Woohoo...92!
Thursday | 26 May 2011
We just learned that the editors at Wine Enthusiast rated and reviewed our 2008 Reserve Syrah and awared it 92 points. Only a selection of their reviews appear in print, but beginning August 1, you can look for it at WineMag.com.
In her follow report on Hospice du Rhône titled “An extravaganza of Rhônes,” Laurie Daniel at the San Jose Mercury News wrote that our first Reserve "is plump and lively, with flavors of blackberry, blueberry, a note of roasted coffee and firm structure."
» Order 2008 Reserve Syrah
The Demise of the Cowhorn Choke?
Wednesday | 25 May 2011
After two years of working with the artichokes, I am so sad to say that I am considering abandoning the project. So far this season, we are pleased to see that the plants are beautiful and vibrant. No temperature or pest problems, soil is healthy and the irrigation has worked like a charm. Yet, check out the photos of the chokes themselves. These baby chokes are not similar in size. Also, notice how the smaller one is already opening, as if it is bolting to seed very quickly. These inconsistencies are not a chefs dream! Bill and I have served them up and they are tasty, but I don’t know if they will make the Cowhorn grade for selling them commercially. I am too sad about it to give up just yet. A little more pondering until I decide what to do.
– Barbara Steele
3 Cowhorn wines nominate for Sunset magazine awards
Thursday | 19 May 2011
Sunset magazine just notified us that three of our wines have been nominated for the annual Sunset Western Wine Awards. Our Viognier and Spiral in the Good Value category and our 2008 Reserve in the Special Occasion category.The Sunset Western Wine Awards are recognized as one of the highest honors for Western winemakers and focus solely on wines produced in the West. Judging to start mid June. We will keep you posted.
– Bill Steele
I Love This Time of Year!
Wednesday | 18 May 2011
Last night for dinner, Bill and I had an asparagus sandwich and a Syrah 74. The sandwich is open face with a layer of almond, asparagus and roasted garlic puree, layered with roasted asparagus and then topped with cheddar cheese! The Syrah 74, well … you know what that is. It was a WONDERFUL meal!
– Barbara Steele
Recycling Update: New Life for Old Bottles
Wednesday | 11 May 2011
In our ongoing quest to close the loop on as many aspects of our farm and winery as possible, Cowhorn is happy to introduce a new upcycling partner located right here in the green state of Oregon. Rebootle creates one of a kind, handmade, casual glassware for the eco-conscious consumer that is functional, beautiful, and dishwasher safe.
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Applegate Valley Goes to Hospice du Rhone
Wednesday | 11 May 2011
Yes, Cowhorn is stretching its wings once again. Last week I was pouring Cowhorn wines at Hospice du Rhone in Paso Robles. Hospice du Rhone is the largest gathering of Rhone style wine producers in the States. Lately I hear people saying that the Applegate is the up and coming Rhone growing region. Sort of a Paso Robles in the making.
Surely I love when I hear that, as Cowhorn only grows Rhone variety grapes. But, in truth I think the magic of the Applegate is that we can be home to great wines from many varieties. Our climate and geology offer diversity that is not matched anywhere in the world other than the rainforests! One aspect about fine wine growing that makes folks wax poetic is the mystery of the vintage. Here in the Applegate, unlocking the mystery of our farms is equally as romantic!
– Barbara Steele
Sweet sprigs break ground
Thursday | 05 May 2011
It's Asparagus Season here at our Applegate Valley estate, when the sweetest springs in the Rogue begin breaking ground in their 2-acre patch between the forest and the vineyard.
In addition to preserving biodiversity as part of our Master Plan, Cowhorn is a perennial polyculture, and asparagus is our first commercial crop each growing season. With over 15,000 plants, of the Purple Passion and Jersey Knight varieties, we expect to pick about 125,000 spears this year weighing in at around 8000 pounds.
Rogue locals will find Cowhorn Asparagus available at the Ashland Co-op, Shop 'n Kart, and on the menu at New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro.
Barrels of fun for sale
Wednesday | 04 May 2011
From bistro tables to bird houses, used wine barrels offer a super stylish way to reduce, reuse and recycle. Each summer we’ve been happy to see about 10 to 15 Cowhorn barrels get a second lease on life at new homes around the Rogue.As Cowhorn continues to grow, we will have more beautiful old barrels to roll out each summer. This year, we expect to have closer to 30 barrels available for purchase for $35 each, or two for $50. Such a deal!
Barrels are available on a first come, first serve basis. So if you know you want one (or two), please be sure to say so when you make your appointment for a tasting and tour of the estate.
And if you’re inspired to send us photos of your barrel’s new life as an ice chest or a dog house, we’d love to see them!
Grenache Rosé at Callahan's Lodge
Tuesday | 03 May 2011
Callahan’s Mountain Lodge is classic Oregon. The restaurant originally opened with just eight stools and five tables back in 1947.
It quickly became a favorite stop along the “Old 99” where weary travelers could find good food, good drinks, and good company on their way over what is today the highest mountain pass on Interstate 5.
The Callahan’s tradition continues in a recently rebuilt world-class lodge sporting some of the most comfortable accommodations in the rugged range at the southern end of the Rogue Valley.
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Spring BD Prep Activities
Monday | 25 April 2011
As I was examining the cherry blossoms last week, Buddy reminded me that it is time to dig up the horns. To refresh folks, we bury horns in the Fall to produce “Preparation 500” or the root stimulant used in the Biodynamic farming method. Buddy plopped himself down right in the center of the ring that marks where we buried the horns! As usual, the animals seem to know things before we do.
– Barbara Steele
Green wine gets new pitchman
Friday | 22 April 2011
This Earth Day wine lovers woke up to a new world of Earth-friendly choices with the public beta of ConsciousWine, a web portal devoted exclusively to wines that are as good for the planet as they are for the palate.Starring the larger-than-life, 5-foot 6-inch Jeff Weissler, aka “The ConsciousWine Guy,” the site features a webisodic wine show, online radio program, blog and directory covering vintners who grow grapes and make wine the Old World way, naturally.
With a fun, casual style that is anything but snobby, Weissler helps wine lovers and treehuggers alike, get to the heart of what really makes wine green, and good.
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FARM to FORK COWHORN dinner sold out
Thursday | 21 April 2011
We just checked in with Chef Matthew Domingo, and the June 25th FARM to FORK dinner at the COWHORN Estate is already almost sold out. Of 120 available seats, less than 30 are left.
In the context of an exceptional culinary experience, FARM to FORK dinners celebrate the local growers and winemakers whose commitment to sustainable food security makes the Rogue Wine Country such a nutritious and delicious place to call home.
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Spring Frost Update
Monday | 11 April 2011
As you all know, Cowhorn specializes in cool climate growing. This year, our winter project was to expand our pump system. These bright and shiny new pumps will allow us to provide temperature control to the new vineyard acreage and the cherry orchard.
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Demeter joins lawsuit against Monsanto GMO
Tuesday | 05 April 2011
The Demeter Association has joined a group of approximately 50 membership organizations, seed distributors and farmers/farms in a suit challenging the chemical giant Monsanto Company's patents on genetically engineered seed , commonly referred to as GMO or genetically modified seed. We have thoughtfully entered into this action to preemptively protect our members and non-GMO farmers in general from being accused of patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto's genetically modified seed. We are sure you are aware that in the past, Monsanto has indeed taken this aggressive course of action.
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The Coming of Spring, Part 3
Monday | 04 April 2011
What if rather than saying we live "on" Earth, we say we live "in" Earth? "On" implies that Earth stops below our feet. Earth is hard, inert, beneath us. We are above Earth; many believe they are then superior to Earth. "In" implies that Earth is going on all around us. I think that Earth starts at the center of the core of the planet and continues to the ozone. We live in a relatively small band of space that circles the planet, usually only 20 feet or so! If I scratch the soil and scoop some up I see a universe of organisms that out numbers me by multitudes. The air around me is filled with organisms as well. Perhaps we humans live in a relatively small part of Earth and are really, really outnumbered by all of those who live in Earth with us. Do unto others as they would do unto you. It is humbling when you think this one through..
– Barbara Steele
The Coming of Spring, Part 2
Monday | 04 April 2011
What if rather than saying we live “on” Earth, we say we live “in” Earth? Such a simple change, just one letter, can dramatically change how one thinks. Every day we walk through rain (especially lately!), we drink water, the wind blows through our shirts and over our bodies, we breathe it in, we walk though our forests and woodlands, sinking in the mud, we swim in the ocean, sink in sandy beaches. Every day, every action, every breath confirms that we are “in” the Earth, one of the many creatures commingling in the web of life. Was it even ever appropriate to say we are “on” Earth?
– Barbara Steele
Bottomless Pleasure
Sunday | 27 March 2011
This, our first Reserve Syrah, was produced with grapes so divinely dark that they gleamed like little black pearls as they passed through our fingers on the harvest line. Following a first tasting at the Ashland Creek Inn and premier pairing at the Rogue Valley Country Club, we are pleased to offer our finest red yet, for a limited time only, exclusively online and through our Applegate Valley tasting room.While we expect a few cases to find their way to some of your favorite foodie meccas in Oregon and California, now is your best chance to cellar away a bottle or three of COWHORN history in the tasting. In true Old World style, an hour or two in the decanter will bring forward flavors so full that you will savor every last sip.
» Order 2008 Reserve Syrah
123 Bolinas in Fairfax
Saturday | 26 March 2011
In the heart of Fairfax, California – one of the greenest towns in America – you’ll find 123 Bolinas, a world-class wine bar and evolutionary eatery on the foodie mission of the millennium. Its floor-to-ceiling windows look in on a verdant venue dedicated to sustainably-sourced everything, from food to furnishings.Read full blog post...
Win a night at the Ashland Springs Hotel
Saturday | 26 March 2011
Love musing on your favorite wines? We do too. So, we’re having a contest to see how our tasting notes would read if written by COWHORN fans instead of our family.
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Oregon's Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers
Friday | 25 March 2011
When we first heard the title of Katherine Cole’s new book, we must admit that we did a double take. Due out this June from OSU Press, Katherine tells us that Voodoo Vintners demystifies Biodynamic winemaking to reveal the science behind the stereotype. According to OSU Press, the provocatively titled paperback will explore how cowhorns, vortexes and the vision of Rudoph Steiner may hold the key to producing some of the finest wines in the world while simultaneously promoting an agricultural system that can help save it.
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The Last Stash
Thursday | 24 March 2011
Our friends at Harry & David Country Village in Medford anticipated our annual dilemma of demand outstripping supply of Spiral 36 come springtime. We just learned that their very wise wine team squirreled away a few cases to pull out just in time for the arrival of warmer weather, which is hopefully coming soon since we’re all sufficiently soaked by this year’s long, late wet winter.Now, we could be jealous since we don’t have so much as a drop of our 2009 co-ferment blend of Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier left in our Applegate Valley tasting room, and the 2010 Spiral 36 isn’t releasing until late spring, but we’ll leave being green for our Biodynamic practices since envy doesn’t wear well anyway. (Our web guy is another matter. We hear that he’s holding onto his last bottle of last year’s Spiral like it was one of Wonka’s golden tickets.)
So while Old Man Winter hangs around the Rogue Wine Country a little longer than we’d like this year, now is your chance to hop off at exit 27 and stock up on a Rhône-style white blend The Oregonian called “Picnic Perfect.”
The Coming of Spring, Part 1
Thursday | 24 March 2011
Spring makes us think good thoughts. I don’t know why, but they always come and in many forms. For today, I am reminded of an Indian proverb:
The river never drinks its own water,
The tree never tastes its own fruit,
The field never consumes its own harvest,
They selflessly strive for the wellbeing of all those around them.
I think that is enough to think about for today.
– Barbara Steele
The RINSE Project evolves
Tuesday | 22 March 2011
As with all living systems, The RINSE Project has made an evolutionary leap forward. Following a successful pilot program with Wine Bottle Renew, we are now closer than ever to a closed-loop, cradle-to-cradle glassware solution here at COWHORN.
Thanks to COWHORN fans throughout the Rogue Wine Country who brought back your used bottles by the case, we have learned that the most efficient and effective solution was the simplest one all along – reusing our very own bottles brought back customers and club members.
Read full blog post...
Thanks to COWHORN fans throughout the Rogue Wine Country who brought back your used bottles by the case, we have learned that the most efficient and effective solution was the simplest one all along – reusing our very own bottles brought back customers and club members.
Read full blog post...
