GREETINGS!
No matter how cold or how brisk the wind, Josh and his pruning crew are out in the vineyard getting the vines ready for the 2008 growing season. It is a tedious process, but the fruits of their labor will be evident as soon as Nebraska shakes this cold and moves onto spring! We are trying some new procedures and “tricks of the trade” in the attempt to miss out on frost damage. April of 2007, as we all remember, brought the worst late freeze in our grape growing memory. So, we are hoping and praying that the 2008 crop will make up for the 50% crop loss we experienced last year.
2008 also marks one of the earliest Easter Days in history. As you gather for your Easter celebration, make it extra special by serving Nebraska wine! James Arthur Vineyards' award-winning Edelweiss is a superb choice to serve with your holiday ham. A nice alternative to white wine with ham is a light red, such as JAV's DeChaunac – it’s always a crowd pleaser!
From our family to yours, we wish you a blessed Easter!
Cheers,
Jim and Barb Ballard
TIPS & ETIQUETTE
- When pouring wine for guests, follow culinary tradition: serve all of the women first.
- Serve drier wines before sweeter wines.
- Serve lighter bodied wines before fuller bodied wines.
- Serve younger wines before older wines.
- When a guest brings a bottle to dinner, let them decide whether it should be served now or saved for another day.
- If a guest brings a bottle that doesn't match the cuisine, open it before dinner as an aperitif.
- If you don't finish a bottle, replace the cork and put it in the refrigerator if you plan to keep it for a few days (yes, this applies to red wines too). Most wines will keep for a few days after opening, but it will decline gradually in quality with each passing day.
- Always store wine bottles on their sides so the wine inside is in constant contact with the cork. This prevents the cork from drying out, cracking and allowing air into the bottle.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
One Friday night a month, TADA Productions transforms the party room of the winery into a cabaret straight out of Chicago, Minneapolis or New York. This is your chance to hear some superb music sung by great local talent while enjoying a glass of Nebraska’s best wine. Tickets must be purchased in advance, call 783-5255 today.
MARCH 14, 7:30 pm
Wine & Broadway
With TADA Productions
$13.50 / person
Includes show and wine
WINEMAKER’S NOTES—2005 ST. CROIX
Harvest Brix: .03%
Alcohol 10.6%
TA 1.01
pH: 4.20
The 2005 St. Croix is our heaviest red on the tasting card. Made from 100% Nebraska grown St. Croix grapes, this red wine has a dark red ruby color to match its heavy body. Aged in American Oak for 12 months, the St. Croix has hints of currants and dark berried fruit. It is the perfect food wine that goes well with steak or any other red meat dish that would grace your table. Or, for an even more delectable treat, try the St. Croix with dark chocolate!
FOR THE WINE ENTHUSIAST
Pruning
Pruning is the process of preparing vines for the upcoming growing season. Because vines naturally grow to reach maximum sunlight and nutrients, they can compete with each other, causing a tangled mess of unproductive vines with poor fruit. By pruning the vines, much of this competition is minimized, which allows the vines to produce healthy, flavorful, high-quality fruit.
There are a number of reasons pruning is important. Among them:
- To space out shoots, allowing sunlight penetration, spray applications and air circulation to reach the fruit and inside of the canopy
- To ensure the growth of renewal spurs to create “fruiting wood” for future vintages
- To leave a finished, pruned vine that has just enough viable “buds” or “eyes” to produce a crop of outstanding fruit
RECIPE
“Better than Jelly Beans” after dinner sorbet
A lovely after dinner "sweet treat"--it fits into any diet
- 2 cups simple syrup (1 cup water plus 1 cup sugar, boiled and cooled)
- 2 cups James Arthur Vineyards' Nebraska Red or DeChaunac
- Juice from one orange
Mix all ingredients in a Ziploc bag, place in freezer until frozen. When ready to serve, knead bag gently until slushy. Snip off corner of zip lock, squeeze into chilled goblets or dessert dishes, garnish with orange slice.
(CALENDAR)
MARCH 14, 7:30 pm
Wine & Broadway
With TADA Productions
$13.50 / person
Includes show and wine