Maria Ponzi Interview on NPR Affiliate WICN

Hear Maria Ponzi Fogelstrom, Director of Sales & Marketing, speak about her experience growing up in the Oregon wine industry. Listen Now!

Luisa's Harvest Update on KGW

(September 22, 2009) Hear Luisa's perspective on the 2009 harvest...

http://www.kgw.com/video/?z=y&nvid=400994&shu=1

A Successful Harvest Takes Patience

Every morning, winemaker Luisa Ponzi rises early, checks the weather and makes a phone call to vineyard manager Miguel Ortiz by 6am. Together they decide whether to begin picking and where. If the weather is clear and conducive to harvest, the vineyard crew shows up at the selected vineyard site by sunrise and the work begins.

The Ponzi vineyard crew, along with a few dozen seasonal pickers, can cover several acres within hours. Fruit is then immediately transported to the winery for processing (destemmed or pressed) the same day it is picked.

Luisa calls this year’s growing season and harvest a “mixed bag” of challenges. At times, we’ve had too much heat, at other times too little, and every now and then rain at all the wrong times. This is where Luisa’s many years of experience with Oregon harvest come into play, giving her the patience needed to let the fruit do what it needs, in order to reach maximum ripeness.

Harvest 2009 is in Full Swing!

Picking began on Monday at the youngest Ponzi vineyard, Avellana- 20 acres- located at the site of the new winemaking facility, Collina del Sogno "Hillside of our Dreams". The first fruit picked was Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir- all very beautiful, according to Winemaker Luisa Ponzi. This morning, the remaining fruit, dijon clone Chardonnay, was picked and brought to the crush pad for processing.

With the consistent warm weather we've been experiencing, harvest is expected to be fast this year. Most sites are ripening at once. The crew will spend the next few days at Aurora Vineyard, Ponzi's largest site at 65 acres. Stay tuned for continued updates.

Check out this video of processing the first Pinot Gris of the season:

OCSW launches new program

The Oregon Wine Board has officially launched the Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW) program.  The 2008 Ponzi Arneis, Chardonnay and Riesling all wear the OCSW logo on their labels! Check out their new website.

Our first blog posting!

Welcome to the Ponzi Vineyards blog!