Saffron Fields Vineyard

The start of another year in the vineyard

Sanjeev — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:43:00 +0000

It is the beginning of a new year in the vineyard. The vines have been pruned and sit in the morning mist waiting for warmer temperatures and bud break in a couple of months. It is a peaceful time. We will receive our chardonnay vines next month and will be planting them. The 2011 wines are in barrel undergoing malolactic fermentation. We are very pleased with the way the 2011 wines are progressing. The 2010 vintage is almost ready to be bottled so there is continued activity in the winery. Everything is getting ready for what will surely be another good year in the Willamette valley.

Yamhill-Carlton AVA video

Sanjeev — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:47:20 +0000

The Yamhill Carlton winegrowers association has produced this great video which shows why the Yamhill Carlton AVA is a special place for special wines. Click on the link to view the video.

Growing Saffron at Saffron Fields

Sanjeev — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:37:06 +0000

The strands of saffron used in cooking are the stamens of the Saffron crocus (Crocus Sattivus). We have some of these growing at the vineyard. Here is a picture of the flowers. Saffron is the most expensive spice in the market at $2000-$5000/lb. These flowers should be worth about a couple of dollars. We have been planting some every year. I think we should have a reasonable quantity next year.

Harvest is finally over

Sanjeev — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:04:39 +0000

It was stressful watching the birds, the rain and long range forecast but in the end, we got sunny days (or at least partly cloudy days) and no rain which gave us the all important hang-time without any added disease pressure. We were able to manage without any sprays in the final few weeks, the birds got some but it was not bad. We picked the first rows on October 19th with the remainder on October 23rd and 25th. It did not look good in the first couple of weeks in October but at the end we have great flavors and good acidity. The sugars ended up being in the low to mid 20s brix which should make great balanced wine.

Also would like to thank Daniel Fey and the RP team who did a great job as usual. Last few days had Daniel driving around the vineyard battling the bird invasion to preserve all the work they had put in over the year. The hard work and a little luck has made this a good year.

Newberg’s Recipe for great food

Angela — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:12:39 +0000

Today we had lunch at Recipe in downtown Newberg. at 115 North Washington Street. This was our second visit to this restaurant and both experiences were equally positive about the service and the food. The owner/chef is Paul Bachard, formerly of Farm to Fork.

The food is all local, while the wine list is global. I love their cold plate of homemade sausage, specialty cheese, salad, and antipasto. Sanjeev and I shared the ricotta gnocchi which tasted like little clouds.

Definitely a thumbs up.

When will the grapes be ready?

Angela — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:07:51 +0000

This is the question on everyone’s mind. How much longer before we harvest? Well, every year two things show up for harvest – wasps and birds. Their appearance means the grapes are getting sweet and are nearly ready for picking. Yesterday, the starlings came and today the wasps.

Maybe next week we can harvest.

Dahlias from Alpen Gardens

Angela — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 22:58:20 +0000

We went to Alpen Gardens today. A local nursery that specializes in Dahlias. The dahlias were in bloom and the variety of blooms and color was amazing. They have “you-cut” pruners, so we walked the garden till I cut a dozen flowers for the dining room table.

The Yorkies of Saffron Fields

Angela — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:39:52 +0000

Rosemary and Lily travel with us to the vineyard. For this drizzly trip, we purchased rain proof jackets and had the Saffron Fields logo embroidered on them. Both Yorkies love visiting the vineyard, although Rosemary would prefer to be carried around while Lily wants to explore.

Brunch at Crescent Cafe

Angela — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 11:46:59 +0000

Since we purchased our property, McMinnville has evolved into quite a tourist destination with many new restaurants and specialty gift shops. Bon Appetit recently named McMinnville one of the six foodiest small towns in America.

Today we had brunch for the first time at Crescent Cafe located at 526 NE 3rd Street in McMinnville. The place was quite busy, so we had to wait for a table. I took the opportunity to do some shopping at a neighboring “local artist” shop, Currents Gallery, and found a unique Christmas gift for my mom.

Once seated, the service was excellent and the food was definitely worth the wait. Sanjeev has the Chef’s special – eggs benedict – and found the eggs silky and the hash browns crispy. My diet prevented me for getting the caramelized banana pancakes or brandied orange french toast that I really wanted, so I had steel cut oatmeal with dried cherries and scrambled eggs. When the food arrived, I was happy though, because the eggs were cooked perfectly – even Alton Brown would have approved of the texture and moistness and the oatmeal was the freshly prepared and quite yummy.

Waiting for the sun

Sanjeev — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:51:42 +0000

We need a couple of weeks of warm sunshine to complete the flavors but the weather is not cooperating. The forecast next week calls for alternating days of rain and sunshine, not particularly promising. It is one of the special joys of farming, watching the long range weather forecast and hoping its wrong.

Prior to the bad weather we had already gone through a second round of crop thinning and removed the leaves on the west side of some of the blocks to give the grapes the best chance of ripening. We have not sprayed so far but may do so if needed. If the rain holds off for a couple of weeks we will be fine. If not the wine makers will have a challenge.