Hauser Estate Winery

New Lunches!

2009-11-22T12:57:00.000-08:00

Now, during Saturdays and Sundays, we are offering boxed lunches from the Accomac Inn! Come on up for a nice glass of wine (or cider) and a great lunch.
Call us if you have any questions!

Vintner's Notebook...September 2009

2009-09-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Cooler nights and a bit of an edge to the weather can only mean one thing… harvest is upon us! Frantic, stressful, tiring yet beautiful harvest is the time that reminds us in the industry about the heart and soul of what it takes to be a winegrower/maker. Amidst the chaos, the long days and the laborious work, harvest rewards the grower for their backbreaking labor yearlong and brings the vintner a new beginning of endless possibilities.

This coming week Hauser Estate will bring in the first of its own estate grown fruit starting with a touch of Pinot gris. While most of our Vinifera (traditional European wine varieties) are only in their second leaf some are carrying a small crop just to balance out their growth and help produce strong, consistent vines for future years. While not enough to make any significant amount of wine, these small rewards will give us some inkling towards their future potential. The real treat, however, will come from our three year old Chambourcin and Vidal vines (located on the hillside as you approach the winery) that will produce their first real crop this year. While they are not due to ripen fully until around mid-October they are already looking and tasting wonderful due to the painstaking labor of our Vineyard Manager, Chad Fanton, and his vineyard crew. If you look straight up the hillside you can see how meticulously the canopies have been positioned to allow optimum light interception and fruit exposure, their bottoms already fringed with golden Vidal and crimson Chambourcin clusters. In addition we are again working with a couple choice, local growers to provide us with the quality fruit essential to producing excellent wines.

Speaking of wines, to get ready for harvest I been working hard to prepare and bottle the final blends for most of our reds, as well as our Reserve Chardonnay. Reds will include a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot and Pinot noir. While all four are luscious and full of fruit and depth, the smoothness of their tannins make them very approachable and perfect candidates for everyday drinking. Many of you have been waiting patiently and I promise we are almost there! Although all will be bottled shortly, due to the depth of these wines they will still need some bottle aging before release for all of their intricate flavors to meld together. Thus, look for reds to hit the shelves around the holidays just in time for the cooler weather (after all there is nothing like a hearty red in front of the fire to burn off the winter chill!) and if we are lucky the Reserve Chardonnay may even join us for turkey dinner.

However, harvest isn’t completely about out with the old and in with the new. While we bring in new fruit and refill the emptied barrels, hidden in the recesses of the cellar, resting but not forgotten are fourteen barrels that have been specially selected to continue aging for our reserve reds. My pride and joy, these wines are the best of the best and if I may I say so myself, already purely delectable! Amidst the hustle and bustle of harvest these barrels will continue to get their beauty sleep, increasing in richness and intensity, with their final destiny to be decided later this winter.

As I mentioned before, harvest is about new, exciting possibilities and I hope you all have the opportunity to join us and experience the incoming new and the much anticipated old… or should I say “well aged”!

Cheers!

Michelle Oakes
Winemaker
Hauser Estate Winery

Vintner's Notebook...June 2009

2009-06-04T10:26:00.001-07:00

Hello Young Wine Lovers!

The last two months can easily be summed up with three words...bottling, bottling, bottling! Ok, that was only one word but I think you get the point. In preparation for the busy summer months we have been working very hard to put the finishing touches on some of our most popular wines and get them into bottle for you to enjoy. Those of you who have been up to the winery recently may have noticed the fruits of these efforts in the recent release of our 2008 Jennie Wade White. While I know many of you are Jennie Wade White afficionados, for those of you not familiar with this wine the 2007 was a semi-dry blend of three white grape varieties, Vidal, Chardonnay and Seyval, which gave the wine a notable flavor of tropical fruits, melons, and citrus. While the 2008 blend nearly twins the 2007 we have exchanged Pinot gris for the Seyval giving the wine a noticeable kick we think even the most dedicated Jennie Wade White drinkers will appreciate.
Now Devil's Den Red fans I know you think I have forgotten you. Please, step down from that ledge, your patience will have paid off well! I am proud to announce that after much laborious effort the 2008 Devil's Den Red has been blended, tested, re-tested and is all (well nearly all) in bottle awaiting release. Just like snowflakes no two vintages are the same as flavors imparted by different grape varieties change from year to year and vineyard to vineyard. However, despite that we have managed to come up with a blend that continues to bring forth those same smooth, rich flavors of cherries, strawberries and currents rounded off with a touch of sweetness. While still a combination of Chambourcin, Merlot, Cabernet franc and Cabernet Sauvignon the higher proportion of Merlot in this blend (last year Chambourcin predominated) makes this vintage even more fruit forward and approachable. In short the 2008 is a luscious fruit bomb. As wines go through a period of “bottle shock” due to the stress of handling, transfers and filtration during bottling we want always want to give wines several weeks post-bottling to calm down and for their flavors to return to their original depth. As a result we anticipate a June release date as we would like to give this wine a couple more weeks in bottle to get over any bottle shock and allow all of its rich, luscious flavors to be at their fullest before you enjoy them.
Cider fans will be happy to hear we have released the second in our seasonal cider series, our summer cider: Caramel Apple. The base of this cider is a blend of two green apple varieties, Granny Smith and Greening with a touch of Rome to round it off. Topped off with the slightest amount of natural caramel flavoring this cider starts out decadent and finishes crisp and clean. Like the previous seasonal blends, this cider is limited availability (only 65 cases produced) so get it while it lasts! Other news on the cider front, due to its popularity we have decided to produce another batch of our Rome cider by bringing apples out of storage and doing a spring pressing. Tanks are fermenting away and so far they taste (and smell!) delightful. While it is a bit early to anticipate release, keep your eyes and taste-buds peeled for mid to late summer.
In the barrel room our 2008 reds have undergone their first racking and the Reserve Chardonnay has been pulled from barrel completely. I will soon begin the process of deciding which barrels will go into each of our red varietals with some of the more delectable barrels continuing to barrel age through the fall to produce our reserve reds and possibly even a Bordeaux style/Meritage blend. While I anticipate bottling most of our non-reserve varietals late this summer to make room for new fruit coming in, heavier, oak aged wines benefit from some aging in bottle before release so anticipate these wines to hit the shelves in mid-Fall just in time for the cooler weather. I know some of you, especially those of you who tasted your way through the cellar during Tour de Tanks, started drooling at the mention of the Reserve Chardonnay. After spending 8 months in a combination of new French and American oak it has been blended and is in the process of being fine-tuned for bottling. While I cannot promise a release date yet, I can promise that it is already pure decadence with a fine balance of velvety, sweet oak flavor and crisp, racy notes of fig, ripe apple, and apricots.
Well back to the cellar... hope to see you all soon!

Cheers,

Michelle Oakes
Winemaker
Hauser Estate Winery

new hard apple cider!

2009-05-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

this Memorial Day Weekend the winery will introduce our newest Hard Apple Cider: Carmel. You'll love it!!! Come to the winery - the weather should be beautiful, the views amazing, the wines & ciders tasty!!!

Italian Evening

2009-05-06T18:51:00.000-07:00

An evening of Italian food and Italian music (what IS Italian music??) will fill the evening with fun on Saturday of this weekend - May 9th. We hope you will join us!!

Hauser After Hours- Tomorrow, Friday, 5- 8:00p.m.

2009-04-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is going to be absolutely superb wine drinking weather! As long as mother nature cooperates, we will be listening to the jazzy tunes of the Reese Project on the veranda and deck! I am supremely excited! I may break out into song, just like Annie! We have added more seating and tables but you are always welcome to bring your own folding chair if you wish.
For you foodies out there, we will be offering bruschetta al pomodoro, shrimp cocktail, Maryland crab soup, spring salad, spinach & mozzarella cannelloni, chicken mont blanc and pork tenderloin. For sweet lovers- cannoli, cheesecake and fruit salad. Talk about YUM! Yes please! All apps range in price from $4- $7, our entrees are at $12 and desserts are at $3!
See you all tomorrow!

Journey Through Hallowed Ground Book Signing

2009-04-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

On May 2nd from 11-5, acclaimed photographer Ken Garrett will be at Hauser Estate to sign his book, Journey through Hallowed Ground. As a former history teacher, I am so excited for this event. Ken specializes in Archaeology, Paleontology and ancient cultures and has done a lot of work for National Geographic. We will have the books for sale at the winery. So come up grab a glass of wine, and a spectacular book!

http://www.hallowedground.org/content/view/230

Mother's Day Brunch

2009-04-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

We look forward to the Accomac Inn, Lancaster, who will cater what will be a wonderful brunch for those who are celebrating Mother's Day on May 10th. What could be a better location than enjoying the view, the surrounding blossoms, the food (their menu looks terrific!) and the company of your family ..????

Earth Day 2009

2009-04-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Join us in celebrating Earth Day. Spend $30 or more and get a free "earth" bag during the month of April. Help us protect the environment.

Spring Blossoms

2009-04-02T12:50:00.001-07:00

By the end of April the winery site will be a real sight to behold!! There are apple orchards on both sides....meaning that the apple blossoms will be showing off their glorious blossoms, looking like a fairyland. The grass will be green, blossoms will be shoooting from the assorted shrubbery and small blooming trees that were planted last summer; it'll be absolutely lovely. That's my prejudiced opinion!!!!

Hauser Estate Winery on Fox 43

2009-03-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Fifth Candlelight Friday at Hauser Estate Winery

2009-02-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Seems like yesterday that we debuted "Candlelight Friday", live music and warm food from 5-8 p.m. on the last Friday of each month! What began October 31, 2008 is now a highly anticipated staple event at the winery. Due to the tremendous success of Candlelight Friday, we have decided to add a second live music/food event to our calendar starting in May. The warm weather will be gratefully embraced as we will be able to offer more seating options to our patrons on the outside deck and patio.
This month's performer is Ray Owen who has a repertoire of over 1000 songs! It will be a great time to throw out requests and see his genius come to light. Also the caterer, Bobbi Jo from Crossroads will be offering her yumilicious food. Hope too see you all on the 27th, just a couple days away.
Lastly, we are excited, anxious and slightly petrified about Tour de Tanks which commences this Saturday. This will be our first time participating in the event, another first in a long list of firsts for our winery. Ticket holders will be privy to new vintages with special tank and barrel tastings to preview the season's upcoming wines before they are bottled.

Cheers,
Wino in Chief

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."- Henny Youngman

We're on Facebook

2009-02-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

Take a few seconds to join our Facebook page! It gives us a chance to communicate with you one on one, let you know about upcoming wines and specials and give you first dibs on the latest events. Check it out now!

If Facebook is not your thing, you can sign up for the Cork Club and get monthly email updates here.

Inaugural Blog

2009-02-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

Every blog needs a premier post... and this is it! We will keep you abreast of all the happenings at Hauser and perhaps pass along a wine tip or two from the Tasting Room. If you are interested in receiving monthly email updates, sign up for the Cork Club for free! (We won't spam you either)