Posted on June 9, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
Next stop on my Southwest Winery Tour was Arizona, the Grand Canyon State. With its mountains and deserts, Arizona’s wine industry faces interesting climate challenges. Most vineyards are located around Wilcox in the southeast corner of the state, with a few scattered around Flagstaff. With the high altitudes (Elevation: Wilcox…
Bill
Posted on June 19, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
This isn’t my typical blog, but perhaps a relevant opportunity for some readers. Recently we’ve had several inquiries by customers and winery owners about similar blending challenges. Either, they have a wine that has been successful in the past, but last year’s grapes aren’t producing the same results OR they…
Posted on June 30, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
Did you know that more than half of applicants lie or distort information on their application?
Finding the right people for the job, no matter what position or business, is often frustrating, time consuming, and painful. Either you’re getting a lot of interest, but no one seems to be the…
Posted on September 21, 2010 by Bill Skrapits
Grapefest turned 24 years old this 2010 and has grown into a renowned festival in North America, attracting ever larger crowds. Grapefest People’s Choice Tasting was created with the intent of showing off Texas wines and making Grapevine the “Wine Capital of Texas.” It has succeeded, attracting over 250,000 visitors…
Posted on February 10, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
Oklahoma is cooler than most areas of Texas and is having success in making crisper whites such as minerally Pinot Grigio, Rieslings and Chenin Blancs, as well as some Viogniers that are more citrusy and less melony. With these colder temps, Cabs, Merlots and Zinfandels do well too. The challenge…
Posted on February 23, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
It’s February, you look out over your winery and vineyard. The landscape is brown, the wind is blowing cold, the vineyard is barren, tours are down and there aren’t any wine festivals. Winters can play havoc on your customer traffic and sales, causing you stress if you aren’t prepared and…
Posted on March 3, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
I recently attended a seminar at Grayson College, Designing Varietal Wines & Blending, led by Texas wine industry leader, Dr. Roy Mitchell. Credited with being one of the founders of Texas wine as we know it, Dr. Mitchell has been making wine for over 40 years. I’ve studied under him,…
Posted on March 14, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
Recently I attended the annual Texas Pierce’s Disease Research Symposium conducted by Texas A & M’s Texas AgriLife Extension. Pierce’s Disease, also known as PD, is such a big problem for grape growers that many states have annual conferences and research projects devoted exclusively to it such as this one.…
Posted on March 22, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
Fire destroys truckload of wine on I-80.
How would you like to get that news from the truck drivers transporting your wine? The fire broke out in the trailer’s refrigeration unit while being delivered. Perhaps you’re saying “Man that sucks. Glad it wasn’t me.” The big question here is…
Posted on March 30, 2011 by Bill Skrapits
The Fingers Lake International Wine Competition, held this past weekend in Rochester, NY, is the largest charitable wine competition in North America. The 11th annual competition set a record for entries with 3,259 wines from 788 wineries. The wines came in from 19 nations, 6 Canadia provinces and all 50 states!…