Thanksgiving Made Easy!

The #1 wine question sweeping the country every November is "What should I serve at Thanksgiving?!?" and the answer is probably different than you thought. If you just want the short answer, it is our Rose of Sangiovese (in state / out of state) and our Abbott Cab Franc (in state / out of state). If you are interested in scenarios that you might want to troubleshoot, a la pairing for social situations, read on.

If you are the guest at someone else's table, there are two ways to go. There is the gift-to-save-for-later wine, or the wine you hope can pair with the meal you don't know anything about. A super classy move is to bring a nice bottle of wine for your host and make sure to say to them "Here is something special, as a thank you for having me, open it later." If you opt for a chance pairing, go with your broad strokes likability wines... dry Rose is ALWAYS a hit. You know the saying Rose All Day? Well they say that for a reason, Rose is the fastest growing alcohol sector in history catapulting to stardom in every wine glass you can find regardless of who you are or where you live. 

Another sure thing, are your lighter bodied reds. Your Pinot Noir, Cab Franc, and Nebbiolo wines are super versatile because they tend to have more acidity (better for food pairings) and due to the lighter body they can handle the light meat turkey, the tangy cranberry sauce, and at the same time Grandma's overly rich casserole. Here is the thing, you simply cannot, and will not, be able to pair with everything on the table. You can pair to the dish you bring and tell people you are excited about that pairing...but be prepared, not everyone wants to geek out over pairings and will probably enjoy the wine simply because it is the one in their glass. You can also call your host in advance and ask if they are having a traditional Thanksgiving meal which would direct you to a probability of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. Pairing with the main flavor on the plate is ideal, which in the case of my family is gravy. we put gravy on all of it! Our gravy tends to be rich, brown and spicy. We use the turkey renderings to make it so it has lots of flavor making it pair beautifully with our Sangiovese, our Cab Franc and our Divino red blend seamlessly. And yes, we usually have all three plus a bottle of our Rose of Sangiovese on our table. If they will be showcasing their unique heritage, dishes could be wildly different than what you are used to. Your host will be excited you asked and are showing interest. Take that info to your local wine shop or email me (Michele@VivacWinery.com), I can give you a Vivac and a non Vivac option for a happy pairing.

If YOU are the host, there are some things you can do to ensure great pairings. First, you can supply ALL of the wine for the meal. You can let them know in advance that you have taken care of the pairings for dinner, but to bring something specific if they'd like (often this will be beer). If people bring a bottle, they may be doing so in the hopes that it will be opened with the meal (ask them!), or it could be a gift for you, or it could be that they like a specific type of wine and want to make sure they get to drink it throughout the evening. This usually happens with sweet wine drinkers attending a meal where they know everyone will be serving dry wines or vise versa. If you have planned pairings and purchased the wines for the meal, open wines people bring with appetizers and leave them off the main table. If someone wants one of those wines instead of your selection, they may get up and get more of that wine. Your point that THIS is the pairing will be obvious by placing the intended pairing wine on the dinner table. I will never forget the dinner at my Grandmother's where she pulled out a jug of Carlo Rossi "Burgundy" from the refrigerator and announced "it's only been open a few weeks!" Now believe it or not, I am not a total wine snob. I will drink a glass of any well made wine in any price bracket, from any region in the world. What I won't drink is an already bad wine that has been open for weeks turning into straight vinegar. I am pretty sure everyone, including Grandma, was really happy we had brought a bottle of wine too.

Another option, if you are a control freak and a little bit bossy (like me), is to assign dishes and wines. Yes, you really can do this! A lot of people actually find the idea of coming up with a suitable dish and/ or wine a stressful challenge and are relieved to simply be told to bring a vegetable and a bottle of wine. Try to keep it general such as asking for a Cab Franc, they then pick/ find one from anywhere they wish. Now if you want to go next level, you will also add to this request: add bacon, nuts, citrus, onions or cheese to the dish they bring to make it more wine friendly! Scratching your head? These add ons add a component that the wine can pair to downplaying the astringency, bitterness or sweetness the dish might otherwise have. A great example is asparagus. On its own it's a wine killer, sprinkle with bacon or wrap with prosciutto and you change the dish. Sweet potatoes kill dry wines especially if you usually add marshmallows, skip the candy and add onions and orange and you are going to watch jaws drop. If you need ideas, check out the recipes on our website, each of our wines have one.

My final piece of advice for all of you winos out there, go out and buy a brilliant bottle of wine that you love. Take it to the party or open it for your family. Raise a glass, look around the table and soak in all the people that surround you, then enjoy the hell out of that glass of wine! 

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family! 

 Written by Michele Padberg, co-owner of Vivac Winery.

 www.MichelePadberg.wixsite.com/WineFirst

Feeding the Fall Foodie!

                                Photo from our 2024 Picking Party featuring Chef James Campbell of La Boca Santa Fe

It is green chile time in New Mexico and that means every dish has green chile in it, am I right? From eggs to enchiladas to raw on a tortilla (I can't be the only one that does this... can I?) we have green chile morning, noon and night. Choosing a wine can be tricky, but I suggest our Gruner Veltliner with its round, ripe fruit and bright herbal notes. If you like sweeter wines, a fruity Riesling is fantastic to use with these dishes, especially if you like the really hot stuff. Our Riesling is super dry yet showcases nice ripe fruit giving you the best of both worlds!

Garden goodies are also starting to come in which gives us delicious tomatoes, corn and zucchini, all of which are fabulous with a little olive oil, salt and pepper paired with our Rose of Petit Verdot or Rose of Sangiovese. If you like to get creative with your veggies and add cheese or breading, our fuller bodied Rose of Cab is ideal for those pairings!

As you start to get into the cold weather meals, carne adovada, stews and yummy baked bread things, we can start looking at our reds. As a rule of thumb, you want to use lighter bodied wines with lighter foods and build up body and intensity of the wine you choose as the food you are pairing it with becomes more robust. Seasonal breads freshly baked and dipped in stew or a red chile tamale are delicious with our Sangiovese, while carne adovada or some other bold dish is going to shine with our Aglianico.

Fall is also the perfect time for pie! The apples have come in, pumpkins are readily available and as a nortena, it is prune pie season! Now I recommend adding herbs to the crust (thyme and rosemary) to the crust of the apple pie, cutting way back on the sugar and adding a slice of cheddar cheese to the top for an unbelievable tasting experience. The you pair that with our Chardonnay. Pumpkin is yummy with our Cab Franc and prune pie is out of this world with our Merlot.

Need a Vivac pairing for your favorite dish? Message us "Attend: Michele, wine pairing"

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family! 

If You Can´t Tell Who the Wine Snob is in the Room, is it You?

Our last post was about the don'ts you should do centered around summer drinking and enjoying yourself. Today's post is going to go in the opposite direction. Let´s go over some of those snobby things wine people do and why you should care about them.

Swirling: Does it look pretentious to swirl a glass and smell the wine repeatedly? Evidently yes is the answer according to many of my non wine geek friends. I think it is not appreciated by some people because it isn't understood. Swirling the wine in the glass releases the aromas (what the grape naturally gave the wine) and the bouquet (what the winemaker did to it, such as malolactic fermentation and oak aging). This action allows the wine to reach further up in the glass so that you can stick your nose obnoxiously deep into said glass and detect more nuances from the wine as you smell it. Now why are you smelling it in the first place? Because your nose informs your palate and while your palate has the basic sensory evaluations, your nose can pick up 250 different scents giving your wine experience far more depth and enjoyment.

Spitting: I know, it IS gross. It also does seem to convey a snobby flare, usually since that person is also  taking notes like a dork and asking nerdy questions. I am that dork. The reason for it is to evenly compare wines. If I am going to go to multiple wineries in a day, I am the designated driver, or I am formally critiquing a wine, I need to spit. When you swallow wine, your senses dull and your ability to decipher subtle differences between wines wanes. Now, ideally the person spitting should be respectful of those around them and ask for a personal cup or dump bucket so that they are not spitting directly into the group dump bucket.

Decanting: One of the most common snobby wine impersonations I witness all the time is someone, with their face exaggerated into a form of distaste, announce "shall I decant this?!?" It usually gets a laugh from the group. There really isn't anything snobby about decanting except that it indicates you may know more about wine than your neighbor, or you know the party hack of putting a cheap wine in a decanter so no one will know what it is and assume it is expensive. Some ask if every single wine should be decanted. The answer is no, not ALL wine should be decanted. So, if you have been using this to try and sound like you know about wine, you actually outed yourself as not knowing what you were talking about. Decanting is great for a wine that is older and has sediment in it, but is most often used to speed up the aging process. A wine built to age shows a softening of the tannins and a taming of the fruit over time. A wine meant to age, but you simply can't wait to drink it, will benefit from decanting it. Another tip, don't get one of those fancy art looking decanters, they are tricky to pour  out of (especially the more you drink) and are a real pain to clean.

Now there are some wine snob things that no one should do because, well they are an a$$hole move. For example, correcting someone just is plain rude. If someone says they smell or taste something in the wine, they get to have that opinion! If the server screws up information about a wine (aside from bringing you the wrong bottle of course), don't correct them in front of everyone. If this is important information for the table to know, then share the correction after the server leaves. Also, don't put people on the spot demanding someone analyze a wine just because you like to do so. A great way to ruin the experience of drinking a nice glass of wine is to force someone that is insecure about their wine vocabulary or knowledge to speak up. And one of the rudest things wine snobs can do is serve one wine to a group while hiding the "good" wine for the serious wine drinkers in the kitchen or behind the bar. You never know who might be about to have their big ah-ha wine moment, be the person that helps them have it, not the person that keeps them from it.

In the end, it is all about enjoyment! If you have a question, ASK. Wondering why someone is doing something? ASK. Don't know about an area or grape? ASK. The server is there for exactly that, especially if you are at a winery or wine bar. Unsure if it is a cool move or a snobby one? Rule of thumb is to just be nice. If whatever you are attempting to do with the glass of wine in your hand can be done respectfully, politely, and without causing a scene, then by all means, swish the wine in your mouth, hold it up to the light, tell your friend who asked you about the wine all the fun facts you know, but if you start lecturing the entire room, ask people to move so you can get to the window for better light, or gurgle so loud it grosses out people, you are not being a snob, you are just being a jerk.

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family! 

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

The Absolute Wine Don'ts You Should Do

Summer is here and that means you are asking yourself "What wine should I drink and how". It is a no brainer to say crisp white wines and roses, but what you might not realize is that the bold whites and even red wines have their place in the summer heat!

OK let's get the obvious out of the way... Vivac makes amazing rose wines. We have 2 currently, the Rose of Sangiovese and the Rose of Cabernet, and we plan to add to that list as we expand our vineyard varietals. These wines have won awards all over the world including a Double Gold at THE Rose Wine Competition. We also have the Estate 1725 Riesling and Estate 1725 Gruner Veltliner that have been winning awards and have their own cult following coming from our vineyards at 6,000 feet. All of these are AMAZING choices for your summer fun. Clearly you should buy these in bulk. 

Now, moving on...

Chardonnay, ahhh yes, the white wine with a sorted past. Once demonized for its overly buttery oaky personality, it has had a makeover, or maybe it is better to say it has been "Marie Kondoed" and striped down to only the most important elements. These mineral driven, unoaked, Chardonnays are beautiful and an easy addition to your quick grab selections (we've got a Gold Medal version for you to try), but it is the now rare oaked Chard that I want to highlight!

Buttery, oaked Chardonnay is domineering, yes, but it also morphs when paired with the right dish or atmosphere. Yep, you can pair wine with the atmosphere. From romantic picnics to campfire hangouts, or swanky restaurants to the sofa in your living-room, there is an atmosphere that causes YOU to react differently to the wine. We will skip over glassware for now, but that also plays a huge role. Oaked Chard is a wonderful choice for summer nights with its bigger body style and it pairs amazingly well with buttered popcorn! It can handle bolder foods so it is also great with anything off the BBQ that will carry some of that smoke mirroring the oak in the wine. Staying in? Lower the lights, snuggle into your favorite chair and watch a romantic comedy classic like "When Harry Met Sally", it is my go to oaky Chard favorite.

Reds are also fun to play with, here is the trick with these, put them in the fridge! WHAT?!? How dare I say such a thing! Yes, it is frowned upon to make red wine cold, but it is also true that the correct serving temperature for a red is based on that of a cold cellar in Europe, so lets keep our pants on when talking rules. I also venture to say, if you are having FUN and enjoying the wine in your glass, I don't care if you have fruit, soda and a straw with it, you rock on with your bad self.

How do you pick a proper red to chill? Some wines lend themselves to this, my personal fave is a Beaujolais Nouveau (have you been watching our social media? We are having a label contest to grace the bottle of our very first Beaujolais Nouveau style wine in honor of our 20 yr anniversary!!!). The bold fruit and deep tannins subdue when chilled and the combination is really delightful on a hot summer day. Other wines that do this well are Pinot Noirs, Italian reds like Sangiovese and Refosco, and Syrahs. Play with it, find your own favorite!

Chilled reds are also great for a multitude of summer foods including pie which I also recommend cold. Sure hot dogs and hamburgers are obvious choices, but if you are like my family and enjoy cold ribs and picnic salads, a chilled red can handle the intensity of these foods and not be too over powering that you can't taste the deviled egg grandma put in the potato salad. Call me a weirdo, but there is nothing quite as divine as a chilled Merlot with cold blueberry pie or a chilled Syrah with a cold cherry pie when its hot out.

Final bizarre advice for summer wine indulgence, club soda. A splash of cold club soda in a fruity white, rose or red immediately changes the dynamic giving it lift and tames the intense flavors of bolder wines, which is what we are looking for when we pick out summer wines. Plus, lets face it, bubbles make everyone happy. Welcome to the world of Wine Spritzers.

Wine Sprizters have been around for ages. They have also been looked down on for ages, but they do have their place! If you are spending hours out in the heat or drinking all day, you need to watch your alcohol intake. These homemade spritzers are perfect for the pool or lake, outdoor parties or brunch with friends. The sparkling water does change the pairings slightly so you will want to move up the scale. Foods that had been too delicate for a specific wine can usually handle it well when transformed into a spritzer. Sweet wines are an excellent choice for spritzers and a delightful treat when added to ice in the blender for a wine slushy. 

Is your mind blown? Are you eyeing your library of wine books wondering if they will be disgraced if they see you drinking wine like this? Let them! Let all the wine snobs in the world be horrified, you will be too busy enjoying yourself to care.

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family! 

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

Rose All Day, Yes Way! But how???

Spring has sprung in Dixon, NM! The trees are in bloom, the flowers are popping up and it is officially Rose Wine Season! Wait, did Rose Season ever end??? No, not really, it is a year round phenomenon, but now that Mother's Day is approaching and the sun is out, it certainly feels like there is an intensity driving sales. 

With so many options for Rose, how does one pick from the packed shelves, Facebook posts, magazine ratings, ads and what your friends claim are the best Rose wines? Well, you don't have to pick just one! Let's dive into selecting a Rose for every occasion. 

1st, a quick tip: any grape can be made into a sweet or dry wine. That process and decision is handled by the winemaker during fermentation. It is YOUR job to read labels and get to know regions. I know, no one likes homework, but I promise it will pay off. Or at least keep some cheat sheets in your phone to refer to when shopping. Basics fall into warm climate equal ripe fruit, cool climates equal higher acidity so if you are looking for a zesty, bright Rose, you want cool climate. If you want a bold fruity Rose, you want warm climate. Next you want to look at the type of grape. Pinot Noir makes lighter wines, Syrah makes richer wines, it still applies when making Rose. And the final, obvious aspect is the descriptions on the label. Yep, right there on the back label it will say "dry" (not sweet), "off dry" ( a little sweet), or "sweet" (we are talking really SWEET at that point). 

Rose Bubbly: Remember it can only be called Champagne if it is from Champagne, France, otherwise it is "sparkling wine", or in more popular vernacular "Bubbly". If you are still thinking you need a special occasion to open a bottle of Bubbly, you are way way WAY behind the times! Bubbles are for all day, every day, and a Rose Bubbly is one of the most versatile wines on the planet. Its high acidity is fantastic with everything from cheese, to hamburgers to dessert. Make sure you chill the entire bottle down (neck too) to 43*, really cold. Ever wonder why some sparkling wines spray out when you pop the cork? They weren't cold enough. This type of wine is a little tricky to shop for because they did things backwards and really dry is "extra brut", dry is "brut", while off dry is "extra dry" and sweet is "dry", and sweet sweet is "demi sec". Another tricky thing is the names other countries have decided to use for sparkling wines, such as; Prosecco (Italy), Cava (Spain), Cremant (rest of France) or Sket (Germany). Now Vivac doesn't currently have a Bubbly, but believe me, it is in the works. Until then, my easy go to for a quality, everyday Bubbly is Mumm or Chandon, with cost saving options coming from Spain (Cava) if you like a less sweet option and Italy (Prosecco) for a fruitier option. There are also plenty of cheaper labels like Yes Way Rose or Underwood in cans that are pretty great for the money. 

Light Bodied Rose Wines: These wines you can literally see in the bottle are lighter in color. That means less skin contact which makes for a more delicate wine.  These are great wines for day time parties (think bridal or baby showers) served with light finger foods. They make great brunch wines because they generally have higher acidity which handles the high fat foods beautifully. They are ideal for picnics and sunny days at the lake as they are refreshing. A fabulous example is our Rose of Sangiovese which last vintage won a Double Gold at THE Rose Competition and won a Gold just now at the LA Invitational International. Vivac Winery Rose of Sangiovese

Full Bodied Rose Wines: A darker color wine means a more robust flavor. These wines are generally made from the bigger, bolder grapes and a little more skin contact. These are the wines that can tackle the bigger foods like BBQ. They are perfect for evening soiriees and big parties where there are people that prefer whites and those that prefer reds, but come together to love Rose. Looking for a wine to sever at a pot luck? Definitely a bolder Rose! The perfect expression of this style is our Rose of Cabernet which won a Silver at the LA Invitational International, the TX International, and the Great American International. Vivac Winery Rose of Cabernet

Another amazing thing about Rose Wines? They make fantastic wine cocktails! A super simple option is to take a fruitier Rose and add a splash of sparkling water to it. Want to dress it up? Throw in some frozen fruit. Hot as hell outside, throw it in a blender with ice. Need a little extra kick? Add Rose to Gin or Vodka with a lemon wedge and a splash of cointreau over ice. 

Raise a glass with us, shout "Viva Vino!" and come enjoy a Rose Spritzer at our Tasting Room on Mother's Day!

Have a party, dinner, or day drinking in mind that you need help pairing? Message me at Michele@VivacWinery.com and I will happily help.

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

Chocolate & Wine 101, What You Really Need to Know

Chocolate & Wine Pairing Tips are everywhere you look this time of year so what can we say that you don’t already know? 

First thing, let’s start with some advice. Don’t wait for someone to create a Valentine’s Day extravaganza for you, take control and do it yourself. Second, invest in quality chocolate and quality wine. It might seem obvious to some, but I can’t tell you how many people want an out of this world pairing, but are using grocery store cheap chocolate and bottom shelf wines. Now I’m not saying this isn’t a FUN combination and one I absolutely encourage at Halloween, but for a truly memorable “experience” quality counts. 

Alright, let’s get this party started! 

1) White Chocolate with fruity white like a Sauvignon Blanc with lots of character. Want to swoon with the pairing? Add nuts to the chocolate! (Try Vivác Gruner, Chard or dry Riesling)

2) Milk Chocolate with light bodied reds like a juicy Pinot Noir. Want to swoon with the pairing? Add rich caramel! (Try Vivác Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo)

3) Dark Chocolate with fruity bold reds like Merlot. Want to swoon with the pairing? Add spice like red Chile powder! (Try Vivác Abbott Merlot, Aglianico or Diavolo)

4) And a great way to always win is to pair the chocolate with port! Want to swoon with the pairing? Add cheese! Yes, add cheese, preferably a hard aged flavorful one like aged white cheddar or Parmesan. (Try Vivác Amante port style wine)

Is that it you ask? Well, we could get into a bunch of nuances, but this is a great way to cheat your way into looking like a pro. Want to dive deeper? I gave a Master class on redefining chocolate and wine pairings at the American Wine Society National Conference this past year. I lead participants through the WHY of these powerful endorphin releasing substances and how they effect your brain on their own and then in combination. Adding a 3rd element not only delights your palate, but these combinations can reduce cortisol (the stress hormone), alleviates pain, produces feelings of bliss and even love! 

What a Wild Ride! Looking Back Over 20 Years

20 years is a really long time. When you are young and think about "where will I be in 20 years?" it seems so far off in the future that anything could be possible! For 4 incredibly naive, enthusiastic wine geeks in the tiny community of Dixon, New Mexico, it was a finish line. 

25 years ago, Jesse and his brother Chris (not yet 21 years old) put into motion the dream of creating a winery. This winery wouldn't just be a side project like many of the wineries they saw around them, wineries that were filled with retired men from other professions, but a winery with purpose, focus and momentum to exact change on the industry. Lofty aspirations? Absolutely! But it is the young, brash, egocentric that make things happen right? 

The goal was to make truly dry European style wines, from NM fruit, and put NM on the global wine map. These brothers also hoped to get married, have kids, raise their families in Dixon and have a built in support to allow each family to travel for extended durations. 

Liliana and I joined the team, amazingly at the same time, when she moved from Mexico to New Mexico to be with Chris. I had rekindled my relationship with Jesse and decided not to continue my plan to move to New York City. The 4 of us were sure we would be millionaires in 5 years. We thought we could sustain a highly productive, debt free winery out of a 800 square foot rastra block building. We thought we could rule the world from the childhood rooms of the winemakers. Yes, we had moved into the old adobe home the guys grew up in, grateful for every home-cooked meal their mother provided, every wonderful wine their dad opened, and every square foot of their farm they lovingly turned over to us. We heard the advice from those in the industry at the time who said we would fail if we made dry wines, said that we needed a dose of reality, and maybe we did, but we didn't sit still for a moment. 

Working other jobs to afford grapes, pay for school loans, buy barrels, buy groceries, buy bottles and corks and labels and and and... landed us on food stamps with house-sitting jobs. We definitely did NOT have a million dollars. But 5 years after Liliana and I joined the team in 2001, we had built and opened our Dixon tasting room, gotten married (yep, we did that at the same time too) and were on our way to starting families. Our dry wines had become something of a cult attraction after we showed up to wine festivals with giant 'No Sweet Wines' banners. We were actually struggling to keep up with the demand for product. Believe it or not, even with the constant stress and around the clock work, it was a really fun time in our lives. 

Now as we celebrate our tasting room's 20 year anniversary, it is amazing to look back and recognize how far we have come. It is incredible that we struggled to grow this winery year after year after year. Conversations where we all wondered if we were going to make it through another winter. Times when hiring help meant we didn't pay ourselves. Times when we suffered heartbreak after discovering someone stealing from us. The betrayal after putting your heart and soul into building something, then having someone take from it hurts immeasurably. Through it all, we stayed determined to meet our goal. 

Today we can proudly say that we have won gold medals for our wines around the world. We have had the most revered wine critic, James Suckling from Wine Spectator Magazine, say our Refosco wine was up there with some of the very best from Italy. We can boast wine ratings in the 90s and have stellar reviews in so many magazines, blogs, shows and podcasts we've lost count! Along the way we have also gathered certifications, continued education, extensive travel, phenomenal opportunities and an amazing platform to shout to the world that New Mexico Wine is here to play. 

If you follow our social media, you know all about the incredible events, competitions and publications we have contributed to. We believe in building up our industry and guiding in the new generations, of which there are many. We are thrilled to have been able to assist change as we took NM Wine to New York, Washington, France, Germany, Italy and everywhere in between. When our friend's wineries have a win, we celebrate with them. When our industry takes strides forward partnering with organizations like the tourism department, we raise a glass. And when our children took jobs with the winery, we beamed with pride. 

20 years have gone by in a flash. The signs of growth are sprawling vineyards over the hillside, packed patios and fine lines around our eyes. I'd say we wish for more looking toward the next 20 years, but I don't know that there is more we can wish for. We have continued to be a dynamite foursome making our dreams come true. We have put New Mexico on the global wine map and will continue to do so with international events, showcases, classes and maybe a few things we have up our sleeves. One thing is for sure, the next 20 will be less about struggling to get somewhere and more about holding on tight to this rocket of success. It sure feels good to be 20 years down the road from where we started.

Thank you to each and every one of you who have bought wine, come to drink in the view, watched our videos, read our blog, liked our posts, attended our events and told friends about us. You managed to raise 4 wild kids and turn them into thriving winery owners. I'd say we've grown into adults, but have you met us? 

Final note:

With excitement, we announce that we will make our very first “Beaujolais Nouveau” style wine! As far back as the 1800s, Beaujolais Nouveau producers would gather to celebrate the end of the harvest by toasting the vintage with some of the young wine produced that year. Traditionally using the Gamay grape, we are using our incredible 1725 Estate Vineyard Pinot Munier. This very special wine needs a very special label, so we are having a LABEL CONTEST! We want you to be a part of our story, open this wine in October when we release it, and cheers with us. If you have a label idea, check out the guidelines to participate here . 

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