You can now purchase our estate made red wine vinegar. It is pleasantly fruity!

When Alice Haining, one of our regular customers, heard we would be keeping bees on the farm this spring, she was kind enough to bring by a jar of 35 year old honey for us to taste. Her mother was a beekeeper in Mississippi decades ago, and Alice has held onto a giant jar of honey for all these years. She brought some last week to our Futures Event where every guest was able to taste a little bit of this treasure! It tasted just as it looks – like delicious molasses.

Most of the honey from our farm will be left for the bees to live off of, but perhaps some of you who stay in our farmhouse will be able to taste whatever leftovers there are at breakfast.

-Lauren

5:20 AM Friday, January 28th, 2011
Dear Friends of Shinn,

Winter has provided a very strong voice to our daily routine over the last week. The temperature reached single digits on Sunday and Monday mornng keeping us huddled indoors next to our wood burning stove. Yesterday morning we woke to yet another fresh coating of snow. This time the accumulation was in the six to eight inch range, so our vineyard crew needed to spend the morning digging us out. It looks like we may get another dusting later today. The weekend looks pretty good. There is a slight chance of some snow tomorrow, with clear skies to follow for Sunday and through the early part of next week.

Barbara and I are driving upstate later this morning to spend the weekend at a beekeeping seminar. The two of us have been talking about keeping some hives on the vineyard for a few years now, so it looks like this spring will be the one where we finally put all of the pieces together. Our friend Peter Stoutenburg from just down the road donated some hives that we’ll use to get started. Thanks Peter! In addition to the hives we’ll be keeping a dozen Rhode Island Reds for eggs starting this April. Holly and Chris Browder of Browder Chicken fame (Holly works in our tasting room) have been encouraging us for a long while so this will be the summer that our Farmhouse bed and breakfast will have fresh eggs each morning.

Later today we’ll be releasing our 2010 Coalescence ($15) in the tasting room. Anthony crafted this wine from small lots of selected grapes that coalesce to produce a tangy refreshing wine with a zing of acidity. Clean vibrant citrus notes add complexity to the fresh and juicy finish. A blend of both white and red grapes including sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, white pinot noir and merlot blanc marry to create this light and harmonious wine. Along with the release of Coalescence Anthony is releasing his new vintage of Anomaly ($19) from Anthony Nappa Wines. Anthony sources Pinot Noir from the Finger Lakes for this lovely, light and delicate white wine expression of the red Pinot Noir grape. Stop in and visit with Lauren and Sarah in the tasting room while sampling these two new and exciting releases

Tasting room in winter

6:36 AM Friday, January 14th, 2011
Dear Friends of Shinn,

It is daybreak here on Oregon Rd. and we expect to see the sunrise through the newly pruned Sauvignon Blanc vines in the next few minutes. After digging out of another 12 inch snowstorm we are ready for a dry but chilly day and more of the same over the next few days. We have had a cold and snowy first month of winter and are wishing for a January thaw. Maybe it will come next week. Here is a photo of our border collie Panda prancing through the new snow. Panda in the snow She could not be more delighted!

Barbara has been writing a periodic column for the Organic Wine Journal about her journey to create the first Organic and Biodynamic vineyard on Long Island. We have started our second year of a three year certification process. The hard work and passion involved in this quest is beautifully conveyed in her writing. Ancient ways have Purpose

Today we begin our first ever “Drink with the Locals” promotion. If you live or work in Southold Town wine tastings are complimentary. If you live elsewhere give us your best story as to why you are as local as a local. There will be a fun local quiz to fill out in the tasting room. Get all the answers correct and you will be entered in a monthly drawing for a magnum of our Estate Merlot. We’ll have a drawing for a grand prize of a case of Estate Merlot in March. Come “Drink with the Locals”. We are open every day.

At 6:30 pm on Saturday February 5th and then again on Saturday February 12th we will be showcasing barrel samples of our 2009 red wines and 2010 white wines. This is a once a year opportunity to taste our wines directly from barrel – previous to bottling. The wines are offered for sale at our deepest discounts – and give you the very first look at what Anthony has been up to in the cellar over the last year. Your purchases at the tasting help provide us with the money we need to purchase bottles, labels and corks. Think of it as community sponsored agriculture for wine! The wines become available to pick up in the spring and autumn. This is a very comfortable and relaxed evening filled with many surprises (including a drawing for a stay in our Farmhouse inn), wine and plenty of food – so come thirsty and hungry! There is very limited space for these tastings so make your plans now. Call us at 631-804-0367 to reserve your space. The cost is $95 per person all inclusive of tax and gratuity. $40 of the price of each seat goes toward the purchase of wine futures that evening. We look forward to seeing everyone at the big Shinn Dig! If you are unable to attend you can download an order form on our website and send it to us with your selections. Futures

From now until the end of January we’ll be offering a special “January Getaway” package at our Farmhouse inn right here on our vineyard. Take advantage of our already low weekday rate of $149 and weekend rate of $225 per night and get an additional $50 stipend towards the purchase of our wines. Overnight stays at Shinn Farmhouse include a wine and cheese reception between 3:00 and 6:00, a complete wine tasting and a full breakfast. Lauren tells me that there are still available rooms for tonight and tomorrow, as well as throughout the entire month. Come and enjoy your local wine country in style! Call 631-804-0367 or 631-298-0216 to take advantage of this special offer.

Here is your chance to nominate your favorite Long Island Businesses and Attractions for a Peoples Choice Award. Peoples Choice

it is as if I could walk through a door in the vines

http://www.organicwinejournal.com/index.php/2011/01/ancient-ways-carry-purpose/