Good news from over here at the cellar. We bottle on the 4th and 5th. All the glass arrived unharmed. Quite a long trip down from Canada. And luckily the driver was a good sport. We’re still doing some work on the driveway here at Page Springs Cellars. Only the skilled and the patient survive when attempting to back a Semi trailer down our “hill” at 6 am. We had the traffic all backed up, people grumbling just trying to get to their morning java, etc. But I’m finally gonna have my 05 juice in bottle so I’m fine with it.
Here’s the catch, as there always seems to be one. The heat in Phoenix has no friend save the lizard and his cactus. So although i’ll be selling wine thru Eric’s tasting room, I won’t be able to ship from approximately May 1st to September 15th. Fed Ex can’t be trusted to remove the wine from their trucks over night. And it’s usually 90 plus at night. Any wine purchased from my site from May to September will have to be considered a Pre-order. However we will be shipping from April 17th (my birthday. I’ll be 22 years old. again.) to May 1st, so anyone who gets their order in early may end up being the lucky few who taste this elusive juice prior to the fall shipment.
Down in the Kansas Settlement, near Wilcox, our new vineyard is coming along well. We re-named it. It was Dos Cabezas and El Norte and now it is known as Arizona Stronghold Vineyards. Named in honor of Cochise and the Cochise Stronghold located to the Southwest of us in the Dragoon Mountains. His is an interesting story. Polar opposite from that of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce’ (from where my Native blood allegedly flows.) Certainly worth looking into if you’re interested in the histories and strategies of some of this nations most respected leaders and warriors. Hopefully his passion will manifest in our grapes.