2011 Camino:  For all of you ‘10 Camino lovers, the ‘11 vintage promises to be equally pleasing.  We’ve upped the ratio of Riesling to a 60/40 blend with the Gewürztraminer and the result is a crisp, slightly off-dry wine with a great floral nose, guaranteed to create the light feeling of summertime any time of the year!

2011 Viognier:  Some of you lucky enough to try our ’10 Viognier (only 17 cases total!) will be glad to see Viognier on the tasting sheet again.  This wine is all citrus with a supple body and a dry finish that leaves the palate refreshed and yearning for more. 

2011 Riesling & Rose:  Of course we will have our 2011 Riesling to showcase as well, the sixth vintage from our estate block, and also an Estate Pinot Noir Rose!  This Rose has a delectable one-of-a-kind nose.  I can’t wait to try pairing it with foods this spring.

Out in the vineyards, we have just started to prune.  The vines had an easy winter and every viticulturist in the state is crossing their fingers for a ‘normal’ growing season.  I’d like to order up a moderately dry and warm spring with a hot summer and a lingering fall please!  But, we will take what we get.  Last year’s record low temperatures proved that our vineyards can produce lovely fruit, even if things are a bit cool.  

Thank you for your support this year.  The winery had its best year in sales ever and we hope to continue this trend in 2012.   Check out Facebook for some lovely pictures of the vineyard the day we harvested Pinot Noir.  The 2011 vintage will be smooth and rich in flavor.   Don’t miss the chance to taste it during Spring Barrel Tasting weekend in May!  

2011 saw great progress on our new production facility and cellar.  The walls are up, the roof is on, the windows in, and much of the rock work on the exterior, complete.  The stately granite arch above the main door greets visitors to the valley.  By next year the space will be ready for fermentation!   Stop in for a tour the next time you are around.

Speaking of winemaking, I’d like to formally welcome a new staff member to Tunnel Hill.  You may have met Michelle Fanton this summer in the tasting room.  In addition to Colly and Kathy Jo, Michelle has become an indispensable part of our team, both in the tasting room and in the cellar.  She grew up in Seattle, did her schooling in winemaking at Cornell, and worked in several Northeast wineries before coming back west.   

Michelle will be wearing many hats this coming year as she manages tasting room and wine production.   (Could be a summer of pure chase lounge time for yours truly!)   Michelle and her husband Chad (who also works with us on the vineyard crew) live in Manson with two big, lumbering dogs.  We appreciate the talents they bring to the farm and look forward to a productive new year with them on the team.

May you and your family enjoy a very happy holiday season.  Take time to appreciate the stillness of these long nights.   Roll around with your kids or grandkids on the carpet.  Surprise a neighbor with a plate of cookies (or a bottle of wine!).  It is time to be grateful of all we have.   

See you in 2012!

My wife, Rachel, and I talked over dinner the other night about local food and artisan wine.  Ten years ago, I would have been full of rhetoric about why big corporations and big business are so bad (and why local is better).  My early years back on the farm were fueled by this conviction.  But, like the few bottles of our 2006 Pinot that still remain, I’ve mellowed a bit.

I’ve come to see more acutely the benefits of local food and artisan wine.   The foods are fresher and more diverse.  The wine is more unique and of higher quality.  The economy is composed of many smaller businesses versus just a few big ones.  My thoughts on this front haven’t changed much.

What has changed is the sense of what I really know in the world.  I ate a peach from California the other day and it looked like most things that get shipped in – faceless and nameless.  That is, without an origin story.  When drinking wine it is a little better.  The label shows the winery name, the appellation, and the variety.  But even with wine, there is much to be desired.  Was there any other type of wine blended with the listed varietal? Who is behind the label?  Is it a stand alone business, or is it like so many wines these days: owned by one of the few global wine corporations?

The point is I don’t have these answers.  And they can be hard to get.  So, I’ve come to assume a stance of “don’t know” about things produced beyond this valley.  Things on this farm and winery, I know.  Things in this valley, I know a little.  Beyond that, I don’t know.

Now some of you are scratching your heads wondering why all of this pondering about a simple peach or bottle of wine.  Just enjoy them already!  And you activists in the crowd, those who are compelled to go out and find the answers, to expose injustice and poor practices, are on the other side of the fence.   Take a stand!  Yes we can!  Buy Fair Trade!  (or Organic, or biodynamic or sustainable…)

I am arguing for the middle.  Some place where conscientious folks can dwell without turning into neurotic consumers.  Some place where we enjoy the healthy food from our CSA box and also an occasional bag of M&M’s.  The Lake Chelan wine on the weekends and a few Costco wines mid-week (as one recent customer described her cost-conscious strategy). 

And I am open about not knowing a lot of things.   It is a place of ambiguity and uncertainty, but also of spaciousness and a certain peace.  I know I sleep well after a long day’s work.  I know I need a good night’s sleep to enjoy tomorrow.  I know our economy is stronger and more resilient when it has more farmers and vintners rather than fewer. 

Beyond that, it’s a mystery. 

Sound fun?  I hope so, because this year we are kicking our wine club into high gear.   Do you already enjoy our wines?  Do you like our style?  Do you want to support a farm family with four-generations of deep Chelan roots?  Then you may be a great candidate for the club. 

The format is simple:  each spring after bottling, you receive four wines, including the new vintages not yet available to the public.  We can ship them, or you can pick up at the spring party in May.  Imagine a warm night, apple blossom, barrel tasting, family only event – a chance to see old friends and make new ones.  Then, the cycle repeats once again in the fall.   You’ll receive four wines in September and receive an invitation to the fall wine club party.  These fall parties are not to be missed.  Crisp air, a nip or two from the new vintages already bubbling in the tanks, and a meal featuring all that our farm, The Sunshine Farm, can offer in the fall.  Which is to say, quite a feast!

If that isn’t enough, any time you stop into the winery, you and your guests enjoy free tastings, discounts on bottles of wine, even bigger discounts on cases, and for all the loyal Sunshine Farm Market customers reading today – 10 % off any and all purchases.  (See, don’t you feel like a member of the family already?)

Here at Tunnel Hill, we have a tradition of doing things well, doing things right, and doing right by those who help us along the way.  In short, we like to build community as we build our farm and winery businesses.  Certainly it is hard work, but it is authentic, soulful work that never leaves me lacking for a sense of purpose.  If you’d like to rub elbows with this world, to sit at a big table and hear stories about the old days in Chelan, to imagine years to come, or if you just want to enjoy a good estate Syrah as the sun sets, then be sure to sign up for the club.

I’d like to invite you to join our family. 

I hope you will.  We have a good time.



The occasion was the ten year anniversary of the local wine association.  Since its formation, the industry has exploded:  over sixteen wineries, hundreds of grapes planted, and in 2009, the creation of the Lake Chelan American Viticulture Area (AVA) – a distinction that quite literally put Lake Chelan ‘on the map’.

 I joined the wine board last year, and since then we have been busy setting our sights on the next ten years worth of work.  I had the opportunity to follow Steve at the microphone to articulate this vision.  We have work to do:  promote our industry – because there are still a lot of wine lovers who don’t know about Lake Chelan.  And elevate our game – because we can still improve our wines, our service, our experience. 

The evening was especially moving for me because I had lost my grandfather at the age of 88 just a few days earlier.  That night, I spoke about the future of the wine industry in the context of his passing.  He was the second in the four generations of family to farm in the valley.  He benefited from the hard work his dad had put in, starting the farm just before the Depression. 

“You know Guy”, Gramps would tell me, “Your great-grandfather really did all the hard work.  I just wish he had lived a little longer to see the fruits of his labor.”

Today, we are doing the hard work of establishing an industry.  It is my hope that like our original family apple orchard, our winery and the local industry to which it belongs will bring prosperity to many in the valley.   In the room that evening, celebrating with Steve Kludt and others, I sensed we were well on our way to making this a reality. 

Yesterday I topped off our 2010 Pinot Noir and marveled again at the alchemical process that has taken place.  Another year of transforming grapes into wine.  Sure there are chemists who can chart out the process in a maze of double bonds, reductive processes, and ester formation.  But even for this budding winemaker, who is beginning to understand some of this complexity, the conversion is pure magic. 

We say “Come to your Senses” as an invitation to appreciate this magic.  Wine need not be complicated.   All that is required is attention to what you see, smell, and taste in the glass.  And the more a person pays attention, the more they will notice.  The object of our attention grows in depth and beauty.

Next time you enjoy a bottle of wine with friends and family, take a minute to think of all the forces at play in its creation.   Bring to mind the field crew who cultivated the grapes, the crew in the cellar who crushed, fermented, aged, and bottled the wine.  And the sales staff—whether that be in a grocery store or a tasting room—who brings the wine to you with a smile.  Then smell the wine.  All of those people are in that aroma.  And taste … ah … what an expanse!  Know that you are tasting the sun, the water, the exchange between roots and soil in the earth.  And smile!  Look around the table at those you care for.  Treasure their presence, their health. 

If this sounds a bit like a meditation, you are right.  Appreciating a good bottle of wine is definitely a meditation—the act of coming back to oneself and the world in appreciation.  And it is simple—I do it every time I lift my glass.  I notice the weight of the wine, feel the cool touch on my tongue and lips, savor the flavors as the wine slides into my mouth.  This appreciation offers a gateway into something of depth, something of beauty.  Come to your senses at Tunnel Hill.  We are glad to be on the journey together. 

With the footings poured last fall and permit in hand, we hit the ground running this spring.  Forms were in place by the 25th of February, but we waited for a cold spell to pass before pouring the barrel room walls on the first of March.  Steel beams and pan deckng for the barrel room will be delivered this comng week and we hope to pour the barrel room roof by mid-March.  Our master stonemason, Felipe, wll be laying concrete block this spring.

Stop by to check out the progress and say hi!

November 17, 2011

 November 17, 2010

February 17, 2011

Febraury 17, 2011

February 21, 2011

March 1, 2011

March 1, 2011

March 4, 2011

March 4, 2011

This picture was taken in April 2010--it's not what the vineyards look like right now.  But it is a pretty good representation of what my heart fills like inside!  I am looking forward to this year!  Winter is going to be over soon, the bottling truck is going to be pulling in, and soon enough the tasting room will be bustling again.

What's new this year?  On the wine front, we are making several new wines to share with you.  On the construction front, the footings are in place for our new production facility and the walls will be going up before you know it.  And our events calendar is filling up with a mix of old favorites (Thursday afternoon Happy Hours with yours truly tickling the ivories) and new events.

One new event will be palate trainings in the tasting room.  I attended a palate training last summer at Central Washington University and want to bring a bit of that experience home to Chelan.  Every few weeks, I will lead a small group through a series of blind tastings of wine–both ours and others.  We will consider wine in its elemental form–color, aroma, taste (acidity, sugar, tannins, mouth feel, etc.).  If you are new to wine or just love the chance to sharpen your senses, watch for more info on these events as the summer draws near. 

Another new event will be vineyard tours.  Every wine lover knows that at least eighty percent of a great wine comes from the grapes in the vineyard.  Pruning, thinning, and watering are all critical steps we take each year in the pursuit of high grade fruit.  The fun (and sometimes nerve-racking) part is that mother nature gives us a different set of circumstances each year to deal with.  Some years require more thinning, some less, some call for more water, some less.  Being alert to weekly changes in the vines is of critical importance.  I hope you’ll join me for a vineyard tour this year as I share some of the work we have done to date and how the fruit is maturing through the season. 

Back in the tasting room, we’re excited to be adding two new wines to our list this year. In late April during the Chelan Nouveau celebration, wil be release our 2010 Syrah Rosé, The Rosé will be bottled in late march and should be the perfect summer sipper.  About 2% residual sugar and plenty of acid to provide structure.  Also, this year marks the return of our white blend “Camino.”  Its composition will continue to evolve, but the goal is the same: a comfortable wine, perfect for the Lake.  (I haven’t mentioned the reds, but the 2009 Reserve Syrah is going to be a killer–look for its release in late summer.)

When I’m not behind the bar, I’ll be playing project manager for our new production building located adjacent to the tasting room.  The facility will give us room to grow—up to the 2,000 case mark.  We’ve looked around at other wineries in the valley and the small boutique operations at this level—Nefarious, Tildio, and others—offer a business model that makes sense for our size and location.  On our vineyard tours, I’ll be sure to take a pass through the construction zone so please come out and take a look at our progress!

2011 promises to be a year of new growth and offerings at Tunnel Hill.  We appreciate your support of our family business.  It allows us to continue to farm on the south shore, gives sustenance to our great retail and field staffs, and in a significant way connects your family with our own.  Here’s to a year of good wine and great memories at Tunnel Hill!

Guy checks the clarity on our Pinot as we go through the racking process.

That’s changed.  This past winter, I began to realize how integral the success of our winery is to the overall success of the Sunshine Farm.  I also quickly saw that Dad’s original vision for the winery wasn’t big enough. Up until this year, before I became more involved in the winery, Dad figured he didn’t have many other options than to stay small and look for a buyer in the future.  When I realized I didn't want to see the winery sold, that maybe instead I wanted to learn how to make wine, the vision fo the winery changed.  We needed more wine--and more production space!

So Demolition of the old chicken coop in order to make room for the new wine productiontime to dig in!  Ground has been broken on our new production facility adjacent to the tasting room.  When it is complete, we will have the capacity to produce around 2000 cases of wine per year.  Compared to our current 450 cases, that offers a nice set of big shoes to grow into.  And along a somewhat parallel tract, we are working out the initial visions for a seasonal restaurant at Tunnel Hill.  You know those great Brandywine tomatoes you get at The Sunshine Farm Market?  The ones grown just up the hill from our vineyards?  Well, slice one of those up alongside our celebrated organic salad greens, top with some fresh chevre and you’ve got a great summer salad.  Could I suggest our ’09 Riesling as a pairing?

Jesse works on painting the new railing and bridge in our terraced waterfall garden behind the winery.But hey Guy, didn’t you study engineering in college?  And what was that your wife studied?   Classics?  As in Greek?  What do the two of you know about wine and food prep?  Answer:  We’re learning.  As fast as we can!  And it helps that we have great neighbors.  Dean and Heather over at Nefarious have been the best in sharing ideas and perspective.  So to, our neighbor to the east, Dr. Bob of Tsillan Cellars. 

But there are still plenty of moments where we’re left scratching our heads and figuring it out on the fly.  Which is to say we are a little stressed sometimes, but generally optimistic about our chances.

I wrote a poem years ago for my Dad’s birthday.  It was a sentimental affair about two men, father and son, looking out over the same landscape from the different vantages, but walking together towards a common point.  Certainly that poem has lived its way into life here on the farm.  Dad has the audacity to build buildings and get businesses rolling that I would never consider starting.  And I have audacity to step up to the plate when those businesses need a boost to the next level.  Even if we have to figure it all out as we go along.

Which is all to say we are a little stressed sometimes, but generally optimistic about our future!  Thanks for joining us as supporters and customers.  We look forward to the days ahead.

If you missed out on cider-pressing during Fall Crush, there’s still a chance to bring your family out to this enjoy this unique old-fashioned fun. When you buy a Christmas tree, you get a 20 lb box of apples free to press into cider right there! Make it a holiday tradition! Speaking of holiday traditions, our winery is a great place to host holiday parties! Call Scott at 509-682-2423 to get your event on our calendar!

Our Riesling production was down quite a bit this year.  Earlier I wrote about fruit thinning and its importance in the maturing process.  Well, we thinned a bit too much.  This error, combined with a small sale of Riesling grapes to Vin du Lac, added up to only a half-full tank in the cellar.  So next year, when we run out of our ’09 Riesling, I guess folks will have to head across the lake to taste the other bit of the harvest.  Get ready, Larry!