Dear Sokol Blosser Wine Drinkers,
After the 4th wettest April on record, I was ready for May and some sun and some heat. This newsletter will start with Bud Break, and end with Harry Belafonte.
On the last weekend of April, we finally had budbreak in our vineyard. Saturday, April 29th was the day that the leaves opened toward the sun and our growing season began here in the Dundee Hills. Fingers are crossed that 2023 will be a stunning vintage! While things are picking up in the vineyard, our sales team has a busy travel month. Emily will be in Japan and South Korea visiting our importers and pouring our wines in a few Oregon Wine tastings in Tokyo and Seoul. Thanks to our importer in Japan: ORCA International and in South Korea: Plateau Wines for working with our wines and making them available to restaurants and fine wine shops in those countries. I will be making a trip to Washington DC this month to take a wine bag around town and will try and make some new friends. DC is a great restaurant town and there are also some great independent wine shops. Wine helps the policy makers!
Speaking of policy makers, May is the month for Mother’s Day! I had the opportunity to interview my mom (Susan Sokol Blosser) for our Sokol Blosser podcast series, and this interview dropped on Mother’s Day and is available on Spotify here…..My mom was hesitant at first during the interview, but got relaxed when she realized that I was not going to grill her. Listen to it and let’s celebrate Mom’s! May is also Oregon Wine Month. You might see a lot of promotions this month around the US promoting Oregon Wine with retail displays, wine dinners, or wine list features at your local restaurants. See what is going on by jumping to the Oregon Wine Board website here.
That leaves us with the sad news last month of the passing of Harry Belafonte. As a kid growing up in Oregon, I first saw Mr. Belafonte on Sesame Street and then on the Muppet Show. He was that guy who had an amazing voice and sang “Day-O,” with The Count. Fast forward to the 1990s when our summers at the winery were filled with our Sokol Blosser Live, Summer Concert Series. We had some amazing acts here at the winery, and one of the most memorable for me was when Harry Belafonte come to perform. I did not think it would be a great show since he was that guy on “Sesame Street.” Boy was I wrong. Harry was an amazing performer and that evening was magical. Later on I learned that he was more than just a singer and an actor, but also an activist. Hats off to you Mr. Belafonte! This picture of Harry hangs on the wall in my office. So honored to have seen him perform here at Sokol Blosser.
Cheers,
Alex Sokol Blosser | President & Second Generation Winegrower
