Sokol Blosser Wine Blog

The Sokol Blosser team is always looking for ways to be involved in our community. In April, we embarked on our most ambitious goal yet!

Spurred on by a team member who has a family member affected by Cystic Fibrosis (CF), an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system, seven men at Sokol Blosser volunteered to shave their heads if they were one of the top 3 donation earners in the group.

The whole Sokol Blosser staff, including friends and family, donated time and funds generously towards the contest, putting donated funds towards the candidate they most wanted to see with their head shaved. In the end, Sokol Blosser raised over $900 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a non-profit organizationthat strives to assure the development of the means to cure and control CF and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.

Thanks to all the staff, family, and friends who participated in this fun event. Cheers - to finding a cure!

BEFORE

Travis McGuire (fiancé of Kitri Culbertson), Scott Palmer (GL Accountant) and Jeff Knapp (Cellar Club Manager) had the most donated funds for CF raised in their names.

AFTER

Check out these handsome clean-headed fellows!

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Coordinator at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Budbreak is a very exciting time in the vineyard - it's the beginning of our 2008 vintage! I'll let the beauty speak for itself in the following pictures. Enjoy!

Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Coordinator at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oregon Wine Pioneer Gains Women for Winesense Award

DUNDEE, OR (May 5, 2008)- When she retired earlier this year, Susan Sokol Blosser vowed she would stay busy - and one of the things she's been busy doing is receiving awards from leading wine organizations.

The latest honor for the Oregon wine pioneer and environmental leader came this past Saturday as Women for Winesense awarded Sokol Blosser its Lifetime Achievement Award at its "Celebrating Women in Wine" event in Napa Valley. In February, the co-founder of the Dundee-based Sokol Blosser Winery received a similar award from the Oregon Wine Board.

"Over the years, the wine industry women in Women for WineSense constituted the equivalent of an 'old girls network,'" Sokol Blosser said. "What an impressive group of talented, hard-working, creative women. We all helped one another and I'm thrilled to be awarded this honor by the women I so respect and admire."

Women for Winesense said Sokol Blosser's "pioneering spirit has helped to create a world-class wine industry in Oregon," and added: "Your dedication to responsible farming makes you a role model for everyone in the wine industry. Your perseverance in writing your book has inspired many readers including women in the wine industry who are trying to attain professional and personal goals concurrently."

Susan Sokol Blosser founded Sokol Blosser Winery in 1971 with her then-husband, Bill Blosser, at a time when the Oregon wine industry was in its infancy. She assumed the role of president of the winery in 1991. Under her stewardship, Sokol Blosser Winery maintained its commitment to making world-class Pinot Noir while developing its popular proprietary blends Evolution and Meditrina. Sokol Blosser and the winery also became internationally recognized as leaders in green business practices, including organic viticulture.

In 2006, Sokol Blosser's memoir, "At Home in the Vineyard" (University of California Press), was published. In a characteristically enthusiastic review of the book, the Seattle Times wrote that "the author, though she tells the story quite modestly, belongs on anyone's top-10 list of women who pioneered their way into the wine industry in the early decades of this country's wine renaissance."

Sokol Blosser retired as Sokol Blosser Winery president in January, but she continues to serve as an ambassador for the winery. Her son Alex and daughter Alison now hold the position as co-presidents.

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Posted by Kitri Culbertson, Marketing Coordinator at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)