Report from the Vintage
Anyone who thinks that farming is not exciting should have lived through the 2009 growing season! It started after one of the coldest winters that we had ever experienced in our 25 years of growing grapes. Although there was tremendous damage to vineyards throughout the entire valley, Wild Goose fared rather well in that we suffered only small losses to our crops, both at our vineyards and at those selected vineyards which grow for us. Many Okanagan grape growers suffered huge losses to plants and crops. The harsh winter slowed the start of spring, but things picked up in June when the sun began to heat our valley. Once things warmed up, the heat never let up! The intense heat led to one of our earliest harvests on record. The harvest came so fast that our Wild Goose Riesling was harvested in September, the only time in our history that we picked Riesling in September!! Every variety appeared to ripen at the same time. We proceeded to pick one variety after another, with no breaks in between. Fortunately most of our grapes were harvested when the entire valley was hit with -10 C temperatures on October 10. Many locals who live in the Okanagan say they had never experienced cold temperatures like this so early in October. Any grapes that were still hanging when the freeze occurred were unaffected by the frost because the grapes were already ripe and were just waiting their turn to be picked and processed. After this freeze the valley experienced seasonally normal temperatures. So what was the result of all of this strange weather on the wine industry? One of the best harvests we have ever experienced!! Lovely clean fruit with vibrant flavours and beautiful crisp acidity. 2009 will certainly be an excellent vintage to watch out for when the wines are released in mid April!
Alberta Shipping “Whoas”
Many of our Alberta customers have noticed that we no longer direct ship our wines into Alberta. Please take note that this is not by choice, but rather something that has been forced upon us by the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission. We have formally received a letter from the AGLC stating that we are in contravention of the “Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act.” What this means is that we are not allowed to ship our wines directly to you, because all alcoholic beverages must move through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission before being delivered to the customer. Many B.C. wineries, including ourselves, have been told to stop direct shipments and failure to do so will result in action being taken against us. It is with deep regret that we are unable to ship to all of our Alberta customers at this point in time. We are working on this issue as an industry and hope to resolve the shipping issue throughout Alberta and the rest of the Canadian provinces. Whatever happened to free trade!? We have free trade with Mexico and the U.S., but not between Canadian provinces.
December Shipping Discount
Last December we offered you a 50 % discount on freight charges on wines ordered in the month of December. We had such a great response to this that we are extending this same offer to you again this December! We still have a number of wines available on our website. Click on the following link to order your holiday season wines: www.wildgoosewinery.com Wines can also be ordered by calling our toll free phone number at 1-877-497-8919. Just a reminder regarding freight charges: when we ship wines, we only charge you our own freight costs. We use protective shipping liners to ensure that your wines arrive safely.
Best Wishes To All!!
It is hard to believe that another year is coming to a close. Even bearing in mind the great successes that Wild Goose had during the year, nothing is more gratifying than the many lovely comments we have had from all our customers enjoying Wild Goose wines throughout the year! Thanks to all of you for the tremendous support! We realize that as consumers you have many choices when it comes to purchasing wine and we are delighted that you choose Wild Goose wines to put into your cellars and on your dinner table! We have some new and exciting wines that will be released next spring —along with a new and fresh website. All of the staff and the Kruger family wish you and yours a delightful festive holiday season, and a healthy and happy New Year! Enjoy the Olympics!! Go Canada Go!!
