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

New Year, New You?

Happy New Year! The confetti flies, sound makers sound and glasses of Champagne clink... but do you change? No, of course not. If you are anything like me, you make the vow to cut back on drinking, swear to eat better and to start that exercise plan you downloaded, all of which you immediately fail at because you are hungover. FYI the best hangover cure is a spicy Bloody Mary, eggs, bacon and toast. Needless to say this delays a "fresh start".  

Many people, better people than I am, over the years have kicked the year off with "Dry January", a tradition I see less and less of since the pandemic. Sure you might lose weight, get more done and actually start back at the gym, but come Mardi Gras, it seems those same people are in rare form to catch up. Instead of the black and white, all or nothing plan, what if we have "DAMP" January? 

This leads me to suggest a kick-start your palate workout as your new year, new you plan. Sure cut back on the drinking, maybe select a specific day to open something special or a specific number of drinks a week you are allowed, but don't go DRY... errrrr unless your Doctor has suggested it which probably means you need to listen to them. 

How does one kick-start their palate and more importantly why should someone do that? The plan is simple, you are going to retrain your brain and receptors so that you can actually enjoy more of the world's wines! It is a huge world out there full of incredible art in a bottle, but it will remain closed off to you if you stay in a rut. Don't think you are in a rut? If you have recently tried a wine outside your usual go to and said "I don't like this kind of wine", you are in a rut. OK OK OK slow down! I can hear you argue with me even as I type! Yes, there is such a thing as a wine not being to your personal palate (which by the way is the correct way to tell someone that has opened a wine for you that you don't love, or God forbid you are telling a winemaker that they have a "bad wine" when really it isn't that it is bad, but simply not a match for you). But I promise you can train your palate to open up and appreciate a new style of wine! Always drink Pinot Noir from cool climate regions and "hate" Napa Cabs? Only drink bold, fruity wines and "hate" the lean acid driven ones? I promise, you are shutting yourself off from a world of adventure, love, happiness, success and riches! Yes all those things may be only found in your mouth through this exploration, but better there than not at all am I right?

Here is the deal, when someone first starts off drinking wine, they like fruity white wines, then they discover jammy reds, then they come back to appreciate crisp whites, followed by structured reds and finally learn to appreciate a finely made dessert wine. There are also people that stop exploring and stick to a zone that they inevitably tire of and claim wine just isn't as exciting or that they just don't like it they way they used to. Imagine if you actually only ate tacos for every single meal... bad example because tacos are amazing and I'm pretty sure I could eat them for every meal and never get tired of them. Lets try grilled fish, you start having grilled fish every single day, at first you might love it, but over time you'd stop tasting the nuances, it wouldn't even matter if it was trout or salmon, it would be boring fish. You can actually tell a lot about where someone is at in their wine journey by asking them what their favorite wine is. Enough chit chat, lets get into how to kick-start your palate in a few easy steps!

*please assign a notebook to be your private wine journal. Take a moment with each wine you open to note the name, where it is from and at least some kind of description. If you can come up with more info about the wine such as if it has dark fruit, high acid or a smooth finish, definitely add that, but don't feel you need to. You can even describe a wine in non-wine terms, I've seen people use personality traits or even colors!

Step 1. Even if it is only in sets of 2, invest in glasses that have a cut rim, in a white wine and red wine size bowl. My go to is Reidel, but there are others out there. If it rounds at the rim, it is giving your palate a speed bump and the wine doesn't settle into your mouth properly.

Step 2. Try every wine you open in both glasses (small and big bowl). Pour an ounce in each, smell them back to back, taste them back to back. Try to pick out differences. (note it in your journal)

Step 3. Start smelling other things in the glasses. Herbs, fruit (peel vs. rind), grass, leaves, even the glass itself! Yes, I am serious, smell the empty glass. It may smell of musty sponge, soap, cabinet dust or have the residual of a previous wine. All of these things will taint the next thing you smell in the glass. Maybe you don't like the wine because it smells like the sponge you need to throw out. (note differences in smells from having it in your hand vs. in the glass)

Step 4. Now here comes the homework... once a week, do a comparison of the same grapes. And don't skip any even if you THINK you know the grapes, your likes, or the regions. Remember you are training your palate and your palate evolves and changes over time. Pick a time of day and try to stick to it. Eliminate distractions and other smells (don't do this while you are cooking). Pour wine #1 in a glass, pour wine # 2 in the same type of glass (mind the size of the pour, should be the same and only an ounce or two). Smell and compare, taste and compare, do not JUDGE, compare. Make notes on differences and similarities. Now do the same in the bigger bowled glass. Your opinion does not matter, it is comparing the 2. You will do this with the following:

Vivac Riesling vs Alsace Riesling or Finger Lakes Riesling

Vivac Chardonnay vs Chablis (Burgundy) or Russian River Chard

Vivac Rose of Sangiovese vs French Rose or Spain Rose

Vivac Pinot Noir vs Burgundy or Oregon Pinot Noir

Vivac Cabernet Sauvignon vs California Cab or South African Cab

Vivac Syrah vs Washington Syrah or Argentina Syrah

You get the idea, yes I did stick Vivac wines in there, they are winning gold medals around the world after all and represent a varietally correct (that is what we say in the biz for a grape showing through in a wine well, representing place and classic characteristics for that place) wine. You don't have to stick to this list, the idea is to pick 2 wines made of the same grapes from different places. Now COMPARE, what is the fruit like? Is it citrus? Berry? Herbs? Are they the same or different in the 2 glasses? Taste them, what flavors are you getting? Do you get an acid zing along the sides of your tongue? How dry is your tongue when you swallow? Is one wine bolder than the other? How are they alike? 

Step 5. Look up the region. You just tried 2 wines back to back, now learn about the wine growing regions! Cool climates (also high elevations like our winery) are leaner, higher acid with bright fruit and lots of complexity. These are in striking difference to warm climates that will have riper fruit, darker notes, bolder body and less acid. Now taste the 2 wines again after learning about the soil and climate, can you taste "place"? 

Step 6. Find a pairing. When you look up a wine region, they usually make note of pairings. You can also get a ton of info off a winery website so make sure to start there. Taste the wine, pay attention to fruit, acid, and tannin. Now take a bite of the food selected as the pairing (this can be as simple as a slice of cheese, some nuts or some other morsel you find in your fridge), then taste the wine again. How did it change? Even a bad pairing can tell you a lot, but a great pairing can really change your perception of a wine! Higher acid wines really need food, especially when you are acclimating your palate to them. Big bold wines need acid or fat to help cut the richness, again especially when acclimating your palate.

Step 7. Do it all again! Change up the regions, the wineries, add new grapes to the list, but remember to come back to this classic 6. The more notes you can make the better and using a wine aroma wheel will really help this learning experience.

I know this sounds like a lot, but you wanted to have a "new you"! There is nothing more amazing than appreciating new flavors, I promise, this will create a new you and open up a huge world of amazing experiences.

-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 WineFirstSomm.com

Seeing the Glass as Much More Than Half Full

Thanksgiving is arriving this year with a delayed reaction and needing a little extra wine, don't you think? It is almost like everyone is just waking up from the fog of 2020, looking around and rubbing their eyes. Have we been dreaming for the last 2 years? Like an episode of The Twilight Zone, we try to get back to "normal" only to be haunted by little oddities. Oddities like standing in a pharmacy line for over 2 hours and simply accepting that these are the way things are... "half the staff is out with Covid". Or that the stores no longer carry the products you want, maybe it is toilet paper, maybe it is peanut butter, or most probable it is Frito's corn chips, a staple in Northern New Mexico diets. Most of us have settled into ordering things to be delivered directly to our homes or carried out to our cars. No longer do you need to do your own grocery shopping, as long as you don't mind that substitutions are a reality that doesn't quite make sense; no I do not want a gallon of lactose free milk, but will take 2 half gallons of regular milk you have in stock that equal the 1 gallon I ordered that you are out of. I've never tried to order wine from the grocery store, but I bet those substitutions would be entertaining. Masks are less routine than they were, but still a common sight and during a recent hormonal acne outbreak, a God send for me. One of the funniest oddities I recently encountered was the discussion at my house over seeing a highly anticipated movie. It went something like this...

"OMG (insert movie title here) is finally released!"

"No way! That is 100% what we are doing tonight." (keep in mind we rarely leave the house, especially at night)

"No, it is only in theaters."

"Theaters???"

"I know, weird."

"You are telling me I have to GO to a theater to see this thing? Why isn't it streaming?"

"I don't know. I don't know."

*you should know that we did not see the movie in the theater, but waited until we could stream it.

We used to love going to the movies. Now, it seems like a thing of the past and an unbelievable pain in the a$$. Drive-ins are coming back, something I love! It reminds me of being a kid. And as someone with an autoimmune disease, I love the idea of being in my own space. Not to mention, have you tried to watch a movie around other people? There are significantly different movie watchers... those that actually want to watch (hear) the movie and those that use the movie as a get together to catch up with friends. My point is, go for coffee people, SHUT UP if you are watching a movie! I digress, what was my point? 

Ahh yes, things have shifted, but they are close enough to "normal" now that it makes the last 2 years feel like a blur. They did take place though, they did have an impact, and I want to take this opportunity, on Thanksgiving, to be thankful for everything that has happened since the early months of 2020.

The pandemic caused shutdowns for our winery, like everyone, but also ran a course of fear through our quiet little community. In the early days no one knew what to believe so it wasn't that odd, but was deeply offensive, that friends, neighbors in fact, screamed across social media that we were inviting bus loads of out of state people to our business. Meanwhile we were diligently washing bags of chips and sanitizing outdoor tables, had pick-up only sales and turned everything into a virtual reality. What was amazing, was all the other people that saw the lengths we went to to support our staff and protect our customers. The number of people that made sure to order wine for themselves and friends, it kept us going while many other businesses closed permanently. It was incredible to see the sense of support and love for our families and the winery. It was truly heartwarming to feel so much love come our way.The strange pandemic time also forced us to find ways to engage with people in brand new ways! Thinking outside the box was maybe one of the best gifts we can be thankful for.

Turning to virtual ways of communicating was a challenge. Zoom became an integral part of every day, but also allowed for us to do tastings all across the country and even around the world! How had we never had the idea of connecting with people in this way? It seemed so barbaric that pre-pandemic, someone had to physically come see us or attend an event in order to learn about us. Now I was giving wine lectures to the UK Circle of Writers with members in Hong Kong and throughout Europe. Mini videos assisted people on our website and East Coast American Wine Society Chapters held virtual tastings with members nestled privately in their homes, samples sent to their doors, to learn about a little winery in the desert of the Southwest. Now I can't imagine not having this vital business tool of virtual meetings! I am so grateful for the reach we have gained by this forceful hand. It is a new normal making a big difference.

We have also won so many incredible awards for our wines over the last 2 years! Gold medals in Germany, Italy, coast to coast across the USA and reviews that make my winemakers blush. Yes, I hand carried these wines to competitions around the world, and yes I did do this during a global pandemic while having an autoimmune disease, but I have to say, it was maybe the very best way to see these places, especially in the beginning. The high alert made everything cleaner, have less people and become more beautiful. My family and I traveled to the deep south of Mexico in 2020 with such great success that I returned to competitions across Europe at the beginning of 2021. I found the beauty of exploring cities, with negative PCR tests in hand in order to enter museums, restaurants and shops even with vaccine proof and wearing a mask, an asset. Having a seat between myself and my neighbor at the Opera was lovely! Having the time to linger longer in front of your favorite painting without being edged out has its perks and having everyone wash their hands religiously was fantastic, I went years without a cold! I also loved how patios expanded and heaters were put up, something we did at our own Tasting Room as well and absolutely love. Not sure why we didn't make those changes sooner.

I personally was also afforded amazing opportunities to work on great projects like being a contributor and part of the Editorial Board for The New Normal in the Wine Business e-book. We exceeded the TEN THOUSAND VISITORS LIMIT on the site! 45% of readers were from the USA, 17% from the Czech Republic followed by France ( 7,0%), China and India (5,5% each), Great Britain and Germany (4,8% each), followed by Macedonia, Canada, Russia, and Brazil. I published pieces in Sommelier Magazine, Edible and wrote as a guest on several blogs as well as my own. I added prestigious International Wine Competitions such as Berliner Wein Trophy, Mondial des Vins Blanc, and Mondial des Vins Extremes to my resume. I hosted a New Mexico tasting experience for dignitaries at the American Consul-General's home in Strasbourg, France and had extraordinary reviews of my Master Wine Classes I've taught (in the company of Kevin Zraly and Robert Mondavi Jr). Of course all of these personal wins are wins for Vivac Winery and NM Wine in general. I am always honored to represent my family and our friends in the industry.

There have been so many ups and downs, with family, with friends and of course with Covid, but wouldn't you agree that this Thanksgiving we can look back over the last 2 years and see a truly transformative trajectory that has brought us to today? It feels good expecting less yet feeling happier, needing less to feel fulfilled, and rejoicing in the little things. Once again we focus on the simple joy of sharing great food and fabulous wine with those you love. Or if you are on your own for the holidays, enjoying great food ordered to go with a movie you can stream from your warm, comfy sofa, and a bottle of wine from your favorite winery (hint hint) that you get to have all to yourself. Let's all raise a glass, no matter where you find yourself this holiday, waking up from a pandemic blur to find our glasses brimming with goodness.

-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

Thanksgiving Like a Master!

Instead of our usual "A Fern Between Us: Emotional Sanitizer Wine Show" episode for Thanksgiving pairings, we will settle in for a quick read and a fast mastery to your holiday meal pairing!

Lets face it, most of us are exhausted, maybe even recovering from Covid, so lets not reinvent the wheel. Thanksgiving is notorious for being difficult to pair wines to because of all the combating foods on the table. Here are a few tricks to instantly make your foods more wine friendly and make you look like a Master Wine Pairing Badass...

*Caramelized onions. Add them to asparagus, mashed potatoes, yams... gives a savory component that makes even the most unfriendly wine pairings work.

*Cauliflower. add one head to 6 potatoes, pureed to make jaw dropping mashed potatoes that love wine.

*Mushrooms add an earthiness wines love. Add to gravy, serve sauteed and added to veggies or stuffed with breadcrumbs and cheese as a fun side dish.

*Nuts! Nuts are amazing with all kinds of wines. They either bring out an earthy aspect, minerality or utilize the salt to highlight the fruit in the wine. Add them to stuffing, chop up and sprinkle on side dishes, or serve warm on their own as an appetizer.

Now lets talk wine. An easy go to is rose wine. It is one of the easiest to pair to a multitude of foods and is a crowd pleaser. For red, choose a lighter bodied style such as Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo or Sangiovese. I'm going to try to avoid falling down a rabbit hole of confusion with the grapes I just mentioned also being known for making some of the biggest, boldest wines there are (Barolo and Brunello respectively). What I encourage you to do is explore the lighter styles that offer complexity and interest with a depth of flavor rather than a bold body that can fight with more delicate food flavors. Finally, don't forget the Port! Port not only is a classic with dessert, or as dessert, but is also wonderful as an aperitif prior to the meal! It goes amazingly well with hard cheeses, nuts and pate.

Wanting to change things up? Try offering the same grape, but different wineries and/ or regions. This is not only something that will be fun for guests who may have never done a wine tasting or food pairing to experience. It is also a great conversation starter especially if you have guest that don't know each other. For example, try a Vivac Sangiovese, a Russian River Valley Sangiovese, and a Vino Nobile de Montepulciano (trust me that is Sangiovese). Place all 3 on the table and let people try the different wines with different foods, compare and contrast how they are alike or different and vote for a favorite! Of course there are no wrong answers, but we expect it to be the Vivac. Just kidding! Or are we?

I obviously suggest you start with Vivac wines for all your holiday meal needs. They are European in style, meaning higher in natural acidity and lower in alcohol making them much more food friendly. They are 100% NM True, and are winning Gold Medals at prestigious competitions around the world. Click on the grape name above for a link that takes you directly to our website (or click here for the full list) with tons of information about the wine and has ordering made easy! You can also visit our tasting room daily 10:00am- 6:00pm or call 505-579-4441 for personalized shopping service.

Happy Thanksgiving/ Friendsgiving/ Reason-to-celebrate from all of us at Vivac Winery!

-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

The Fern Between Us... Solving 2020

Whoa, where did we go?!? Well, lets start by clearing the air on what happened to this blog. 

It started as a "Fueled by Vivac" blog about training for marathons. The winemakers were running a lot of them and I was painfully being drug along. As readership built up, and we stopped running so much, I started to include other things we did. Our Annual Gourmet Raft Trip with New Mexico River Adventures, our staff float trip, our owner trip to Napa, or simply drinking wine on our porch. I must admit, with all of us so busy, it became harder to find "Fueled" material and I turned to my personal life to keep a voice. It is hard to separate the business from my personal life, after all they are forever intertwined. The blog had always been from my personal experience and viewpoint so it didn't feel strange to lean into other aspects...even if it meant following my health issues or travels. I mean isn't EVERYTHING I do "Fueled by Vivac"? Well, not everyone on our team thought it was what the winery should be blogging, it was more appropriate for a personal blog. I got it, made sense. But as I tried to shift the blog to be more in keeping with an appropriate business feel, I also lost my inspiration to write. I became the editor in my head, always asking if it was "too personal" and suddenly I had zero to say. Ya, I know that is wild, the lady who won't shut-up suddenly has nothing to say! I asked others to write for us, but the tone was completely different (as it would be) and the natural, honest, openness that took the blog from 0 to 800+ readership was lost. It seemed more natural to step away, let it organically bubble up as I had things to share and to explore other ways to connect with all of you.

Then 2020 happened. I think it is safe to say that everyone had a meltdown of one kind or another that year. Mine was a creative one. 2019 had been one of the most successful years of events for the winery and myself and then suddenly... nothing. Our Tasting Room has its own draw and people seek us out on their own by simply driving by, but events and PR are a huge component to encourage people to get up off the couch and come see us... in the middle of nowhere. Now there was nothing happening. People weren't leaving the house! We had crazy state mandates to close and then some amount of open and then close again... it was incredibly stressful and all I could think of was "how can I get people to stay connected with us???". I was also going stir crazy so I do admit that it was as much for you as it was to give me a project. And that is how The Fern Between Us; Emotional Sanitizer Wine Show was born.

The Fern became a way for you all to taste wine with us virtually, something that most of the time isn't a possibility since we are rarely at the tasting room ourselves. It also became a way to stay relevant. I booked guests via zoom that had interesting stories or input on our insane situation surviving the pandemic. It made sense to connect on many levels, let's learn about Merlot... and talk to a Doctor about how to stay safe. Let's taste Tempranillo and talk to a teacher about how to help our kids learn remotely. Let's Rose all day and learn about great facial products to help us deal with the stress breakouts. It was instantly successful on our FB live platform and as the lock-down stretched on...and on...and on, it became a coveted moment of connection for many. Then slowly the world started to open back up, we started to leave our houses and go back to work, what a bummer for our show! 

I also started to return to work. I had been working for the winery of course from home, in fact conducting tastings and classes via zoom and pre-shipped wine, but I returned to wine judging in person. Being flown around the world felt dangerous especially with an autoimmune disease and medication whipping out all immunity, but that world is focused on your sense of smell and protecting that meant mandatory masks, PCR test before, during and after competitions. Vaccines were mandatory and we all carried hand sanitizer around like it was a wine glass about to be poured into... as in the most valuable possession we could hold. But this travel and additional work was exhausting and while I tried to motivate the show into a new world, filming while on the go, it started to feel "old". People got busy with their lives again. I couldn't think of inspired content. It was feeling like the blog. 

Now, as I sit in the Seattle airport returning from teaching Master Classes at the American Wine Society National Conference, having cancelled several weeks of the show (I also flew to Italy for an Extreme Wine Competition recently), I wonder if the blog is once again the way to connect. 

It won't be the end of the show, the show is simply too fun! People are less likely to tune in live, but it is clear they are watching after the fact as they find time. But I write this blog today as a HOWDY and reconnect! So, what would you like to hear about? I'm an open book, ask away!

-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

Hosting a Friendsgiving? Thanksgiving? Hanukkah?

Hosting a Friendsgiving? Thanksgiving? Hanukkah? 

Regardless of the reason, you will need wine! Weather you have a get together or celebrate in front of the TV solo great wine means a great time. Black Friday is only a couple days away as well and is our one day only sale. We are offering 25% off all of our wines (or an additional 5% off your wine club member discount) and is a great time to stock up on all your favorites for the Holidays!

Wondering what to pair with a complex selection of foods ranging from yams to turkey, mashed potatoes to pumpkin pie? We've got you covered! Rose wines are hands down the easiest pairing wines and crowd pleasers. We have two options, both are great choices: Rose of Sangiovese and the slightly bolder Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon. They both have the ability to pair with most of the foods on the table and won't add to that already too full feeling. Rose wines make everyone happy being lighter than a red, bolder than a white, fruity for the sweet wine drinkers, but with great acidity to make them balanced and complex for red wine drinkers.

Make your dishes more wine friendly by leaning into the savory rather than the sweet. Instead of marshmallows in the yams, bake them with butter, slices of onion, slices of orange and a dusting of brown sugar. Add cauliflower to the mashed potatoes for a subtle earthy note and make sure the stuffing has nuts in it to add depth (unless someone is allergic of course). 

The red wines we suggest to make your meal heavenly are our Abbott Cabernet Franc and our Nebbiolo. Both reds have a lighter body than say a Cabernet Sauvignon which can clobber the flavors of a more delicate dish. These reds are also packed with natural acidity and lots of flavor so you have all the delicious aspects of the food and wine coming together in harmony. By making your dishes more wine friendly, you can pick up on the notes in the wine. Adding orange highlights acidity, adding nuts highlights tannin and any earthy note or berry will bring out the fruit in the wine. 

To finish the meal, pair your pie with our Amante port style wine. Skip the ice cream and have this as your sweet addition, add cheddar cheese to apple pie or keep it simple with brown sugar and salt roasted nuts, an unbelievable combination with the Amante. 

We hope each and every one of you is surrounded by those you love and can raise a glass to those that can't be with us during these strange and difficult times. 

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family! 

www.VivacWinery.com

5 Pandemic Wine Pairings You Need Right NOW

What the what?!? Are you in an episode of Black Mirror?

Unfortunately not, this is actual reality. BUT we are lucky to have internet, wine and sweat pants. I don't want to take too much time away from your binge watching Netflix so lets get down to some important pairings!

Pairing 1: "Tiger King", Netflix's ridiculous show. Ridiculously entertaining, I-wouldn't-ever-be-watching-this-if-I-wasn't-trapped-in-my-house show.
     PAIRED WITH: well this one gets several... If you are rooting for...
     Carole Baskin: Warm Vivac Chardonnay, just plop some ice in it and pretend it isn't still warm.
     Joe Exotic: Vivac Sangiovese with fruit and vodka, extra kicker just cause!
     Jeff Lowe: Vivac Cabernet with Coka-a Cola, beef up all those flavors and cover it up all at the same time.

Pairing 2: It's-another-morning-in-quarantine-and-I-got-outta-bed PAIRED WITH Vivac Rose of Cabernet... because this incredible little wine is the only thing that will encourage you to get up before noon.

Pairing 3: Zoom work meetings PAIRED WITH Vivac Abbott Red, red wine blend, because it tastes so good it doesn't even matter that you are drinking it out of a mug and telling your co-workers its coffee.

Pairing 4: I-haven't-showered-in-days PAIRED WITH Vivac Diavolo red wine blend because it goes down so smoothly that you'll be a couple bottles in before you've finished re-watching last season of Schitt's Creek and your purple lined lips can't even mouth "bath time".

AND the final pairing is... is-it-inappropriate-to-drink-out-of-the-bottle PAIRED WITH this Vivac wine was found on the nightstand, what day is this, who am I combo.

All joking aside, we hope you are all staying safe and healthy. We know many of us are losing loved ones and that the mental fatigue of handling this is real. We hope having a little laugh helps your day. Sending love from all of us at Vivac Winery.

-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
www.VivacWinery.com

Fueled by Vivác Winery: Top 10 Things You Don't know About Vivac Winery

Fueled by Vivác Winery: Top 10 Things You Don't know About Vivac Winery: Are you rolling your eyes at yet another 'Top 10' list for you to read? I know, we are sick of them too. But, if you can't beat ... -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

Top 10 Things You Don't know About Vivac Winery

Are you rolling your eyes at yet another 'Top 10' list for you to read? I know, we are sick of them too. But, if you can't beat them... join them?

What could this list possibly include you are asking yourself? You already know the media coverage from the last blog post. You already know the amazing wines or you wouldn't care about this blog in the first place. And, you probably follow us on various social media platforms that show you the fun stuff us 4 owners run off and do with our families...so what DON'T you know???

1) NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! The sound you do not want to hear coming from the winery.
We would rather uncork (by hand) hundreds of bottles to fix a wine than release it to you with a problem. Yes, this has happened, and while devastating and costly, we will not put a bottle of wine out there with a problem. They may not all be to your taste, but they are correct.

2) They are sometimes 'twining' but they are not twins.
The winemakers are NOT twins. Many of you know this, but so many do not, that is seems to still rank as one of our top unknowns. Jesse is 18 months older than Chris.

3) Jimmy Two Times. (*1)
Our port style wine "Amante" (meaning 'lover'... yes, it does sound like a telanovela. We have no idea what we were thinking with that name either. It sounded good at the time) is made with 100% Tempranillo grapes, which is the traditional grape used for port in Portugal. Here is the sly part... we are dedicated to using 100% NM fruit 100% of the time... to make the port, we halt the fermentation with a high alcohol brandy... made by our friends down the road at Don Quijote Distillery who use 100% NM fruit to make their 100% Tempranillo brandy! I know! So slick right!?! End result is a 100% Tempranillo, 100% NM True fortified wine.

4)  How about them apples?
Dixon, where we live and have our winery and anchor tasting room, is a place just south of Taos; one of the most charming places on earth! It is a small town that has many apple farms (including the land our winery is built on), they also sell these apples, BUT we are not the "famous Dixon Apples" people have heard of. That was a family named Dixon who ran a historic apple farm near Cochiti Pueblo. And yes, their farm was destroyed by the Las Conchas fire a handful of years ago. Our town of Dixon has not had any major fires and still has beautiful apples available. Confusing I Know.

5) That's Amore!
During winter months, we have a small grouping of tables and chairs inside our cozy tasting room! Yep, you can still have date day at our place even when it's cold outside.

6) Run Forrest run! (*2)
Both winemakers have run many full marathons, Jesse has even run several ultras (including a 54 miler!). I ran one full in Napa, then stuck with halves, so much more civilized. And both of Chris and Lili's kids have started competing in triathlons! Their son Maddox has actually won a bunch too. This is how our "Fueled by Vivac" sponsorship for races started and why we have super cool sports shirts available in long and short sleeve. Send us a pic of you in one of our shirts, in a race, and we will give you a free bottle of wine.

7) Super cool!
We have created specialty wines for the incredibly talented musician/ artist/ actor Robert Mirabal under the label "Mirabal Reserve". These unique wines mirror Robert's life story and include a choke cherry addition to the dry Sangiovese wine. We made this choke cherry wine from fruit grown in Taos, where Robert is from. You can buy these wines at our tasting rooms or our website, order from their website or find them in select locations soon!

8) The lean years
We were on food stamps for years as we got the winery started and had babies. We are immensely appreciative and grateful for that assistance. We hope that now as we offer more and more jobs to the community and give back through local organizations that we are in some small way paying it forward.

9) Start them young
While we all love Taos Ski Valley (I mean hello! It is continually listed as some of the best skiing in the world), little known Sipapu Ski area only 30,mins from us, is a delightful destination and very family friendly. It is also where we had all of our kids (3 between us two couples) on skis by the age of 2! If you visit northern NM in winter, stay there and drive down the hill to see us.

10) Being smart 
Yes we have a wine for every palate (including a soon to be released RESERVE ROSE that is mind blowing), and yes we have 14 NM craft beers on tap and a local cider, but we ALSO have Nitro Coffee on tap, sparkling apple juice, specialty root beer and will soon we hope to have HopTea and NA Prosecco! We know not everyone in a group is a drinker (or likes to drink as much as we do) and we support having a DD and being safe so we want to offer amazing treats for those needing something without booze.

This probably could have been twice as long, but we know you have drinking to get to so we don't want to hold you up. If you have questions, about us or the winery, ask! We have updated our new website with a fun fact filled 'About Us' section and there are now tons of details about each wine available, but we know your curiosity doesn't stop there so message us, maybe your question will become our next blog post!

(*1) reference to the movie Goodfellas and a character named Jimmy Two Times because he said everything twice. Doubling up on Tempranillo is our version of Jimmy Two Times.
(*2) if you need this reference explained, you are not watching enough movies! From the movie Forrest Gump.

-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

Making a Splash!

We recently had the honor to be selected as 1 of 7 wineries to present to the elite wine media such as Wine Spectator, James Suckling, Wine Enthusiast, HuffPo and many many more. Due to the fact that our other owner team had just left to travel Asia with their family, my husband Jesse and I flew to New York City to hopefully wow the who's who of wine.

Getting up at 3am to catch your flight and traveling all day (because New Mexico is its own island it seems and you can't fly direct to most places) landed us in the city starving and exhausted. Our hotel was perfectly situated in the Lower East Side next to Katz Deli and down the block from a wine shop! We ate, we drank, we fell asleep by 8pm. Ya, par-tee animals!

Trying to figure out how to present to the top wine media is really tricky. We were given 20 mins to present, which when we arrived we were told would actually be 15 mins, to sell our wines we were pouring and ourselves. I had selected a vertical (different years, but the same grape) of Cabernet Sauvignon that would show the craftsmanship and age-ability of our wines (2005/ 2009/ 2013/ 2016), a bold move that I hoped would garner us some good attention. I had worked hard on crafting a beautiful slide show to highlight the beauty and uniqueness of where we live and also so they could see it is a family operation with the four of us pouring our hearts and souls into the winery. In addition I crated professional media packets with details, photos, bios and wine stats for each attendee. I had a list of talking points and had encouraged Jesse to figure out what he wanted to say. Jesse looked at me the morning of the presentation like a deer in headlights and exclaimed that he, the winemaker mind you, shouldn't have to present. Given I usually do the presenting and I do teach wine classes, I am used to public speaking and I assured him I would be standing up there too and would jump in when needed. By the end of the event, he had media writers dripping off him, asking for photos and crooning over his "perfectly tussled hair". It was an absolute success and the wines made a huge impression. Days later as we discussed an offer I'd received to speak at a prestigious conference, Jesse would reference that event and say "What are you going to talk about? Or are you just going to stand there and let me do all the work?". Of course he was joking, and it is this wicked sense of humor that made me fall madly in love with him, so my response was to laugh so hard I almost peed my pants.

It's a rare treat to have these kind of big splashes for a little winery and we just got hit with 3. The 1st was James Suckling himself posting a review of our Refosco on all his personal social media touting that our Refosco bested those from even Italy. Then the NYC trip and finally having the opportunity to present at a travel wine and food writers conference (IFWTWA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Being surrounded by travel wine and food writers from all over the world for 3 days as you pour your wines and create friendships was fantastic!

We are in our 21st year and while it feels like the success is over night, we look back and can't believe how far we've come. From food stamps and working other jobs to buy grapes and barrels, one by one, to being able to leave our incredible staff in charge so we can fly to NYC to shake hands with the top influencers of our day, it truly stuns us. And we owe it all to all of you, thank you!

Now hurry and get a glass of wine to celebrate with us!

-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

International Wine Competitions, How Do They Work?

After a recent conversation with some friends, I realized there are a lot of people out there that are curious how these International Wine Competitions work, who are the judges and why would a winery send in their wines. So if you are one of them, pour yourself a glass and settle in.

An International Wine Competition brings professionals in the industry together to judge wines that are submitted from all over the world. There are literally wines in every part of the world these days and many of them are incredible, yet they are not exported so we don't know about them. These competitions are located in different areas of the world because you will get a bulk of the wines submitted from the country it is held in and its neighbors. Shipping wine is costly so in order to truly judge the best of the world, there needs to be competitions in very different areas. Bringing judges from all over the world is important for the same reason, as is having judges with different jobs in the industry.

Who are these judges? They are Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, renowned winemakers, respected wine writers, viticulturists, professors, and prominent wine buyers for impressive restaurants or stores. What they all have in common is they have not only a vast knowledge of wines from around the world, a good sense of winemaking and vineyard practices, but also a gift for smelling and tasting what's in a glass without many details (called blind tasting).

Some competitions are only a couple days of judging, some are a couple of weeks. But they are all more or less set up the same. Some competitions have 40 judges, some have 300 judges, but they all break it down to panels of 4-6 judges to judge any one flight of wines. Here is an example: I am a Certified Advanced Sommelier and co-owner of Vivac Winery (but it is really my ability that has gotten me an invitation to judge), I may be at a table with a Master of Wine, a wine writer, a wine buyer, a wine professor and a winemaker. We will get a flight of 12 wines (some flights are small like 8, some are big like 17), each wine that is poured will be registered with a number, we will see that number on our personal ipads. The only information we are given is the number associated with that wine, at some the grape or blend it is (sometimes it just says "white wine blend" or "red wine blend" or isn't included at all) and a vintage year. Now each of us silently rates that wine on our ipads and submits the score.  The final score will be an average of all 6 scores. In some competitions the highest and lowest scores are kicked out and the average is taken of the remaining scores. Then we discuss the wine. If all the judges gave the wine a similar score, it is a short discussion. If there is a large swing in scores (some high, some low) the discussion in more in-depth as to why someone liked it so much and why someone else disliked it. It is during this time that personal backgrounds come into play, maybe the winemaker caught a flaw the others didn't, maybe the wine writer is freshly back from an area of the world that specializes in this style wine and has details that shed light on how the wine should be thought of. Sometimes the scores are adjusted up in light of the details that came up in the discussion and can be the difference between a wine gaining a medal or not. Sometimes they can be adjusted down specifically so that they don't medal. All wines are tasted and spit out; you can actually be escorted out of the competition for swallowing. I know, so sad right? When you have a wine that has blown you away and got a gold, it is sad to spit it out and dump the rest of the glass, but sometimes the wine is so bad, you can't believe you put it in your mouth. Believe it or not, this work is really exhausting. We all take this very seriously, and each wine gets our full attention and respect, which after a full day of doing it, it can leave you utterly zapped... and really really "thirsty".

After the final wine of a flight is scored, there will be a short break, a palate cleanser and then the next flight starts. At some competitions the flights come out prepoured, others are poured at the table, but the bottle will be cloaked in a jacket so it is never seen. The idea is that each wine gets an unbiased evaluation. Imagine if a judge was allowed to see a label and had the thoughts of 'oh bummer, I hate that cheap crap', that would color the scores that judge gave. Instead, we have to trust our ability to seek out details in a glass and match that to the knowledge of wines around the world. If I know a Chardonnay is being poured (or if that info is not given, but based on my ability to smell and pin point what that varietal is and I've placed it as a Chardonnay), I think of all the places in the world (and there are a lot) and how the grape expresses itself in those places. The vintage date can sometimes play a part in deciding location; France will age Chardonnay longer than say South Africa. Then you analyse the wine. First, how is the color and intensity? Then, are there any faults? Then, assessment of the smell (aromas and bouquet), are they in keeping with what a Chardonnay grape should be? This is usually a good indicator of where it is grown as well (If you want to really see what I'm talking about, literally anyone can try this by comparing a Marlborough, New Zealand Sauv Blanc to a Loire Valley, France Sauv Blanc side by side. Same grape, extremely different characteristics. Usually this distinction is much more subtle, but that is a very good comparison that will get my point across). Then you finally taste the wine and evaluate the palate and finish of the wine. You score all of these components individually and then decide if it represents a Chardonnay from such and such a region or such and such a style and decide if it represents it well, if so how well? Make sense? If you don't get to know the grape it makes it fun to discuss with the panel. Because it is blind tasting, sometimes the reveal of what the wine was at the end of the day can really surprise you, suddenly you see that a winery you'd not thought very highly of, is actually doing some great stuff!

Depending on the competition, you could be there 8am-4pm with flight after flight after flight, others are 9am-1pm with a set limit of how many flights judges may taste in a day. All of them treat their judges like celebrities, it is pretty cool. Some competitions pay for travel expenses, most pay for lodging and meals. All encourage you to explore the city you are in and that can be them taking you to cultural events as we did in Budapest seeing a famous Russian Pianist in the city's most beautiful, historic theater. Or you could be reimbursed for the city tours and cultural events you seek out on your own as was done in Berlin. All have a welcome event that includes being wined and dined. All make sure you have plenty of wine after judging at your disposal. And all of them make sure you are happy. Oh ya and they give you gifts of some sort as a thank you.

So how do you get in on this? Well, my way in started out by a coordinator of one competition doing a search for recruiting new judges, came across this blog, did some recon on me, saw listings of classes I had taught and feedback on those events and rolled the dice on inviting me. Doing well at that 1st competition (meaning my scores were within range of the already respected judges on my panel, and getting feedback from those revered judges on how discussions with me went during the judging i.e. did I know what I was talking about, was I an asset at the table and in the discussion, did I have insights...), meant when I had a friendly discussion with a very influential judge, he was able to pull this info from the 1st competition, liked what he heard and submitted me for a 2nd competition in order to meet me in person. Judging along side me impressed this influential judge to the point he put his name on the line to submit me for 3 competitions in Central Europe. Submitting my name doesn't equal an invitation to judge, but helps a lot! Especially when it is this influential judge. Then that competition does its own vetting of you, like that judge had also done. I had the honor of being invited and participating in all three of those competitions, evidently they also liked what they heard. During that tour of awesomeness, I also had a chance to impress this influential judge even more with some geeky super taster wine skills that blew his hair back enough to submit me for a truly big deal competition that has respected judges waiting on wait lists for over 10 years. I participated in that one in July. I have been extremely lucky with the opportunities offered to me within only 1 1/2 years since my very first competition. Most judges have been at this for over 20 years and not been to some of the competitions I've been to. It is a huge honor. And yes, I am obnoxiously patting myself on the back. Finally my alcoholism has a purpose!

Now there are TONS of small differences in how different competitions are run and the reasons why, if you really want to geek out with me on that topic, you can message me and we will fall down that rabbit hole together. But after 7 competitions in 4 countries, that is what I have seen to be the basics.

Final thing, why would a winery send their wines in to a competition? In one word, its SALES. Having a panel of expert tasters and influential industry people all agree your wine is a wine worthy of a medal gives the general consumer a safety net when shopping. The wine buyers hear your wine got a medal, they want your wine on their shelves, on their wine lists and when consumers walk into your winery out in the middle of no where New Mexico, they feel reassured that their preferences and what they enjoy, are signed off on as OK by the wine professionals. Our winery has won Gold and Silver medals at every International Competition we have entered, San Francisco Chronicle, Finger Lakes, Great American and even at ones in Hungary and Czech Republic!

That was a lot of heady info about this wild niche part of the wine world, don't let it overwhelm you. When it comes right down to it, wine is meant to be fun! It is meant to be consumed, enjoyed, loved, and a element that makes an experience exceptional. So drink what you like, with whatever you like and ignore all the rules.


-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