passionate, but struggling California winemakers and how they got caught up in one of wine's most ground-altering moments and produced the Chardonnay that topped the French. Very entertaining. Available on DVD.

NEW COFFEE TABLE BOOK “A TOUR OF MISSOURI WINERIES”

Just in time for Christmas comes the beautiful new book by Johnathan Eccher and Jeremy Hollingshead, “A Tour of Missouri Wineries”. It’s a delightful romp through the wineries of our state with great photos of Missouri’s over seventy wineries. From the Bootheel to the Iowa border Eccher and Hollingshead take you through Missouri’s beautiful vineyards and wineries with descriptions and colorful text. We’ve already had some visitors to our winery bring by a book using it as a guide for a explore the Missouri River Valley wine country and beyond. One family even told us that had planned to visit all of Missouri’s wineries this year – quite an ambitious venture – and they asked that we autograph their copy as proof of their visit!

Yes, the Yellow Farmhouse is included in the colorful pages as are photos and biographies on many of the Missouri Wineries and their winemakers. Eccher and Hollingshead have gone to great lengths to produce an informative and entertaining tribute to Missouri’s wineries. The photos are gorgeous and the information is deep and thoughtful. It’s the kind of writing that we all prize, and we know that this book is destined to become a classic.

We carry “A Tour of Missouri Wineries” in our Tasting room. What a great coffee-table addition to your home or wine library. It’s the perfect Holiday gift for the wine lover in your circle of friends or that family member that has everything.

2009 HARVEST – “A BIG ONE”

2009 was a big year. Sun, rain and a quirky fall all contributed to ba big bountiful harvest and the expectation of some great wines. Rainfall was not a problem in 2009 - we got lots orf ut form the spring rains to the fall harvest. Rain encourages rot in the grapes, but we kept it at bay with fungicides. Our usual attack of Japanese Beeteles was pretty mild and Vineyard Manager Paul Wilson and his crew did not have to take corrective measures to any great extent.

The harvest ws right on schedule. Edelweiss is the first grape to ripen (ususlly in August) with the rest following in September and October. The rain let up on harvest dates and we could cut dry grapes. Rain while harvesting is a bad sign, and often produces diluted juice. Sugar tests were just about right.We need a 23 or 25 Brix (sugar percentage) to harvest, and we would like to get a 25 Brix if possible. Our Vignoles came in a little late, but not bad. Bill Schall of Wine Country Gardens delivered the freshly harvested crop a week or so behind schedule, but the grapes looked and felt good. Big juicy grapes with a semi-sweet taste to the tongue promise an exceptional vintage .

Dave Green looks over an incoming truckload of Vignoles

We got a Brix of 22, and we can live with that. Our Vignoles are currently in the big stainless tanks bubbling away as the fermentation process takes its course. We used a new French strain of yeast this year on the Vignoles, and the fermentation seems unusually active.

Our growers, Tom Rankin and Tom Meyer brought in the ‘09 crop of Edelweiss.

Tom Rankin and Lauren Wiechens unload
Vignoles into the crusher/destemmer

It was a new grape to us last year, and it must be harvested early, even though the Brix has not come up to target levels. It must be harvested early because if left on the vine it gets bitter as it ripens. Because it is harvested early the Brix is lower and requires the addition of sugar to bring up the levels to meet our fermentation needs. The French call this “chapitalization”, and will deny that they do it. Baloney! They chapitalize if they need to, just like the rest of us, in order to get the correct sugar levels before starting fermentation. This is the second year we have bought Edelweiss fro Tom & Tom. It looks like a long term player on the Yellow Farmhouse Tasting Card.


Linda hoses off picking lugs (and Dale!).	Tasting Room Manager, Rich Obermeier & Daniel unload Vignoles

Last in the Season came our Nortons and Chambourcins. We harvested Nortons the last day of September, and the crop looks good. Our Planting and Harvesting Society did a great job with our Nortons for the hill behind the Tasting Room, and the crop looks good. The grapes were big, plump and meaty, laden with juice with thick rich dark skins. Our sorting crew almost did not have anything to do, the grapes were of such good quality and without much to cull out. This should be a good year for Norton .

And the Chambourcins… What a crop. Almost two tons came to us from the vineyards at Wine Country Gardens filling our fermentation tanks to the brim. The reds sure look good, but we just may have to wait until Barrel Tasting Week-End next April to determine exactly what we have got in the 2009 vintage. We’ve learned that you just can’t rush Mother Nature. The grapes mature in their own good time, and we just have to be ready to respond if we want to make good wine.

The birds and raccoons have not been eating the grapes this year so they were able to mature on the vines without being molested. It's great not to have to fight those buggers for the ripe grapes. as in prior years. Vineyard Manager, Paul Wilson, seemed disappointed that there were no raccoons to fight. There is plenty of food in the forest so they don’t have to raid our vineyards to survive. In all honesty, we did not miss them.

KAKAO CHOCOLATE IS BACK!

The hit of last year’s Christmas Walk were the hand-made chocolates of Ka-ka-o paired with our rich reds, Chambourcin and Norton, and the sweet Cave Rock Red. This offering of carefully made artisan chocolates got rave reviews. Ka-ka-o Chocolate Bark, Dragees and Bars

While Ka-ka-o Chocolates were not available to us throughout the summer months they are back for the Holidays, and we’ll feature them at our Christmas Walk, Saturday, December 5, 2009. Brian Pelletier of Ka-ka-o will be there to serve up some of his scrumptious choclate creations.

We are offering a selection of bars, barks, pates de fruit and dragees. The ultimate snack food, dragees are chocolate-coated caramelized almonds. Wait until you taste the chocolate bars with ginger! Brian uses a unique chocolate process in his kitchen in St. Louis. Especially tasty is a pairing of the chocolate bark with coffee. Try it with our new Italian-style sweet red wine, Rosso Dolce'. It's a great pairing.

BREAD SLICE SHAPED CUTTING BOARDS

Ever get the feeling that bread board manufacturers only eat mammoth-sized loaves? While we love our giant kitchen cutting boards slicing a small piece of cheese, or a taste of Summer Sausage often calls for a pint-sized board just large enough for the item to be cut. Well, take a look at our new line of bread slice shaped hand-sized boards that come with a Yellow Farmhouse cutting knife. They are made for us by Bill & Julie Newberry of Newberry Furniture, right here in Missouri – and they are just nifty!

A selection of our new cutting boards
in native Missouri woods
Shown with Yellow Farmhouse pairing knife (included)

Newberry furniture is a unique business that crafts wooden furniture and utensils from native Missouri woods. Our boards are of Cypress, Walnut, Maple and other Missouri hardwoods, thick-cut, oiled and buffed to a beautiful patina that fit right in the palm of your hand. They are the perfect compliment to a ball of Gouda, or one of our Williams Summer Sausages, and make a smart companion for a picnic on our hill.

They are just right for Holiday gifts and make nifty stocking-stuffers. Pick up a couple for under the tree for Holiday giving when that unexpected guest drops by

A UNIQUE AND PRACTICAL GIFT

YELLOW FARMHOUSE WINE BOTTLE SHAPED PEPPER MILLS

These Bordeaux bottle-shaped pepper mills are exact models of Yellow Farmhouse wine bottles. Made of wood with stainless steeel grinders, they are a frist quality pepper mill that will enhance your table or counter. Optional grinding of "fine" or "course" gives you the option to grind your favorite peppercorns to the consistency that you like. The shiny black bottles shapped mills exactly replicate Yellow Farmhouse reds, with youoption of labels from Yellow Farmhouse Norton to "Rosso Dolce' to "Drop Dead Red, Barbera. Of course there is a Yellow Farmhouse Norton label, too.

2007 BARBERA BECOMES OUR BEST SELLING RED

It's a lot of fun to watch our sales to see what our customers and friends are buying. This year our "Drop Dead Red" Barbera nudgeD out Norton as our best selling red wine. It's easy to see why. Since its bottling in the fall of 2008 the Barbera has aged gracefully in the bottle for a year. We bEgan to notice the changes in the Spring of 2009, but as the year went by so did you, and sales of the deep rich red wine began to rise. By fall "Drop Dead Red" had overtaken Norton as our best seller.

"Drop Dead Red" is a rich Italian-style wine from Barbera grapes. The ancestry of Barbera goes back to the Piedmont hills of northern Italy. Three varieties dominate the great regions of the southern Piedmont, Nebbiolo, Sangioviese, and Barbera. We couldn’t wait to get our hands on them for our wine Our grapes came form the Lodi area of Califonia. The wine is similar in style to Chianti, but many people like it better because the "roughness' of Chianti is not present. Aged Barbera takes on a rich berry-like quality that pairs perfectly with red-sauce pastas and pizza. It's a little milder than Norton and many like to pair it with steaks. We make our "Drop Dead Red" right in our little wineary at the Yellow Farmhouse.

WINTER TASTINGS BY APPOINTMENT

We'll close for the winter on December 13th, and reopen with our "Barrel Tasting Week End the last week-end in March (March 27 & 28) Special group wine tastings are available through the winter by calling our reservation number. (314-409-6139)

For more information on upcoming activties and events check out our Calendar of events

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