Yeehaw - Cowhorn’s a-growin’!
Sunday | 07 March 2010
For those who are local, you may have noticed some big equipment along Eastside Road lately. Bill and I are happy, crazy, delirious (take your pick!) to announce that we have begun an expansion project.As always at Cowhorn, rocks are the first priority when developing a block! In this picture, Patrick Fox, our contractor, is moving rock on Day 1 of the project – is this OSHA approved?
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The dogs of COWHORN - Bo
Thursday | 04 March 2010
Meet Bo! Bo came to us from a shelter in Calaveras, California. He is a Catahoula Leopard Dog, a hunting or tracking breed, and is technically an albino meaning his fur is light in color and extremely thin and short. Bo had been turned in by a rancher who found him difficult. Here’s Bo in his winter coat. Seriously, how difficult can a dog be who wears a jacket?
Bo is almost 7 and considers his main jobs to be examining the perimeter fence and sleeping. Every day he examines the previous night’s activity and shows us where critters have dug under the fence. We have come to depend on him for this because he finds the holes before they become big enough for the deer to enter the farm. Yes, deer dig and that is how they get in to eat crops. So Bo is a working farm dog who wears a coat!
– Barbara Steele
Cowhorn and the Giants
Wednesday | 03 March 2010
That’s me with Tom Hunter, owner of Revel Wine – the coolest wine broker in San Francisco! Revel and COWHORN have teamed up to bring our wines to the SF Bay Area!Last week, we poured COWHORN wines at “A Taste of Place,” which was a trade show featuring Biodynamic® foods, wines and compost. Yeah, it doesn’t get any more glam than a trade show with a booth full of compost! It was a great day and COWHORN was very well received.
The next day we did all the paperwork, etc to make it real with Revel and then two days later … Bill drove a truck of Cowhorn wine to SF! More to come as we begin meeting customers. With any luck initial meetings will coincide with the start of baseball season!
Earth as Art
Wednesday | 03 March 2010
Do designers find inspiration from these mushrooms? Look at the colors and textures! Every season brings new colors, critters and fauna. I love that COWHORN is alive with biodiversity and is providing a safe haven for Mother Nature’s many creatures.
– Barbara Steele
Rosé is ready to bottle!
Friday | 19 February 2010
This week we are preparing the Rosé for bottling! Coincidentally, today we are working under sunny skies and in t-shirts (well almost). Just the right kind of weather for such a delightful wine! When next we speak of this, it will be to let you know of its release. For those who remember, last year we took early sign-ups because quantities were so limited. We’ll have more this year, but we’ll still keep you posted as to its progress.– Barbara Steele
Intro to Worms
Thursday | 18 February 2010
Worms at COWHORN are a big, slimy deal. Worm composting is called vermiculture. A little history lesson reveals that worm composting is both ancient and local.Since the beginning of dirt, worms have been breaking up, oxygenating and feeding soil. They leave a rich trail (pun intended) of nutrients and microbes that make soil great for crop growing. Many folks practice at-home vermiculture programs by dropping their kitchen waste in a worm bin and then a week or so later spreading the resulting compost in their garden.
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First Club COWHORN Pickup Party
Sunday | 14 February 2010
It all went by so fast! On Saturday, Cowhorn hosted 60 people for our first Club Cowhorn party. Folks tasted our 2008 Spiral 36, our 2007 Syrah and barrel sampled a 2009 Syrah. In addition, we debuted for our guests the 2008 Grenache 74 (named after the varietal and the number of frost hours that year).With strong notes of cherry, hints of spice and a nice finish, the wine “jumped out of the glass” to several tasters. Paired with the wines were several cheeses from Rogue Creamery (thanks Tom, both cheeses were gone by events end) as well as homemade cookies and breads by our wonderful in-house chef, Barbara.
Thanks to all that attended for making the event a rousing success. If only it had gone by a little slower.
– Barbara Steele
Perches 103
Tuesday | 09 February 2010
More proof – new rodent skulls under the perches! Today I found three. In this picture, you can see the teeth still intact.
Read Perches 101...
Read Perches 102...
– Barbara Steele
Vineyard Floor Management
Monday | 01 February 2010
The Earth is so balanced. At Cowhorn, we take this concept seriously. Let me explain by describing one of our winter practices. For us, the dormant season is equal in importance to the growing season. In the vineyard in winter, we practice a weed-based cover cropping program.Read full blog post...
Mountaintop Experience
Friday | 15 January 2010
Hello there,I think your Roussanne is amazing, and I took a bottle of it with me up to an overnight on Mt. Hood.
I ended up with a photo of it that I thought you folks may enjoy.
Thanks for making great stuff, and I hope to visit you before too much longer!
– Submitted online by COWHORN lover Dan Johnson
Thank you Dan. Send us news about your mountaintop experience with COWHORN. Shasta anyone?
Perches 102
Thursday | 14 January 2010
In Perches 102, we are examining the droppings of the raptors. Check out these bones.Some look like entire sculls of small birds! Upon reading, I have learned that raptors often eat their competitor birds before they go after ground rodents. As you can imagine, the rodents are the ultimate goal for a farm.
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Perches 101
Wednesday | 13 January 2010
The problem is that “Perches 101” was an entire year, so the story is already long at this point! If you check out Masterplan, you will see the many habitat breaks in the farm that run along the main road.
Our thinking with the spacing of these spots was that they would create a corridor from the southern uplands running the length of the farm to the north. These breaks would provide essential habitat for “beneficials,” the guys that create natural predator loops which in turn keeps the ecosystem functioning fully.
These are the kinds of analytical decisions you make when deciding how to organize a farm. Well, these are the kinds of decisions you make when you are organizing a Biodynamic® farm that you consider to be a living, breathing organism. It looked good on paper so it seemed like a good place to start!
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Barb's Secret Santa
Friday | 25 December 2009
I love living in Southern Oregon! I had a magic Christmas experience this year. I was in Ashland the week before Christmas running some errands when I was overcome by the desire to listen to some holiday Dean Martin.I stopped in the Music Coop to inquire about their supply of Dino. Specifically I said: My love of Christmas carols knows no bounds and I am looking for Dino!” To my delight, I found both Dean Martin’s album and the Rat Pack Christmas album.
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Musings on Bears
Wednesday | 16 December 2009
The first clue was the scent. A BLM ranger told me a few years ago that once one smells bear droppings, one often doesn’t forget. So, when I smelled it earlier in the week, I paused and looked. I was in the northeast corner of the farm where we have the most wildlife activity. Nothing looked out of place though.
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Earthly Consciousness
Monday | 07 December 2009
Last blog, I wrote about examining the naked vines. It was an analytical piece concerning the practicalities of fine wine growing. I have grown to love the analytics associated with fine wine growing so it is with pleasure that I wrote that entry.But when I came back to it, I felt a twinge of remorse. Another day passed and I didn’t feel better. An apology is necessary. I walked out into the vineyard to talk to my plants. Lest you think I am nuts, I am clear on the point that they will not talk back to me!
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Winter Vines
Wednesday | 02 December 2009
In a previous blog, I wrote about how the fall provides a window into the general strength of the vineyard. Now in winter another picture emerges. The vines are dormant now - their naked canes laying on the trellis. Now we can see the success of our vineyard plan from the previous year.Read full blog post...
All Choked Up
Monday | 30 November 2009
2009 Produce Report2009 was a great year for Cowhorn produce! Formally, our Mission Statement reads as follows.
To create a profitable model of land ownership that:
- protects the environment and provides for land conservation
- provides opportunities for sustainable farmers to work and develop financial security
- increases the availability of high quality, healthful food
For us, supplying food to the local economy is not a sideline to the vineyard and winery. It is primary to our purpose. This year, we grew approximately 5,300 pounds of produce for distribution into the Rogue Valley. In 2008, we did about 2,500 pounds so it was a big increase in volume for us. We are psyched!
Here is the breakdown of where it went:
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Uncorked!
Monday | 23 November 2009
Many thanks to all who came out for Uncorked! Most told me that yesterday’s Uncorked was exceptional. First, it was a perfect fall day in Oregon: warm and sunny in the morning, the threat of rain in the afternoon felt like fall, and then at twilight the wind felt like WINTER!What’s not to love about the weather in Southern Oregon? Second, many folks told me they were visiting the many new and different wineries who participated yesterday. Of course, most have their favorites whom they visit with each outing, but this year there was something for every taste.
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Barb goes Espionage!
Monday | 23 November 2009
I need night vision goggles, or rather “cold air vision goggles.” Frost – that is the question here at Cowhorn. How early, how cold? Doesn’t matter if it is spring or fall, it’s the same question. In 2008, we had 110 frost-free growing days during the season. Did you know that to ripen a watermelon requires 120 days? Yes, Cowhorn has been relatively unsuccessful at ripening a watermelon. By now, we know the question is not “if”, but “when.” Hence, the cold air vision goggles.Read full blog post...
Fall Leaves
Monday | 09 November 2009
It’s a popular idea that a grapevine’s general health or its ability to bear fruit can be seen during the growing months. During those months, we are awed by the strength of budbreak, by early growth spurts, or by deep colors of green - these things usually make us glow warm with thoughts that bloom was successful or that fruit set was strong.Read full blog post...
Chestnut or porcupine?
Monday | 02 November 2009
As some of you know, we have two chestnut trees in our test orchard. It was never our intention to farm all the trees we planted in our test orchard. It was, instead, a way to gain insight into the growing conditions around our farm. Well, this year the two young nut trees successfully pollinated and bore fruit! As chestnut trees are primarily wind pollinated, having just two trees was not expected to yield us heavy crop loads. Read full blog post...
Post Crush Blues and the Vertical Horizontal
Tuesday | 27 October 2009
Today we finished pressing and barreling our 2009 reds, the Block 5 syrah and the Grenache. I am so happy that the grapes are through primary fermentation and are safely into barrels! No more daily punch downs, daily floor washing, no more purple hands. But once again I find myself feeling that today was bittersweet. I am already waxing poetic about the season which is now over. Are we already done with harvest and crush? Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were lamenting the spring frost? That we were analyzing budbreak, weather, and irrigation data? Perhaps it was the rainy fall skies that made me pause today.Tonight we are hosting a vertical, horizontal tasting. With Bill’s brother Mark, we will be sampling the 2006 Syrah and the 2007 Syrah – vertical. As well, we will be comparing our 2009 acorn squash to the 2009 delicata - horizontal. Food or wine, it’s all about the mouthfeel, taste, finish… Yes, fall is my favorite time of year - a rich season in many ways.
– Barbara Steele
2009 Harvest Update
Tuesday | 20 October 2009
Harvest is over and the 2009 grapes are all in tank! Of all the fun career experiences I have had, none is quite as satisfying as looking into a full tank of berries. “Black Pearls” is a great description of what the grapes look like in the beginning! We brought in about 30 tons of grapes, all in beautiful condition. Our vines performed wonderfully! In weary reflection after hours of harvesting, I realized that Cowhorn crossed a milestone with this harvest: at this moment in time we have the entire life cycle of a red wine in the winery. This is a first for Cowhorn, since it means that we have a vintage of red wine in each of the stages of development.– Barbara Steele
2006 Syrah drinking beautifully
Tuesday | 20 October 2009
The 2006 Syrah is drinking beautifully now. Our first vintage, it now has 18 months in the bottle. This wine has youthful fruitiness, nuances of earthy Syrah-like tones, and the soft, lush richness that only time can produce. The 2007 Syrah has now been in bottle for 6 months and was just recently released in our tasting room. It has structure and firmness, bright cherry and dark earth. It is evolving weekly as the effects of bottle age become evident; it is becoming graceful and powerful, while still structured and soft. Each week, we anticipate experiencing a different, more beautiful wine.
– Barbara Steele
2008 Syrah just bottled
Tuesday | 20 October 2009
The 2008 Syrah was just bottled a month or so ago. Ahhh…before it went into the bottle, it was full and deep and clearly a more mature vintage than any we have produced so far. Now it is awkward and disconnected – it’s our own personal experience of the movie Bottle Shock! Last, the 2009 Syrah is just an expectation at this point. The berries are in tank and they smell like grape juice, but the beginnings of fermentation are in the air! Being around them is a dream waiting to unfold.
– Barbara Steele
– Barbara Steele
Soiree´du Vin
Sunday | 11 October 2009
Okay, this was wild! After harvesting all day on Saturday, I jumped in the car on Sunday to drive to Silicon Valley for a school fundraiser. It’s a pretty swanky event, lots of very nice wines being poured all for a great cause. As usual, I suffered the intimidations of the event (read previous events to refresh yourself with my cases of nerves) this time due to the caliber of wines on the neighboring tables, being poured with dinner, and being offered for auction. Thankfully it was fleeting, the event was great fun and Cowhorn’s contribution was appreciated by all.
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Read full blog post...
2009 Grape Harvest
Saturday | 10 October 2009
The grapes are in! The grapes are in! We are all happy about this, but no one as much as Martin! Not that Bill and I don’t worry, but I think Martin worries row by row, block by block, month after month. He and his crew finished picking last Saturday around 6 pm. He had a BIG smile! They picked tons and I am sure all slept well that night. In the winery, we processed until 2 am. Bill did an amazing job coordinating the moves, calibrating the process, tending to the grapes, and gently guiding them into their new surroundings. We want a gentle start to the fermentation. Our grapes get great attention when they are in the vineyard, so it only seems right that they get the same great accommodations once they come inside! And Bill gave it to them - they looked gorgeous! “Black pearls” is the best description of what a tank of Cowhorn grapes looks like.
Keep tuned for more on the smells and tastes of the 2009 harvest!
– Barbara Steele
Burying the Horns
Friday | 09 October 2009
This year, burying the fall horns had a special twist. It was the first time for Jim. So, like all good friends do, we tried to play a trick on him. You can probably guess what we did. We told him that the first year each of us had buried the horns, we tasted the manure. We explained that it was very fresh, from a beautiful organically raised cow in Williams, and that it was just necessary. How would he know the goodness of the process if he didn’t try it for himself? Pedro and Noe were VERY convincing in their sincerity. We all know that Jim has a sense of humor, so we were hopeful that he might think for a minute we were serious. Well, he didn’t! He let us know in about a nano-second that he wasn’t buying any of it! Lots of laughs were had.By now the whole crew believes in the power of the horns and the preparations. We don’t have to discuss it. We honor and acknowledge the cow and her gifts in our own Cowhorn way, with lots of laughs and lots of care in the process.
– Barbara Steele
2009 Fall Garden Harvest
Tuesday | 06 October 2009
As much as I love this time of year, it is always bittersweet when the garden harvest is over. It seems like just weeks ago we started eating crisp peppers, soft tomatoes, string beans and peas. (Actually, we didn’t eat any peas but the birds were really happy about them.) Now it is fall and this week we brought in the last of the squash and pumpkins.I still have some basil tucked under some tomatoes, but the rest is turning dark from the frost. All the squash and tomatoes are being canned or frozen to enjoy during the winter, but the plants are dropping down back into the Earth to rest and replenish for next year. For me, this is the miracle time of year: as the Earth pulls its physical forces inward, plants drop leaves and sink into the ground. The physical world becomes restful, growth stops, and the eye turns inward. At the same time, the Earth lets out her etheric energy and space is created. It is often peaceful. We have times of silence and times of spiritual celebration.
In Fall, I remind myself to stop and witness the balance that the Earth models for us. As the season progresses, we listen carefully for the faint sound and feel of the stirrings of rebirth. That is when you will find farmers laying on the couch with seed catalogs dreaming of the next garden, the next crop, or the next new fancy we want to try! It really is a miracle time.
For those who come out to the winery during the next weeks, be sure to pick up a squash or pumpkin to take home with you!
– Barbara Steele
Report from Fortune Women's Conference
Tuesday | 22 September 2009
I recently returned from pouring at Fortune magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women Conference. It was, of course, an honor to be asked to pour our wine for these very accomplished women. As you can imagine, my day started with lots of excitement to see and meet such a prestigious crowd. That part was great! But then came the trepidation. That's me on the left with Susan Ungaro, executive director of The James Beard Foundation.Read full blog post...
Fortune pairs Cowhorn 2006 Syrah
Monday | 14 September 2009
The Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit features the most prominent women leaders in business, philanthropy, government, education, and the arts. The premiere gathering of its kind, the Summit is by invitation only and features a unique format: no speeches, all lively panel discussions, on-stage interviews, and interactive breakout sessions.Their theme for 2009 is Betting on the Future. Speakers ranging from Arianna Huffington to Condeleeza Rice will share ideas about the key challenges—technological, geopolitical, and social—that are reshaping our organizations and our world. The program is built around five pillars: Leadership, Innovation, Finance and the Economy, Global Connections, and The Common Good.
On September 15, the Summit is hosting a special dinner in partnership with the James Beard Foundation featuring six female chefs. Each chef will be paired with a biodynamic winery with a woman owner or prinicipal. We are thrilled that Cowhorn's 2006 Syrah will be paired with a course prepared by Jar's Chef Suzanne Tracht and share the table with so many other great wines.
Here's the menu...
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Report from James Beard House
Monday | 07 September 2009
Yup – it was fun to go to New York City to pour wine at the Beard House on August 27th! Nothing could have prepared me for the charm of the building. The James Beard House is, or actually was, James Beard’s house. Each floor of the old brownstone in the West Village has been converted into a dining room. The rooms comfortably accommodate several tables of four and six, and the walls are lined with memorabilia. The windows look out onto the wisteria-lined courtyard. Charming!Read full blog post...
James Beard pours Cowhorn
Wednesday | 26 August 2009
If you’d have told us back when we were removing rocks from our blocks that The James Beard Foundation would be pouring Cowhorn wines in New York City this year, we would probably have thought that you had enjoyed one to many glasses of grappa.
But as this is written, Barbara is in New York City to give some of the Big Apple’s most discerning foodies a taste of some of Southern Oregon’s only certified Biodynamic™ wine.
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But as this is written, Barbara is in New York City to give some of the Big Apple’s most discerning foodies a taste of some of Southern Oregon’s only certified Biodynamic™ wine.
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38 Central hosts Cowhorn dinner
Tuesday | 25 August 2009
38 Central is hosting the second in its series of dinners featuring food and wine from Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden. This time, David Graham will serve a flight of three Cowhorn wines—Viognier, Spiral 36 and Syrah—along with a 4-course meal.
Here’s the menu...
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Here’s the menu...
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