Hello Hell, I'm here!

Icey wind blows hard into my bare face making my lips too numb to speak. The head wind is so strong that when it eases up slightly, I almost fall. The incline of the road is steep enough to give drivers hesitation and my thighs burn in agreement. Another car whips past throwing road salt at my body, I cover my face with my arm. Menstrual cramps throb through to my back and hips while stomach cramps scream "why did you have 2 cups of coffee?". This is not Hell, but it feels like it. No this is my 11 mile run.

I finally earned the statement "she has some grit" from a beaming Jesse once back at the warm house stretching. It is amazing how happy my pain seems to have made him. Oddly enough, I feel a little better about running 26.2 miles in Napa after this run!

Needless to say, we didn't run on Christmas day. Something about waking up at 5:30am to screams of "Santa came!" followed my mimosas at 8:30am keeps you from strapping on the pavement pounders (that would be code for my running shoes, my feet hurt so much all the time these days).

This week Jesse has amazingly gotten up to run at 6am to repeat the "Hell Run" several times, perhaps inspired by his new running watch. This magic Christmas gift is a computer you strap to your arm and can do just about anything, except give you mouth to mouth if you have a heart attack! Jess has been so excited about it, he even forgot his ipod for one of the runs; this is love so strong, I might have to get jealous.

The increase in weekly mileage isn't missed, the fatigue and self doubt is strong. I have to remember why I am doing this. Wait...why AM I doing this?!

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!

www.VivacWinery.com

Jingle knees, jingle knees, jingle all the way!

 Ahh the gift of giving...seems this Holiday Season, Jesse gave HIS aching knees to me! Jesse has recovered beautifully from his injuries and is back on the road running. I however seem to be gaining knee issues with my increase of mileage. Anyone else battling the knees?

We hit a hard going, fast 4 miles on Sunday which seems to have inflamed my IT band, not fun. I admit, I drank a bit too much the night before (but our newly bottled Divino red wine blend was too much for me to stay out of) and the entire run hurt. The vigorous effort gave me runner's tummy too. I am so lucky this year with all these "gifts"!

Today I reluctantly climbed aboard my old clanking treadmill to run the necessary 6 miles. As I started, I thought how much I admired Jesse for getting up in the dark to run his 6 miles this morning, it must have been freezing! My knees burned and I took several walking minutes. I struggled out 55 mins, unable to make the 65 mins I needed. Feeling drained, extremely fatigued and soaking in sweat, I asked myself if I could actually continue training. Do I really have what it takes? What do I do about my knees? I limped to my running log and saw, low and behold I was only suppose to do 5 miles today and the 55mins was GREAT! Instantly my mood lightened and while my knees continue to tingle (not in a good way), I felt perhaps it wasn't the end of the world. I am also really sorry I told Jess he had to run 6...in the dark, freezing cold. Oops, sorry babe!

Chris got a run in the other day. He ran a grueling 40 mins up the arroyo. For those of you who are not familiar, an arroyo is a sandy riverbed that in best of conditions is, well, sandy. In the worst conditions it is REALLY sandy or muddy. I personally would rather hug a cactus then run up the arroyo.

Chris has a son Maddox and a baby daughter Chablis which makes sneaking in runs difficult to say the least. Luckily Chris has the "gift" of running on his side, he is one of those people that can hit the road after not running for months, and then run 10 or even 15 miles no problem! It is wild. He also has the gift of an understanding wife, Liliana, who balances everything while Chris repeatedly trains for races.

Chris will run the half marathon in Mexico on New Year's Day 2012, I don't think any of us envy the pain that will rack his head that day after a celebration the night before, but what a great way to kick off the New Year!

So as I ice my knees and open a chilled bottle of our Rosé of Dolcetto, I ask, what are you hoping to find under the tree this year? I hope to find my resolve...and the commitment to only drink on days I already ran, not the night before!

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!

www.VivacWinery.com

Holiday indulgence

With the holidays fast approaching, it seems even harder to hit the road running, but easier to over indulge! Any tips on keeping running ready through this time of the year?

Jesse and I (Michele) are preparing for a marathon in Napa Valley CA in March 2012, it will be my 1st. Jess has completed 2 with his brother Chris, the Valles Caldera in Los Alamos NM and the Duke City ABQ NM. Chris actually ran the Duke City twice now and ran the Grand Canyon Marathon only a couple of weeks later, making his total 4 marathons. He is looking forward to running his first half marathon in Aguascalientes Mexico when he, Lili and the kids are visiting her family this winter.

Jesse and I ran our 1st half marathon a couple years ago in Denver CO. Since then I have trained repeatedly for a marathon and not even made it to the start line. Sickness, injury and self doubt has plagued my running. I feel great now though and am excited about Napa! I love Napa.

I worry a little about Jesse. He broke a rib making wine, then ran hard at Duke City for a PR only to come out of it with shin splints. 3 weeks later he attempted running the Grand Canyon Marathon with Chris. At this time Jess also had a bad cold on top of his injuries. He made it 15 miles. Training now  has been slow for him due to the major amount of strain his body had to endure. Currently he is cross training and slowly building up mileage again. I have to admit I love having him ride his bike next to me as I run long runs, encouraging me, I feel like "Rocky" or that kid in Africa that runs crazy mileage.

Tonight Jesse and Chris treat the winery staff to a home made holiday meal (made by them and yes they are amazing cooks) where the guys spend the night waiting on all of us. The wines they pull from the private library are always spectacular. Last year we had a vertical line up of some of the first Cabernet Sauvignons they ever made, it was mind blowing that 10 years later, they were not just holding up, but gorgeous! The guys were kids when they made them!

After a night of dynamite food and wine pairing, we have to run 10 miles tomorrow. I am already dreading it. Where is the Advil and Vitamin Water?


-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family, now go for a run!

www.VivacWinery.com

New Wine/ Running Blog! "Fueled by Vivac"

It seems everyone out there has a blog about wine, but what sets us apart is that we are runners! Sure you will still hear about wine and our winery here, but the focus is shifting to talk about the training we undergo for running marathons. This is a trials and tribulations of our families and our journey to get PRs or simply get out the door for a short run when the kids are screaming. We hope you will give us feed back, recommendations or just share your stories!

So as blog 1, lets do a little introduction. We own, operate and started our boutique winery (Vivác Winery) in 1998 in Dixon New Mexico. "We" are Chris and wife Liliana along with Jesse and wife Michele (that's me). Chris and Lili have 2 kids (boy:Maddox 4yrs, girl:Chablis almost 1 yr). Jesse and I have 1 child (boy:Denim 5yrs). All 4 of us run the winery and we hope the kids will want to be a part of it some day too!

We have all enjoyed sports of various sorts growing up, but started running as adults a couple years ago. The balance between work, family and weather seem to be too much some days, but we continue to battle forward. Each night we open a bottle of wine (or 2!) and feel the strain subside. The next morning, a little hung over, we strap on the running shoes and hit the road in shirts that read "Fueled by Vivac".

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family, now go for a run!

www.VivacWinery.com

What is M.L. and why is it my wine?

M.L. is short for a process called Malolactic Fermentation and is not, in-fact, a fermentation at all. In this process malic acid is eaten by bacteria and converted to lactic acid. Lactic acid is the main acid found in dairy products and lends a creamier flavor and mouthfeel to the wine. Descriptors such as buttery and creamy are tell tale signs that a wine has undergone malolactic fermentation. Another byproduct of the the process is CO2, which is why people incorrectly called it a ‘fermentation,’ and the name just stuck. The process also makes a wine more complex. Before M.L.F. a wine has up to 8,000 chemical compounds that make up its bouquet, afterward it has about 10,000. -Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!

World Class Flamenco @ Vivác Winery

Sunday August 28th at 4:30pm, join us at Vivác Winery Tasting room for a once in a life time opportunity to see some of the best in flamenco & poetry. Happy Hour Drink Specials & hor d'oeuvres, don't miss it!

Flamenca expert Susannah Clavileja Garrett will recite Lorca while dancing. She performs widely in New Mexico & studied with the famed Maria Benitez, (she is also granddaughter of the famous Pat Garrett). Guitarist El Niño David, stage name of David Briggs, studied flamenco in Spain & teaches Spanish at UNM & CNM. Guitarist & Flamenca are both from Santa Fe & have performed with Gary Brower at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Teatro Paraguas Studio Theater in Santa Fe, the Sunflower Festival in Mountainair, the Church of Beethoven in Albuquerque, the Duende Poetry Series in Placitas, NM & other venues. Flameca Cantileja recites Lorca while dancing. Poet Gary Brower is editor and publisher of The MalPais Review, New Mexico' -Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!

Rafting the Chama with Vivác!

Only 12 spots available! This is an incredible opportunity to have an adverture of a life time with gourmet meals, wine maker dinners & "NM River Adventures" does all the work! -Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!

Happy Hour

Happy Hour Season is back! That's right, your favorite community winery is back in full swing with live bands EVERY Saturday afternoon from 4-7pm! Drink specials and even a fun filled raffle for our wonderful guests to enjoy free gifts. How does it work? Simple, you buy a drink, you enter the raffle, you buy another drink you enter again, you buy a 3rd drink? You make sure you have a DD and then you enter AGAIN! At the end of the evening you see who the winner is. Prizes include free glasses of wine, free bottles of wine, free corkscrews, hats, shirts, chocolates or any of the fun books and games we have in the tasting room! Did you know we now have beauty products? A new wine and chocolate pairing menu? "Friends of Vivác" wine program for an offering of wines we don't produce ourselves like sweet wines, sparkling wines and wines under $10? New and exciting items await you and your family at Vivác Winery. Happy Hour is held on our beautiful patio overlooking our newest vineyard addition and offers more seats and drink specials each week. There really isn't a reason to miss one! -Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!

Introducing "Friends of Vivác"

New to Vivác Tasting Room, sweet wines, sparkling wines & wines under $10! We are proud to offer the styles of wine you may be looking for that we at Vivác do not produce. We have hand selected the best of these styles that our respected wine maker friends make in New Mexico. They are: GRUET WINERY: "United States Wine Producer of the Year" by The International Wine & Sprits Competition for 2010, the Gruet family has helped our Vivác Winery wine-makers with invaluable advice as we started our own winery & we continue to call them friends today. Gruet Winery makes some of the best sparklers in the world. They stem from "Gruet et Fils" Champagne house in France & all of their sparklers are Methode Champenoise. BRUT: notes of buttered popcorn & green apple, this wine has great acidity & fine mousse. Serve chilled. ROSE: notes of Strawberry & toasted almonds, this wine has round acidity & fine mousse. Serve chilled. RED HOT MAMA WINES Created by Vivác's team of certified Sommeliers & designed in a 1950's Rock-a-Billy style who's art is by the famous Nelson Rhodes (Disney animator & inventor of the 'Tasmanian Devil'), Red Hot Mama Wines are fun, flirty & a bit risqué but always a great value! These wines are not made by Vivác, but the blend is produced & marketed by the owners. RED HOT MAMA: If you are looking for a great wine with lots of "character and Sass", this wine shows full fruit, round acidity & light tannin. This Cabernet Sauvignon heavy blend is great with Pizza & BBQ BUXOM BLONDE: A Sauvignon Blanc blend showing mellon flavors, nice acidity & fruity over tones, fun & flirty with full figured fruit & easy to drink! Serve Chilled. Great with Cheeses & lighter meats. LUNA ROSSA Paolo D'Andrea is a 4th generation wine-maker from Friuli, Italy with a degree in Viticulture. Paolo has worked the vineyards of Deming's "NM Vineyards Inc" since 1986 selling us our grapes, working closely with us to find interesting varietals to work with & picking at our specified levels of acid & sugar, this is a relationship that is very important & personal. Luna Rossa is his personal winery. GEWURZTRAMINER: notes of honey & blossoms, this semi-sweet wine has round palate & low acid. PRIMO DULCE: This red blend has notes of dark ripe fruit & floral hints. A semi-sweet wine with round acidity & light tannins. -Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!

wine 101

How is wine made? It starts with the grapes in the vineyard, this can get very detailed, but for simplicity sake, lets leave that to: when the acid levels and the sugar levels are right, you pick the grapes. The grapes are taken to the winery, and in Vivác's winery, hand sorted (removing any poor grapes and leaves). The grapes are then sent through the crusher/destemmer (which breaks open the berries and separates it from the stem) and, if they are white grapes, sent to the presses. At Vivác, these are 2 traditional basket, hand presses. The pulp is removed from the juice and white wines sit in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks immediately to ferment. Red wines ferment with the skins and seeds in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 9-12 days (depending on the varietal). During fermentation the "cap" of skins and seeds is "punched down" in an effort to keep the juice in contact with the skins and seeds, drawing color and tannin from them. The red wine is then pressed and sent to oak barrels, we believe in 100% French Oak barriques at Vivác because of the sweet spices they release into the wine, think aromas of caramel, vanilla, cinnamon or butterscotch. Wines spend time in both new and old oak barrels prior to bottling. The bottle aging is important so that the wine can again become an integrated experience when you drink it. It is the details and the science behind each of these steps that differentiate one winery from another, imagine a city or town of restaurants with excellent chefs, each one might be serving a chicken dish and a stake dish, but none of them will taste the exact same. Your job as the consumer is to find the wine-maker or "chef" that suits your palate. -Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!