Speaking of People You Want to See at Rosenblum…
Friday, May 9th, 2008
Miguel Boscana is back!! When I began my job at Rosenblum Cellars, there were a few things people asked about on a regular basis: when would the St. Peter’s Church be available, when was the next Open House, and how was Miguel (and when would he be back)… Well, the 05 St. Peter’s Zin has been out since November, the next Open House is the last weekend of July, and Miguel has been back since early March.
I can see why everyone loves him. He’s friendly, he’s fun, and he knows a heckuva lot about wine. If you haven’t seen him yet, come on in and say hello!
Or better yet, (more…)
Tuesday after work, we had a baby shower for Sean and his wife, Jolie. They are expecting their first baby May 23, though Jolie and the doctor think little Harper may come into the world a bit early. I attended, despite my unjust depiction as one who does not like children. We had wine (of course) and cheese while the two opened gifts, including preciously cute socks, onesie’s (not for their cat), and four months of diaper service from the tasting room staff. Way to go, being environmentally conscious you guys! 
Other tasting room news. One of our most talkative hospitality representatives, Paul, is now a certified sommelier! He went back home to Texas (a fellow southerner— that warms my heart and thickens my drawl) to take the introductory level class test a little over a month ago. Then Sunday before last, he took the certification, which included a test, service, and blind tasting, and passed.
If you’ve been following my wine adventures at Rosenblum Cellars, if you’re a customer who stumbled upon me through the website or some search term, or you work at the winery, you surely know my friend Meg. She’s a bright spot in the tasting room, 
Friday was Rosenblum’s holiday staff party. This one had tons of food, almost as much as there was at the 
Other than that, I was a distant bystander. As everyone ate and drank and laughed downstairs, we ate our food up behind the bar, looking down on the action in between pours. That’s why the tasting room has its own party, but I couldn’t help but watch wistfully as everyone traded white elephant gifts and someone ended up with the painting of a rose in bloom again, which Shauna later stole. 
I’m living vicariously through my friends. Even though I opted not (i.e. was too scared at the time) to, tomorrow my friend and co-worker will take the sommelier certification exam, the next level up from the introductory exam she passed a couple months ago. This very time last year, I 
Speaking of wine club members…. Meg, Kenny, and I had the best time with a couple from Washington back in August. With their child safely tucked away at camp, Mark and Caroline planned a trip to San Francisco: Rosenblum Cellars being (one of) their main destination(s). As they were taking the ferry over, they could only carry so much wine back. So they came to see us twice. I took them on a tour, we all chatted and laughed and generally had a great time. When Mark called me to say he and a friend were coming back in November specifically for the Open House and wanted to volunteer, I told Andrea she could expect her most enthusiastic helper ever. Except for maybe Caroline, who—in their concern over carting wine to the ferry building and then to their hotel—proclaimed, “I’d crawl on my knees for the Hendry!”
Therefore, we sent them a card that day and took these pictures. You might not be able to tell that bottle in the first one is the Hendry Reserve Zinfandel, but it is. The second picture is just for fun. Cause that’s how it is at Rosenblum Cellars tasting room. Everybody has fun and the wine club is like a family. Cheers!
Here’s a quick and slightly belated birthday cheer for my friend and loyal reader, Doug. One of my oldest and dearest friends, we’ve made the long journey from wine coolers to good wine. He took me on my very first trip to wine country (Santa Barbara) years ago, arranged this 
Early but not so bright. With rain lingering from the previous night and more threatening to fall, a tarp had to be attached to the back of the bottling truck. I waited, kicking myself for showing up on time, when I knew there would be some kind of delay, in this first day of a four-day run.
Once everything was ready, the guys out back started loading empty bottles onto the conveyer belt– to flip through a circusy-looking rotating circle. Then the bottles made the trek to be filled with wine (2005 Thomas Fogarty Skyline) and further still to have a cork popped into the neck. 
Here’s where I came in. I put the metal foils over the bottles, which would then be sealed to fit the neck more tightly. A very important job, readers and drinkers. Almost eight hours of this task, over and over. I sang along to Lucinda Williams and Rilo Kiley, Johnny Cash and Bright Eyes. Hopped from one foot to the other, twisted at the waist, closed my eyes when I could to keep them from crossing. When I’d think an hour had passed, I’d find it was only minutes. It’s all for the experience, it’s all for the blog, I told myself. 
After me and the foils, it was then time for the wine labels. Pressure sensitive vs. glue, which come off more easily. Sometimes the machine would slap on two, and one of the technicians would scrape them off and put the bottle back in line. Apparently, one of the technicians also put Enya in the cd player, which I heard over my Tom Waits, bringing a moment of laughter into my otherwise dull day.
I think this tank was being cleaned out to be later filled with unoaked Chardonnay. It will be pumped into the truck and bottled when the Skyline is done, after 3500 or so cases. I’m not sure how many we did that day, with stops for breaks, a broken bottle, and little traffic jams, but at one point I counted 100 bottles go past me in about 4 minutes. 
We had the second installment of the winetasting group. Sadly, I drove up to my apartment as the UPS man was driving away with my New York Riesling in his truck. (By the way, I had put my shipping address as the winery where I work, for that very reason). Instead, I brought my back-up wine, a 2004 Trimbach Riesling from Alsace. I had high hopes, considering their good work with Pinot Gris, but it was in my bottom 3, with its aroma of hay and lemon and reluctance to give up any flavors other than citrus and intense dryness.
I was pretty proud of my pork tenderloin cooked with apples, carrots, celery, and onions (all very tender and sweet). Poor Sara, 
