Sokol Blosser Wine Blog

My mother and I went on our first ever Mother-Daughter camping trip. My family had just purchased a Volkswagon Westie on St. Patrick’s Day that my Mom had lovingly named Patty. It was truly a maiden voyage for us. We both had to learn how to pop up the top before leaving, and were a little nervous to be on our own without any men. (I think my stepfather Steffen was a little nervous about us being on our own too, even though he tried not to show it.) We took the Westie and headed towards the McKenzie River. Our destination? Belnap Hot Springs.

We went hiking and did some exploring, spent a lot of time in the hot springs and got a chance to build our first fire together. Well, the first night the fire wasn’t as big as we would have liked, but the second night we built what my Mom referred to as a “Big Man Fire�. We had opened a bottle of Meditrina after dinner and were enjoying the crackling fire in our camping chairs. She had brought goodies for Smores and I happen to bring a couple of Meditrina Chocolate bars. Since we were drinking Meditrina, we decided to make Meditrina Smores. Oh my goodness! I don’t know if I will ever go back to the classic smore. The raspberries in the chocolate with the slightly burnt marshmallow and gourmet graham crackers… Delish!!! We thought we had died and gone to smore heaven, and the wine was great with it, too!!!

We slept so well that night with the sound of rain on the Westie our clothes scented by campfire smoke and thoughts of our yummy smores. Our camping trip is something that I will always remember.

Posted by Brooke Anthony, Sales Coordinator at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Susan Sokol Blosser was recently featured in an ad campaign supporting the use of wind power as a source of renewable energy.

Listen to what the Happy Talking Grape has to say!

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All right, blog friends of Sokol Blosser! We're starting to get curious about your blogging habits. So, we've decided to reward our loyal readers! We will send a FREE Noir Bar to the first 10 people who respond to this blog with answers to the following questions. Imagine - a rich, decadent Dagoba organic dark chocolate bar blended specifically to pair with sips of our elegant, seductive Pinot Noir delivered right to your door! We're looking forward to hearing from you.

To receive your free Noir Bar, please email us with the following information:

- When and how did you first come across the Sokol Blosser Wine Blog? (i.e., link from the SB website, friend, etc.?)
- How long have you been reading the Sokol Blosser Wine Blog?
- Do you subscribe to the SB Blog using an RSS feeder?
- How often do you check the Sokol Blosser Wine Blog for updates?
- What would you like to see more of? (i.e., more pictures? More vineyard updates? More quirky Tasting Room stories?)
- Name and address where we can send your free Noir Bar.

Check back often for more fascinating perspectives of winery life.

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 02:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We consume a lot of coffee here at the winery. In fact the only thing that we consume more than coffee would be wine and we can’t have any wine during work. It is because of this that we decided to upgrade our coffee machine by 4 cups. Yes, we made the bold move from an 8-cupper to a *gasp* 12-cupper.

Now, caffeine is essential to my existence so naturally I have friends in coffee places. I might possibly be on a first name basis with everybody at my local Starbucks and they might possibly know what I’m drinking before I even order it. I recommend that everyone have the same familiarity with his or her favorite coffee shop employees, only good will come of it. Take me, for example. Because of my relationship with my Starbucks we were able to purchase the “Starbucks Barista Aroma Grande,� a sold-out, discontinued 12 cup coffee maker. The kind people at Starbucks not only searched all regional Starbucks until they found one for us, but they also picked it up for me so I wouldn’t have to drive an hour out of my way. How do you not love these people? This new addition to Sokol Blosser has been the talk of the winery and we are considering naming the “Aroma Grande� as employee of the month. Now if we could just find a way to infuse wine with caffeine…

Posted by Melissa Herring, Assistant Tasting Room Manager at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay, I am an Oregonian. I was born here and have lived here for all but a few months of my life. I love it here and can’t imagine living anywhere else. That being said, what the heck is up with the weather?

As a true Oregonian I curse at the out of state drivers who act like they’ve never seen rain before, I carry an umbrella in my car but never use it, I roll my eyes at the newscasts where weather is a leading story (“Winter Storm Watch 2006�) but watch them anyway. But really, what the heck is up with the weather?

It is now March. I have endured a very long, gray, and wet winter. I was very patient with the rain this year, more so than usual, and didn’t even get the “blahs� until February. “I only have to make it until March,� I told myself. My steps became lighter as the crocuses and daffodils started to pop up. March finally came and….it snows?!

Now don’t misunderstand, just like everyone else I, too, can’t help but get excited watching the snow fall. I immediately become like a schoolgirl again, drawn to the nearest window, distracted from anything else I might have been doing. Snow is magical, I don’t dispute that, but it belongs in November, December, January, or February. I say once the flowers start to come up, summer is fair game.

Of course, I don’t actually control the weather (for those of you who didn’t know). I can’t do anything to change it, so I should just deal with it. Well Cleopatra wasn’t the only Queen of Denial; she’s got company. I will tell myself that my office is over air conditioned and not just really cold. I will tell myself that wearing sweaters is a fashion statement and not a necessity. I will drink Evolution and pretend that I prefer to drink it inside the house instead of out on my deck watching the sunset.

Wish me luck!

Posted by Melissa Herring, Assistant Tasting Room Manager at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a big week at Sokol Blosser, or at least for me it is!

My husband and I just welcomed a new standard poodle puppy (named Twix) into our family, and this week was the pup's first full week at Sokol Blosser. As those of you who have visited before know, my brother's dog, Andre, also spends his days here at the winery. Twix and Andre met casually the other day and didn't think much of each other, so I hope that they will become great friends rather than rowdy troublemakers when they're together. Next time you come visit, maybe you'll get to meet Twix! As long as he doesn't spend time rolling in our red Jory soil, he's a fluffy little white thing who loves to meet new people.

It may seem silly to those in the Midwest and East Coast who routinely see multiple inches and/or feet of snow each year, but we get pretty excited here in Oregon when we see a little dusting of white powder. So, imagine our happiness when we saw a little bit of snow yesterday and today! There isn't a lot at the winery (500 ft elevation), but looking up at surrounding hillsides, we can see a lot more. It will probably disappear this afternoon, but the excitement of seeing big puffy snowflakes dropping from the sky will stay with us for awhile.

A new puppy and snow around here create quite a stir, but the show must go on! Our Cellar crew has been busy bottling Evolution, 10th Edition all week. It will continue into next week as well. Look for the latest edition of Evolution to be released by July.

Posted by Alison Sokol Blosser at 08:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)