Things have been busy on the wine front, both at the tasting room and out in the vineyards.  Our neighbor, Dean Neff of Nefarious Cellars, was nice enough to come by and give me a few pointers about cluster thinning.  This time of year, just before applying the bird nets, our crew goes through the vineyard with clippers and drops a quarter to a half of the fruit on the ground. 

Now before you wine lovers cringe at the thought of all that lost vino, you should know that the reason our wine taste as good as it does is precisely because we leave half the fruit out in the field.  When making wine, less is most definitely more, and as the vines enter their last months before harvest, they devote all their resources to the remaining grape clusters.  The result (we hope!) is flavor-packed fruit with high sugars.

After a day’s work, we’ve managed to have enough energy to plan for a few parties at the tasting room.  Three weeks ago we hosted our fourth annual Taste of Sunshine.  Then two weekends back, we helped a lovely couple from the west side tie the knot.  We offered them the winery for the wedding reception and a green patch of paradise above our pinot block for the ceremony.  The whole event went off without a hitch and the guests loved the garden waterfall and stunning views of Lake Chelan.

We would love to host a few wedding celebrations every year.  We’ll be putting our calendar together this fall and winter for 2010, so if you know of someone looking for an intimate and unique venue, have them drop us a line.   Until then, come out and enjoy a glass of wine by the waterfall!

Last fall, after working like dogs to complete our waterfall garden, we christened the grounds at Tunnel Hill with a couple of weddings.  I had initially been reluctant to get into the wedding business, but a persistent mother-of-the groom hounded me until I saw the light.

Both celebrations were great successes and highlighted the potential of the winery for hosting such events.  The rock pathway from the Syrah block was the perfect processional for the wedding party.  The waterfall garden created a lovely sanctuary for the ceremony.  And the piazza below with adjoining lawns comfortably held both large groups for the reception and dancing.

This summer we’ll be hosting our third wedding.  This bride wanted to have a small ceremony nestled among the vineyards with a larger reception afterwards at the winery.  To honor her request, we’ve created the Sunshine Farm Wedding Bluff overlooking our newest planting of Pinot Noir.  Should be a good space for many events over the years to come.

If you have family or friends who are planning an outdoor wedding and are looking for a unique venue, please have them visit our website for more information.