The crush is complete and the leaves o If you missed out on cider-pressing during Fall Crush, there’s still a chance to bring your family out to this enjoy this unique old-fashioned fun. When you buy a Christmas tree, you get a 20 lb box of apples free to press into cider right there! Make it a holiday tradition! Speaking of holiday traditions, our winery is a great place to host holiday parties! Call Scott at 509-682-2423 to get your event on our calendar! n the vines are dry, brown, and dead.  Ready for rest and winter.  Meanwhile, in the cellar, things are just warming up for the season.  The primary fermentations are complete on the red wines and malolactic fermentation is underway.  Many red wines, including our Pinot Noir and Syrah, undergo these two fermentations on their way to being finished wine.  The first, or primary fermentation, converts the sugars into alcohol, and the second, or malolactic fermentation, converts malic acid into lactic acid.  This second step tends to soften the wine and round its features out.  It doesn’t produce any more alcohol, but does let off a good bit of carbon dioxide.  Riesling production doesn’t include this secondary fermentation.  Lighter bodied, fruit-driven wines like Riesling just go through a single fermentation. 

Our Riesling production was down quite a bit this year.  Earlier I wrote about fruit thinning and its importance in the maturing process.  Well, we thinned a bit too much.  This error, combined with a small sale of Riesling grapes to Vin du Lac, added up to only a half-full tank in the cellar.  So next year, when we run out of our ’09 Riesling, I guess folks will have to head across the lake to taste the other bit of the harvest.  Get ready, Larry!

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!

One of the lesser known good deals on the farm is our new Sunshine Wine Club at Tunnel Hill Winery. The Wine Club allows you to enjoy Tunnel Hill wines year round, even if you don’t live in Chelan--and at a discount! Wine club members agree to buy two bottles of wine each quarter, which we ship directly to your door. In return, you receive 15% off these shipments, as well as any other wine purchased at the winery.

But that’s just the start. Wine Club members also enjoy discounts on gift merchandise in the tasting room (check out the new shirts and hats that just arrived this week!) as well as 10% off purchases made at the Sunshine Farm Market. That’s right. If you are a regular shopper at the market, this added benefit could save you quite a bit of money each season. Club members also receive year-round free tastings and discounted tickets to our yearly local food feast, Taste of Sunshine (see page 1).

You can become a club member at any time. Just stop by the tasting room, pay for your first installment of wine, and you’re in!

A week ago I saw some regular customers enjoying a glass of wine by the waterfall. “Coming here is a staple of our trips to Chelan,” one said with a smile. With the Sunshine Wine Club at Tunnel Hill you can make us a staple at your table whether you live down the street or over the mountains.

Come. Join. Enjoy!

This past Tuesday we hosted the Bach Fest at the winery and thus began an era of entertainment at Tunnel Hill. Admittedly, it wasn’t in the initial plan to have concerts in our waterfall garden, but the two levels of terraces above the tasting room along with the main pool lawn offer great views of the show from any angle. 

On the engineering front, we designed the waterfall so it can be turned off and on with the flick of a switch. This worked out perfect on Tuesday with the Bach Fest string quartet. A few minutes before show time the cascade slowed to a trickle and then picked up again after the finale.

Next year, we will have a regular calendar of concerts in July and August at the winery. I like Vin du Lac’s style. 5 – 7 p.m. every Saturday. If you have any favorite performers, please let us know.

Also, have you considered coming out to the winery for a picnic by the falls? Stop in first at the market for some crackers, cheese, and fruit and then pick up a bottle of wine in the tasting room.

The next public event at the winery will be our fourth annual Taste of Sunshine. on Saturday, August 22. Many of you have attended before and know what a fun evening this is! Vote for your favorite heirloom tomato, tour the vineyards and market garden, and feast on a gourmet dinner of farm-grown foods. For entertainment, the farm staff is putting together a little show you won’t want to miss! Tickets are $40 per person, $70 per couple, and $15 for kids 12 and under. They go on sale this week at the market and the winery. Hope to see you there.little show. You won’t want to miss it! Tickets are $40 per person, $70 per couple, and $15 for kids 12 and under. They go on sale this week at the market and the winery. Hope to see you there.

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.