RETIREMENT HOBBY

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What better way to celebrate retirement than to develop a wine making hobby.  Rex makes wine in the garage and is known to have taken over the kitchen on more than one occasion.  Barbara is the official taster (quality control) and label maker.  We make wine of professional quality but cannot sell it because we don't have a license.  Rex has been asked to be the winemaker at several commercial wineries in the United States, New Zealand and Australia but he's not interested.  He says it would take the fun out of retirement.  Rex has a white wine partner, George Rammell, and when they enter competitions they call themselves The Old Duffers.

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We do not grow any grapes, unless you want to count the one wild vine on the hill that one year Rex used the fruit to make a rose'.  But we do grow the fruit for our award winning elephant heart plum wine on the two trees in the backyard.  We get our grapes in a variety of ways ---  we pick the fruit, we pay to have the fruit picked,  we get crushed fruit in our garbage can fermenters, or fruit juice in 5 gallon carboys (already crushed & destemmed), frozen berries from the farmer's market, or fresh peaches from friends and family. 

Three Golden Bears are awarded for Best of Show wines at the annual California State Fair.  For the last 3 years, we have won 6 of the 9 bears.  Should we start a zoo?

2006:  BOS White  (2004 Yakima Valley Viognier)

2006:  BOS Other  (2005 Muscat Canelli Ice Wine

2007:  BOS White  (2006 Viognier Old Duffers)

2007:  BOS Other   (2005 Peach)

2008:  BOS White  (2007 Sauvignon Blanc - Old Duffers

2008:  BOS Other  (2006 Sparkling - Old Duffers)