Join Us For Our Annual Harvest Party
We invite you to join us in the best possible setting — to celebrate you, our customer! This year’s event is sure to outshine previous efforts! We have planned an evening that presents all of our great wines with a meal prepared by one of Napa Valley’s best caterers and further enhanced by live music provided by renowned musician, Terrence Brewer and his Jazz trio.
Saturday, September 26, 2009 from 4:00-7:00pm at our Yountville winery
Dinner at 5:00 p.m.
Price: $100 per person
Enjoy a delicious catered meal, featuring the seasonal flavors of Napa Valley
- Sip on fabulous Goosecross wines
- Dine in our intimate garden overlooking the vineyards
- Relax to the soothing sounds of live Jazz music
- Tank and barrel sampling with Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch
- Tour the grounds with Director of Education, Nancy Hawks Miller
- Exclusive Goosecross wine offerings
- Share your thoughts and viewpoints on Goosecross with its owners
- And…if nature permits, you’ll see harvest in action
Reservations will be limited to 60 guests
Make your reservation today!
Click here for directions to Goosecross
Click here to RSVP to the party
Click here to access our concierge service
We hope to see you here.
We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!
Goosecross Vintage Update – One Week to Go!
The Cabernet, here at the winery, tastes about as sweet as table grapes right now (between 15 and 20% sugar) and we’re about a week out from harvesting our first grapes of the season next week. The Chenin Blanc will probably come in over Labor Day weekend. With the warm weather we’re having right now, it could turn out to be a very busy weekend. The Sauvignon Blanc is close, and so is the Cab up at Howell Mountain.
Last time we checked in veraison, the color change, was just getting underway. Since then, I’ve done quite a bit of leaf thinning, to improve light exposure to the clusters, and also some cluster thinning.  Â
Dropping unripe clusters on the ground isn’t something I like to do, but it’s important that we have even ripening throughout the vineyard and, if some of the clusters are lagging behind, they’ll add green, unripe flavor to the wine. So – off they come – it’s called a “green harvest”. As I check each vine, it’s also an opportunity to assess the crop level, overall. I need to make sure that the vines aren’t carrying more fruit than they can ripen with a high degree of flavor intensity and sometimes thinning is the answer.  Â
Valley wide, harvest began the third week of August with the sparkling wine grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier). Then, a few wineries reported receiving some Sauvignon Blanc the week of the 24th, so it looks like we’re about a week to 10 days behind last year. Yields look about normal (whatever that means…) and much improved over last year.Â
 The growing season, as a whole, has been very cool and mild, punctuated by a few heat blasts here and there – just what we need. The cool conditions keep the grapes from getting sweet too fast and give us a good shot at the extended “hang time†we need for peak flavor development. The heat assures us that we’ll get enough sugar to actually harvest and make well-balanced wine.  If things continue as they have, we’re looking at a potentially outstanding harvest. Keep your fingers crossed!
See Geoff doing some pre-harvest cluster thinning or discussing veraison.
Goosecross: Wine Trivia du Jour
Since harvest is nearly upon us, it’s an appropriate time to ask:
What is the ”brix”?
a) The temperature, Fahrenheit, of the must (crushed grapes)
b) The temperature, Centigrade, of the must
c) The percentage of sugar
d) The angle of the punch down
Hint: We have a special instrument, called a refractometer, to measure it. What do you think?
Check out our Wine Trivia Challenge to find out!
               Â
Goosecross Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch on Veraison
We talked a little bit about veraison in July. The Cab and Petit Verdot finished coming through veraison earlier this month and there’s no one better to tell you about it than our Owner/Winemaker, Geoff Gorsuch. Enjoy!
Diane’s Favorite Imported Italian Foods
Fun Fact by Diane De Filipi, Let’s Go Cook Italian: Favorite Imported Italian Foods
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Napa Valley Wine Radio.
Pica Pica Maize Kitchen
Fun Fact by Sherry Page, Culinary Getaways: Pica Pica Maize Kitchen
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Napa Valley Wine Radio.
NVWR® 90 – History of Wine Words
Did you know that the word “gourmet” referred to a lover of wine long before it had anything to do with food? Or that the word “libation” originally meant an offering to the gods? If you love wine and you love words, this episode is for you! In this phone interview, etymologist Charles Hodgson, the author of History of Wine Words, tells Nancy Hawks Miller, our Director of Education, about the origins of some of the words and about writing this fun and fascinating book!
Pignoli (Pine Nuts)
Fun Fact by Diane De Filipi, Let’s Go Cook Italian: Pignoli (Pine Nuts)
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Napa Valley Wine Radio.
Squash Blossoms
Fun Fact by Sherry Page, Culinary Getaways: Squash Blossoms
Did you enjoy this? Here are more Fun Facts from Napa Valley Wine Radio.
