tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840Wed, 21 May 2008 20:40:01 +0000http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/newblog.htmnoreply@blogger.com (adonkey)Blogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3907656642034952851Thu, 15 May 2008 22:29:00 +00002008-05-15T15:40:28.622-07:00Thomas Wolfe may have said, "You can't go home again" but Jared and I plan to do exactly that next week. Crazy scheduling challenges even has us each at a wine maker dinner in our home state on the very same night. With Isabel, I'm off to North Carolina on Saturday where I'll spend the first week in and around the Triangle. While there I'll get out in the market with our fabulous sales reps athttp://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/05/we-are-going-home-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6962439395119406141Thu, 08 May 2008 15:59:00 +00002008-05-08T10:22:07.923-07:00 Last night I went to bed thinking about Joe Dressner and Jean-Paul Brun. Joe Dressner imports a great selection of wines from France and is a wonderful story teller. (Just spend some time reading about Buster and the airport.) Joe introduced us to Eric Texier and to many numerous great wines. He is a defender and champion of natural wines which reflect their terroir. He also imports one of http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/05/natural-wine-making-circa-1907.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-8054424486162202455Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:31:00 +00002008-04-27T14:57:55.775-07:00GamayLightnerSyrahWild YeastPlasticWe have already gotten busy with the 2008 season and, believe it or not, with wrapping up 2006. We have been busy blending our final 2006 wines (and even a reserve 2005 bottling of Syrah.) Tim Patterson's article in Wine and Vines on wild yeast features us and it a worthwhile read. Using wild yeast is "not safe winemaking," says Greg La Follette, who does it at Tandem Winery. Chris Loxton, http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/some-brief-notes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-1218249890078631596Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:07:00 +00002008-04-20T14:09:33.869-07:00TablehopperMonday RoomNYCLESI realize it must seem like we did nothing but drink wine and eat...well that is partially true. Thankfully lugging a stroller with a 3 year old or wine bag up & down the streets and subways does burn a few calories!Before we left I did a little research on where to eat. With so many options and so much potential I wanted to make sure we took advantage of every meal to either try something new,http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/more-on-nyc-eating.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-7241121055230119831Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:30:00 +00002008-04-16T15:33:32.831-07:00Viña Bosconia Gran ReservaBLT MarketLópez de HerediaOn Friday evening Isabel and I had our last NYC dinner at BLT Market. This account is one of our favorites, located in the Ritz Carlton at Central Park and one of the rising stars in the Laurent Tourondel portfolio. Earlier in the week I had met Jeremy and Jim (Sommeliers) who are both contagiously passionate about all things grape. When playing mommy as opposed to winemaker I found myself at 5thhttp://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/more-from-nyc-1947-rioja.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-2133772922787471625Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:23:00 +00002008-04-14T21:32:37.571-07:00TexierAqua GrillOur first of several sales trips happened last week: New York City. I can still recall the first time I went to the big apple to sell our wines. I felt giddy, like I imagine young wanna be actors must feel when they arrive. Because my friends if you can make it here you can make it anywhere! Well four year later we have made a considerable amount of success for ourselves in Manhattan and http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/donkey-and-goat-in-big-apple.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Tracey Brandt)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6805105931956910266Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:19:00 +00002008-04-04T17:13:31.949-07:00 We had the pleasure of meeting Greg Neville, owner and Chef at Lugano's in Salt Lake, a few weeks ago. He is hosting our Utah debut on May 20th. I have heard he is a great chef from many people including my mom. That has been confirmed with his recent award from Salt Lake Magazine as the Best Chef in Salt Lake.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/best-chef-in-utah-hosting-our-debut.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-250918601383418329Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:09:00 +00002008-04-16T15:28:15.597-07:00IsabelRoseWe are planning to follow Novus Vinum's advice and give our mothers our favorite Rosé. Isabel is planning on giving Tracey one as well. We are thrilled to have our Rosé so widely admired.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/mothers-day-suggestion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3862493057465225162Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:48:00 +00002008-04-01T22:15:50.801-07:00Anyone interested in an offline in New Jersey? I am planning on meeting a few people at Latour's in Ridgewood on the 11th. I am not sure what BYOB is like in NJ. That said, I will be bringing our Spring Release to sample. If you are interested, drop me an email or leave a comment. We are having a few scheduling glitches but assuming that can be solved, it should be fun! Latour A http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/04/offline-in-new-jersey.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-1987003595798590728Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:06:00 +00002008-04-01T22:16:15.170-07:00We are about to go to NYC for a week. It will be the first family trip to NY. The last time we were there together was before before 9/11 and before Isabel. We have been a bit overwhelmed with trying to figure out what to do. One useful guide has been Table Hopper by Marcia Gagliardi. Her guide to the East Village has been especially great. Fatty Crab here we come! That said, if you http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/03/taking-bite-out-of-big-apple.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-4334487707224822510Sat, 22 Mar 2008 21:38:00 +00002008-03-22T14:41:45.891-07:00Vestry Wines, a Tribeca wine shop that opened last April, will host an in store tasting event to debut the new spring line up from A Donkey and Goat winery. Vestry was custom designed to showcase each and every one of their hand selected wines from around the world. Jim Kuhner, founder and general manager, travels near and far to find his gems. He also taps the expertise and passion of Shelleyhttp://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/03/donkey-and-goat-in-manhattan-details-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-1962378133170839426Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:28:00 +00002008-03-22T14:42:39.113-07:00Last night we hosted a wine maker's dinner at Franklin Square Wine Bar in Oakland. The event was a tremendous success. I wish we had taken some photos.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/03/great-dinner-kudos-to-team-at-franklin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6777588450406377965Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +00002008-03-22T14:43:22.939-07:00This past week has been one filled with exceptional wine. Tuesday started the week. We tasted with Greg Neville of Laguno in Salt Lake City. It was a great tasting. Tuesday evening was devoted to the Northern Rhone. Accompanied by a spectacular meal at Rubicon, we have 89 and 95 Hermitage Blanc from Domaine J-L Chave of Tain Hermitage. Both of theses wines were showing extremely http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/03/several-major-wine-events-over-past.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6896357776235224878Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:21:00 +00002008-03-08T11:08:25.326-08:00Last Sunday we found some ungrafted, 30 plus year old chardonnay. I wish I had taken a photo - they looked incredible. The vines have been nearly dry farmed, head pruned and generally left alone over this time. We might try a ton or two - see how a nearly "unmanipulated" vine does.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/03/old-vine-chardonnay.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3958980871467987902Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:21:00 +00002008-03-04T13:48:02.643-08:00We spent part of Sunday sitting on top of a hill thinking about our new project high above Anderson Valley. We are going to graft over an existing vineyard to our specification. We choose the clones a while back along with the grower - now the questions are more focused on what clone to put where. This is our second project like this, the first being Hog Pen in the Mendocino Ridge AVA. http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/03/our-new-projects.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-1028123009775366722Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:09:00 +00002008-03-01T08:28:00.858-08:00Having a business in Berkeley has its ups and downs. Thursday night, we lost a sale due to the city. There has been an ongoing tussle over a marine recruiting station which is in downtown Berkeley. I haven't followed the issue and, being a believer in free speech, wouldn't want to see the Marines go nor have Code Pink stop picketing the station. That said, I am not sure the boycott againsthttp://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/berkeley-boycott.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-5606188140773737100Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:58:00 +00002008-02-29T16:55:51.602-08:00 Oakland Magazine sent a photographer to our open house and they have posted them on their site. Take a look. My father also took some photo including a nice one of Chris. He came at the end but we were all still enjoying ourselves.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/more-open-house-fun-photos.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-6970300891153272512Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:13:00 +00002008-02-26T22:23:41.565-08:00My birthday is March 8th. Isabel is making me cupcakes which will be wonderful. Outside of that, our plans are low key for the evening. The night after, we are hosting a dinner at our favorite east bay wine bar - Franklin Square. Details are below. We would love to see you there and no need to bring a present. A Donkey & Goat Winemaker’s Dinner Sunday March 9th 2008 – 7pm $65 per person http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/wine-maker-dinner-come-celebrate-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-1071541735608341498Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:15:00 +00002008-02-26T07:19:20.767-08:00With each open house, harvest and bottling, we are lucky to have wonderful support from family and friends. Some of our volunteers are people we have known for ages, others we meet randomly at different wine events and even at job interviews. They are all great and we can't thank them enough. Angela Simoncini Alexis Puma Brad Rogers Burt Alper Chris Long Dawna Hall Erica Marcroft Kari http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/and-thank-you-to-all-that-helped.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-7057026028868404717Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:40:00 +00002008-02-27T14:14:44.567-08:00We wanted to thank everyone who helped with yesterday's open house. We had over 400 attendees and despite the rain, it was a great success! Broc Cellars , Dept C and ourselves provided excellent wine. The Ramp played some great tunes. Melon Catering provided great food. Charles Chocolates created the wonderful ginger chocolate bars. Only another 6 months and we will have the next one.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/successful-open-house.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-4921511663641464781Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:48:00 +00002008-02-20T22:43:11.494-08:00Our open house is coming up quick and we have some special treats for those who attend: A great selection of wine from A Donkey and Goat, Broc Cellars and special guest Dept C. Our neighbor on 4th Street, one of Wine.com's two retail stores, is going to be offering a special treat for attendees - $10 off any purchase of $50 or more. We love having them down the street and Gwendolyn Wilson, http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/open-house-treats_20.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-7764914250176634495Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:27:00 +00002008-02-20T21:41:56.264-08:00Last night, I heard from a customer who had asked about natural fermentation and yeasts. Anyway, her email ended with a tasting note that was wonderful. BTW, I got a hold of a bottle of your 2005 Vielles Vignes McDowell Valley Syrah and enjoyed it with a friend the other night; we grilled up some country-style pork spareribs and doused them with an http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/i-love-talking-with-consumers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-8643876722629258488Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:52:00 +00002008-02-11T22:56:26.782-08:00Three ThirteenYep - that is the review from Daily Candy and I like it. Read the full coverage at http://www.dailycandy.com/san_francisco/article/34975/http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/in-word-kickass.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adonkey)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-3430500697593624468Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:33:00 +00002008-02-11T22:48:06.188-08:00Our new website just went live and we are super excited. We are still working through bugs so it may not stay up. More soon and latter. We are expecting to add much more content, especially around wines and vineyards. RSS is somewhat broken. The links back don't work the way I want them to and I don't know how to fix it. I will be working on that over the next few days.http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/new-web-site-is-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (adonkey)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16787840.post-7585402383208914801Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:14:00 +00002008-02-01T16:41:16.339-08:00Tracey and I had the pleasure of trying to pair our "Recluse" with chocolate at Charles Chocolates today. Our host, Traci Prendergast, presented us with both the usual suggestions and some really unusual ones. The Ginger Chocolate Bar was the clear winner. I was shocked but it really works. We are going to feature these locally produced chocolates at our open house. Traci will be on http://www.adonkeyandgoat.com/2008/02/ginger-chocolate-and-syrah.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jared)