TRAVESSIA Winery Blog

The Culture of Wine Talks: White, Pink, Red - How wine is made

  

Come visit us at the winery this Thursday evening, March 12th, 2009, for our second AHA! Night.  AHA! celebrates art, history and architecture in downtown New Bedford. In March, AHA's theme is "Exploring how fundamental elements are used to create art."  What elements?... Air, fire, earth, water, wood and metal.

Travessia participates by hosting a series of talks on different wine related topics.  This month's topic is "White, Pink, Red - How wine is made".  20 minutes is barely enough to scratch the surface on some very basic aspects of winemaking, such us:

• What is the impact of vineyard growing practices on the quality of wine?
• Is Rose a blend of Red and White wines?
• Why are barrels used in the winemaking process?

Attendance is free and talks begin at every hour, i.e. 7PM, 8PM and 9PM.  For those who haven’t yet visited us, we are at 760 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 (click through for Google Maps).

The Culture of Wine Talks - Myth vs. Reality

Come visit us at the winery this Thursday evening, February 12th, 2009, for what will be our first official AHA! Night.  Every second Thursday of each month, AHA! Celebrates Art History and Architecture in downtown New Bedford.  We’ll be doing our part in the celebration with what we are calling the “Culture of Wine” talks.  What is this?  Basically for about 15-20 minutes I will be standing on my soapbox and tell you more than you probably want to know about different topics, all related to wine… wine making, wine drinking, wine history, wine politics, etc.  You’ll get to taste our wine and if you want even take advantage of a special 10% AHA! Night discount on all of our wines.

Attendance is free and talks begin at every hour, i.e. 6PM, 7PM, 8PM and 9PM.  For those who haven’t yet visited us, we are at 760 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA 02740 (click through for Google Maps).

This month’s “Culture of Wine” talk is titled “Myth vs. Reality”.  Here is a quick preview of some of the myths (or not) that we’ll be talking about…

• Uncorking a bottle for a few hours before drinking to “let it breathe” will improve and soften the wine.  Myth or Reality?
• Aged wine is better than young wine.  Myth or Reality?
• Wines labeled as “Reserve” and “Old Vine” are of guaranteed or special quality.  Myth or Reality?
• Red Wine Should Never Be Chilled.  Myth or Reality?

Hope to see you this Thursday evening… it should be a lot of fun.

Time flies when you are having fun

Another three weeks went by without a blog post.  Believe me that it’s not for lack of things to tell you all about.  So… here is an update of what’s been happening in my world.

Running Brook
Harvest began the last week of September and finished just a few days ago.  This was a challenging year due to massive rain just a few days prior to the grapes being ready for harvest.  Still I feel that we did well for the most part.  It’s too early to tell for sure but the young wines taste very promising.  This year we made a new wine… a white/rose wine of Pinot Noir.  I’m excited to see how this wine will turn out.

The Old Job
Two weeks ago I left my previous “real” job for a new company.  As a goodbye "treat", my boss took me to visit Jewell Towne Vineyards, a winery that falls in the New Hampshire/Massachusetts border… literally.  Also, the people that I worked with so closely for 5 ½ years gave me an expensive bottle of Burgundy wine as a gift.  They all signed the label which makes the content of the bottle irrelevant.  They could have done the same with a bottle of “cheapo” wine and it would have felt as special to me.  I will keep this bottle for a long time as a reminder of how lucky I was to work with such special people.  I will miss them.

The New Job
From telecommunications equipment to Audio Visual equipment.  Completely different product and technology but very interesting stuff nonetheless.  A considerable change for sure, including an all MAC computer environment.  Speaking of change… my new company’s slogan is “NOW YOU CAN”.  They've had this slogan for three years now.  Newly elected president Barack Obama’s campaign slogan was “YES WE CAN”.  What a coincidence.  Interestingly enough, tax break or not, 95% of Americans cannot afford the product that my new company designs and sells.  I’m not making any political statement here, I’m just saying…

Travessia
Last Tuesday was an historical day for me personally.  I received the winery permit approval from the Massachusetts Alcohol and Beverage Control Commission.  This was the last permit required in order for me to start producing and selling wine.  It was a long wait involving a lot of paperwork and a considerable investment.  Now the ball is in my court.  My to do list is very long and there are some major items to accomplish before I can actually open the winery for business and start selling wine.  I’m shooting for an opening day sometime prior to the holidays in December.  With only about 4 to 5 weeks left, I honestly don't know for sure if this will be possible.  I’ll keep you posted.

The Feds say Yay!

On Wednesday I received notification from the TTB that my application for a winery permit was approved.  If you follow me on twitter this is old news to you since I posted (or should I say twitted) the news within minutes.  But I know most of you don’t really know what twitter is all about and are maybe even scared of finding out (and I don’t blame you, I’ve been there).

Having my application approved by the federal government is a huge step.  Over the last few months I’ve seen the Travessia bank account get smaller and smaller.  From the purchase of equipment, to paying for legal services and application fees, to the rent I’ve been paying since August, it’s been a bit, how should I say it… uncomfortable.  All the money going out, no money coming in, and I did not even know if the government was going to let me do this.  It sure takes a little bit of money, but more than money, please say it with me… it takes BIG BALLS.

So, getting this approval feels great, but it’s not a completely done deal just yet.  Now that I’ve got my federal permit, I have to apply for a winery permit with the state of Massachusetts.  Now, you would think that there aren’t that many wineries in Massachusetts so the process should be pretty straight forward and quick.  Think again.  I would not be surprised if I have to wait a couple more months before I clear this final hurdle.  But we all know that these "road blocks" exist for a good reason.  It's about determining how much do I really want this... at least that's what I keep telling myself when the doubts set in from time to time. :-)

We are one step closer to that opening day when we all get to celebrate a good glass of Travessia wine.

What's going on... permits and tanks and sketches and grapes

I’ve been away from the blog for a couple of weeks now so I wanted to give everyone an update.  
 
Permits – I’ve now had two telephone interviews with the TTB and I’m waiting for my Federal permit any day now.  I’m almost done preparing the permit documentation to be submitted to the state of Massachusetts.  But the TTB permit is a requirement before Massachusetts accepts the state application…  The key word in this entire process has been "patience".
 
Equipment – Last week I received most of the winery equipment that I had ordered… this included a press, a chiller and a pump.  Immediately run into problems because the chiller requires 3-phase electric power when the winery building only has 1-phase… at least that’s what my landlord had told me.  Luckily Mark was wrong and there is indeed 3-phase at the winery.  Dodged a bullet with this one… it would have been a nightmare to try to return the chiller for a single-phase version.  Early next week I should be receiving two 580 gallon stainless steel tanks that will be used for fermentation of both red and white grapes.  These tanks were custom ordered and manufactured in Germany and fully loaded with features including jackets for chilling/heating and manholes… yes I did say manholes :-)
(I think the official name is "manway")
 
Winery – The front door at the winery should be taken down this week in preparation for a wider door so that the tanks can get through the entrance and into the winery.  Having a wider door will also help move pallets in and out of the winery.  My friend Bela Fogarty started giving me ideas as to how I can best organize the incredibly small 1,069 square feet of space I have to play with inside the winery.  It would be nice to have a good sized area for the tasting/sales room but I need to leave enough space for the actual winemaking… really excited about the sketches Bela has sent me thus far.

  
 
Website – Have you seen the latest and greatest version of the website?  If not take a look and as always feel free to comment.  It’s been up for about three weeks now.  I’ll be adding a lot of new content to the site whenever time allows it.
 
At Running Brook – We've bottled several of the 2007 wines which will be resting in the bottle for a few months before release.  Started checking sugar levels, pH and flavors on this year’s crop.  The Pinot Gris and one of the Pinot Noir clones seem to be ahead of everything else.  I'm starting to get excited about this winemaking season.  A year ago my attitude was... "Marco, just don't screw it".  I think I succeeded for the most part though it really remains to be seen when we start opening the finished and bottled wine.  This year I'm going in with a little more confidence but we still need the weather to cooperate so that the grapes ripen while developing good flavors.  We are a mere two weeks away from madness 2008… I mean harvest 2008.

10 to 15 new wineries per week

I called the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) yesterday to request an update on my bonded winery permit application.  The lady I spoke with could not help me much because the TTB’s database was down at the time.

While on the phone she mentioned that the division which handles winery applications is extremely busy these days.  How busy?  They are receiving <<on average 10 to 15 new winery applications per week>>.  That is a fairly large number of potential new wineries.  Indeed, the number of wineries in America has exploded over the last few years.  As of early 2008, there were more than 6,000 wineries in the country.  This number represents a growth of more than 25% since 2004.  If so many people think that opening a winery is a good idea, I must have picked the right business to get into.  Or have I?

First the good news… Given that still only one-third of Americans drink wine there is a considerable potential for growth in the wine business.  Over the last decade the wine industry in the USA has seen a steady increase in sales.  Bottles $12 and up have increased in sales of approximately 20% resulting in a higher average value spent by wine drinkers on a single bottle.

But we must not forget the thousands of foreign produced wines that are imported into and sold in the US, many of them bringing an excellent QPR.  When you put it all together, between the large number of new American wineries and already existing ones, the word that pops into my head is… competition.  Things like “local”, “distinctive terroir”, “hand-crafted”, “gold-medal winner”, etc. can only take wineries so far.  So in which new ways are wine brands going to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack?  More importantly to me, how is Travessia going to distinguish itself?  Obviously I put a lot of thought into this before I even decided to go for it, but if anyone has any ideas or comments don’t be afraid to share.

Business card help

Initially I had told mediumstudio that this was not a priority but soon after changed my mind when I realized that I needed something to hand to people who I speak with about my winery.  It's obvious that the business card would be a perfect way to introduce people to the "brand" and at the same time provide further contacts where I can be reached at.  With the card in hand, maybe people will even take a look at this blog, subscribe to the mailing list, or start following my friendfeed.

I originally had some "clever" ideas for the business card but after reading Chris Brogan's blog post regarding business cards I decided to stick to the basics.  Like Chris says in his post...

<<I think business cards need to be informative over clever. Clever is nice, and cheap is still icky, but if you’re not giving people enough queues about yourself, your business, your locale, and your contact particulars, it’s not going to get you to the dance. (...)>>

What you see below is the card at this point.  The back (image on the left) is pretty much set in stone.  On the right is the front of the card.  I'm floating two versions and very much undecided which one is better.  So... this is a call for help!  Which version do you prefer?  I know that most people will first focus on color but what I really need help with in making my decision is more with the way the content is displayed.  Specifically, should I include contact headings as in version 1, or no contact headings as in version 2?  The "T" alone, or the "T" and the designation "Travessia Urban Winery" under the "T"?

Some of you may be thinking that I'm being way too picky... but that's me.  I'm a strong believer that small details can make a huge difference.

We've got barrels

I'm still waiting to hear back from the TTB in regards to my license to produce wine.  Meanwhile, equipment I had ordered is starting to arrive... first was a bottle labeling machine.  A couple of days ago recooped French oak barrels arrived from California.  I paid about $250-$300 a piece for these barrels with shipping included.  Recooped means that they were previously used by another winery, then re-processed in a way that no residue of wine or wine trace such as ethanol remains in the barrel.  Basically 1/4" of the oak interior is removed and the barrels are re-toasted.  Brand new they would be near $1,000 each, which adds a considerable amount to the cost of the final bottle of wine.  In the future I hope to also buy a few brand new barrels to combine with these recooped ones.

From the outside they all look the same, but inside, it's a different story.  There is a lot that goes into matching barrels to wine.  Actually, there are some grape varietals that don't even "like" any contact with oak.  In other words, aging in oak barrels does not add any positive character to the wine made from some grapes (Riesling is a good example).  Some of the barrels you see in the picture were selected specifically for deep red wines such as the Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that I hope to include in the first vintage.  Others were selected for lighter styled wines such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

If all goes according to plan, Travessia's first vintage will include a Chardonnay that is aged in oak barrels alongside the same vintage(year) Chardonnay that is produced without any oak aging or contact, i.e. all made in stainless-steel tank.  It will be up to you to decide which Chardonnay style you prefer when you visit Travessia's winery and tasting room in downtown New Bedford.

A first look at Travessia's logo

Below is the latest draft from mediumstudio.  Click on the image for a larger view.  This shows several variations that we may end up using depending on where the logo is being applied, i.e. the label on the bottle, the website, the cork, a T-shirt, etc.  So we don't necessarily need to pick only one of these.  Color schemes haven't yet been decided so don't take the black/white too seriously.

I would love to read what you think about the overall design and look.  Your comments aren't only welcomed... they are greatly appreciated.

 

Travessia's first media coverage

What's this?  Blog posts on consecutive days?  I know that I’m not supposed to "spam" my blog subscribers with too many posts, but I think I have a pretty good excuse for this one.

Today, Travessia Winery received its first coverage in the local media.  Here is the link to the article written by João Ferreira of the New Bedford Standard Times.  Read it through if you feel like it and have the time.

I’m a frequent reader of João’s weekly column and rarely see any reader leaving comments on the online version.  So I was excited to see a comment for the piece on Travessia.  Someone who goes by the name of “CrunchyQuahog” left the following comment:

I have no idea as to who is the CrunchyQuahog, but I’m not surprised by his/her comment.  In fact I bet that there are people out there who know me personally who have a similar negative feeling about what I’m doing as it’s implied in the comment.  I understand and accept that.  I take it as a challenge.  But more importantly, this gives me a great opportunity to briefly write about New Bedford, specifically the downtown area.

New Bedford is like several (most) American cities which were “rich” in the not too distant past, full of employment opportunities, great economic growth, reasonable crime rates, etc.  Today, the city faces many challenges and businesses of all kinds have a difficult time staying alive or growing.  From illegal immigration issues to crime related problems, New Bedford, the 7th largest city in Massachusetts, struggles to bring back the dynamics and thriving local economy it once sustained.

The comment left by the reader is not shocking.  I have seen businesses come and go in the downtown area of New Bedford.  Nobody knows for sure why this happens.  Some blame it on the local economy.  Personally I tend to think that most businesses fail for two main reasons… First, many people don’t do their homework and as a result they fail to realize that their idea might not be very feasible.  Secondly, they lack the necessary cash flow needed to establish the business and survive the difficult first few years.  As I have stated before, I’m taking a considerable risk.  Maybe TRAVESSIA Winery will become another failed downtown business.  But am I excited to take on this challenge?!  And from the comments and emails I’m getting on almost a daily basis, I can tell that I’m not alone.  People seem to be genuinely excited about this.  My hope is that these same people translate their excitement into actual business support with their hard-earned dollars when I deliver the promised goods sometime this coming Fall.

Let me also mention that there are already several small businesses downtown that are striving and contributing very positively to the rebirth of the downtown area.  The Green Bean, No Problemo, The White Bouquet, Café Arpeggio are just some examples right on Purchase Street.  Sure these are not huge businesses that generate many jobs but they are what they intend to be and offer services that are needed.  For a more in-depth retrospective of the past and present of New Bedford, Wikipedia is a good source. 

A final thought about the "CrunchyQuahog"

Here is one of the few problems I have with the internet… people like CrunchyQuahog can just lurk around and leave comments all over the place without identifying who they really are.  Not only is this a cowardly tactic, it leaves people guessing.  Who is this person?  A failed business owner?  The next door neighbor?  A world-class nay-sayer?  But indentity is just a small part of the problem.  More importantly, chances are that this person could actually teach me something that I don’t already know.  Instead the easiest path was taken:  point out the negative, offer no interesting or relevant commentary.  Whomever he/she is, I am 99% sure that this person will soon be drinking my wine.  Then they will obviously find a way to secretly write about how bad the wine is, but… they will go back again to drink some more.

Travessia Image Design

This week I met with Keri and John from the New Bedford downtown-based design company mediumstudio.  They will be working with me to develop the image for the winery.  A good example of their work can be seen in the New Bedford Economic Development Council newbedford.is booklet.  Check it out.

I decided to go with mediumstudio for two main reasons.  First, they are local so I can actually sit down with them physically to discuss the work being developed.  Second, they seem to understand what TRAVESSIA is all about and are capable of carrying this over to the image design.

This is no small and trivial task.  Mediumstudio will play an important role in what TRAVESSIA will “look” like.  Logo, labels, website, these are all elements of branding that help define what a business represents.  Their first task is to come up with a logo that matches the winery’s vision.  I’ll keep you posted on any logo developments.

Meanwhile, I’ve registered the main internet domain name for the winery:  www.travessiawine.com.  I’ve already setup a simple (and very rudimentary) page to welcome visitors.  Please check it out, sign-up to the mailing list and please tell all your friends that they should sign up too.

I also reserved travessiawines.com, travessiawinery.com and travessiaurbanwinery.com.  I forwarded these addresses to the main domain name.  This is just good business practice.  I know that someone, someday, will type in travessiawinery.com and I wouldn't want that person to get a blank page or some other non-wine related website...

I plan on continuing this blog here and just have a link to it from the winery’s website.  The blog’s title will change soon...  “Mi Vino Tu Vino” will become something like “TRAVESSIA winery blog”, but all original links to the blog will continue to work seamlessly.  I will keep writing about whatever I feel like… hopefully interesting and relevant stuff.

Thank You... and Bud Break

First a quick note to thank everyone who left comments on my last post and also those who sent me emails directly.  I honestly did not expect to receive so many messages of encouragement and support.  ALL of your messages truly mean a lot to me.  THANK YOU!  I’ll keep everyone posted on what’s happening with TRAVESSIA as things develop.  Right now it’s mostly a lot of paperwork being filled so that I can apply for the winery permits.  Meanwhile, a new wine growing season is just beginning and I want to tell you a bit about it...

Most people are familiar with harvest but few really know much about a special time in the wine growing season that we call “bud break”.  After winter pruning and when the temperature increases, like most plants, grape vines wake-up from their winter-long deserved rest.  You know how you feel on January 1st?  I feel pretty much like January 1st when I see these buds swelling and expanding.

This signals the beginning of a new wine growing season.  The result will be the 2008 vintage wines which will not be ready for consumption until a year from now for most white wines, two or more years from now for most red wines.

So much happens between bud break and the time the wine is actually poured into a glass for someone to drink.  This journey is a major aspect of what makes wine so unique and special… it’s just a beverage if that is all you need or want from it, but it can also be so much more.  Often you just want to drink the stuff and not think much about it… if it’s good, it’s all that matters.  But once in a while if you choose to take the time to appreciate what you are drinking, I guarantee that you will be a richer person and live a better life.

Last year I shared the growth of the entire vineyard by taking pictures along the growing season and posting them here on the blog.  No sense in repeating the same again this year.  So instead I’m going to try to follow a couple of buds from bud break to harvest, the same buds every time.  Here is the first image of the Chardonnay bud that I’ve chosen:

Chardonnay bud swelling; doeskin stage with brownish wool clearly visible.

This is the first image in the new photo album I've created.  I'll contiue to add pictures to the album as the bud develops.

Day 1

I’ve done it.  Today I launched what will most likely end up as one of the biggest projects of my life and potentially the biggest risk I’ve taken to this day.  I’ve officially began the process of creating my winery.

The amount of thought and research that I’ve put into this over the last two years cannot be quantified.  Many things had to come together for me to have the chance to attempt to build my own winery.  Getting the part-time gig as winemaker for Running Brook was a critical step to get to this day.  Never before in my life have I felt how the luck of being in the right place at the right time could end up having such a dramatic influence in my future and the future of my family.

I’ll be honest and say that over the last few weeks while pondering this decision I felt very nervous.  However, once I made the decision to go for it, the nervousness immediately started to change into a sense of excitement.  Ideas are popping into my head… I can already visualize the next crush season, the labels on the bottles, people having fun and chatting while sipping my wine at the tasting room.  A couple of years from now I may look back at this day and say to myself… what in the world was I thinking?  I may end up as another victim in the cemetery of failed wineries.  But so be it.  I’ll take the risk instead of questioning myself for the rest of my life… what if I had done it?

So, what’s next...?

I’ve registered as a business at the local and state level but the biggest hurdle is yet to come… obtaining the necessary licenses from the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) and the Massachusetts ABCC (Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission).  It involves a lot of paperwork and a considerable amount of time (3 months or longer).  After submitting all of my applications, I will start thinking about other aspects such as the brand image.  I’ll be counting on you for opinions and feedback on some of the decisions that I will have to make.  But here is what I can already share with you today…

The name of the winery:  TRAVESSIA
The place:  Downtown New Bedford

TRAVESSIA is a Portuguese word for Journey or Passage.  There were other names but once I thought of this one, I quickly and easily realized that it would provide me with many opportunities to tie it with what I want the winery and the wines to be all about.  Besides I wanted to avoid naming the winery after a place or the family’s last name.

The winery will be in the downtown area of New Bedford.  A few months ago I failed to convince the owners of a small piece of land in Dartmouth that I was the right person to take over their property.  In retrospect, that was a good thing.  I’ve since realized that building an Urban Winery is more in line with my immediate objective.  The number one question on everyone’s minds… where do the grapes come from?  Well, certainly not from the roof tops :-)...   That’s a topic that deserves its own post but I can tell you that the vast majority of the wines made by TRAVESSIA will be from grapes grown right here in Southeast New England.

Feel free to comment here or send me emails of encouragement… or discouragement :-)