The Winemaker's Blog

Silver Lining Dry Riesling ALMOST READY

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:12:00 GMT

We'll be bottling our new dry Riesling, Silver Lining, in about a week. It will be released immediately. I'm really excited about this one and hope you enjoy it. It was made from select, hand-sorted grapes from the Lake Erie region. I'll post on bottling day with a picture (you'll love the bottles we're using)! :-D

-Adam

It's festival time

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:57:00 GMT

We were just looking over the calendar and work schedule and realized, woo-hoo!! It’s festival time! Next week-end, things really start rolling as we’ll be at Huron’s “Taste of Wine & Roses” and Findlay’s “Riverside Wine Festival”, simultaneously, we’ll be pouring all week-end at Lorain’s “International Festival”.

The season started at “Wolf Creek Grist Mill” in Loudonville last week-end and will culminate with our first ever appearance at “Vintage Ohio” in August.

We are so fortunate to have friends and relatives who are willing to help us during this busy season. We absolutely could not do it without them. They are willing to use their free/vacation time to stand and stand and stand and stand (festivals involve a lot of standing) and be friendly ambassadors of our winery. They never mind all the preparations required just to get to the festival, the unpredictable weather, running for ice, the set up, the clean up, etc. Of course, there are some perks: wine, food, music, and bunches of great people.

We'd love to see you there!

BRING ON THE SPRING

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:06:00 GMT

When, oh, when will spring truly be in the air? In spite of the weather, we are making plans for warmer days that are surely on the horizon.

At home, we moved some junk out of the garage the other day and looked at the motorcycles. We called the marina and told them to go ahead and paint the bottom of our boat. We bought fertilizer for the yard. We evaluated the trim on our house and decided we definitely need a little painting done. The little crocus flowers are hiding under wet leaves but it’s too cold to clear the leaves. We just need some warmer days, agreed?

In the winery, we have been bottling Harvest Blend, Chambourcin and Fredonia. We have scheduled chicken barbeques and steak fries. We are lining up musicians for the outdoor venue. We are making plans to provide more shade areas in the grassy courtyard. Also, we have already made commitments for several wine festivals this summer.

We will be at VINTAGE OHIO in August.

We will be on the winery tour for OHIO BIKE WEEK.

Our LAKE ERIE SHORES & ISLANDS WINE TRAIL is hosting trail events in May and June/July.

Before the busy season hits, Dick and I will hit the Appalachian Trail one more time, backpacking through Virginia.

So we are ready. Bring on the SPRING!!

CHEERS!

Sheryl, the winemaker’s mom

Grape and Wine Conference

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:23:00 GMT

Greetings all!! Dick and I are just back from the 2011 Ohio Grape and Wine Conference, two days of intense workshops related to growing grapes and making good wine. It seems the more we know, the less we know. The thing about the wine industry is everybody is eager to help his neighbor to do a good job. Unlike many other industries, we share our secrets. The other great thing about this industry is that it involves tasting wine! For the past two days we got to enjoy wines from some of the finest winemakers in Ohio.

We also got to enjoy some fellowship with winery friends from across the state and especially friends from our own LAKE ERIE SHORES AND ISLANDS TRAIL. Our trail now has 14 wineries and a couple of new ones are in the works. Keep an eye out for some really fun stuff that we're planning for our trail for this spring and summer.

Dick will attend a pruning workshop the end of March and before you know it, we'll be back out in the vineyard. I predict that we are just about 30 days away from green grass. Until then, we'll just have to enjoy our sunshine in a bottle!

Cheers!

Sheryl, the winemaker's mom

Gorgeous Weather

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:43:00 GMT

WOW! The weather in Ohio is unexplainable. We're really enjoying this 50+ degree day and we're happy to see so many people come out of hibernation. :-) I know it's not over yet, but winter seemed to go by really fast... I guess that's what chasing a 2 year old around does to you! We're coming up on our two-year anniversary at Paper Moon Vineyards. We've been having a great time and we are so thankful to all of you for making this experience so enjoyable. Many new friendships have been made and hopefully so many fun memories for all of you!

My wife gave birth to our first son on the second Saturday we were open in 2009. We're in the same position now (though a bit less stressed). The due date is the same and we'll be having another boy! I'll be sure to share a pic when little Samuel arrives.

We have a couple fun events coming up in March, so check out our all new calendar. See ya soon!

God Bless,

Adam

Christmas memories

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:39:00 GMT

One of my favorite memories is going to grandma's house on Christmas Eve. If there was snow then the night was perfect. I can't remember any specific food item but I do recall that Grandma was a good cook. For Christmas Eve she always had a "relish plate", we never had that any other time. She had a special platter that came out just for the pickles and olives and another special platter that came out for the Christmas cookies.

There were six of us kids and Grandma would have a present for each of us. After the gifts then the kids got to watch a special on TV while the adults might play a little euchre. Candle light service at church then home to wait for Santa.

When I was a kid our house had a coal furnace, so, by the time we got home from Grandma's and church, our house was darn cold. Dad would go down to stoke up the few hot coals that were left in the furnace but it would take awhile for the house to get warm again. The cold was good enough reason for us kids to scurry off to our beds to try to get warm.

Only gravity heated the upstairs of the house so the bedroom windows were quite frosty. Last thing before we closed our eyes was to breathe on the windows and scratch out a peep hole so we could look for Santa flying across the sky. Once one of us confirmed that we had surely seen him, then we could close our peepers and wait until morning.

We got toys, but, like Grandma's food, I don't particularly remember any specific gifts or toys. My parents had to work hard for what we got. There was always an orange in the toe of a stocking. There were socks and underwear and new pajamas. They loved us and provided well for us.

Our parents loved us. Grandma loved us. Special food platters and time together and warm houses and new socks were demonstrations of love. Simple, but, lovely love.

So raise a glass to toast the memories and may your Christmas be blessed with much love.

Sheryl, the winemaker's mom

Christmas Open House

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 22:11:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Christmas open house today! We had a great time and think you did too. In case you missed it, we had five food/wine pairing stations set-up in our wine production room. For $10, you could work your way around the five stations and enjoy Paper Moon wines with tasty plates. We had several artisan cheeses, chocolates, fig cakes, black olive spreads, and more. Keep your eyes open to our newsletter and Facebook page for more events like this.

Next week is our Second Saturday Supper, so be sure to check out the details at www.papermoonvineyards.com/sss. If I don't get a chance to blog again this month, have a Merry Christmas & happy new year!

God Bless,

Adam

Bottling Craze

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:37:00 GMT

It's harvest time and that means we need to have empty tanks for more grapes & juice! The summer was really busy, so we've been playing a little catch-up with bottling. We've been bottling each Tuesday and Thursday since September 1st, and average between 400-1000+ gallons per day. We're ready to exhale, but there really isn't time! We have 5 tons of Old Vine Zinfandel grapes being picked TODAY in Lodi, California. They'll be put in a refrigerated truck and shipped to us this week. In addition, we have more Riesling, Concord, and Fredonia coming our way. I can't imagine how we'll manage everything in a couple more years once we can harvest our own grapes as well! :-)

We hope to see you soon! Please consider coming to our clam bake on October 9th. Tickets are only available for 2 more days!

God Bless,

Adam

FUN EVENTS

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:16:00 GMT

My dad and I just got back from a fun vacation in Bristol, TN. I am a NASCAR fan and went down to watch some racing with a group of 10 guys from my church. My dad isn't really a fan, but we had some good father/son bonding time watching cars go around and around. :-p It's nice to be back in Ohio, where the showers are warm and I don't have to share a queen bed with my dad. :-D

Concerning PMV, we just added some fun events to the calendar. Next week, September 4th, Rotuno's Texas Style BBQ will be at Paper Moon serving chicken plates at lunch (NOON-3PM). He'll be offering a 1/2 chicken, cheesy potatoes, cole slaw, and corn bread for $13 plus tax. Tickets can be reserved online at www.papermoonvineyards.com/sss. Also, if you click on that link, you'll see info on our October clam bake and November pig roast.

The summer may be near its end, but the fun doesn't stop at PMV! Come see us!

-Adam

SUNSET WINE CRUISES

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:42:00 GMT

Last night Dick and Adam were aboard the Jet Express out of Lorain's Black River. Paper Moon was the host winery for the evening. This is a brand new excursion for the Jet Express and to hear the guys talk it was an incredible evening. I missed it because I was in the pit at the Huron Playhouse, which was also incredible!! I digress. Anyhow, Paper Moon will be on the boat again August 4th for another SUNSET CRUISE. For $28 you get a 2-hour cruise, wine tastings and complimentary, yummy appetizers. Sounds fun, huh? Come cruise with us next month on the Jet Express.

http://www.jet-express.com/ferry-service/lorain-departures/fares

1-800-245-1JET

Sheryl, the winemaker's mom

FESTIVALS and CRUISES

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:01:00 GMT

We've had a busy June! Over the past few weeks, we've participated in Wine at the Mill in Loudonville, International Festival in Lorain, Taste of Wine & Roses in Huron, and the Riverside Wine Festival in Findlay. It has been a blast meeting new people and seeing familiar faces outside of the winery. The next big event on the calendar is Saturday, July 31st. We'll be at "A Taste of History" at Black River Landing in Lorain. The festival is from NOON-9PM. Come down to see us and enjoy some great jazz and wine by the water! Also, on July 14th and August 4th, we've been tentatively invited to have our wines featured on wine cruises with the Jet Express. Keep an eye on www.jet-express.com for details.

We'll be having Tim Rotuno (of Rotuno's Texas Style BBQ) out on July 10th for our Second Saturday Supper. Be sure to visit www.papermoonvineyards.com/sss for details.

We hope to see you soon! :-D Be sure to join us on Facebook by clicking on a link at the bottom of any of our web pages!

-Adam

HIKERS RETURN

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:12:00 GMT

"OO-LOOK-AT-THE" and her trusty companion, "TRIGGER", have safely returned from their most recent hike on the Appalachian Trail.

We completed 120+ miles this trip which puts our total mileage backpacking the "AT" at about 570 miles, leaving something like 1530 miles to go?! We spent eight days out in the wilderness this time. The scariest thing we saw was a lady with all her stuff tied in a garbage bag which she carried on her back, hiking in the rain, we're still wondering if she made it to her destination?

Now, except for a couple of weddings, we're back behind the tasting counter at PMV for the summer. Come sit around our campfire with us and we'll tell you the tales from the trail.

Sheryl, the winemaker's mom, AKA "oo-look-at-the"

MAYFLIES

Fri, 21 May 2010 20:53:00 GMT

It's officially almost Memorial Day week-end, the mayflies are here. If you don't know what a mayfly is then come to Lake Erie to discover the phenomenon.

The Shores and Islands Pananche Wine Trail concludes tomorrow. 169 guests have experienced and enjoyed the wineries on our trail. At each stop they get tastes of wine, chocolate and an appetizer. They'll also go home with a candy dish and a commemorative wine glass. If you missed the event this time, you'll want to keep your eye out for future trail specials. The Pananche trail was organized and supported by our Ohio Wine Producers Association.

Each of us here at Paper Moon is making our plans for the summer. Dick and I are set to go back on the Appalachian Trail to cover the 120 miles from Damascus to Wytheville, Virginia. Adam and his in-laws will make their annual trek to the beach. Greg and Michelle have LOTS of weddings this summer, isn't it funny how that happens sometimes? Tony's race car is ready to rip up the track. Becky's busy keeping up with a teen-ager. Caleb might actually take off for a long week-end with his wife.

... And when we're not doing all that fun stuff, we'll be out at festivals all over the area. We making plans to be at Mohican for "Wine at the Mill" on June 12th. Other events will be a benefit for Faith House at Rose Cafe in Lorain on 6/17 and another the next night for North Coast Builders. The next week-end Adam will make an appearance at the Findlay Wine Festival, 6/26, and you'll be able to catch one of us out at the Lorain International Festival, 6/25-6/27.

The mayflies are here and summer is close behind. We're gearing up for it!!

Blessings,

Sheryl, the winemaker's mama

Riding motorcycles...

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:07:00 GMT

Yesterday I had a clarinet lesson in Bowling Green and the day looked beautiful so I convinced Dick to play hookie... we took off on the motorcycles. Since we met at BG it made for a nostalgic day but anymore we can't find the places where we lived, everything has changed or we've just lost our minds.

Anyway, we told ourselves we would do "research" on the way home and we did. We stopped at Chateau Tabeau, one of the newest wineries on the Lake Erie Shores and Islands Trail. They weren't open for another hour and the owner wasn't around but we peeked in the windows and liked what we saw. It's a very nice building and Tuscan style setting.

We don't consume when we're riding but would have liked to try a taste of Chateau Tabeau, maybe another time. We were tuckered out when we got home, I don't understand why riding makes a person so tired? I guess it's the sun and the wind and the level of concentration. One glass of chambourcin to toast the day and we were both snoring on the couch. Aren't we a wild pair?!

Sheryl, the winemaker's motorcycle mama

April flies by...

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:21:00 GMT

Dear friends,

I just looked at the calendar and realized that April is half gone?! How can time be flying so fast?

We've had some crowds gathering on our patio already. One day it was so warm we even had to roll up the storm curtains, soon they'll be rolled up and off for the summer season. The fire ring outside has also been a popular gathering spot the last few Saturday nights.

In May (which will be here before you know it) we'll return to our "in-season" hours opening Tuesday-Saturday at noon, closing Tuesday/Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Thursday/Friday/Saturday at 10 p.m.

This week you'll find us at Kingston for the annual "Taste Of Vermilion" and pouring for a wine dinner at "Jackalope" in Lorain. Both events are open to the public and we'd be happy to see your friendly faces there.

Our "Second Saturday Suppers" have been a huge success and we're excited to take the cooking outside next month. In May we welcome back ROTUNO'S TEXAS-STYLE BBQ for a chicken dinner.

We'll have DERBY DAY here on May 1st. Wear your best fancy hat and receive a complimentary cheese plate. We'll also offer rosy discounts on all non-wine purchases.

The SHORES AND ISLANDS WINE TRAIL will host a self-guided wine tour on May 14-15 and 21-22. It's called "Panache Wine Trail" and involves chocolate.

Paper Moon will also be pouring samples at the Lorain Perch Festival on Memorial Day week-end.

As you can see we've got lots going on here, no wonder time is flying by so fast...

I better go get some work done.

Blessings,

Sheryl