Shenandoah Cup Gala 2021

The big dogs had a big night out last Friday night…. It seemed fortuitous that Bluestone Vineyard hosted the 3rd annual Shenandoah Cup on a night when Wyatt was having his best friend Gus over for a sleepover. We knew that Mom (Stephanie…

Vine Balance: A Competition in the Vineyard

A few weeks ago, Mom and I were curled up in the living room watching the Olympics. We were both watching Simone Biles do her balance beam routine. Naturally, when I heard that Jesus and Martin were headed to perform some vine balance on the…

Thanksgiving: A Wyatt’s Eye View of Gratitude

Gratitude is a funny thing. On some days it is incredibly hard to find and on others, it seems as if my heart overflows. The really funny thing about gratitude is that the more you have, the more you find - it is a magnet for itself! Despite…

Virginia Governor’s Cup 2020

Guess who showed up in Richmond last week? My mom has no idea that I sneaked in the car to make my own appearance at the Governor’s Cup Gala, but I did! I donned my best suit and snuck right in under everybody’s nose. It may seem like a…

Another Dynamic Duo: Wine & Chocolate

It’s Valentine's Day, and I am especially missing my favorite snuggler. It is always hard to lose a friend, and when you look up to someone like I looked up to Winston, the loss feels even greater. We were almost inseparable and the only time…

Hallielujah! We Have a Sparkling!

Almost all of you know my big brother Winston, but not all of you know that I have another older brother and a few older sisters scattered around the United States (and world!). I don’t get to see them very often, but when I do, I cover them…

Structure: Not Just for Buildings!

Boy, oh boy, over Christmas, Mom and Dad went on a vacation, and the three of us boys had the adventure of a lifetime!  Ryland, Winston, and I invited Erin and her daughter Halla to stay with us for the two weeks our parents were gone, and…

Wyatt’s Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,  I’ve always tried to be a good boy, but sometimes it is hard because there are so many fun things to get into. Earlier today, I wanted to show Winston what a good boy I had been, so I pounced on him while he was taking a nap…

‘Tis the Season for Giving Thanks!

One of the most wonderful aspects of Thanksgiving Day is that it prompts everyone takes a minute or two to list some of the things they are grateful for in their lives. With a wonderful life like mine, it isn’t hard to list all of the people…

Shenandoah Cup 2019

Man oh man, Friday night was a good time! We had to wait until Mom and Dad left for the Shenandoah Cup before we could call UberDog to come pick us up, but as soon as they were out the door, so were we! We both wore our very best black tie attire…

Soak It All In: Maceration Methods for Winemaking

Winston, here!  I sure am glad that all the hard work of monitoring Mom and Jacob as they picked grapes off our vines is over.  Watching over Wyatt already keeps my paws full, and I barely had any time for napping when I had to oversee…
Look at the shadows to see this glass of Cabernet Franc showing its legs.

Wine Legs – What Can They Teach You?

Winston here!  I took a few weeks break from writing this so Wyatt could take his own turn at blogging, and so I could turn my attention to harvest.  Good news! All of our grapes except ⅔ of our Chambourcin crop have been harvested and have…
Wyatt laying in the grass.

Winston’s Words of Wisdom for Wyatt

Oh boy! Winston told me yesterday that this time of year is when you wait, wait, wait for the grapes to be ready to harvest.  He said he was too busy to sit down and write today because between watching me grow and the grapes ripen that…

Fining Agents in Wine

Today, Mom received a call in the tasting room that made me think twice.  Someone was calling to ask if our wines were vegan, and Mom ensured the person that all of our wines are vegan.  Then she mentioned that we don’t use egg…

From Veraison to Harvest

Vidal grapes and Cabernet Franc grapes growing side by side. Right now is an exciting time at the vineyard, and you don’t have to look far to see the changes.  No, it’s not Wyatt that I am talking about. It’s pretty exciting…

Veraison – The Small, but Mighty, Change in the Grapes!

I don’t know if you’ve seen my new little brother, but Wyatt has some pretty big paws to grow into and not just physically.  As I slow down, I am making sure to teach Wyatt everything I know about grapes, vineyards, wines, and (most…

Minerality?! What Does This New Term Mean?

Now, I know I am no expert in this world of wine. My specialty is more along the lines of being able to sniff out who has the good food stashed in their coolers, but I have done a lot of research and a lot of listening around the tasting room. …

What Makes a Wine Considered Sweet?

If you’ve stopped by the vineyard and met me, I don’t think there is any denying that I am the sweetest thing all around, but after me, there are a few other sweet items in our tasting room.  Our name itself gives you a hint of the sweetness…

A Spring in my Step, and Clusters on my Vines!

I may be an old fellow and slowing down a bit, but there is one thing I will never get tired of: springtime! Sure, I let those bunnies hop through my yard without barking at them as much, and I haven’t chased too many skunks this year (Mom…

Wine Tasting 102

It’s that time of year again for lazy sunny days spent cruising the countryside, driving from one vineyard to another, drinking delicious wine, and petting incredibly handsome dogs (ahem!).   Sometimes people are visiting a winery for…

Springtime in the Vineyard!

Oh boy, oh boy!  Spring is my favorite time of year.  The country air is always full of good smells: flowers, freshly cut grass, manure being spread over the fields, and burger being grilled for dinner.  I could tell you which one of those…

Contains Sulfites?! What does this mean?

Last week I heard someone asking Mom why there were sulfites in our wine.  They were lamenting that the European wine they had recently enjoyed on vacation said nothing about sulfites on that label, but all American wines list “contains…

No Corkscrew? No Problem!

Last month my mom left me for over 2 weeks!  Can you imagine that? 14 long days without her to follow around and wait for her to give me the best ear rubs anyone can give?  I was morose. I did nothing but mope while my dad tried to love…

2019 Governor’s Cup Gala

In the Virginia wine world, February means something very exciting. No, it is not my birthday month.  That is August, just in case you are wondering, and I wear a size yummy in treats. What February is known for is that it is the month when…

The Making of Dessert Wines

It’s hard to believe that our vineyard finally has something on the menu that is as sweet as I am.  When we released our dessert style Petit Manseng, Lil Em, last week, I have to admit that I didn’t know a lot about dessert style wines. …

A Perfect Wine Glass?

Boy, oh boy- I have missed this keyboard.  Before I talk to you about the importance of using a wine glass when drinking wine, I wanted to catch you up on my last month.  Several weeks ago, I had a sore toe. I licked it until it felt better,…

Winston’s Gratitude Post

I was sitting down in front of the fire with my mom and her laptop the other night, and as we were scrolling through Facebook, I noticed some of the gratitude posts that other folks were posting.  That got me thinking that I have so much…

Harvest Time!

I know at least some of you saw the harvesting fun that we had over the past few weeks. For us folks in the wine industry, the harvest is the culmination of a year’s worth of hard work pruning and training vines, examining and treating…

Wine Tasting 101

Boy, oh boy, have we been busy here at Brix & Columns.  Hurricane Florence was scheduled to bring a deluge of water to the Shenandoah Valley, and Jeanette didn’t want to risk letting the grapes stay on the vines.  Mom, Gene, and…

Field Trip Day!!!

Oh boy, oh boy, yesterday was an exciting day here at the vineyard.  All of the staff came over after closing hours for a bit of on-site training.  The field trip started with a reminder to all staff that, due to recent treatments, they…

Shocking News About Wine!

When Mom and Dad brought home a load of Cabernet Franc last month, I kept hearing them talk about bottle shock…  What in the world?! The only thing I want to be shocking about the wine coming from Brix & Columns is how delicious it…

Petit Manseng

If there is a wine that has been the talk of the tasting room lately, it is our Petit Manseng.  I hear people talking about how delicious it is and how they have never heard of that varietal before.  Fact be told, people are talking about…

Wine Diamonds!

Let it be known that an old dog can always learn new tricks!  The other night, Mom and Dad had just popped open a bottle of our newest white wine, Petit Manseng, and I heard them start talking about the wine diamonds.  What?! Diamonds…

Kerus Red Wine

Once you have realized that I am not a Holstein calf or a miniature horse, you don’t have to look very hard to see that I am a big, loving dog with a large, welcoming heart.  Even with all of the loving and giving that I dole out at the…

Bud Break Bonanza!!!

You know what they say! It's a dog's life! I know I have it good, I've got a mom and dad who love me very much, I've got rolling hills of land to run around on, and I even have my own blog. You might think that it couldn't get better than that,…

The Benefits of Stainless Steel

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I got so excited to tell you about our Rosé release that I completely forgot to do the final follow-up to my barrel series! The final type of barrel that I wanted to tell you about was the stainless steel barrel. Now…

Rosé All Day!!

When Mom and Dad came home from church on Sunday and had a dozen roses, I just knew they were for me. I had been such a good boy all weekend through all of our events, and at that moment I knew they had recognized my good behavior. Now I know…

French, European, and American – What Does It All Mean?

Although many dogs think that trees are good for only one or two things (mainly for making branches that can be carried and tossed), a sophisticated winery dog like me knows that trees have a very special place in our industry.  In my last…

Intro to Barrels

I might be a silly dog sometimes, but even I am not so silly to think that wine barrels are just made for us vineyard dogs to sit on and look pretty. (Pictured above is Kelly from Windy Ridge Winery in Victoria, Australia)  I’ve heard plenty…

Virginia Governor’s Cup

Mom and Dad are super excited about attending some wine gala in a few weeks.  I took a peek at the invitation and saw that it was for the 2018 Virginia Governor's Cup.  Now you know me and my research - I just couldn’t stand knowing about…

Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine Gala Recap

Yesterday was one for the books.  Well, not for me really.  I actually just got to mope around the house all day long missing my Mom and my Dad, expected to exist on food and water but no cuddles and nobody calling me a good boy.  I was so…

Wine Capsules

Since I already told you about the bottles and corks that we use here at Brix & Columns, I figured the natural progression was to talk about the capsules on the tops of the bottles.  That’s right folks, those pesky wrappings that you…

All About Corks

If your house is anything like mine, a few weeks ago you heard plenty of corks popping when the clock struck midnight - something about celebrating a new year.  All the popping made me wonder what makes them make such a loud sound AND why are…

Bottle Basics

Man, oh, man!  The youngest of my sisters (Emma) just got home and she has been wrapping up a storm.  She hasn’t put labels on ALL of the gifts under the tree, yet, but I am almost certain that they are mostly for me.  I have been a very…

Mulled Wine

It is my favorite time of year.  Mom and Dad have put up our Christmas trees, there is a chill in the air, and each evening ends with me curled by the fireplace.  The other evening, as I performed my usual sleepytime ritual of bringing my…

Six Penny Post Script

If you were ever looking for a glass of delicious, you will find it in a bottle of port-style wine.  Take special notice of the “style” after the word port.  Port is a style of wine that originated in Portugal.  Traditionally made from…

Cabernet Franc

While not nearly as well known as its genetic offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc has earned its own fame and with due cause.  Established in the Libournais region of France, Cabernet Franc grapes were nurtured under an abbot named…

Chardonnay

As one of the most widely grown grapes in the world, Chardonnay has a history as rich and varied as the wines that it produces.  Propagated throughout France by the Cistercian monks, Chardonnay officially became a Burgundy grape when it was…

Petit Verdot

If you are anything like my human brother Taylor, your mouth will start to water at the mere mention of the wine: Petit Verdot.  It has been his favorite since he first tried our lineup in the tasting room.  It was one of the first varietals…

Viognier

Winston here….  As I was loping through the vines yesterday, I started to think about how much I know about each of our varietals, and I decided I should write a few blogs telling you all the facts and quirks I know about the grapes we have…

It’s Harvest Time!

Oh boy, oh boy, we are right in the midst of my newest favorite time of the year: harvesting season!  We might not have many vines that are producing grape bunches right now, but Mom and I have been practicing checking for all the signs of…

Vinifera v. Hybrid

Every evening, I get to go on one of my favorite adventures.  Mom and I (and sometimes Dad) go walking across our property and through the vineyards.  There are all sorts of delicious smells in the air from the creatures that I share Six Penny…

What Are These Brix, Anyway?

Welcome to my blog!  My name is Winston and you may see me hanging out here at Brix and Columns as I am the winery dog. They even put me on the back of the bottle!  I know a lot of you have the same questions about me, so I’d like to start…