As 2019 winds down, another outstanding vintage has come to a close at 2Hawk Vineyard & Winery. Harvest began on September 20 with Early Muscat and culminated November 5, with Malbec being picked last. The special terroir of the Rogue Valley means every year presents its own unique challenges and opportunities.
Fall in the vineyard brings the bustling activity of the harvest as the growing season draws to an end. At 2Hawk, fall is special for an additional reason: our semiannual wine club release.
Nearly a year after harvest, our 2018 vintage wines are each on their own paths to greatness. Several are still aging, some will be ready to enjoy soon, and others are ready to be savored now. Let’s peek in on the status of these wines and explore why we’re especially excited about our 2018 vintage.
Properly aging wine is a critical aspect of winemaking. Without some measure of aging, most wines would be rough around the edges and fall far short of their full potential. Aging wine is a complex enterprise, with different wines requiring different materials, techniques, and lengths of time to arrive at their peak. In this post, we’ll explore how a wine progresses from the end of fermentation to bottling and, at last, enjoyment.
In the 2Hawk vineyard, summer means shaping and forging the vintage so it can reach its greatest potential. With fruit ripening on the vines and warm temperatures in the air, the vineyard is in full swing, requiring tremendously detailed work to ensure the best possible quality at harvest. This exhausting time of year has its challenges, but it’s also an important time to foster the health, vitality, and unique character of the vineyard.
This year, we are proud to have been invited to the 38th Annual Telluride Wine Festival and Cork & Barrel Wine Event in Bend, Oregon. 2Hawk Co-Owner and Vineyard Manager Ross Allen will be in attendance with me, and we’re both looking forward to the opportunity to introduce our spectacular wines to a whole new audience.
At 2Hawk Vineyard & Winery, we’re proud of our handcrafted, estate-grown wines. If you’ve visited our tasting room or our online store, you may already be familiar with some of our wines, such as Tempranillo, Viognier, or Malbec—just to name a few. But why do we choose to cultivate these varieties specifically? In this post, we’ll explore how our location influences the types of wine we produce—and why Tempranillo is right at home here at 2Hawk.
As spring advances and the vineyard blossoms into activity, a special time of year for 2Hawk approaches: our spring wine club release. Twice a year—in May and November—we make our very best wines available to members of the 2Hawk Wine Club for shipping or pickup. This May, we are excited to release four exquisite wines that represent the exceptional terroir of the Rogue Valley and especially the 2Hawk estate vineyard.
Spring is a time of anticipation in the vineyard. It is when the vintage’s crop begins its next stage of development and the potential of a new growing season fills the air. As temperatures rise, the vineyard awakens from its winter slumber and delicate buds begin to emerge from the vines, eventually giving rise to flowers and fruit. This special time of year isn’t without its risks, however—it’s a time of both excitement and watchfulness over the emerging crop.
Fermentation is the process by which grape “must” (a fancy winemaking term for unfermented grapes or juice) transforms into wine. During fermentation, yeast—our microbiological friends—convert grape sugars into alcohol. There’s a lot more than just alcohol production going on, though. Fermentation drives complex chemical reactions that affect the flavor, aroma, and even color of the finished wine.