The Boring Stuff Is Done. Now Comes the Fun Part!
This weekend, we rack our wine. If you’ve never watched this happen, picture a hose and a pump, as Scott moves the wine off the sediment it has been resting on since fermentation. It sounds simple. It is also one of the last steps before this wine is ready for a bottle.
A lot has happened behind the scenes to get us here. I spent lots of time behind a desk, returning to my roots as a lawyer, working through trademark filings, licensing, and federal paperwork most people never think about when they open a bottle. Our word mark passed trademark review, and we filed an intent to use application to lock in our rights. We hold a farm micro-winery license under the alternating proprietor model, and have our federal basic permit and bond in place with the TTB. Additionally, all of the New York regulatory paperwork is now in place, enabling us to legally sell our wine.
That’s a lot of invisible, unglamorous background work, but it has to be done. Without it, we can’t sell our wine.
I also worked with our graphic designer on our logo and wine labels. The label for our dry Riesling is finally done, and I’m submitting it to the TTB this week for COLA approval. Once we have that, we can officially put our newly designed labels on the wine. Stay tuned for the big reveal once we have that approval!
Meanwhile, Scott’s going to rack the wine this week, and once that’s done, he’ll filter it, and bottling will occur soon afterward.
We’re so close, and we can hardly believe it! What started as a pie-in-the-sky idea on our honeymoon in 1998—half a joke over a bottle of wine—is practically a reality. The mounds of paperwork and regulatory requirements are nearly complete, and the wine is almost in the bottle.
We’re so glad you decided to join us on this journey, and we cannot wait for what comes next as we turn our dream into your glass of wine!
For the origin of Finger Lakes wine adventures, make sure to check out this post.
Thanks for joining us on this journey! Before you leave, don’t forget to subscribe to our blog, and also check out our Facebook group, Finger Lakes Food and Wine Adventures.
Cheers from the lake!
—Niki
