Chateau Michaelena Vineyard

[Rocky]

Love wood fired pizza! That is the only way to make it. I am thinking of having a wood oven constructed off our patio for pizza and bread. Sounds like they had a great wedding. Please pass on our best wishes for a long and happy marriage. Do you have any other children, Mike? We have one daughter and I remember how I felt when she got married...suddenly very old!

 

[ibglowin]

We have two more daughters......

Ugh! No serious relationships at the moment.

I would suspect these two will be punching out a few in a couple of years at the latest. I will be spending lots of time in California after that I suspect! LOL

 

[robie]

TWO MORE TO GO! "Ugh" for sure.

 

[Runningwolf]

Great picture Mike. I already to you on fb I really like the photo with the glasses.

 

[grapeman]

Thanks for sharing "The Day" with us in the form of pictures. Did you have a photograpehr or just do your own pictures since you have such great equipment (or should I say cameras lest somebody turns that into something dirty). I bet there aren't many guys that plant a vineyard years ahead to hold their daughters weddings in!

 

[Julie]

Very nice, Mike. What a great gift to give to your daughter, to be able to have her wedding there. By the pics your hard work really paid off!

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks guys! Luckily we had plenty of family and friends volunteer for photo and video duty. We had one dedicated still photographer as well as our youngest daughter (who took the B&W Champagne glass shot).

I have a coworker who shoots video for the high school sports team and he had not one but two HD camcorders (one still the other he was behind). Since the bride is a Television Video Editor in real life she will have fun making the cuts for her own big day.

I think I was honestly suffering from exhaustion by the end week! Feeling back to normal these days thank goodness.

 

[OilnH2O]

Beautiful.

It is hard to think that is the same backyard I saw last spring! Then it was just the idea for a "backdrop" but... WOW. Watching how it all came about, and the concerns it was peaking to early -- looks like it couldn't have been better! That is great - and the kids in the neighbor's playhouse are a treat, too! And, the black and white pic of the glasses could be framed!

Mike, the whole set-up looks wonderful. Our best wishes to the new couple! And, to Mom and Dad too!

Dave

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks much Dave, it was a pretty good Summer I must admit!

 

[Wade E]

Great epread Mike! Your daughter looks gorgeous as does your yard!

 

[tonyt]

TWO MORE TO GO! "Ugh" for sure.

I always say that everyone should have a daughter and one may be enough!

 

[TJsBasement]

Looks like you guys had a nice time, thats great to be able to have an event like that at home and yet it still look extremely professional and top notch, well done. Best of luck to them crazy kids.

 

[ibglowin]

I forgot to mention I found the perfect use for all those sample corks that Lafitte Cork sent out to me awhile back before I placed my custom cork order. If you recall they send like 150 corks out but the catch was the corks are not waxed/lubricated making them impossible to insert/use. The box has just been sitting in the back of the winery for awhile and my wife (the wedding planner BTW) sent me a link to some really neat place card holders.

Anyways I was on it immediately and had 60 knocked out in a few hours with a miter saw and a bench top vise. Here is the link to Wine Cork Place Cards if anyone ever finds themselves in a similar situation. They say you can use "used" corks as well but quite often they are not always very round anymore once they are pulled out of the bottle unless they sit for a long time and re-expand. You can see them in the photo of one of the dinner tables.

I think they were a nice touch and many people took them home as a memento from the evening as well.

 

[robie]

Cork place card holders - That's a great idea and a nice touch for the wedding.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Yeah that is a great idea - thanks for sharing!!!

 

[M1wino]

Very cool looks like it was a success

 

[saddlebronze]

Looks like you all enjoy life and that is what it is all about. Would rather be at that wedding than anything inside. Grapes make it perfect.

 

[fivebk]

Very nice Mike,

Your hard work paid off. Been there and done that ( Three daughters, Marriage, Grandbabies etc, etc, etc.... )

I hope your wine from home grown grapes turns out to be the best you have made to date!!!!

BOB

 

[ibglowin]

Pressed!

Time to press my little first vintage. 8 days in Primary. SG = 1.000. Ended up with 3 gallons which was nice as I happen to have an empty 3 gallon carboy waiting in the wings. Added some Opti Malo Plus and CH16 MLB into the carboy just now. will wait 48 hours to rack off the gross lees. Temp is 68. We had a morning low of 44 today. Fall is in the air for sure. It was nice to have help from "Jack" the Winery Retriever!

 

[Runningwolf]

LOL good luck trying to get the color off your hands. It usually takes a week for me to wear it off. Great pictures, Mike.