APRIL

DID YOU KNOW. . . that last Fall the State Liquor Authority informed me that I would no longer be able to sell to my customers my award-winning homemade Sangria?
        Apparently, some fine, upstanding citizen felt responsible, or important enough, to report me to the State. Actually, I thought it was a joke especially since I've been making Sangria on the weekends for 28 years! They asked me for the recipe, which I immediately supplied. When they saw that I usually add a small amount of Triple Sec or Blackberry Brandy, they searched the winery looking for the additional alcohol. Of course there wasn't any here -- I make the Sangria in the kitchen of my house. They left with the warning to not sell Sangria any longer.
        They knew I was livid. Now, think about this for a moment. . . with all the disasterous, and longterm, effects left by the Covid mandates, the horrible mess we're in with the border invastion, existing wars and pending new ones, NYS has to send out two agents to check under my counters, etc., to look for a minute amount of alcohol added to my 28-year history of El Paso Winery Sangria!
        The following week, one of the agents called to tell me I could continue making Sangria, but I must use NYS brandy.
        Forgive me for saying this but, if you refuse to hear the whisper, don't worry, you'll hear the scream.

                                           MARCH 2024
         HAPPILY RE-OPENING ON THURSDAY, MARCH 1st  

DID YOU KNOW. . . well, maybe you didn't but I'm still here at the winery and looking forward to Thursday, March 21st. That's the Spring re-opening date at El Paso Winery! So, If you're wondering what happened, you'll just have to stop in for some FREE tastes to find out. Just kidding. Spring's almost here, the juices are flowing, and I don't want to waste one minute.

I know it's too early but I've already started planting seedlings. I do this every year, then throw them out, then drive down to Mountainview Nursery and purchase way too many young plants. . . I guess I just can't wait to play in the dirt. Although, I may not plant in dirt this year. I'm thinking straw bales! I did it once before and it's really cool (absolutely no weeding, disease, bugs, etc.) If you're interested, stop in for some of those FREE tastings I mentioned, and we'll talk.

I think having a garden again this year is one of the reasons I'm so happy to be staying here this summer. My house in New Jersey (where I'll be living when I retire) sits on a 50' x 100' lot. No grass, just white pebbles -- no garden.

Anyway, I'm still here and can't wait to say "come on in and have a taste"!

JANUARY 2024

DID YOU KNOW. . . that I'll be back just in time for Easter! You heard me right when I said "I" because the buyers decided to back out of the sale right before closing. But, no worries, everyone that comes here all the time knows how sad I was about leaving. So, if you're not tired of this old lady, come on back and let's start up right where we left off.

Sadly, they'll miss the fun, the laughs, and especially the good wine that's here. Oh, well, life throws those curves once in awhile. So I decided to stay a little longer to be with all the old friends and new ones too for as long as the good Lord sees fit.

                                            See you in the Spring, Maryl

SEPTEMBER

JUST SO YOU KNOW. . . the winery will be closed until Saturday, September 9th -- hopefully. I'm having minor back surgery on the 6th and should be fine by the 9th. But, please don't be disappointed when you notice some of your favorites are not available. I haven't been able to lift, etc., for awhile but I should be able to start processing in a few weeks. So, if you're traveling any distance to visit the winery, you might want to call ahead at 845-331-8642 and check this website for availability. I'll be updating it as soon as I get back down in the cellar.

Also, DID YOU KNOW. . . that my outstanding Pinot Noir is on sale right now for $22.00? And, in case you didn't know, El Paso Winery is FOR SALE? Yes, it's time. Everyone knew the time was coming especially since Jerry's passing. But, to be sure, I'm still here and remember, there's always Plan B. Plan B is to CLOSE for the season like I do, and RETURN next Easter!

I keep telling myself that there's another chapter in these bones. The problem is. . . I just don't know when that chapter starts. Maryl

                                                             JULY

DID YOU KNOW. . . that El Paso Winery is FOR SALE and happily still open for business.

Folks around here have known for years that Jerry and I planned on retiring to our little beach house. That was before "Sandy" took those plans and our little house out to sea. So, we did what most folks would do, we came back every Spring and re-opened the winery. We didn't make many plans after that. We just kept returning every April. That was until our kids, and their kids realized how much the sand and surf was in their bones. So, they all got together and "guilted" Jerry to consider building another house there. . . and we did, actually, we all did.

Of course at lot has happened since then. We have another house now, a different house at the beach. But my best memories are still with the little "shack". 

One really nice thing is that for the first time ever, the whole family can be there enjoying the sun, sand, and surf. The only really sad thing is that Jerry passed away over two years ago and never got to enjoy his retirement there.

Everything considered though, life is good and it's now time for me to start a new chapter. So, until then, I'm still here, although mostly "in the cellar" -- Thursdays thru Sundays, 1 - 6pm.

Oh, and before I forget, all my wines that were produced last year are still being sold at last year's prices! Sadly, inflation has finally hit the winery, and me too.

             Hope to see you soon, Maryl

                                                        MARCH 2023

DID YOU KNOW. . . that the FREE tasting room and winery will re-open for the season on Saturday, April 1st at 1PM? That's right, and I can't wait! Actually, what I mean to say is that I'm ready, REALLY ready to turn the page on 2022 and move on!

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP:

Granddaughter #3 called the other day to check on me, (that in itself was a surprise) and asked what I was doing. I said, "actually, you interrupted me. I was writing my book. Yup, and the title is "death by water". She said, "you've got to be kidding, Nanny. I didn't know you were writing a book." "Well, right now I'm just in the fact stage. You see, Isabel, it all started in September." "So, I woke up one morning to. . . NO WATER! No water for my coffee. No water for my shower. No water for flushing, and no water in the winery!" OK, Jerry, what would you do? Call the plumber. OK, great idea, but I don't know a plumber. In desperation, I called my "new best friend", a young Latino carpenter guy that's been doing some work for me. He came right over, checked everything out and said he thought there might be a burst pipe somewhere because both the house and barn were well over 100 years old. OMG, where to start? Guess what he did? He went over to my well house, knelt down, put his ear to the ground and said, "I think it's here". A short time later after digging a ditch about two feet deep, water was gushing. A short time after that, he had replaced that very old pipe that had a very big hole. Amazing.

About 2 weeks later I was moving along and thinking everything was just fine. I got up that morning, and. . . NO WATER! NO WATER AGAIN? OK, Jerry, I know, I know, call the young Latino guy. Over he came but we both were stumped. Where could the leak be this time? We were standing by the well house and I happen to look up at the house. There it was -- water was gushing from below the front windows! Apparently, after fixing the first leak, the pressure was so great, it burst another pipe, but this time IN THE HOUSE! A short time later, quite a large hole was cut in my beautiful 10" wide white pine floor and another pipe was replaced. I'm still waiting for the floors to be sanded and refinished. "It's not funny, Isabel."

Fast forward as they say, and it's cold, very cold. I get up and. . . you guessed it. This time NO WATER AND NO HEAT! I ran into the cellar and noticed there was quite a bit of water seeping from the boiler. Thank God, and by word of mouth, I now had the name of a plumber. I'll call him Plumber#1. He actually arrived pretty soon thereafter. "Uh oh", he said. It must be the hot water tank. Three days later I had a shiny new one.

Two days after that, there was still a bit of water running out of the boiler. Obviously I called Plumber#1 again. He said, "Really? Hmm, I guess it must be the boiler this time. And, that's a bummer because there's no way I  can get over in the next few days". (Remember the 12 degrees below zero days?) You guessed it. So, I called another plumber that he recommended. I'll call him Plumber#2. He sent someone over pretty quickly to measure. The following day Plumber #2 returned my call and said, "lady, that's a special order boiler and there's no way I'd be able to install a new one for at least 3 weeks!"

And here's where Jerry, little Owen, my guardian angel, or some much higher being felt sorry for me and sent a TRUE angel and, he wasn't even a PLUMBER. He was some kind of mechanic named Phil. All I know is that he came, he looked the situation over, he came back with a new boiler, AND INSTALLED IT THE NEXT DAY! And, he did it all by himself!

So, about a day after the boiler install that I was talking to Isabel again. I told her I was going over to the winery one more time to check on the temperature -- just to be on the safe side. It was late. I was in my slippers. I threw on an old jacket and walked over. I opened the door and before I could put the lights on, WATER POURED OUT! Totally soaking me and my bare slippered feet. It appeared to be gushing from the loft but how could that be? There aren't water pipes up there. After I gained by senses, I could see that the faucets in the little sink were blown off and iced cold water was shooting up  -- not pouring down. I thought I remembered everything Jerry had taught me about how to close down the winery before winter set in so that pipes wouldn't freeze. Oh, well. . . just one more thing -- my washer/dryer gave up the ghost the other day.

I think I'll take the next bus out of town.

I'm still keeping the faith and trying to giggle along the way. . .

                                                     DECEMBER 2022
                 
DID YOU KNOW (Cont'd.)
that. . . all my sweet wines are on sale right now for 10% OFF the original price? If you're interested, please check my wine list right here on my website because some are already gone and some are almost gone for the season. I'll be in the cellar starting tomorrow doing the "wine thing" but with limited bottles (the continuing supply chain issue), I'm not sure if I'll be able to do all that I'm out of already.

The first three wines scheduled for production are Black Bear, Rosebud and Ruby Red. If I'm lucky, I'll have these three and, who knows, if I'm really, really lucky, I'll be able to produce more before Christmas and closing for the season on New Years' Eve.

Once again, thanks for understanding and Merry, Merry Christmas. . . see you in the Spring!

                                                                               Maryl                                                SEPTEMBER 2022
         SALE! MELLOW RED -- $13.50 and WHITE RIESLING -- $17.10

DID YOU KNOW. . . that it's still Sangria time? Well, if you've been to El Paso Winery, you already know -- if it's the weekend, it's Sangria time!

So, if you're interested, check out my website for my very basic Sangria recipe or just search around on the internet. There's so many, it's really hard to choose. I'm always experimenting. Last weekend's Sangria was made with my delicately dry white, Seyval Blanc. I called it Pineapple/Vodka Sangria! You can guess the rest. . .  

Here's a little note to anyone who might be interested in what this devasting drought is doing to our New York State grapes. I'm a proud Farm Winery and although I don't grow grapes here, I'm required by law to use 100% NYS grapes. Therefore, I too, am greatly concerned. What is being rumored is that some vineyards have already started harvesting their grapes. At this point, I don't know what the resulting juice will be but it's only logical to me that if the sugar levels are where they should be at normal harvest, why not do it now? My fear is that we might experience what happened to my tomatoes could happen to the grapes.

So, please, I'm asking everyone to unite on one thing -- save water, drink wine. Yay!

                                                                                                     Maryl

                                     JUNE
                     SANGRIA "RED" ON SALE

DID YOU KNOW. . . it's summer, so it must be Sangria time! And that means I'll be making my fresh, homemade Sangria almost every weekend. And, because I have 2 sweet reds and 3 sweet whites right now, I decided to switch off for the next couple weekends. Ruby Red is first on my list. This one will be made with that classic sweet lambrusco that my granddad used to make. I'll use it for my classic, fruity (I mean really fruity) Sangria.

Come on by and have a couple tastes for FREE! Remember, FREE is good!

Don't forget! The winery is open for FREE tastings every Thursday - Sunday, 1 to 6pm.

I'll be staying open a little later on Friday and Saturday nights sometime in July. I'll keep you posted.

                                                                     Maryl

 

MAY 2022

DID YOU KNOW. . . that I'm out of the cellar? Well, for a short while anyway. I do want folks to know that Black Bear is back! And, it's on sale for $18.00! Hope it's ready for tasting this weekend.

Remember, "resting" after processing is pretty important but letting the wine "breathe" might be more important. So, if it's "new in the bottle" there's a few things you can do. First, you could pour it robustly into a mayonnaise jar (this is called aeration), you could open the bottle and then leave the room for 1/2 hour, or you could pour yourself a glass right away, drink it, and then notice how nice the second glass is. So, no matter which option you choose -- just let it breathe.

Don't forget that everything still in the cellar from last season is being sold at last seasons' price.

And, in case you forgot, my tastes are FREE. FREE is good.

                                                                          Maryl

 APRIL 2022

 DID YOU KNOW . . . that we're open? Well, somewhat -- but I'm stuck.

Over the winter months I always remove any unfinished wine from the  previous season that's waiting to be processed and bottled. And, here's where the problem begins -- there were no bottles! Oh, I could get bits and pieces, some green here but no clear, some 1.5L green bottles there but no 1.5L clear. OK, I get it. They're probably floating around out on San Francisco Bay somewhere. So, I decided to wait until I could complete a six pallet order. I'll never know if that was a smart idea because my usual shipping costs were approximately $350.00 but when they finally did arrive the cost was $625.00! To make matters worse, each empty case of plain, old bottles (no punted bottoms here) has increased by almost $2.00!

Forgive me. I know we're all feeling the pain but I still want my customers to know that although I'm almost out of wine to sell, anything that's left in the cellar from last season will be sold at last seasons' price.

This may not put a smile on everyone's face but, keep the faith, my wines will be back -- a little pricier and I'll be back -- a little older.

MARCH 2022
The winery will open for the season on April 1st. Stop by for a "FREE" wine tasting! 

FEBRUARY 2022

THE TASTING ROOM IS CLOSED FOR THE SEASON
NOTE: Important information about El Paso Winery. See below.

SOMETHING TO THING ABOUT!
I'm sure everyone is aware of the uncertainty in the economy and the inability to prepare for what's ahead in 2022. This being said, I'd like to offer all my wines still "in the cellar" at 2021 prices until sold out. If you are interesed in picking up your favorite wines at 2021 prices while it lasts, call me at 845-331-8642. If I don't answer, just leave your name and number. I'll call back as soon as I return.
Sadly though, as with every other business in the U.S., there is no way to predict what will happen in 2022. The only thing I can be certain of is that my suppliers will be increasing their pricing to me. I'm hearing rumors but won't know the true impact until I start production in the next few weeks.

As a country, we've all been through a lot but, hopefully, some of us will survive. So, if you continue to 'hang in there', I'll 'hang in there' with you.

DID YOU KNOW. . . I'm holding 2021 pricing until the cellar is sold out. Call me anytime at 845-331-8642. If I don't pick up, leave your name and number and I'll call back as soon as I return.

                                     NOVEMBER 2021
                   DECK'S STILL OPEN! COME ON OVER!
                          THURSDAY - SUNDAY, 1-6PM

DID YOU KNOW. . . I'm "in the cellar" as usual this time of year. And everyone in the production end is FRAZZLED! Having said that, it actually means we're all cranky. So, besides cleaning out the warehouse for my bottle delivery, ordering labels, corks, filter pads, getting my lab ready, etc., etc., -- I'M ON FIRE! No, that's not the truth; I actually need a nap.

So, please forgive me for being late this month. And if you stop in to the winery for some FREE tastes, I promise not to be cranky.

OK, so I won't promise. Hope to see you soon, Maryl

                                   SEPTEMBER 2021
                        DECK'S OPEN! COME ON OVER!

DID YOU KNOW. . . I'm having an "end of summer" sale with my 3 very special rosés?

I popped up from "the cellar" for a few minutes to tell everyone about them. First on the list is Rosebud. This super crisp rosé is dry, really dry! And, it's quite complex. I say this because it's made with 4 distinct grapes. If you ask me, I'll tell you about this special blend.

Second is Claudia's Kiss. If I remember correctly, I think I created this when granddaughter No. 3 came along. Although my Claudia is special too, this Claudia is made with a unique sweet grape called Catawba. 

And lastly, I just finished blending this lovely semi-dry called Riverboat Rose. I really love this one and can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Stop in anytime for some FREE tastes. I'd love to introduce you to these 3 "pink" ladies.

                                                                   Maryl

JULY 2021
DID YOU KNOW. . . that both Rieslings are on sale right now? Well, It's the time of year that these two beauties are offered at the amazing price of $15.30.

And, if you've never been to El Paso Winery, you may not know that we have a really big and beautiful deck where folks come on by to relax with their favorite glass or bottle of El Paso wine.

El Paso Winery may not be for everyone because. . . we don't have events nor do we have a restaurant or cafe. BUT we always have "finger foods" or you can order out to be delivered here). You can even "bring your own" but there will be a deck fee. Only El Paso wine is allowed on the premises.

Here's what we do have at El Paso Winery. . . we have FUN! We have great wines (maybe some of the best in the valley); we have the lovely deck with an even more lovely view of the mountains and sunset; we have quiet background music (or, maybe not so quiet); we have no chaos (well, sometimes there's a little), we love it if you bring your dog, a blanket and pick up a bottle of El Paso wine to enjoy on the grounds.

El Paso wine is the only beverage allowed on the premises and our picnic tables are for our patrons only.

JUNE 2021
DID YOU KNOW. . . that my dry, really dry and quite complex, Rosebud, is on sale for $12.88?

And, do you know why those "experts", who know everything there is to know about white and rosé wines, say to bring these out of the frig for 10 minutes or so? The simple answer is so that their bouquet will open up as the wines' temperature warms just a little. This is true. But something different is true about cold or cool climate whites and rosés. Across the board, and for any number of reasons, these wines are so beautifully delicate they don't share the same full-bodied bouquet as those from warmer temps.

So, not being an "expert" in anything, (OK, so here's where I'm getting myself in hot water), when the temperature outside is 90 degrees -- drink Rosebud ice cold! Try it. You'll like it! Guaranteed.

APRIL 2021

DID YOU KNOW. . . well, I guess you do now -- that the website is finally up and running! Please, please don't ask me what happened. I'll only say that the website must be at least 10 years old and after being down for almost two weeks, it winds up that the domain/host provider (I'm not sure what that is), is slowly eliminating access to these old sites. Thank you very much!

 To make matters worse, my dearly beloved Jerry, took care of contracting it all those many years ago. And, if I ever get to ask him about it, my first question will be -- and why did you put the contract in YOUR name, YOUR email address, YOUR user name (with and/or without) your middle initial, and YOUR password (which probably has changed 20 times in ten years) without telling me?

      and that's why I don't want to talk about this any more.

But what I do want to talk about is that in spite of everything that could be thrown at all of us in 2020, folks are still coming by to "curbside" purchase! Isn't it amazing how humans have the ability to react, recover AND rebuild even after facing death, the loss of businesses and jobs, the harm it's done to our children? It'll take time for sure but right now that's all we have. And I, for one, know we can do it.

      Take care, stay well. Hope to see you in soon, Maryl