From Ground to Glass

Christmas Again???

2010-11-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

We made it through another harvest! All the 2010 is in barrel and actually tasting really good considering the tough year. But i feel great as what i had said in the film about "...hoping to make wine each year"....." is coming true. We are actually in the second year of the Tanner/DaFoe label too! nothing in bottle yet, but the wines are coming along great and will be available October 2011! this is a collaborattion with my business partner Jeff. really stoked about the future. we are making Cab from couple different clones. Some really special stuff i think! well hunker down for the Holidays and all the best to everybody as we get invaded by the marketing martians...

who knows when we will see another post...I'm going snowboarding!

Back in Black!

2010-05-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

We have moved back to Santa Barbara and things are well. San diego was awesome, but opportunity brought us back!

Amazingly the film keeps getting bit of steam from people near and far. some events on the rise:

Showing and tasting at Santa Barbara Winery on the 19th of May at 6pm

and on the 6th of June in Valencia CA for a food pairing and showing. please check the site for info about the events.

We bottled our 07 Cab from Estelle Vineyard a month ago. the wine tastes great and amazes me because of the trail it took to get to the bottle... First i had to miss the harvest due to my wifes competition schedule, but then the Witch Fire broke out in SD... i had to evecuate and while doing so i knew i could not go to france the next day for her comp, so i jumped on the phone had a deal for my grapes and 3 days later was on the road to Santa Ynez to get my fruit! the wine fermented as the ground still smoldered and luckily our house was spared somehow though scared by fire a little. got it in barrel and endured the Ramona Summer, then a racking then 2 years later off it went back to Santa Ynez a well traveled wine! never really had it in the cold, so it really is a wine in the "old style". got some real nice glass from Bryan Babcock and it is now in the bottle!

other news: i am in partnership with a label now called Rogue Cellars. o9 is our first vintage and the Cab is progressing beautifully. recently it made it all the way through malo and the flavors are back! we hit it with sulphur and now it is tucked away to age!

we are targeting 125 cases

Hope all are well out there if anybody reads this. videos to come soon.

Cheers!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHULA!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-26T09:34:00.000-08:00

The time after

2008-12-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

Hello and good tidings!

We were in Santa Maria with family for the Christmas feasting and consuming.

Great day!

the next day i made it to San Luis Obispo for a photo shoot with Mike Sinor and Matt Ortman. It was great to get to be back in the Edna Valley! so beautiful. Also getting to see Mike and Matt again was great! Two people who's wines make any day better.

here is the article that came out today in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

-On the winemaking side;

It is nice and cold these days so the wines are loving it and falling bright.

-Also of note, I have been working on my next feature film project which i am calling: The Angel's Share.

It is a horror film a will star a well known Santa Ynez local. more on this as things progress...

-The New Year is here! hope you find someone and somewhere warm to ring it in!

ALL THE BEST

Good News

2008-12-24T00:36:00.000-08:00

Well i hope you are all having a good holiday time!!!!

Still busy here with life and work. we are starting to get some good press so that is very positive! the holidays are a hard time to get much going, but things are still happening. take a look here at the Pacific Coast Business Times for a nice little piece! also we are getting really positive feedback from people far and wide. so i am quite stoked on this!

Hope you all have safe and wine filled holidays!

All the best,

Rob

Holey days a comin

2008-12-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

Here they come like a rogue train!!!!!! look out. keep arms and legs off the track and bring your wet boots! ha ha

ok ok. hopefully you all will have a family and friend filled time over the next couple of weeks! We are feeling super blessed here. The wedding is over and almost all the bills paid, family will be here soon and our friends are all good.

We just had a great storm here in san diego that brought much needed rain and lots of local snow to Big Bear! My friend Marko, up at bear, just told me last night that it looks like 4+ feet up there so we are off to good start. condolences go out to all those ill affected by the storm though.

DVD sales are doing well and we have just begun the job of getting the public aware!

The film seems to be really connecting with people as the comments are coming in on the blogs and through emails. makes me feel good to see this happening.

so i braved the rain last night to top and taste my 07 and 08 cabs. the o7 is really coming well and it is almost time for me to combine the three barrels one being a new hungarian 36 galloner. this will be my main "oak" source as the other two barrels are neutral the blend is perfect, making roughly a 25% oak influence. just like i like it. no 2x4s to the head. mmmmmmm

also i made a new label (on top) for my 06 sangiovese that we are getting ready to label. Vedova Nera is supposed to be translated in italian as "the black widow" owing the black widow that was living in our fermenter and had to be relieved of her duties., so we named the wine after her. my friend Rick Loos was a partner in the wine and we are very proud of how it came out! Again this wine was from Wolfgang Hallauer's vineyard in the heart of Santa Ynez. great spot!

Well hope you all have good celebrations and hug a couple people you like, maybe even one you don't like and make sure to mutually rub inappropriately someone you really like!

all the best,

rob

Happenin'

2008-12-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
The Cabs and Chardonnay are coming along good. we are getting some cold weather, so i will be saving on the old electric bill for cooling the wine!

The DVD is selling on the site now and interest has been incredible! sales are moving and we have barely started the push. Wes Hagen from Clos Pepe Vineyard did a couple of posts on Robert Parker's forum and we got a nice kick out of it! Very exciting as things start to happen and are in the works for the distribution.

Good News! one of the film's featured winemakers, Kenny Likitprakong from Hobo Wine Company, has left his position of Winemaker at a Russian River winery to concentrate on his own brands and make a go of it. As if that wasn't enough, they have also struck out and partnered in a tasting room venture with Branham Estate Wines in downtown Healdsburg. Along with his sweetheart Lynn and daughter Ida, it is an awesome step in the evolution of their life and wines. Kenny's commitment to unique and incredible vineyards and wines is inspiring and we wish them the best and look forward to the bright future of their family and brands!
The picture above is my girl Jen in one of Kenny's favorite vineyards in the Rockpile AVA, gettin' in on the pick!
Check out the tasting room at 132 PLAZA STREET, downtown Healdsburg.
The tasting room phone number is 707-473-0337

Happy Holidays!

check:
www.fromgroundtoglass.com

Wow Crazy

2008-12-04T10:54:00.001-08:00

Harvest is here and gone!
I got married!
From Ground to Glass is done and DVDs are shipping!!!!!!

i hope you all get a chance to see it, live it, love it!
This year i am making a Cab Sauv again from Estelle Vineyard in Santa Ynez. Bryan Babcock calls the vineyard block, the "Loin" it is a completely different animal from last year, and will be interesting. already it feels like it will be complex and tasty, but much more of a French style to it. already on about 30% oak and falling bright. Also when i was there picking it up i spotted some chardonnay on the crush pad! had to have some to try. Bryan graciously sold me a small amount and i have about 15 gallons cooking i the livingroom! we full cluster pressed it in my #40 press and ran a quick ferment due to the fall heat. now it is cooler and the wine is falling bright and tasting good! more later...
please check out the film! what an oddessy to get to this point!
All the best!

DVD Release!

2008-08-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

The DVD is coming soon! Copies will go out as soon as i get them. we are taking orders on the site. please look for the links on the pages. harvest is coming to! actually already here as i just spoke with winemaker Kenny Likitprakong who was bringing in his first grapes of the year last friday. going to be an interesting year!look for the dvd and thank you for being patient!

on the way back

2008-08-14T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hello,
finally getting back to this after so many months. things have been crazy with my family life. my future wife Jennifer has been charging toward her olympic dreams and has been on the east coast for the US team selection trials. she hoped to make the US Equestrian 3-day Event team, but alas it wasn't to be. from what i understand she missed it by 1 place to be on the team. money and politics, i'd say, but what do i know. 3 day eventing is the toughest equine sport, like a triathlon for horse and rider, and i am so proud of her! i have been back and forth to visit for support and finally i made the drive out with the truck and trailer to bring her and the horse (The Good Witch) home. tough trip, but Go USA!
the film is closer than ever to release and if all goes right will be for sale on the site very soon.
we are closing in on the 08 harvest and i look forward to making more wine this year. since even the last post my "Witch Fire" cab sauv '07 is is doing well and my o6 sangiovese has won the blue ribbon at the san diego county fair!
making of From Ground to Glass has changed my life in more ways than even i expected. well i will have more to talk about when i have news or if any one drops a post.
all the best

From Ground to Glass

2006-11-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

Hello to all, it is just the end of harvest and all went pretty good. for us at least. i have some sangiovese cooking and it looks great so far!
the film is almost ready for DVD and wil be out in January with some advance release copies in December for those on the waiting list. Thank you all for your support and patience! we will be planning a winery tour soon also, so check back. things have been busy here with work, but the film is looking good and the recent response has given me a boost. the film has been polished a bit so expect a something new for those who have seen it! hope all is well for all of you in this holiday season!
Cheers!
Crimson Ghost

Screening in Lompoc

2006-07-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

We have a screening of the film coming up on the 4th of August in Lompoc at the Civic Auditorium for all to come. It will be the kick off night to their "BRUSHES and BLUES" weekend. Check out www.cityoflompoc.com for more info. This is only the third public screening and there is some good buz happening! hope to see you there!

The Crimson Ghost

Mission Screening

2006-06-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

The Film screened on Friday the 9th to a great crowd of just over 200 people at the WINE AND FIRE event created by the Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance. The event was all about passion and the film screening took place in the historic Mission La Purisima's Chapel which was amazing. There was great wine and food and a good vibe was present to make it a beautiful night. nobody fell into the fountains or broke anything, but it was a happy and raucous crowd anyway! the film sceened in a new edited version that was recieved real well!

Crimson Liquid

If you don't Drink or Smoke you won't live longer, it will just seem like it. -Mark Twain

Cheers and Hello!

2006-05-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the From Ground to Glass web log. This will be the place that we can discuss happenings and developments with the film, wine, life and even filmmaking. I look forward to the exchange of good information and ideas!
As of today i am still working on the film, getting it ready for upcoming screenings and an eventual DVD release. I hope to set-up screenings all around California and beyond to where ever wine is poured.
Next month, in conjunction with the Santa Rita Hills Winegrowers Alliance we will have a screening of the film in the chapel of the La Purisima mission on June 9th as a part of their WINE and FIRE celebration. it's a great way to kick off the summer and should be an increadible event. Knowing the winemakers involved, it will be a fun environment with tasty treats and unforgetable wines.
Speaking of the mission location. I hope to also have more sceenings in other missions around California, so if you have any ideas or connections please make them known!
The film has gotten a great response since the Santa Barbara International Film Festival screening! With the changes and additions to the it i hope to continue the good vibe it has created! I will check in often so please ask any questions or make comments as you see fit.
All ye be cheered!
rob