As I sit down to put pen to paper I have just finished planning and orchestrating the biggest party I have ever done!  My son Ian graduated last week and his graduation party was on Sunday.  I have been planning this party for months.  This party was as much for me as it was for him.  It was my way of saying thank you to all the people that have loved and supported him through his impressionable years.  I used all my expertise from years of parties that I have planned and hosted and it really was a culmination of everything I have learned and I know to be true.  So, I will try to tell you what I know and what I think to be true about entertaining at home.

I have been married for close to twenty five years and my husband Kent and I have been entertaining for all those years.  I can still remember some of the first parties we had.  One in particular stands out, as I remember someone spilling red wine on my white carpet, one little spot.  I was so stressed out and worked on that spot during the party, so obsessed that my carpet had a stain.  Oh my, have I come a long way since then!

Entertaining isn’t for everyone, but big or small there are certain things that I think are important.  Most important on my list is: don’t strive for perfect!  Perfection makes for a boring party and the strife that perfection can cause is felt by everyone at the party and anyone who is a part of the event.  Don’t do it, because you squelch the essence of a good party; you squelch FUN!  Secondly, don’t fret the things you can’t control.  This is a tough one to attain.  It is so easy to fret and fret and fret about things that you just cannot control and trust me I have been there and just recently learned a wonderful lesson.  As I stated earlier, I just hosted a big party for my son’s graduation.  A week before the party, I was sitting on the couch, with Ian next to me and my daughter sitting in the near- by chair doing homework.  Ian asked, “Mom, what is the weather supposed to be like for my party?”  I answered, “I am sorry to say it is supposed to rain and not be so nice; I have been up nights worrying about it!”  There was a little silence and then he responded, “I haven’t even batted an eye.”   Well, I fell into a fit of laughter!  That comment from my son was the biggest reality check I have had in a long time.  He hadn’t even batted an eye.  I went to bed laughing and my attitude about the party was forever changed.  He hadn’t even batted an eye!!!  As I see so often:  LOL!!!   So, don’t fret the things you can’t control.  Be as prepared as you can be and have a plan B if you need to but otherwise don’t fret it; it is what it is.

Be welcoming.  The biggest compliment I can get is that someone felt welcome in my home.  If someone doesn’t feel comfortable in my home then I have not done my job.  It’s ok to have rules, trust me I have had rules all along, but the party should not be all about rules.  Many times I have gathered everyone around and stated my expectations and rules and then went on to enjoy the gathering. If you want people to take off your shoes, then tell them.  If you want them to hang up their towel after they swim then tell them.  If the hostess is happy everyone is happy!   Use the space of your home and incorporate preparation and clean up into the party.  I don’t really do formal gatherings and so many of our gatherings and parties are all about the pre-preparation, preparation and sometimes clean-up.  It’s about the time you all spend together, that’s what really counts and participation promotes togetherness.  Togetherness is welcoming.

Make it personal.  Guests love to feel a part of something.  For most of my bigger parties and events I always incorporate pictures and videos.  I have hosted an annual July 4^th party for the last 15 years.  We have games and contests and just plain fun.  But the most important thing I do is fill every space I have with pictures.  Old pictures, new pictures, funny pictures, and pictures of those friends that are no longer with us.  PICTURES.  There is nothing like pictures to make a party personal.   I print large photos and mount them on foam board and attach a stake and then stake pictures around everywhere.  You can’t imagine how people love to look.  A video of pictures sure does the trick too.  I know I keep talking about Ian’s  graduation party, but I had pictures everywhere and included pictures of almost everyone in attendance.  Here is what I saw:  a grown man crying as he was looking through the picture book and saw so many memories with his own son, a group of young kids gathered around a TV watching a video of many memories they had been a part of, a young boy looking at a picture book, counting the pictures that he was in, as to verify his importance in my son’s life.  Pictures… nothing else makes it more personal.  It works and it’s important for any and all gatherings.

There is no I in TEAM.   As I stated earlier my husband and I have been married a long time and we have entertained together. One of his irritating mottos is “There is no I in TEAM.”  I have to admit though, that it is so true.  I don’t care who you employ to be your team member, but having someone a part of your party planning and execution is important.  It can be intimidating to entertain and so, support is necessary.  Divide up the duties.  Know your strengths and divide and conquer!!!  There may be screaming and fighting initially but it gets better, trust me!

Enjoy it or don’t do it. Entertaining is very personal and it is work.  Entertaining takes effort and takes time and takes passion. And if you don’t want to do it, it won’t be a good party.  So, entertain because you want to.

Bottom line:  ENJOY AND IF APPROPRIATE, INCLUDE WINE!

I’m what I like to call a “seasonal drinker,” meaning my wine preference changes based on the season or time of year. Last summer, for example, the two wines I drank the most were our 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and our gold medal winner, the 2011 Petite Colline as they were light, crisp and refreshing. All winter long, my go-to wine was our 2011 Couer de Colline. It was the perfect sipper on a cold snowy winter day. Now that spring has sprung, I am once again loving our rosé. I think it is perfect for spring and summer and all the things that come along with the warmer months.

Earlier this Spring, Mother Nature delivered a mid-summer heat-wave before we even had our flowers potted. A perfectly chilled bottle of rosé is perfect for that sudden spike in temperature. I borrowed a simple spritzer recipe from one of our tasting room staff. Fill your glass with two parts rosé wine and one part lemon soda and you’re set!

Wedding season comes shortly after the grass turns (and stays) green. Most of the time, we are unsure what to get the bride and groom, especially if all the best gifts have already been crossed off their wedding registry. Wine is always a great present to bring; the problem is, what wine do you present the newly married couple? Again, a rosé wine is a no-brainer! It also makes a great present for other occasions.

I remember coming home late from work last summer; I kicked my heels off at the door and walked straight towards the fridge for a cold drink to soothe my thirst. I shut the fridge door after I settled on a bottle of water and saw the invitation I had brushed off for weeks hanging on the fridge. One of my previous bosses was having her retirement party that day. It was a “BYOB” kind of cocktail hour and I wasn’t sure who was going so I didn’t want to upset the Cab drinker if I brought at bottle of Chardonnay so what did I do? I stopped at a liquor store and picked up a bottle of rosé and it worked!

So what is it about rosé that makes it the perfect wine for any occasion? Some say it’s because the wine is right in between red and white. That doesn’t necessarily mean rosé wine is made by blending a red and white wine. Most of the times, rosé wine is actually made from a red wine grape. The difference is that the juice doesn’t spend a lot of time in contact with the wine skins, pips and stems. Short exposure results in a pale red wine, or a blush as some like to call it.

Here at Chankaska Creek, our rosé wine, Kasota Rose, is a blend of Frontenac and Frontenac Gris. It results in more of a sweet and fruity, blood orange, translucent wine and it is delicious!

It shouldn’t matter as much how a bottle of rosé is made. I think the real test is how the wine tastes and rosé has never failed me. Other wine consumers must agree as rosé wine sales are shooting up all over the country. No matter the palette, just like white wine and red wine, there is a rosé out there for everyone and the perfect bottle can be enjoyed at anytime.

For me, there is nothing better than a warm day with a gentle breeze, light cotton clothes and sandals, sunglasses on, overlooking the grounds here at the winery, with a glass of 2012 Kasota Rose in my hand. Either way, find yourself a bottle of this versatile wine.

Life is a balance of art and science; A balance of opposite thoughts.  Life without art is to live one- dimensionally. I have spent most of my life using my brain in the scientific world but always tried to find creative outlets.  My creative outputs weren’t necessarily noteworthy. In fact, many of them were pretty dismal, but the purpose they served is what is noteworthy.  I have tried to provide my own children with opportunities to express themselves through art and have always required them to at least explore what art has to offer and what it can bring to their life. I know that they will need art in order to live life fully. I hope that whatever expression of art they choose, it will bring balance and joy to their lives.

My husband and I have always enjoyed art and it is our dream that Chankaska will be a place where people wine and art.  It is our hope that people will come and be immersed in art throughout the property.  When the grounds at Chankaska were designed, concrete art pads were poured and we hope to have art atop all of the pads someday for our patrons and friends to enjoy.  If you wander over to Chankaska Court you will find one sculpture.  The sculpture was created by a local Kasota artist, Mark Hall, who works mainly with glass. It is a start and we will be thrilled when sculptures line the walkways.  In our tasting room, you will also find art throughout. Paintings and photographs adorn the walls.  The artist of the paintings hanging in the tasting room is Joe Burns, a Minnesota artist.  Joe was born in Fairmont, Minnesota and began his art career as a commercial artist.  Now he paints what he wants to paint and sells his beautiful pieces.  He was trained at The Atelier in Minneapolis, a school of classical realism.  Joe has a studio in Minneapolis, MN.  One of Joe’s paintings hanging in the tasting room is our vineyard.  He did a beautiful job of capturing the vineyards beauty.  Joe’s paintings are for sale and will hang in the tasting room a while longer for everyone to enjoy.  A new artists work will decorate the tasting room soon.

One of my passions is photography.  I am not a professional but it is a creative outlet that brings me joy.  My favorite photograph is one that is hanging in the tasting room.  I titled it First Juice.  It is a magnified photo of the very first drops of juice to come out of the press.  It was an exciting moment for many of us and I am so thrilled that I was able to capture it.  I look at it everyday and it reminds me of how far we have come! There is another photograph hanging next to it, and that was taken by Michael, a young man who worked at Caribou Coffee.  He became acquainted with one of our investors, so we asked him to take photographs of our winery.  The photo that hangs on the wall is a stark, simple, amplified photo of one or our tanks in the winery.  Both of these photos are also for sale.

Art is everywhere, but it is up to us to find it, contemplate it and to discover its possibilities. Art is a part of Chankaska and will continue to be.  I hope that when you are at our winery, you will feel the effects of the art around you, on our walls, throughout the grounds, at our events and with every sip of our wine. As you sip Chankaska wine, I hope you taste the true wonder of our wine and understand that it is the infusion of art in the midst of science that creates the wonders around us. 

As I have said a few times before, growing grapes in Minnesota is not for the faint of heart.  With a short growing season, unpredictable temperatures and conditions in spring and a host of pests to do battle with Minnesota winegrowers have to adapt to a variety of challenges.  Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is dealing with our winters  - which I believe this year has now gone into its 500^th day (yes I realize there are only 365 days in the year but you have to agree this winter outstayed its welcome a long time ago!).    

The grapevines growing in our fields were bred by the U of MN and Wisconsin breeder Elmer Swenson and many are hardy to temperatures minus 35-40 degrees.  Now we don’t have to “put little jackets on each vine” as one of my colleagues kidded the other day but rather the vines have built in mechanisms to help them through our harsh climate. 

Last fall after harvest the grapevines continued with photosynthesis and as temperatures fell began the process of hardening off – converting sugar to starch.  These starches are stored mostly in the roots and trunks.  In spring, the warmer temperatures cause the vine to release its stored starch and convert it to sugar and sap begins to move.  The cuts we made as we pruned last month begin to “bleed” with this sap.  As I have been walking through the fields, I occasionally see dark spots on the bare dirt under the vine where sap has been dripping – some spots are big enough to make me think the drip irrigation has been leaking!

Soon, the buds begin to swell and finally burst (or break) with pink and green leaves opening up and forming shoots.  These shoots will grow rapidly when conditions are right, forming more leaves and 2-3 grape clusters.  Our Prairie Star vines (which are part of the Petite Colline wine) broke first yesterday.  I have been paying attention to one particular vine and within 24 hours the difference in bud size and color has been marvelous to watch.   The vines will continue to use this stored energy to go through bloom and fruit set.  As the shoots develop more and more leaves, the process of photosynthesis is started again setting the grapevine up to develop its fruit clusters, buds for next year and winter starch. 

I invite you to come visit us at Chankaska – soon the grape clusters will be flowering and pollinating.  This is one of my favorite times in the vineyard because the sweet aroma of grapevine flowers is heavy in the air.   Hopefully you will catch a whiff of these flowers as you enjoy a glass of PetiteColline on the tasting patio.  Cheers!

If you stop, look, and think about it, a grape vine is really a miracle. What other plant is there that is raised from a cutting, a clone, and not from a seed? Its flowers are hermaphrodite and pollinate themselves without wind or birds or bees. You plant and water it, and it grows for maybe 100 years or more and every year, with the right care, it can produce more sugar per unit than any other? Also, say you have a red grape vine and want white grapes, well, just cut the red grape vine off at the top of the trunk, and graft in some bud wood from a white grape, and voila!, white grapes from a red grape trunk. I think all plants are rather miraculous. They sit in one spot all their lives, they only eat water, sunlight, and some nutrients from soil, and they produce. As a matter of fact, they produce a lot! YOU go stick your feet in the ground and eat only water and sunlight and see what YOU come up with!

All kidding aside, these cold-climate wine grapes we work with are rather special. They can survive the chill of 40 degrees below zero, they have a very short growing season, and they are very disease resistant and thrive in our high heat and high humidity summers.  Cabernet Sauvignon may be king but it will wither and die here in Minnesota. The credit really goes to Elmer Swensen, a grape breeder from Wisconsin, who along with other gifted researchers and breeders at the University of Minnesota, invented these new wine grapes, through hybridization and cross-pollination.

The U of M has only began patenting and releasing these excellent new grapes within the last decade or so and probably the most significant for our industry is the red wine grape, Marquette. The absolute truth of the matter is that I decided to move to Minnesota all the way from Santa Barbara, California, because I was interested in being among the first generation of winemakers to work with Marquette. If you trace the genealogy of Marquette you will discover that one of its “mothers” is the most-noble Pinot Noir grape, possibly the greatest grape there is, known for producing the rare and wonderful and expensive wines of Burgundy’s Cote D’Or or Slopes of Gold.

In just the two years I have been making Minnesota-grown wine, without a doubt, Marquette is the most interesting and exciting of all. Though great wines can be made from all cold-climate grapes, I do believe that Marquette will really put the Minnesota wine industry on the map alongside all the other great wine regions of the world. We have just released our 2012 Marquette in our tasting room. Come by to taste the miracle of cold-climate grapes.