Dear Friends of San Martino Winery & Vineyards,

As I write these words we are eagerly anticipating our first batch of grapes from the vineyards in West Texas. Finally we have a year when everything has come together again as in 2004 and 2005. No major rain storms, no hail, not late frosts and no pests. Additionally, the temperatures have been on the cool side all summer long allowing the grapes to stay on the vine longer than usual. This normally results in more concentrated juice in the berries and therefore, better flavors. Our 04 and 05 wines were superb and we feel that this is another of those very special years. More on it soon after we start crushing the first bunches of grapes.

This is also the best time of the year to enjoy ours and other Texas wineries. The weather cools off; you can sit outdoors and take a respite from life. The idea is to switch off the cell phone, clear the mind from work and indulge your senses for a bit while relaxing in one of our outdoor areas. Take a big breath, a sip of good wine and let the stress flow out of your body… slowing down is the goal.

The month of September is the start of the cool cycle in nature and it is the start of the life cycle of wine. Everything starts with the harvest and the process of converting sugars and grape juice into alcohol and the different wines you enjoy. For the next couple of months, the production facility will take on the aromas of fermentation and the sound of yeast doing their thing.

Every day there are dozens of decisions to make and each affects the final outcome. Hopefully, we will make the correct decisions and everything will result in beautiful wines. By Mid-October, we start the racking and clarifying phases during which we remove much of the sediment while continuing the secondary fermentation processes. By the end of November we perform the last of the racking jobs and new barrels arrive from the cooperage. There is nothing like the smell of new wood! It is intoxicating in a good way. The barrels are cleaned and allowed to settle using water and soda ash to remove much of the harshness of new wood. Then finally, between mid December and January the wine is placed into selected barrels and the aging process starts. This last phase can take from one to four years before the finished wine is placed into bottles.

Certainly this is not a short term investment but one that is worth every cent and minute spent on it once a bottle is opened and the contents are tasted putting a smile on your face. We live for these moments! So... there you have it! I just told you in 30 seconds what may take us four years to process but in a nutshell this is what we do each season. We will be very exhausted by December but proud and pleased with the results (we hope). As long as you buy our product and enjoy it, we know we are doing it right. And don’t worry about drinking our wine… we will make more!

Events and Stuff in September

For more information about these and other events, please visit our Web site at http://sanmartinowinery.com Also, don't forget that you keep en "eye" on us via Facebook and Twitter. You can find links to them from our main Web site and we would love for you to become fans of our Facebook site. Check us out!