Night of Comedy - November 8th, 2013

Everyone had such a great time during the last Comedy Night we hosted, we decided to do it again!  Come join us, along with comedians Brad Stewart & Darrin Meyer, 

for a night full of laughs and wine on November 8th, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets $20 - Call winery to make reservations 402-783-5255. 

COMEDIAN BRAD STEWART

Brad Stewart has performed at many different clubs and theaters all over the country to rave reviews. From The Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, to the Hilton Casino in Atlantic City, Brad has entertained many diverse audiences with his high energy, observational style of humor.

In early 2010, Brad had the honor of becoming a favorite opening act for comedy legend Joan Rivers. Joan says Brad is "so talented and a joy to work with.” Brad has also opened for The Temptations, Jon Lovitz, Keith Sweat, The O'Jays, and 80's rocker band Loverboy.

Brad's comedy is a mix of his observations about life, and his love/hate relationship with pop culture. A lot of his comedy comes from his frustrations with the state of popular music, which should be relatable to anyone with ears. With a likable personality, everyone enjoys his show.

COMEDIAN DARRIN MEYER

Ever wondered what seeing every corner of the country and hitting every backwater town the tourist guides warn you about would do to a person’s mind? Thought about how driving ten hours a day and staying in motel rooms that even Norman Bates won’t go near warps a man’s thinking? Darrin Meyer brings these experiences to the stage in a show the Duluth News-Tribune calls “ straight-up, gimmick-free act that focuses on jokes from the rude and crude to current affairs.”

For the past twelve years, Darrin has performed in some of the finest comedy clubs, colleges, bowling alleys, Chinese restaurants, strip joints, and prisons in over forty states, where he developed his manic takes on relationships, sports, families, life on the road, and whatever happens to be driving him nuts on any given day. If not for comedy, he might be looking for the nearest clock tower somewhere.

Darrin has appeared in many nationally-known comedy clubs, including the Improv, the Rivercenter in San Antonio, Juniors in Erie PA, The Comic Strip in El Paso, Harvey’s in Portland, Myrtle Beach’s Comedy Cabana, the Reno Hilton, Wits End in Denver, and several Funny Bones across the US.

Darrin has opened for a diverse variety of acts, such as Bobcat Goldthwait, Pauly Shore, Jim Breuer, Jeff Dunham, Dave Coulier, Michael Winslow and Weird Al Yankovic, as well as the bands Lonestar and Firehouse. He appeared in the movie “Election” with Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, and shot a scene for the 2011 release “Lucky” with Colin Hanks, Jeffrey Tambor and Ann-Margaret, which sadly ended up on the cutting room floor.

“Darrin Meyer got big laughs… put the crowd in stitches” says the Lincoln (NE) Journal-Star. Don’t miss this hilarious, fast-talking comedian, coming to your town soon.

 

Harvest 2013 - Day 1

It has begun!  Today we kicked off our 16^th harvest at James Arthur Vineyards  by crushing about 13 tons of Edelweiss grapes from 3 different growers.  Before we pick any grape, we look at the field brix (sugar level), the pH and the acid in the grape.  All the growers we had in today were ready.  We’ll bring in 4 more growers tomorrow, and finish up with the rest of our growers next week/weekend.  This has been an interesting year, in that because of the cooler, wet spring, everything bloomed out a little later than normal, which means we started harvest just a hair later than we usually do.  Also, although 2 of the growers are less than a mile away, our grapes here at JAV aren’t quite ready, which means we’ll be starting our harvest during the middle of next week.  Usually we use a lot of high school kids for picking, and since school has already started in Lincoln and the surrounding area, it could be interesting in how many pickers we’ll get.  We’ve already decided that we’ll do an evening pick next Thursday, which is something we’ve never done here at JAV.

The crush crew today consisted of myself, my assistant winemaker Justin, our longtime employee and friend Al, and my son Beau…of 2 Brothers fame.  The weather was perfect for picking and crushing, lots of clouds and mild temps, makes life a lot easier on all of us, and especially the grapes.  So far, the yields are a little higher than we estimated, so it looks like it’s going to be a bumper crop of Edelweiss!  We also broke out the new Europress this afternoon…ran like a champ!  Took a little reconfiguring, but it will make us even more efficient on these long harvest days!

Hopefully the rest of harvest will go as smooth as today…we’ll keep you posted!

"A Walk In The Clouds"

Come join us for another Wine & Movie Night Under the Stars on July 26th at 9:30pm.  Tickets are only $12.50 and include wine, food, and the movie!

Reservations required and will sell out quickly!  Make your reservations today by calling the winery at 402-783-5255.

 A 1995 American romantic drama film directed by Alfonso Arau and stars Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Giancarlo Giannini, and Anthony Quinn.  It was written by Robert Mark Kamen, Makr Miller, and Harvey Weitzman.  This movie is a remake of the 1942 Italian film "Four Steps in the Clouds," by Piero Tellini, Cesare Zavattini, and Vittorio de Benedetti.

In 1945, United States Army Sgt., Paul Sutton, returns to San Francisco to reunite with his wife Betty, whom he married - following a whirlwind courtship - the day before he departed for the Pacific.  The war has left him with emotional scars, and he experiences flashbacks on a regular basis.

Paul's reunion with Betty is strained, especially after he discovers most of the letters he wrote her were set aside unopened.  He is determined to make a go of the marriage however, and hopes to establish a new career for himself.  Betty insists he continue to sell chocolates door-to-door, and he sets off to Sacramento.  En route, he meets fellow train passenger, Victoria Aragon, a Stanford University graduate student whose Mexican-American family owns a vineyard in the Nappa Valley.  When he learns the unmarried woman is pregnant by her professor, Paul offers to introduce himself to her very traditionalist family as her husband.

Victoria's father, Alberto, is infuriated that not only she married a man below her social standing, but without his permission as well.  Paul's initial plan to quietly slip away and continue on his journey, leaving Victoria's family to believe he abandoned her, is derailed when her grandfather, Don Pedro, encourages him to stay and help with the harvest.  During the harvest, Paul (an orphan) grows closer to the family and learns the joys that come with their tradition, roots, and way of life.  Paul and Victoria try to ignore their growing attraction and feelings for each other, but with little success.  However Paul's honor prompts him to attempt to salvage his marriage and return home, but when he does, he discovers his wife is involved with another man.  She has applied for an annulment, to which he happily agrees, and he returns to the Aragon estate to ask Victoria to marry him.

When Paul returns, an argument with an angry and drunk Alberto leads to a disastrous fire which destroys the vineyard.  However, Paul remembers one plant that may still have it's roots intact and races off to retrieve them and bring them back to the family.  The disaster (as well as Paul's bravery and dedication during the fire) has brought Alberto to realize his errors, so when Paul returns with the plant, Alberto accepts him, telling Paul that this is "his family" and "his roots."  The family sets out to replant and rebuild with the help of their newest member.

"French Kiss"

Come join us for another Wine & Movie Night Under the Stars on September 27th, at 9:30pm.  Tickets are only $12.50 and include wine, food, and the movie!

Reservations required and will sell out quickly!  Make your reservations today by calling the winery at 402-783-5255.

French Kiss is a 1995 American romantic comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. Written by Adam Brooks, the film is about a woman who flies to France to confront her straying fiancé and gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her to smuggle a stolen diamond necklace. French Kiss was filmed on location in France.

Kate (Meg Ryan) is a fastidious and wholesome history teacher living in Canada with her fiancé, Charlie (Timothy Hutton), who is a doctor. While waiting for her Canadian citizenship to come through, Kate has been busy planning their wedding and the purchase of their first house, complete with a white picket fence. Charlie urges Kate to accompany him to Paris for an upcoming business trip, but she declines due to her fear of flying and her general intolerance for cheeses, secondhand smoke, and the French.

Kate's plans for the future are interrupted by a drunken phone call from Charlie who informs her that he has fallen in love with a beautiful French "goddess" named Juliette (Susan Anbeh) and that he will not be returning. Determined to win him back, Kate boards a flight to Paris, despite her fear of flying, and is seated next to a crude Frenchman, Luc Teyssier (Kevin Kline), whose every word during the seven-hour flight seems to annoy her. Luc is a petty thief who is smuggling a vine cutting and a stolen diamond necklace into France hoping to use both to start his own vineyard. Despite the uncomfortable and sarcastic banter throughout the flight, Kate, with the help of a few drinks, is able to tolerate her "rude" and "hygiene deficient" seating partner long enough to arrive safely in Paris. Before deboarding, however, Luc sneaks the vine and necklace into Kate's bag, knowing she would not be searched at customs, and then offers Kate a ride into Paris.

At the terminal, Luc is spotted by Inspector Jean-Paul Cardon (Jean Reno) who insists on giving Luc a ride during which he searches his bag. The inspector feels protective of Luc who once saved his life. Meanwhile, Kate makes it on her own to the Hôtel George V where she encounters new levels of French sarcasm and rudeness from the concierge. While waiting in the lobby to confront Charlie, she meets a petty thief named Bob. When she finally sees Charlie and Juliette kissing in an elevator, Kate faints, and Bob steals her bag. Luc arrives, steals a car, and together they track down Bob and the missing bag.

Upset at having lost all her money and her passport, Kate argues with Luc and they go their separate ways. Kate soon learns that Charlie and Juliette are headed south to Cannes to meet her parents before the wedding. Meanwhile, after realizing the necklace is still in Kate's bag, Luc tracks her down, offers to help her "win back Charlie", and together they board a train to Cannes. Along the way, Luc attempts to search her bag but is unsuccessful. After the lactose intolerant Kate samples some of the 452 official government cheeses of France, she becomes sick and they get off the train at Luc's hometown of La Ravelle in Paulhaguet. They stay at Luc's family home, surrounded by a beautiful vineyard where Kate learns about Luc's past and how he gambled away his vineyard birthright to his brother in a single hand of poker. Kate also learns that Luc knows a lot about wines. Gradually the two grow closer, and after Luc searches the bag and comes up empty, he agrees that he will help Kate.

At Cannes, the inspector approaches Kate and urges her to convince Luc to return the stolen necklace anonymously to avoid jail. Luc, who is planning to sell the necklace at Cartier, agrees to Kate's plan to have her sell the necklace. Meanwhile, Luc is busy instructing Kate on how to win back her lost fiancé. To make Charlie jealous, Luc pretends to be Kate's lover when they meet Charlie and Juliette on the beach, and the deception works. At dinner, Charlie apologizes to Kate and later tries to seduce her in her room, but she rejects his advances, realizing she no longer wants him—she is in love with Luc. Meanwhile, in an effort to "ensure victory" for Kate, Luc attempts to seduce Juliette, but she walks out after he calls her "Kate" by mistake.

The following morning at Cartier, Kate returns the stolen necklace to the inspector and purchases a Cartier check for $45,782 with her own savings to create the illusion that she actually sold the necklace. After giving the check to Luc, Kate leaves for the airport pretending to meet Charlie. Soonafter, the inspector approaches Luc and reveals the charade and all that Kate has done for him. When he realizes that Kate will not be returning to Charlie, Luc rushes to the airport, boards the airplane, and confesses that he's in love with her and wants her to stay with him. Sometime later, Luc and Kate embrace each other in their beautiful new vineyard.

"Remember The Titans"

Come join us for another Wine & Movie Night Under the Stars on August 30th at 9:30pm.  Tickets are only $12.50 and include wine, food, and the movie!

Reservations required and will sell out quickly!  Make your reservations today by calling the winery at 402-783-5255.

This is a 2000 American sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Boaz Yakin.  The plot was conceived from a screenplay written by Gregory Allen Howard.  The film is based on the true story of African American coach, Herman Boone -portrayed by Denzel Washington, as he tries to integrate a racially divided team at the T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia during the early 1970's.  Actor Will Patton portrays Bill Yoast, an assistant coach  making a transition to help out Boone.  The real life portrayal of athletes Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell played by Ryan Hurst and Wood Harris, appear within the harmonized storyline; while Kip Pardue and Kate Bosworth also star in principal roles.

In 1971, at the desegregated T.C. Williams High School, a black head coach, Herman Boone (Washington) is hired to lead the school's football team.  Boone takes over from the current coach, Bill Yoast (Patton), nominated for the Virginia High School Hall of Fame.  As a show of respect, Boone offers an assistant coordinator coaching position to Yoast.  Yoast at first refused Boone's offer, but reconsiders after the white players pledge to boycott the team if he does not participate.  Dismayed at the prospect of the students losing their chances at scholarships, Yoast changes his mind and takes up the position of defensive coordinator.

Black and white football team members frequently clash in racially motivated conflicts at their football camp, including some between captain Gerry Bertier (Hurst) and Julius Campbell (Harris).  But after forceful coaxing and rigorous athletic training by Boone, the team achieves racial harmony and success.  After returning from football camp, Boone is told by a member of the school board that if he loses even a single game, he will be fired.  Subsequently, the Titans go through the season undefeated while battling racial prejudice, before slowly gaining support from the community.

Just before the state semi-finals, Yoast is told by a member of the school board that he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame after the Titans lose one game, implying he wants Boone to be fired over his race.  During the game, it becomes apparent that the referees are biased against the Titans.  Yoast warns the head official that he will go to the press and expose the scandal unless it is refereed fairly.  The Titans win, but Yoast is told that his actions have resulted in his loss of candidacy for induction.

While celebrating the victory, Bertier is in an automobile accident, after driving through an intersection.  Although Bertier could not play due to injury, the team goes on to wine the championship.  Ten years later Berier dies in a second car accident and team coaches and athletes reunite to attend his funeral.


Remember the Titans premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on September 29th, 2000, grossing $115,654,751 in domestic ticket receipts.  It earned an additional $21,051,932 in business through international release to top out at a combined $136,706,683 in gross revenue.  The film was considered a financial success due to its $30 million budget costs.  Preceding its theatrical run, the film was generally met with mixed critical reviews before its initial screening in cinemas.

July Wine Sale 2013

Sale prices good at winery location: 2001 W. Raymond Rd., Raymond, NE  68428.

Valid through July 31st, 2013

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Growing Up a Cellar Rat, by Beau Ballard

While growing up, the words I heard most often from my peers were, “I’m bored.” I can truly say that being raised in, and around, a family business; boredom was not a problem for me. In some cases, it was best to stay as far away as possible - in avoiding the possibility of being called-to-duty! However, in most cases, I’ve truly enjoyed the opportunity to help out.

I have many memories of being around the winery as it’s what I’ve known my entire life. Of those memories, one of my fondest is being able to go see my dad working in the cellar. It was the highlight of my day, and the possibility of getting to help out on the bottling line was exciting! I can remember begging for that chance; and when given it, would work 5-6 hours and go home with a $20 bill in my pocket…which could very well have defined cheap labor back then.

Another memory growing up around the winery includes hiding from my parents in the cellar where there are multiple rooms filled with hundreds of boxes filled with bottles of wine. During my younger years I loved to climb on those boxes and take naps in between the pallets of wine. One day, as I emerged from one of those climbing/napping adventures, I found myself in a bit of trouble as my mother had been searching frantically for me. Still, it did not stop me from exploring my cellar realm and I continued to do so for many years. 

THEN - 2000

NOW - 2013

While introducing myself to dorm mates, at Colorado Christian University – where I’ve just completed my first year, the question arouse of what we did with our summer vacation. It is always fun to respond with, “What I do every summer; crush grapes and make wine with my father.” Growing up with your parents owning their own business can have its perks, and its shortfalls, but it is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. As I said before, I enjoy helping out at the winery and feel blessed in having the opportunity to brag about what they do for a living.

Edelweiss and The Tornado

On the afternoon of May 20, 2013, an EF5 tornado, with peak winds estimated at 210 miles per hour (340 km/h), struck Moore, Oklahoma, and adjacent areas, killing 23 people (and an additional person indirectly), and injuring 377 others.  The tornado was part of a larger weather system that had produced several other tornadoes over the previous two days. The tornado touched down west of Newcastle at 2:56 p.m. CDT (19:56 UTC), staying on the ground for 39 minutes over a 17-mile (27 km) path, crossing through a heavily populated section of Moore. The tornado was 1.3 miles (2.1 km) wide at its peak. Despite the tornado following a roughly similar track to the even deadlier 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado, very few homes and neither of the stricken schools had purpose-built storm shelters.  Credits:  Wikipedia


Shortly after this tragedy, we received a Facebook message from Kendra Voss of Morse Bluff, Nebraska.  Here's the unbelievable story she shared:

This past Christmas, I brought a bottle of your wine down to my brother's home in Moore, OK. Unfortunately, we never got around to drinking it. His home was destroyed in the May 20, 2013 tornado (he, his wife, and my nephew are just fine). We found the wine on our first day of digging through their rubble, and it brought us a little joy to know it survived an F5 tornado. We'll save it for when our family is together again under better circumstances. Thought you'd like to know!

Kendra Voss

Morse Bluff, NE

Thank you again Kendra for sharing that great story with us ... 

Movie Title Relase for JAV's, June 7th, Movie Night Under the Stars

Bottle Shock - Tickets $12.50 Includes 1st Glass of Wine & Snack

Brought together by a curious twist of fate on a dusty California road, a wandering vintner and a struggling winemaker find both their lives, and their careers, forever transformed at a blind Parisian wine tasting that introduced the world to the extraordinary wines of Napa Valley.

The year was 1976, and Napa Valley has yet to gain the reputation as one of the world's best-known wine regions.  Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) has sacrificed everything in life to realize his dream of crating the perfect Chateau Montelena.  Yet, despite the fact that Jim's Napa Valley vineyard has great potential, his son, Bo (Chris Pine), doesn't seem to have much interest in the family business.  Most days, Jim and Bo can be found trading blows in their backyard boxing ring -- their attempts to knock a bit of sense into one another usually amounting to naught.

Meanwhile, in Paris, British expatriate Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) finds necessity dictating that he educate Parisians on the latest wines to come out of California.  Steven owns the Academie du Vine, and is eager to travel to the United States in order to ensure that he has conducted his research properly.  Little did Steven and Jim realize that they were both on course for a chance meeting that would revolutionize the wine industry while opening up a whole new world of possibilities for wine lovers everywhere.

Review by movie critic, Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun

In 1976, the year of the American bicentennial, the tall ships sailed from Europe to America and back again.  But a smaller event was, in it's way, no less impressive.  In a blind taste-testing held in France, the wines of California's Napa Valley defeated the best the French had to offer - and all the judges were French!  A bottle of the winning American vintage, it is said, now rests on exhibit in the Smithsonian Institution.

"Bottle Shock," is a charming, fictionalized version of the victory, "based," as they love to say, "on a true story."  Shot in California like "Sideways," but set much closer to the earth, it tells the story of a struggling vineyard named Chateau Montelena, deeply in debt with three bank loans.  It's run by the hard-driving Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman), who despairs of his layabout, long-haired son Bo (Chris Pine).

Meanwhile, in Paris, we meet a British wine lover named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), whose tiny wine shop is grandly named "The Academy of Wine."  We never see a single customer in the shop, only the constant visit of a neighboring travel agent, Maurice (Dennis Farina, in full Chicago accent).  Maurice encourages Steven by praising his wines, which he samples freely while passing out business advice.

Spurrier, (yes, a real man) has been hearing about the wines of California and has an inspiration:  His grand-sounding "academy" will sponsor a blind taste-test between the wines of the two countries.  That he is able to gather a panel of expert judges says much for the confidence of the French, who should have realized it was a dangerous proposition.

In Napa, we meet two other major players:  A pretty, summer intern named Sam (Rachael Taylor), and an employee o0f Jim's named Gustavo Brambilia - yes, another real character, played by Freddy Rodriguez.  Gustavo has wine his bones, if such a thing is possible, and would go on to found a famous vineyard.  The two boys raise cash by Gustavo's (partially true) ability to identify any wine and vintage by tasting it, and of course, they both fall in love with Sam, who lives for the summer in a shack out of The Grapes of Wrath.

The outcome is predictable; anyone who cares even casually knows the Yanks won, but director milks great entertainment, if not actual suspense, out of the competition.  Much of it's effect is due to the precise, quietly comic performance by Alan Rickman's Spurrier.  "Why do I hate you?" asks Jim Barrett, who resists the competition.  "Because you think I'm an asshole,"  Spurrier replies calmly.  "Actually, I'm not an asshole.  It's just that I'm British, and, well ... you're not."

We see him navigating the back roads of Napa in a rented Gremlin, selecting wines for his competition and getting around U.S. Customs by convincing 26 fellow air travelers to each carry a bottle back for him.  That the momentous competition actually took place, that it shook the wine world to it's foundations, that it was repeated 20 years later, is a story many people are vaguely familiar with.  But"Bottle Shock" is more than the story.  it is also about people who love their work, care about it with passion and talk about it with knowledge.  Did you know that a thirsty, struggling vine produces the best wines?  It can't just sit there sipping water.  It has to struggle -- just like Chateau Montelena.

JAV's 16th Annual Renaissance Festival 2013

Can you believe it's already time for our annual Renaissance Festival?!  Come join us as we step back in time for a day for some medieval frivolity of sword fighting, juggling, belly dancing, archery, turkey legs, and James Arthur Vineyards Mead wine, and more.  Below is an outline of the day's scheduled events.  $2 per person admission at gate - all proceeds going to Heartland Big Brothers-Big Sisters.

Sir Benjamin's Park

12:00   Royal Griffin Acting Company

12:30   Renaissance Music with Chris Sayre

1:00     Jennifer Buehler, Folk Harpist

1:30     Troupe Sicorae Dance

3:00     Basharaat Dance

3:30     Jennifer Buehler, Folk Harpist/Wench Walk

4:00     Throwing Picassos

4:30     Whorlwind Dance

5:00     Jewel in the Lotus Dance

Lord Beau's Waterfall

1:00     Royal Griffin Acting Company

1:30     Basharaat Dance

2:00     Renaissance Music with Chris Sayre

3:00     Strolling Picassos

3:30     Jewel in the Lotus Dance

4:00     Whorlwind Dance

SCA Tournament Lawn

1:00     Armored Combat & Tournaments

1:40     Dancing

2:00     Armored Combat & Tournaments

2:40     Dancing

2:50     Royal Procession - starting at top of merchants row, arriving at arena for tournament

3:00     Armored Combat & Tournaments

3:40     Dancing

4:00     Armored Combat & Tournaments

4:40     Dancing

Archery Range

Noon to 6:00   Public Shooting - Demos at various times throughout the day

For the Little Lords and Lassies

The younger ones are sure to enjoy the festival as well, with make believe dress up as a king, queen, pirncess, Robin Hood, jester, knight, maiden - or they can build a sand castle, feather a falcon, make a stained glass window, slay a dragon, and more! 

FOOD, WINE, MUSIC, AND MORE!

2nd Annual Fun Photo Contest

 

It's summer and time for our 2nd Annual Fun Photo Contest.  It's easy to participate and you can win 1 case of JAV wine or 2 tickets to any of our future special events!

All you have to do is take a picture of your summer fun including JAV wine, or any other item featuring our logo.  Share it on Facebook tagging James Arthur Vineyards so that we know you've shared it.  Winning images will be printed and displayed in the winery - so the higher the quality, the better.

We look forward to seeing your photos...be creative and have lots of fun!

JAV Releases Four New Wines - April 2013

If you missed the unvieling, at our New Release Winemaker Dinner, on April 12th, no worries!  Here are the four new wines Jim introduced that evening.

2010 ST. VINCENT-New release in 2013

A medium bodied dry red that elicits rosy plum flavors with a hint of berries that have been soaked in dark chocolate. Streamlined and polished, this easy to drink wine will elevate any thick homemade pasta drenched in a flavorful red sauce.

2012 DRY VIGNOLES-New release in 2013

A semi-dry white made from 100% Vignoles. The fermentation was kicked off in stainless steel, but the bulk of it finished in new oak barrels with a variety of toasts. The nose on this wine roars out of the glass with a freshness of wood that you’ll not soon forget. Although a dry wine, you get a burst of crisp fruitiness in the mouthfeel, which couples nicely with a bit of acidity on the finish that will help it cut through heavy food flavors. This wine would pair nicely with typical poultry dishes, but would also hold its end of the bargain with foods featuring thick sauces, preferably of Italian flair.

2012 CATAWABA-New release in 2013

An enticing blush wine, packed with layers of orange zest, floral aromas and hints of peach. Once you start peeling back those layers, you find just the right amount of sweetness pinged with a little bit of zing. This wine is finished in true lambrusca style. When it comes to food, you can have some fun with this one. Would go wonderfully with goat cheese, salmon and even BBQ. For something outside the box, try it with lobster!

SANGRIA-New release in 2013

For years, we’ve been offering pitchers and carafes of Sangria during our summertime events at the winery. We’ve finally decided to capture the refreshing and crisp flavors of Sangria in the bottle. Using our San Realto as a base, we’ve added some natural fruit flavorings to give this wine a wonderfully fruity nose of wild strawberries and groves of orange trees. Once you try the first sip, you’ll be hooked as a smorgasbord of fruit flavors explodes in your mouth. This wine should be taken home and put on ice.  Add a little bit of your fruit concoction if you so desire to push it over the top!

Movie Night Under the Stars!

After we close for the evening, we're bringing back the outdoor movie.  Join us under the stars as we provide wine, food, and a flick! 

$12.50 per person - Reservations Required

JAV Honey Mead Wine Sale - $8 Bottle

Try out one, or more, of the following wine cocktail recipes using JAV's Honey Mead Wine.

Mead and Whiskey Sour

1 part lemon
1 part Whiskey
3 parts James Arthur Vineyards Mead Wine
1 part (or to taste) Simple Syrup

Serve in a beautiful glass with a sugared rim.


Honey Champagne 
Bubbly with a twist!

1 part chilled James Arthur Vineyards Honey Mead Wine
1 part chilled Champagne

Garnish with fresh fruit of your choice.


Key Lime Mead 
A Tantalizing treat for your taste buds

6 Ounces chilled James Arthur Vineyards Honey Mead Wine
1 Tbsp. Lime Juice

Garnish with a Lime Peel.


Meadmosa
A lovely way to start the weekend

2 part chilled James Arthur Vineyards Honey Mead Wine
1 part chilled Fresh-Squeezed orange Juice

Garnish with a Mint leaf or Spiral of Orange Peel.


Bee Knees

2 parts James Arthur Vineyards Honey Mead Wine
1 part Gin
1 part Orange Juice
Splash of Simple Syrup (to taste)

Shaken with ice to chill

Food Pairing & Wine with Barb Ballard

I am often asked about what wine to pair with a particular food. Perfect wine and food matching is rare.  Success requires knowledge of food and a lot of good luck, and the spirit to try new things without a fear of making a mistake.

I'd like to start by defining a few words that are thrown around liberally in the wine world:

• Taste: The primary sensation in your mouth
• Flavor: The smell, PLUS the taste
• Aroma: The smell of the grapes (literally what God did)
• Bouquet: The smell of fermentation (literally what the winemaker has done to it)

Some wines and food are simply not compatible. For example, try tasting a very dry white wine with a sweet dessert. You can chalk up such a faux pas as learning experiences. Matching a wine with a wrong food can make both items taste bad.

The trick is to evoke the wine, and food memory, and play a matching game. Whenever you taste a wine, think of what flavors go with it to build your taste memory. Describe the flavors that you can taste in the wine (for example, fruity, creamy, peppery, tart) and immediately, certain foods come to mind that have the same qualities. These similarities do not mean that wine and food need to have the same traits. You can play the matching game in two ways: You can match wine with foods with similar characteristics or you can decide that opposites attract.

Since this is a blog about my opinion, I will divulge my personal guidelines:

Drink what you like.
What you like to drink always takes precedence over any recommendation that I might make.

Start by thinking about the dish or meal as a whole.

• What are its dominant characteristics?
• Is it mild or flavorful?
• Is it fatty or lean?
• Is it rich or acidic?

With these characteristics in mind, select a wine that will:

• Keep flavors in balance.

• Match mild foods with mild wines. Match big, flavorful foods with big, flavorful wines.(For example, pair a bold-flavored Pepper Steak with a spicy, bold red like JAV’s St. Croix.) Similarly you generally want to match the richness of the food and the richness of the wine. (For example, pair a rich Chicken in Cream Sauce with a rich dry white, like JAV’s Game Bird White.)

• Cleanse the palate with tannins or acids.

If you're eating a relatively rich, 'fatty' dish and think about drinking a red wine. You will want a wine with some good tannin structure to help cleanse the palate.

Match Acids with Acids

If you're eating a dish with a strong acidic content (such as Shrimp with Lemon or Pasta with Tomato Sauce)
pair it with an acidic wine that can keep up with the acids in the food.

Acidic Wines and Cream Don't Mix

Rich cream sauces will usually clash with an acidic wine. Think about it this way...If you squeezed lemon juice into a cup of milk, would it taste good?

Wine and Strong Spices

Strong spices, such as hot chili peppers in some Chinese or Indian food, can clash and destroy the flavors in a wine. In most cases, wine is not the ideal thing to drink. However, if wine is what you must have, consider something spicy and sweet itself such as JAV’s Edelweiss or 2 Brothers.

Having said all of this, most importantly DO NOT let anyone tell you that just because you prefer a semi-sweet white wine you can never order a steak again. Just as each of us appreciates art differently, each of our tastes in wine will be different. As long as you are enjoying wine and experimenting with different flavors and building your wine memory you are golden. It comes down to wine being the natural accompaniment to a meal. To me, a meal without wine is like a meal without salt and pepper.

Half the fun of pairing food and wine is not the end result, but the journey of discovery and endless reasons to indulge in more food and wine!

Just a Little Recap - Harvest 2012

We have barely yet to begin our growing season, but preparing for it brings an excitement and anticipation for summer's end...when it will, once again, be time for harvest.  Here's a really nice video from last year's harvest - enjoy!

Behind Closed Doors

Being involved in the wine business, we sometimes look at things a bit differently during our everyday life experiences; which sometimes leads to strange requests. One of those being that when we happen to visit a restaurant with an impressive wine list, we figure there has to be an impressive wine cellar. So, it’s not uncommon for us to ask our server, or wine steward, if we can take a peek at the cellar from which our wine has come.

Locally, we enjoy visiting Sullivans in Omaha, where you can take a ride down their escalator and view an eclectic list of wines which rest behind glass windows in a temperature controlled area. Sullivan sits on the first floor of the Central Park Plaza, which was the original home of ConAgra, but has housed a number of other business including banks, so the transition the wine cellar has undergone is rather impressive.

However, our favorite wine cellar story happened a few years ago as Barb and I were visiting New York City. We had dinner at the historic 21 Club, and had a wonderful Sommelier (the wine wasn’t too bad either). In fact, the young man happened to be a native of Kansas, so we had a wonderful conversation about Midwestern wines. 

So, at one point without hesitating, my wife asked if we could see the wine cellar. The Sommelier was more than happy to take us into the bowels of the restaurant where we stopped at what seemed to be an ordinary wall. Our guide pulled out what looked like a hanger, carefully positioned it in a hole that was well hidden from our sight, and a door opened to an incredible menagerie of wines.

It seems during Prohibition, the 21 Club was a speakeasy. The story goes that is was a very popular hangout for many of the city’s influential, including a number of prominent politicians. Although raided by Federal authorities on numerous occasions, the infamous wine cellar was never discovered.

I can’t do justice trying to describe the smell and or pen a visual image of the maze of wines that were before us. The bins were all well categorized and labeled. On closer inspection, many of the labels had names on them. We came across the Nixon bin. Apparently, the former president frequented the restaurant, and had a certain wine he enjoyed with dinner. The wine was still there, albeit a few bottles short of a case and rather dusty as it hadn’t been touched for years. Right across from it sat Elizabeth Taylor’s collection of wines, I don’t recall what sat in there, but I’m sure it was of vintage quality. It was an amazing experience, that was…cool! To read more about the 21 Club wine cellar, go to: 

http://www.21club.com/web/onyc/wine_cellar_history.jsp

Keep It Cool ...

As I reflect on that story, it got me thinking about how many times I’ve been asked what the proper temperature to store wine at is? Most experts say that all wine is best stored between 45-60 degrees F., with 50-55 F being the optimal range. This is true for the storage of both red and white wines. The conventional wisdom behind this is based on history. For years in Europe, especially France, wine has been typically stored in caves, where the natural underground temperature is usually 55 F. This may be ideal, but not everyone owns a cave to store their wine, and therein lies the problem. In lieu of a cave, it’s best to have a wine cellar or a wine refrigerator to achieve those ideal temperatures.

Controlling the temperature of your wine is vital for the health of the wine. Wines age faster at a higher temperature, and heat is also chemically bad for wine. You can tell by the color of your wine if excessive heat has damaged it, because it will look brown. At a lower temperature, the wine will also be damaged, but at a slower rate. It’s important to remember that eventually all wines will go bad, however, by cellaring them at the proper temperatures, we can hopefully squeeze out some more life.

However, the temperature your store your wine at, may differ from the temperature it is served at. In my opinion, it’s better to serve your red wine too cold than too warm. Served at a higher temp, let’s say between 65-75 F (or higher), the wine loses it aromas and flavors. Personally, all I get is the alcohol flavor, which I find less desirable. Ideally, I try to drink my reds at around 55-60 F.

On the end of the spectrum, I would rather serve white wines a little chilled rather than ice cold. Many whites will lose those beautiful aromas as well their flavor at temps below 45 F. Ideally, to get the most out of the wine, I recommend whites be served between 50-55 F.

If you’re not quite sure, a rule of thumb we espouse here at the winery is the 20/20 rule. Put your red wine in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you serve it. With a white, take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before it’s served.

Now, having said all this, I have to be honest. In recent articles I’ve seen, nearly 90% of wines never even make it to the storage part of the deal. Most are consumed within 48 hours of being purchased. Many winemakers realize this, and many of the wines produced in today’s world are made for “quick” consumption. Also, it is my firm belief that wine is always a personal preference. The temperature an individual wants to drink a wine at is a own personal decision, and you won’t get any arguments from me on what you decide!

However, if you would like more information about the proper temperatures for storing and serving wine, check out these great links:

http://www.finewinereserve.com/facts.php

www.basic-wine-knowledge.com/wine-storage-temperature.html

http://www.bettertastingwine.com/temperature.html

Until next time…Drink Wine! Enjoy Life!

A Cult of Personality

I’ve come to find a truth with many fellow winemakers I’ve had the privilege of getting to know over the years. We’re all a little quirky in our own creative and weird ways. With well over 7000 wineries now across the country, plus countless others around the world, I should preface the aforementioned thought by saying I’m sure not all winemakers display idiosyncrasies that could be perceived as quirky…but I would bet good money that most do.  Many times I've found those in our profession to be perfectionists and at times rather stubborn in our ways. But, if you really think about it, wine itself can be a little quirky and very individualistic.

While giving tours I often tell others, "To me, wine is a living and breathing thing. It’s very much like a person, always changing and evolving until it turns into what hopefully is a refined and enjoyable final product." Throughout the wine making process, I also find that many times wines have a “mind” of their own. A good example may be a wine that is stubborn and refuses to go through a filter pad in a timely manner.  Or, other times when stopping at a certain sweetness level, and the wine continues to ferment even though I’ve tried everything in the book to cause it to stop.

Interesting Wine Facts:
Over the years, we (my wife Barb especially) have collected interesting and yes, quirky, facts about wine. We both love trivia and interesting facts about, well…just about anything. I’ve filled my brain with so much useless and trivial information over the years; it’s amazing I have any room left up there. However, the journey to get to that point has been enjoyable. So, I thought I would share some of those interesting, quirky and unusual facts we’ve held on to. 

• Did you know that wine has some 200 odor-producing compounds? If you think that is more than you could ever recognize, think again. According to research done by the American Wine Society Journal, a normal person can detect about 10,000 distinct odors and can actually learn to identify close to 1000 of them.

• On average, 1 ton of grapes makes about 60 cases of wine, or 720 bottles. One bottle of wine contains about  3 pounds of grapes.

• Grapes are the only fruit that are capable of producing the proper nutrition for the yeast on its skin and sugar in its juice to ferment naturally.

• Champagne was discovered many centuries ago, long before we had a clear understanding of atmospheric pressure. However, most champagne bottles are under 5 to 8 atmospheres of pressure, and when the cork is popped, it can travel at speeds of 35 to 95 miles per hour.

• The highest price ever paid for a bottle of wine. An imperial…which is a six-litre bottle…of Screaming Eagle Cabernet 1992 technically fetched the highest price ever paid for a bottle of wine. It went for a mere $500,000 during a Napa Valley charity auction in 2000.

• However, perhaps the most interesting story of high priced wine is of The Chateau Margaux 1787. It was authenticated to have at one time been part of the wine collection of Thomas Jefferson. The initial price tag was said to be $500,000 though there was never a chance to confirm that value. From Jefferson’s cellar, it eventually became the possession of wine merchant William Sokolin who brought along this bottle at the Four Seasons Hotel for a Margaux dinner. However, a waiter accidentally shattered the bottle. Sokolin collected $225,000 in insurance money.

• In ancient Greece, a dinner host would take the first sip of wine to assure guests the wine was not poisoned, hence the phrase “drinking to one’s health.” “Toasting” started in ancient Rome when the Romans continued the Greek tradition but started dropping a piece of toasted bread into each wine glass to temper undesirable tastes or excessive acidity.

• In The Story of Wine, Hugh Johnson notes that, in the whole of the Biblical Old Testament, only the Book of Jonah has no reference to the vine or wine.

• Along those same lines, wine is considered the oldest drink of time, and one of the most quoted legends about the discovery of wine is the story of Jamsheed a semi-mythical Persian king (who may have been Noah). A woman of his harem tried to take her life with fermented grapes, which were thought to be poisonous. Wine was discovered when she found herself rejuvenated and lively

• There is much debate about what lead to the fall of the Roman empire. There were probably many causes, but wine may rank up towards the top. You see, Romans discovered that mixing lead with wine not only helped preserve wine, but also gave it a sweet taste and succulent texture. Chronic lead poisoning has often been cited as one of the causes of the decline of Rome.

• Hippocrates, widely considered the father of medicine, includes wine in almost every one of his recorded remedies. He used it for cooling fevers, as a diuretic, as a general antiseptic, and to help convalescence. In fact, I think Hippocrates was on to something, because in the United States Pharmacopeia, alcohol is actually listed as a medicine.

• Speaking of health, the calories in a 5 ounce glass of wine ranges from about 80 to 100.  Lighter wines tend to have fewer calories than heavier wines.  Some wines are higher in carbohydrates than others due to their residual sugars. Wine is fat free and contains no cholesterol and contains 13 minerals necessary for human life.

These are just a few of the fun and interesting facts we’ve run across during our time in the business. I would encourage you to take a little time, pour a glass of wine and discover your own quirky bits of information.

Until next time,  

Drink Wine…Enjoy Life!

February Wine Sale 2013

Wines of Nebraska

Of Fish and Wine, and Belize - Central America

Hi everyone, I just returned home from 5 sunny days of fun and fishing in the beautiful country of Belize. Our group…an eclectic collaboration of gentlemen to say the least (and also some very avid fishermen)…holed up at the Tranquility Bay Resort on the island of San Pedro. The resort is a little bit of paradise, remotely located on the very northern tip of the island nestled alongside the Caribbean Sea. It was a perfect spot for reef fishing, just parallel to the Belize Barrier Reef.

The first day was exciting, trolling mostly for barracuda, as our guide took us along the reef. However, we did venture outside the reef to battle the waves and that is where I landed my best catch of the trip! As with all great fish stories, this fish may grow overtime as I retell the tale of my battle to land it. But in truth, I guessed it to be about a 20-pound Grouper. The rest of the morning was successful as I also reeled in a number of Yellow Snappers, a couple of Jackfish and a good sized Barracuda.

Each night the kitchen staff would prepare the fish we caught that day for dinner. To find fresh seafood in Nebraska, like that which we were enjoying, isn’t common. As our group enjoyed the bounty of our catches, it got me to thinking about which JAV wines would match up well with the different fish we were enjoying. I let my imagination run a little wild to pair the different dishes we were having with our JAV wines…just for future reference. We ate a lot of Snapper on our adventure, most of which was gutted and grilled whole, while the remainder was quite delicious filleted. The meat was a tender, and flaky, white meat which I feel is a perfect pairing with our Game Bird White.

The Grouper we caught was equally delicious and prepared in a number of ways. My personal favorite was what they called the Caribbean Style. This cooking method features a fillet wrapped in tinfoil with spices, garlic, onions and tomatoes and then steamed. Once the tinfoil is pulled back, you have a wonderful dish full of flavor, without losing the taste of the fish. This dish had a little bit of a kick to it, so I thought it would be wonderful with our San Realto, or better yet with our Sangria in the summer.

Our freshly caught fillets were also served blackened. I’m not sure which varieties of spices were used to blacken the fish, but it had an incredible flavor and the kind of burn I personally enjoy. To really spice it up, a touch of Belize hot sauce added to the enjoyment of this dish. Our award winning Vignoles has just enough sweetness and flavor to enhance the spiciness of this style, making it what I believe a perfect match.

Finally, other fillets were prepared simply with the addition of garlic and then steamed. They were delicious and I believe would pair well with our Nebraska Red.

While in Belize, I also indulged in fish balls. Our hosts made these one evening from the Jackfish we caught. The fish was shredded and then breaded along with tomatoes, onions and peppers, then rolled into balls and deep-fat fried. When said and done, these tasty morsels looked a lot like a meatball. I enjoyed these very much, and think they would go wonderfully with our Horizon. These quickly became my personal favorite, until I came across Conch Fritters! Oh my…dipped in a combo of mustard sauces with a touch of hot Habanera sauce, it was like a little piece of heaven. Conch is a shellfish whose meat is white, tender and tasty. When served like a fritter, I would have loved to try it with our just released 2012 Brianna.

This is just a sampling of the fresh seafood I enjoyed; I won’t even get into the lobster, the Barracuda steaks or Conch soup. It was all very delicious and something I don’t eat on a daily basis. And, although I didn’t have any of the wines to actually pair with the different dishes while in Belize (though the Edelweiss did go nicely with the grilled Snapper), it was fun to come up with all the possibilities while on the sea trolling for the next big catch! That’s the beautiful thing about pairing food and wine. We can, and should, have fun in doing it. We don’t have to be very exotic when doing so; it can be done on a daily basis with our everyday selection of meals.

Hopefully this wasn’t a once-in-a lifetime experience, and next time I’ll try my hand at a little deep sea fishing (which was cancelled this trip because of the wind), and until then I can only use my imagination as to what pairs nicely with a Marlin or beautiful Wahoo.

Studies show that drinking wine in moderation can be part of an everyday healthy lifestyle. In a recent article by NBC Today contributor Joy Bauer, she writes, “Thanks to its alcohol content and non-alcoholic phytochemicals (natural occurring plant compounds), wine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. However, the amount of wine you drink matters tremendously. Drink more than what’s recommended, your health benefits are lost and your health risks go up.” For more on Ms. Bauer’s article go to: http://www.today.com/id/21478144/site/todayshow/ns/today-today_health/t/wine-good-you/

And, according to many studies, there are numerous health advantages in consuming fish. It’s commonly reported that fish is a high-protein, low-fat food that provides a range of health benefits. White-fleshed fish, in particular, is lower in fat than any other source of animal protein, and oily fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, or the "good" fats. So again, fish can be an important part of any diet. So why not get the best of both worlds!

I also had the opportunity to go scuba diving one afternoon. It’s not even possible to properly describe the incredible underwater world I was able to experience. However, I was once told that once you go below the surface when diving, you quickly become part of the ocean food chain! This reminds me of a great story I once heard… Two bears were sitting around a campfire, each holding a glass of wine. One bear says to the other, “No, I told you it was red with hunter, white with the fisherman!”


Drink Wine…Enjoy Life!