*Non-Quinta=Portugese varietals not part of Quinta field.  250-lb minimum waived for this lot; 200 lbs only.

**The Quinta = touriga nacional, tempranillo, tinta cao, souzao, tinta amarela

***Wait list requests accepted

Comments about 2017 Grape Availability:  Demand has been brisk among our existing commercial clients, leaving only the limited tonnages shown for sale.  We do anticipate additional primitivo availability–potentially 2 tons or more–and 2 or more tons of additional barbera are also possible based on decisions we make about the farming and the vicissitudes of the season.  Finally, a small amount of touriga (0.5 ton or less) may also become available, depending on yield.  The Quinta is committed in its entirety and so there will be no opportunity for surplus there.

The bottom line is that if you are interested in our grapes beyond the limited current postings, we encourage you to contact us and get on a waiting list, as it’s likely we’ll be able to commit additional fruit once we see fruit set and can better estimate yield.

–Shaker Ridge Vineyard

*We are holding back availability of some of our barbera (Blocks 1& 2) but expect to be able to release some or all of it in time.  If you are interested in barbera, please contact us to be put on our waiting list.

**We are accepting wait-list requests for primitivo and touriga nacional on  a first-come, first-served basis.  No firm commitment is required to be on the waitlist, but if fruit becomes available, you will have a limited period of time in which to make a final commitment.

**Non-Quinta field

2015 WAITLIST

*Note:  1 ton = 2000 lbs

With one month to go until the longest day of the year, things are getting under control in the vineyard, and it’s looking good.  As always, April-May is a busy time, as the combination of rapid shoot growth of the vines and growth of our cover crop between rows has us running in all directions.  Throw in firing up the irrigation system for the first time in months and chasing some unexpected deer intruders, and it’s been non-stop.

Shortly after the last update to this blog on the nights of April 16-17, we came very close to a frost event at a time when all the varietals had already pushed.  Fortunately, it was apparently just warm enough to avoid frost in the vines, as we did not detect any damage.  The news was not so good for a couple of apricot trees in our orchard, which look like they were nuked, and we’re still waiting to see if they bounce back.

The barbera was the first to bloom on Mother’s Day, May 12, and the other varietals followed within a week or so.  Grape blooms are not showy, but the perfume-like odor is unmistakable and a rite of spring.  Petiole sampling is typically done at this time, since there are historical data from prior years and reference databases with which to compare at this particular milestone.  We did a little extra sampling of petioles this year in the barbera so that we could compare the nutritional status of different rootstock-clone combinations.  The potential for such a comparison was always built into our vineyard design, but we haven’t looked specifically at nutritional status in the different blocks, and we’ll see what comes back.

With the help of ever-tapering amounts of spring rain–now probably done–we were able to hold off on our first irrigation until bloom.  We hope to be able to water sparingly through veraison, but that will mainly be driven by the extent of the heat and resulting transpiration loss.

Based on signs that our use of a kicker cane for 3 years had helped sap some of the barbera vigor and brought the vines into better balance, we omitted the kicker cane this year, but did our suckering of abundant shoots in the barbera a little later than usual.  The slight delay should have allowed the vine to expend some of its excess energy on shoots that were going to be removed anyway.

In our newer touriga block, we are planning an experiment to look at the effects of different fruit thinning practices on outcomes, and are hoping to dedicate 3 adjacent rows to this.  If possible, we will not only look at such things as yield and grape chemistry, but also quality of resulting wines.

We are of course applying preventative treatments for powdery mildew at regular intervals at this time.  Conditions have been near-perfect for mildew growth, with some summer-like heat early in May which has tapered to some very pleasant spring weather lately.  However, pleasant to us means perfect for mildew, so we need to keep up with the regular spraying.

We blew the deadline for El Dorado County Fair wine entries, but have entered some homemade wines from our grapes in the Amador and Orange County fairs.   In addition, Shaker Ridge is still accepting entries for our contest of best homemade wine made from our grapes (vintages 2010-2011-2012), based on public blinded tasting competition results.   Please see our April blog for details.  There is no cost and no obligation, and you can have a shot at 400 lbs of free grapes.  Among competitions being considered for eligibility, Amador County Fair is still accepting entries through May 31.

*Non-Quinta.

**Quinta

#Shaker Ridge has committed all the barbera and touriga nacional  that it can comfortably commit for 2012.  However, yield estimation is an inexact science, and it is entirely possible that we will have additional fruit available.  If you would like to be on a first-come, first-served wait list (no obligation) for 2012 barbera or touriga nacional, please contact us.  There is a good chance that we would have some additional fruit.  Any fruit remaining after we have met our commitments and offered it to wait list clients will be re-posted to this site.

*2009 grafted.

**Quinta

*2009 grafted.

**Quinta

* 2009 grafted.

**Fixed price of $200 per share.

Port Grape “Shares”  for Sale

Available for sale for the first time are shares in the 2011 production of our “port” vineyard consisting of (in expected order of decreasing proportion) touriga nacional, tempranillo, tinto cao, souzao, and tinta amarella.  A share ($200) entitles the holder to 10% of the 2011 production of each varietal from our 2005-planted estate “port” vineyard that we call The Quinta.  The grapes are, in fact, suitable for both dry and dessert style wines.  This is a unique opportunity for persons working on a home winemaking scale to easily access, in one-stop fashion, the blend of relatively obscure varietal grapes that would go into a Portuguese port-style wine.  Such wines are notable for their complexity and ability to age well.

Q&A on Quinta Shares

Q: How much grapes do I get for a share?

A:  Welcome to farming; we cannot guarentee a specific amount!  The estimated total production (given viticultural practices and multiple years of experience) is 2500 lbs.  Thus, the target is 250 lb/share.  If we come up as much as 10% short (eg as little as 2250 lbs), no adjustment will be made to the share price.  If we come up greater than 10% short, the share price will be pro-rated downward.  If we exceed our production targets, shareholders keep the gain at no additional cost.  For example, if total production is 2800 lbs, a share would entitle the holder to receive 280 lbs of grapes for the same fixed share price.

Q: What mix of grapes will I receive for a share?

A:  The vineyard has been planted to yield proportions of grapes suitable for a high-quality port.  Nevertheless, the proportions will vary from year-to-year depending on varietal-specific yield.  For example, in 2011, we are likely to have relatively more touriga nacional than tempranillo or tinto cao due to some early season frost (Most would not regard this as a problem!).  So, the answer is that one share will entitle the shareholder to receive 10% of the production of each varietal, whatever that is.  For example,  If we get 1500 lbs of touriga nacional, 400 lbs of tempranillo, 300 lbs of tinto cao, 150 lbs of souzao, and 100 lbs of tinta amarella, a single share will entitle the holder to receive (separate but on the same day) 150 lbs of touriga nacional, 40 lbs of tempranillo, 30 lbs of tinto cao, 15 lbs of souzao, and 10 lbs of tinta amarella.

Q: How will this work logistically?

A: On a designated weekend harvest day that Shaker Ridge will announce with as much lead time as possible, likely in early October, the entire Quinta will be harvested in the morning, and the total yield of each varietal determined on our certified scale.  This number, divided by ten (there are 10 shares total), will determine the amount of each grape to be distributed for a share.  Shareholders will be invited, beginning mid-day, to pick up their grapes.

Q: Does Shaker Ridge have any track record with these grapes?

A: Yes, and we think a pretty good one.  The vineyard was planted in 2005, and we have been making wine with the grapes since 2007.  Our first attempt at a serious port-style wine (our 2008 “Dorado”) was entered in regional home wine competitions for the first time this year.  It earned a gold medal, Best of Show, at the El Dorado County Fair and a double gold at the Orange County Fair.  Our dry red blend made from the same grapes, same vintage was entered only at the El Dorado County Fair and earned a gold medal.  A homemade touriga nacional varietal wine made from the 2009 vintage also earned a gold medal at the El Dorado County Fair.  A commercial touriga wine made from the 2009 vintage (by Obscurity Cellars of Fair Play) earned a gold medal at the California State Fair, and silver medals at both the El Dorado and Amador County fairs.  We think that our viticultural practices have only improved with experience since these vintages…

* 2009 grafted.
**Not applicable, $1750 fixed price.