Latest news from the road...Shannon Ridge wine news.

Wow, time flys when building a brand. Lot's of street work, meeting customers, working with distributor sales representatives, travel and yes, a lot of wine tasting. So without further adieu, here's the latest and greatest in a nut shell.

• We are at our 4 year plan in 2 years, we have now hired Kathy Brock and Carolina Gasman for the Northern California and Southern California markets as well as some surrounding states.


• We welcome aboard Blythe Beaubein who came to us from our Public Relations firm. Blythe brings a wealth of experience that we will all benefit from...look for some really great things soon.


• Joe Cumberland is now on the ranch (all 2600 lbs of him), some people have rescue greyhounds, we have a rescue bull.


• Sheep are now up to 90 head.


• Horse count is 3


• Dog count is 3


• Grape count is now 720 acres


• 2007 Chardonnay, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. 2007 Viognier and 2007 Roussanne now being shipped. Sauvignon Blanc is now in the clear glass and the package looks incredible.


• We've just begun a relationship with The Cliffs Communities with a Shannon Ridge "Holdenried Ranch" Chardonnay and "The Cliffs Red Cuvee" wines. The wines should be shipping next two weeks. Please visit their website, this is a special place and very special people.


• Virginia distribution is now in full swing with Service Distributing Company. Product was very well received in the market and the brand continues to grow despite the economy.


• John Girty, Kevin Conboy and I spent a week working the Florida markets in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. Made many new placements and friends along the way.


• Clay met me in Atlanta last week (his first time to Georgia) and we spent the day working with Dave Mason from Quality Wine & Spirits. Highlight of the day was when Cork wine shop was so blown away by our 2006 Chardonnay that they bought 10 cases on the spot. We had dinner with Joe Best, President of Quality. He had us meet him at Muss & Turner, a great boutique restaurant for some good food and wine (Shannon Ridge of course). Next day was spent with Wine educator and writer, Jane Garvey and then over to Quality to work with Scott Cochran making some good presentations and gaining commitments for future placements in the stores around Atlanta.


• Clay and I left Atlanta for the drive back to Charlotte for a good nights sleep and off the next day for the Historic Beaufort, NC Wine & Food Festival. Jessica Ferrari, our representative from Empire Distributors had been very busy selling Shannon Ridge before we arrived. She had sold over 40 cases before we arrived so we spent our time going around and meeting the customers that are helping to build the brand. Clay signed bottles and shook hands...life is good. That evening we participated in a Chocolate and Wine pairing using our 2006 Barbera and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon along with artisian home made chocolate flavors like chili, coffee bean, sea salt etc. Guests had a great time and we sold the Cru Wine shop out of Barbera and Cabernet.
  

Clay Shannon explaining the unique growing area in Lake County as Tom Kaiser listens during the wine & cheese seminar as part of the Beaufort Wine & Food Festival.

Beaufort is a great town full of friendly folks, history and fun. Gaskill's Hardware is over 102 years old and full of stories and just about anything you might need. Ask for Grey, the owner and tell him Shannon Ridge sent you in. OK, out the door for some more sales calls in Asheville, NC this week. Off to Miami next week for more successful placements

Unique Shannon Ridge wine by the glass program.

Bradenton Beach, Florida
April, 10, 2008

Special thanks to Steve Soboleski at Opici Wine Company of Florida for helping to put this program together.

The Sun House Restaurant & Bar
111 Gulf Drive South
Bradenton Beach, Florida 34217
www.thesunhouserestaurant.com

Starting May 1, 2008, The Sun House will be featuring Shannon Ridge wines by the glass with a unique concept for a table tent. No table tent will be used. Instead, volcanic rocks from the vineyards of Shannon Ridge will be hand selected by owner Clay Shannon and his son Ivan. The rocks (size of a softball to baseball) will simply be set on the table top as a "Conversation starter" says Chris Fielder, General Manager of The Sun House. Chris goes on further to explain: "If we had a traditional table tent with the wines printed on it with prices, our servers would never get to make the presentation about what makes this place and the wines so great". "With the rocks on the table, guests are sure to ask what that is and why it is on the table". "This provides a perfect opportunity to make the presentation".

Please visit The Sun House during May, 2008 and order up your glass of Shannon Ridge......giddy up!

Shannon Ridge Vineyards exciting news!

04.08.2008

Beyond Grapes and Wine in Lake County
Two projects planned to bring greater exposure north of Napa

by Paul Franson

Rolling Knolls

Lower Lake, Calif. -- Two recent developments in Lake County could lead to much higher visibility for the lesser-known North Coast winegrowing region, which is seeking a critical mass of destinations to attract more visitors.Clay Shannon, who already owns Shannon Ridge Vineyards & Winery above Clearlake Oaks, has acquired the picturesque Rolling Knolls vineyard in the town of Lower Lake, and he plans to develop a recreational village on the property. Meanwhile, Langtry Estate and Vineyard has a new president who plans development including a trade-oriented recreational area, as well as wines.These developments are at the opposite end of Clear Lake, California's largest natural lake, from Jim Fetzer's Ceago del Lago, which already is creating buzz within the county.Shannon's latest acquisition includes approximately 240 acres of vineyards, two small cottages and an old walnut dehydrating structure. They will be converted into a tasting room, wine shop and gourmet deli. Shannon also plans to develop the property into a mixed-use destination for visitors to Lake County. He's working with St. Helena-based architect Carlo Di Fede of Triad Design Studio for an European-style community to include private guest cottages, a rustic tasting room, picnic facilities and dining patios, a stone chapel, recreational grounds, hiking trails and public restrooms."I want to create an old-world experience in wine country, just two and a half hours north of the San Francisco Bay Area," Shannon said. "This will be a destination location for wine aficionados, outdoor recreation enthusiasts and nature lovers. My goal is to preserve that land while offering visitors a unique experience in Lake County."The property backs up to the Anderson Marsh wetlands and park, public land owned by the state of California and accessible to visitors.Shannon also is working with the Lake County planning commission to develop a new winery on the property. His wines are now made at a facility in Napa County. He acquired the Rolling Knolls vineyard from the Greer family of Fremont, Calif., who owned the property since 1992.Shannon Ridge already has a tasting room for its wines. In June 2007, Shannon opened a renovated tasting room in a historic one-room schoolhouse on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks. Adjacent to the tasting room, the winery also completed the construction of a "vinegarden" and picnic table, which allows visitors to relax in a park-like setting while enjoying Shannon Ridge wines.Shannon is a well-known grower in Napa and Lake counties. He and his wife, Margarita, purchased 420 acres that included steep volcanic mountain vineyards in High Valley in 1995; they later expanded into making wine.The new vineyard is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Sauvignon Blanc. Shannon will farm the property and plans to sell its fruit to other wineries. He commented that the Shannon Ridge wine brand is quickly expanding, and fruit from the Rolling Knolls vineyard will be used for future vintages of Shannon Ridge wines.For more informat ion about Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Winery, visit shannonridge.com.





415.453.9700 Fax: 415.453.2517info@winesandvines.com

A little note from Clay Shannon

Just received this email last night and thought it needed to be shared. I talked to Clay last night as he was finishing up a walk with the family through the vineyards. As I was driving home late from a tasting through the rain and traffic in Charlotte, I realized even more what a special place Clay and Margarita have developed in Lake County....everyone reading this should visit Shannon Ranch...the sooner the better.

From Clay:

"Ahhh , spring at shannon ridge, If you have not been here during this time of the year, you need to plan a trip. The weather mid 70s day, night 30s with frost daily. Snow on the mountains, frogs are croaking at the pond and the ducks are chasing each other around trying to get a little. All the oak trees are starting to grow and dropping yellow pollen all over the place. Wild flowers all over the place. Because we do very little weedspray we are starting to get a lot of California poppies growing all over the avenues. Even the buck brush and manzanita is blooming. All the grass on the hills is lush green and the vines are starting to grow. Budbreak here is way behind napa as we are in the mountains, much cooler here. Sunday it was in the low 60s in Sonoma county and napa and we had a high here that day of 46. our fire place still is going every night. Cumberland is taming down a little , I can touch him now. we wil have to sell more wine because that guy eats a bale of hay a week.
We are planting a few olive orchards on the ranch and lining some of our roads with olives. We will make olive oil some day.

Met with the county today at the rolling knolls vineyard ( I think we are going to call it “Maverick Ranch or wrangler ranch”), they said we can do whatever we want there as far as tasting rooms cottages and entertainment stuff. They will grease all the wheels for us to get any permit we want, I think.
That property truly is a trophy for us. If anyone likes turtle soup, come this way as there has to be a million turtles in that reservoir. I have never seen anything like it.

Anyhow not to be too talky, but it is truly gorgeous up here now. See you all soon.

Joey, Kim , please pass this on to wawnita and the tasting room staff.

PS, Joeys tasting room sales are up 35 % so far in feb and march, and we are shooting for 50% this month."