March Madness

Spring is a time for change.There has been a record amount of snow this year that has fallen, melted, turned into epic mud, fallen again and repeated so that now we live in a mud bog. The vines are still dormant, but the cover crop between the rows is already changing to a bright green and the March roll-of-the-dice weather has us excitedly trying to sit out on the patio. This time of year is always insane, in part because either myself and my family, or my husband's brother and his family, always go on vacation, the scheduling for the jam packed summer starts and the wind of northern New Mexico literally makes you crazy. Thankfully all the new wines are ready to be bottled so we can drink our way through the cray cray.

This year, we have the excitement of a full system of taps now in place giving us a wall of craft beers, white wines, red wines and even cider available! It's as if St Patrick himself visited our tasting room and blessed it just in time for St Paddy's Day. We can tell the locals are ready for the patio imbibing too as more and more people flock to the little oasis, bundled in thick sweaters and happy smiles on their cold faces. It is going to be a year like no other and that's for many reasons, but the biggest one is simply having been doing it for long enough to know what the hell we are doing!

20 years ago, a couple of kids had the dream of becoming winemakers, fast forward and us 40 somethings have weathered storms far greater than those that pummeled our ski slopes this year. But through dedication and devotion (sounds like wine is our religion and honestly it isn't that far off) we have now crested a steep hill and look forward to reaping the fruit of our many years of sacrifice. Of course that couldn't happen without an amazing staff. If we have indeed learned something over the years, is that great staff is crucial. We have been lucky enough to have had exceptional staff.

For the last couple of years, a young woman named Nell has warmed the hearts of tourists dropping in, locals that love her big beautiful smile and wine club members that have grown to see her as a friend. Of course she has touched the lives of the Vivac Winery team that has enfolded her into our family the most. She is young and delightful and full of energy and needs to explore the world, so with a sad goodbye because we will all miss her terribly, we send her off with love and support and look forward to hearing all about the amazing opportunities that come her way! If you have gotten to know Nell, please come by over the next two weeks to raise a glass to this remarkable woman.

None of us can accomplish our goals without the love of those willing to believe in us. We are so grateful for all of those that have supported us either by working with us, selling our wines for us, or by making a cheers with our wine in your hand. We aren't Mondavi Winery, we won't ever be that big, but knowing we have been a part of fabulous people's lives like Nell, and can welcome our neighbors to our patio to celebrate the coming Spring makes this long journey worthwhile.

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com

Written by Michele Padberg, co-owner of Vivac Winery. If you enjoy this blog, check out her personal blog at Wine First Adventures

Time For Change

It has taken me a long time to set this blog post into motion. My emotions seem to be entangled in what I want to share with all of you, all of you that have journeyed through so much of my life with me. I started this blog 10 years ago for our winery and as I explored how to make is successful, learned how to craft it to be engaging in a completely different way than any of our other social media, it also became more and more about my personal experiences. You were with me as I whined and wined through the training for many races, and then through the many injuries or epic fails that kept some of those races from happening. You were with me as I went through horrific health problems, got better, learned to sail and had incredible travel adventures...all with the winery, wine and whining as a central arch. As I have come into a new place of self recognition, a redefining of my identity (thank you therapist Mr. Awesome) so too does my work and life need adjustments.

This blog, and all our social media marketing strategies have felt like a baby of mine. I have crafted each piece lovingly to reflect and touch different people and with this piece, I laid bare my deeply personal, intensely private thoughts and experiences. My intention was to connect with all of you in a way that good friends share stories over a couple bottles of wine late at night. I think I did that. But it has been brought to my attention, and it is certainly true, that there are far more stories to be told that do not center around me. There are wonderful stories about all the people that make our International Award Winning Winery the spectacular jewel that it is. The sound of the blog will be changing, growing and hopefully finding more fans. I hope you are all excited to hear about the fresh new stories that will no doubt entertain, enthrall and drive you to drink!

*If you are still interested in my whining and wining, my travels, trials & tribulations, you can follow my personal blog at Wine First 

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com