We threw ourselves a 1st birthday party the first weekend of November, complete with chocolate cupcakes and candles. Luckily we rarely broke out into a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” If you have ever heard our family rendition of the song you would understand why. Yes, hard to believe, but just over a year ago, we washed down the cement pad, used every extension cord we could find (since we didn’t have power yet), moved a bar in and handed out over 400 yellow hardhats to our very first guests at First Sip 2008! I told people this year, that First Sip 2009 was the first event we were doing for a second time. Our year of “firsts” has finally come to an end!! And quite a year it has been!! More work than we ever expected but we have also been more blessed than we could have imagined!!!!
The year has brought us over 180 wine club members and too many visitors to even count. And while we have kind of “quietly” opened our doors while under construction…..many people found us by word of mouth. Other wineries sent people, you all told people and brought your friends. We deeply appreciate that you liked us enough to recommend us. Thank you!!!!!!!
The year brought construction to an end with the result being a tasting room that we love because its a beautiful but comfortable space! Thank you for going on the journey with us and watching the development of the building. How great it was Grand Opening Weekend to see so many of you using the space the way it was envisioned…..tasting, wandering the gardens, picnicing at the outdoor tables and just enjoying each others company(and buying a bit of wine while you were at it!)
The year brought our first experiences with public pourings. ZAP, Zinfest, Dark and Delicious, Taste of Lodi, Grape Escape, Spring Wine Show, School Street Sip and Stroll, Treasure Island Wine Fest just to name a few!!! It has kept us busy but also given us a way to draw more people to our winery as well as advocate for the Lodi region as a whole!! And more people are discovering the wonderful region that Lodi is!!!!
The year brought us our first sold out wines as well as some new additions to our lineup! We added an Albarino, a new Zinfandel and just recently a Chardonnay. Our 2007 Rose sold out first soon followed by our 2006 Tempranillo. And just recently the 2006 Old Vine, Primitivo and 2006 Petite Sirah all followed suit. Chad, our winemaker, says awards are great but the best award is a sold out sign! How true!!! Awards are quite a compliment but the fact that you liked it enough for us to sell out is really the best award!!!!!!!!!!!!
And speaking of awards, this year brought success we never imagined!! Over the course of the year we entered 7 different well respected competitions. And we were blessed with 3 Best of Class Awards, 2 Best of Region, 2 Double Golds , 9 Golds, 9 Silvers, 3 Bronzes!!! WOW!! We have set the standard high giving us a lot to live up to.
Most of all, this year brought us a lot of new friends! The best thing about being open a year as seeing you come back time and again. That has been the most fun part of the whole adventure. We have enjoyed the pleasure of getting to know you and letting you get to know us!!!!!
So, we hope this is just the first year of many to come. After all, our family has been on the Harney Lane property farming wine grapes for over one hundred years so we are just getting started on this venture! And we hope that our venture has been a blessing to you in some way too….otherwise what’s the point?!! Thanks for a great year and here’s to the next 100!!!! CHEERS!!!
