I got a job teaching right out of college. Ten years later, a fully-grown kid, I found myself living with two friends in a cabin in western Sonoma, perched above the Russian River, near Hacienda Bridge in Forestville. We had decided that winemaking sounded fun. Like most firsts, that harvest was memorable. The work was initially back-breaking for a wimp like me who rarely worked with his hands beyond correcting essays. Now I was climbing racks and scrubbing bins and cleaning tanks and steaming barrels, nearly always filthy and wet from sweat and spray. Things got crazy when the grapes arrived by the truckload, as tanks rapidly filled and dropped and fermentations progressed at varying speeds. Managing the many lots was tricky but exciting. Most things came together. Some things went sideways. A Chardonnay barrel topped with Syrah. A broken press. One of the other interns fell off a tank and shattered the bones in her hand. Get this: her last name was Tank. And the the last name of the hand surgeon? SEVERT. What a world...

As I write this, many winemakers, enologists, cellar crews, and interns I know are in the thick of it. I miss being up there this time of year. I miss the magic and mayhem, and the strange isolation coupled with the curious camaraderie of it all. I also miss how incomparably refreshing a cold beer could be at the end of a long shift. Folks up there like to say "It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine". And it rings true. So we thought it would be fun (for old times' sake, I suppose) to drink some good beer this harvest. Come join us for a SPECIAL SATURDAY FLIGHT and BEER TASTING. The theme will be Sour and Salty. Two new Barrel Aged Sours and a crisp, refreshing Gose. Flights $10, from 2-5pm. 

SUNDAY TASTING: (THE LAST) ROSÉ ALL DAY! (for a while at least;). Come say a belated farewell to summer and send her off in style. All Pink Flights from 12-6pm and BTG specials!

And (first) TONIGHT: THURSDAY NIGHT FLIGHTS!!! Portuguese Whites and French Reds. Choose your own adventure from 4-8pm. Flights $12. Wines by the glass too!

I have too many harvest stories to tell here. But you should roll in for some wine and ask me about the barrel that exploded, or the tank that imploded. Or ask me about the curious characters one meets living in the woods. Ask me about my days as a raccoon trapper, or about the "smoked salmon". Ask about the underground dwarf wrestling league that some there refer to as The Little Opera. 

Let's laugh soon,

Daniel


p.s. Tickets still available for the Friday Night Bites: NOKNI at OAKLAND YARD on 10/6. Read more about it and purchase tickets here or ask us about it tonight!