Rack and Riddle Custom Wine Services

Zube meets the Press

2010-03-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

This is Zube, pronounced Zoobie. She is 9 weeks old in this photo and weighs in at an impressive 19 lbs. A mixture of Boxer and St.Bernard, she will soon be growing into her large feet! So far, she is in love with everyone she meets, the large Canadian geese that are nesting at the pond seem to be the only exception.

Harvest is Over- and a great one it was!

2009-12-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

Been far too long without writing, but we have been hoppin' here at Rack and Riddle. Grapes started coming in for sparkling Aug 8, and we finished Nov.13th. In general the grapes looked good and the wines are coming along beautifully. Now the real work is ahead- getting the reds through malolactic fermentation, getting the whites and sparklers cold stable and ready to bottle after the new year, filtering, blending, crafting- there is not down time in winemaking that I know of, there is always something happening.

This years harvest season also included bottling, disgorging of bubbly, and some travel. The bottling line is fully functional- yippee! Screwcaps, corks, burgundy glass, bordeaux glass, tapered glass, the list goes on.

We have been disgorging the beautiful bubblies that we made here which include a Brut, Blanc de Blanc, and a Rose' - all from Mendocino County. Give us a call if you want some for your tasting room or special event.

Generally travel is not even contemplated during the harvest rush, but this year was the exception. We had the opportunity to represent US winemaking along with Family Winemakers of California in Hong Kong for a huge wine trade show. What an incredible experience and a wake up call that we have a lot of work to do if we want to compete with the European market there.

The wines are calling me back, gotta' go for now- Penny, the Mustang Winemaker

The Crush

2009-09-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

Harvest is in full swing. The grapes look gorgeous, and the weather couldn't be more perfect!

The fruit continues to flow into Rack & Riddle. We are just finishing the last of the sparkling wine grapes, and are now moving into crushing still wine grapes. If you haven't had a chance to come up and see our facility, now would be the perfect time, as you can see our operation in full swing. Please call us at (707) 744 - 8100 to set up an appointment.

The Grapes Are Here!

2009-08-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Lori and Jamie at work in the lab

2009-08-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

Lori and Jamie have just brought bottles in from the line and are getting ready to run a "Gold Coast" on a sparkling rose. Gold Coast checks the % of sugar in the bottle.

The New Riddling Machines Progress

2009-07-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

Stan and Lisa are looking over the assembly operation taking place here at Rack & Riddle. Keep posted for a demonstration of these machines at work! It's amazing to think that these machines will be able to riddle 8 cages each. Each cage can hold 576 sparkling wine bottles. So, each riddling machine will able to riddle 4608 bottles at once! At approx. 4 pounds each, that's 18,432 pounds per machine!! This is some machine!

The Monoblock In Motion

2009-06-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

If you haven't had time to come and check out our new Monoblock in person, check out this video to see our machine in operation.

The Rack & Riddle Team Bottling Team

2009-06-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Rack & Riddle has a wonderful bottling team. These individuals are experienced, communicate well with each other, and work extremely hard. They do a great job of keeping our bottling line running smoothly and on schedule. We are very fortunate to have this team. Thanks guys!

2009-06-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

Randy and Francisco gearing up for another day at Rack & Riddle!

New Riddling Machine

2009-06-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

We all watched in awe today at the grand size of our new Riddling Machine. We received our first eight-cage riddling machine, and have more on the way. These wonderful work-horses are being made especially for us by a company called Nutrend. If your interested in learning more about why we do the riddling process, please check out an article written in the June 2009 issue of Wine X. With the help of these machines, we are able to provide authentic methode champenoise sparkling wines. Cheers!

Finishing Touches at Rack & Riddle

2009-06-11T08:19:00.000-07:00

What's going on at Rack & Riddle?

The remodeling job has commenced in the Rack & Riddle reception area. This is an older part of the facility, and as you can see, it could use some finishing touches. Miguel, Eric, and Jaime put their strong muscles to work removing the old counter tops, and did a superb job. We are recycling these counter tops, and they will become part of Don's work shop. The new energy efficient windows have been installed, and the finishing touches are being added to the plans that will make this area match the rest of the stellar facility! Progress will be posted!

Monoblock

2009-06-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Our first run on the new Monoblock went very well!
Danny, our tech from Collopack, said "this is one of the best start-ups I've ever seen!"
We have many options on bottle designs and have already run at least ten different packages, all of which went FABULOUSLY!
Our bottling schedule is filling quickly, looks like we may need to be bottling through Harvest!
I am happy to give tours of all of our production lines, come on in a take a peek!
Lisa

Congratulations Rack and Riddle Team! Great Job!!

2009-05-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

Lisa, our Production Manager reports that we completed bottling 148,000 cases of sparkling wine today. That's over 1,776,000 total bottles! Lisa proudly announced that she has only three layers of glass left over (that is approximately only 300 bottles). Great planning, Lisa. We expect nothing less from our experienced Production Manager. Go Lisa! Congratulations Rack and Riddle Team! Great job!

2009-05-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

What does Rack and Riddle have to do with Hell's Kitchen?

Well, we sent some sample bottles to a prestigous Hollywood Music Festival for some very important influential people to taste. We labeled the boxes carefully with all of the information to get them to the correct group. Somehow.............those bottles ended up in "Hell's Kitchen". Security is looking into the situation.

Maybe our sparkling wine will it make to the finale show of Hell's Kichen

Sunrise in Hopland, Ca

2009-05-12T15:26:00.000-07:00

Good morning Hopland! Pictures taken by Tyler Kashin.

Hopland, Ca

2009-05-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hopland, California is a small town, located about 100 miles north of San Francisco. It's a quaint town, and has some gorgeous old buildings. The weather looks like it will be great this weekend. It's an easy drive, with plenty to look at along the way. Bring the family, walk around the town, and have some lunch at one of the several restaurants in town. Getting to Hopland is very simple, just stay on Highway 101, and it will take you directly to Hopland. Enjoy!

THE BUDS HAVE PUSHED THROUGH!

2009-04-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a few really warm days can do. Even the jack rabbits are busy checking out the new growth!

It's Monday in Hopland!

2009-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!! The sun is shining, the grass is green, the olive and palm trees sway.....another warm and inviting day, in Hopland, USA! (What a way to start the week!)

CHRISTMAS IN APRIL!!!!!

2009-04-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

I pulled into the driveway this morning and it had arrived! It being our new Bertolaso Monoblock. The only thing missing was the shiny red bow.

Inside each crate our machines had been lovingly wrapped in silver foil! Couldn't wait to open them.

Our filler is beautiful, just like I had pictured in my mind...

Our Rinser can use Nitrogen, Air, or Water, and looks something akin to a futuristic carnival ride!

Our new line has Positive Air over the Filler, Cork and Screw Cap capability, 100 bottles per minute and is going to look FABULOUS with the R&G Pressure Sensitive Labeler and our cool C&G Capsule Applicator and Spinner that were the 08 Christmas Gifts.

Everything seems to be adjustable too!

All that seems to be left to do is clean up the wrapping, and get everything running. I will try to write about the installation as it happens. I can't wait to see it all together!

Are the buds pushing through?

2009-04-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

If you look very closely...you can see the start of budding on the vines here in Hopland, CA. The anticipation is building! You can feel the excitement growing as the crush season nears!

2009-04-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Frost Protection was running this morn, as the temp fell to 35 degrees. The vines are pushing forth, and everyone is crossing their fingers for an average year. Plans are being made for harvest, even at this early date. Hope your tax day was celebrated or mourned with a glass of wine!!

Rack & Riddle Custom Wine Services

2009-04-15T11:02:00.000-07:00