Welcome to the Blog from Martin Fujishin, Head Winemaker at Fujishin Family Cellars!
Ok so we say head winemaker...he's the only winemaker but it makes him feel special....
Hello from the winery!
Well I would like to start out by welcoming you all to our blog. In May of this year after numerous trials and tribulations Fujishin Family Cellars released its first wines. We're in the process of getting our tasting room up and running in Downtown Caldwell, Idaho. We're looking forward to a mid-July start up, so we'll keep you posted.
The Winery:
Most people don't realize that the majority of winemaking is paperwork and cleaning. This week between my various other jobs I've been filing state reports and organizing things around the winery. I still hope for the glamorous long lunches and siestas in the vineyard but they haven't materialized yet.
We're getting ready to bottle our 2008 Late Harvest Chardonnay this week. It's a bright fruit blast with just enough residual sugar to make it fun and kicky. It's full of tropical fruit and just fun to drink on hot summer days. It will be ready for release at Savor Idaho if things go well.
The Vineyards:
I'm still managing the vineyards for Bitner Vineyards and Rose Cottage Vineyards. Things are going very well this spring. We're watching closely for any signs of powdery mildew and grape mealybug, both of which can cause havoc with the vines. I've also had the good fortune through my work with the Idaho State Department of Agriculture to spend a couple of days a week looking for insect pests in vineyards area wide. It has been a great chance to catch up with the other vineyard managers in the area and see what is going on all across the Snake River Valley AVA. We all have different views on the best way to manage a vineyard and getting together to talk shop on a regular basis is one of the most valuable things we can do.
Right now the vines are in the middle of flowering and forming the fruit-set for the year to come. The plants are starting to shade themselves with new leaves and the little grape clusters are all amazing to look at with their green buds hinting at the fruit to come.
We'll be watching the weather after the heavy rains of the last week or so. I'm hoping for some warmth to keep the vines ticking away but not so much that I break a sweat.
I'll keep you all posted on the progress as we move forward!
Thanks for your interest!
M-
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yeah! I'm the first! And I'm thinking that if you don't want to break a sweat, you're in the wrong part of the country! :-) I'll see you July 3rd if not sooner!
ReplyDeleteHey Fujishin Winery, I stopped by to see about displaying artwork in your awesome tasting room and had the opportunity to speak with Teresa. What a great lady with really great ideas. I hope something can happen with the old "cold room"/cooler that it turns into a gallery. What a fantastic idea. You would probably be the only winery with an attached gallery. Great crowd pleaser. Fujishin could become the destination spot for the rest of the valley.
ReplyDeleteJohn Septien/Johns-ARt.com