We recognize that without you, our clear-thinking customers, life would not be so blissful here on Rhinefarm.
This is why we attempt to say thank you to all you loyal wine lovers by celebrating our good fortunes with you at our annual wine club gatherings. Most years, we hold a Wine Club Revel in the spring somewhere far from Rhinefarm and a Harvest Celebration in September at the winery. In honor of our big anniversary, this year we combined them into a single grand event. That is the subject of this letter, the 2008 Harvest Revel.
On Thursday evening, one hundred and thirty worthy and trusting WOMers gathered behind the Sonoma Mission, built in 1829, to receive their Revel marching orders. A more enthusiastic group of Bacchus torch bearers could not be imagined. This event had been sold out for over a month, and 130 seemed to be the right number for everyone to get reacquainted and new friendships to cultivate through osmosis. A larger group could become a herd of sheep no matter how much wine we consume.
Jeff Bundschu whistled a blast to get everyone’s attention and then proceeded to outline the weekend rules. Specific events and destinations were not revealed and remained a mystery to all. Jeff announced, “many of you have been together before, so please help the ‘newbies’ to understand the meaning of the word PACING. We don’t want anyone to be road-kill, do not be late for your bus, stay together! Dress casually, wear walking shoes, bring a jacket or sweater.”
Each WOMer received a package with a token for a glass of Gundlach Bundschu at local restaurants and a red blinking silver-dollar-sized pin with our logo on it, which seemed corny but proved effective. As we all dispersed from the Mission to various restaurants around the plaza, to dine and further enjoy each other’s company, it became dusk and we became the blinking light brigade. After dinner, WOMers continued to look for the red fireflies wandering from restaurant to restaurant and throughout the town square.
Our first bus departed the Sonoma Valley Inn at 7:30 sharp the next morning. Stuffed with bagels and loaded with coffee, the most alert of the WOMers soon realized we were headed south towards San Francisco. Two other buses followed.
We exited the bus on the south end of Balmy Alley, a one block street in the Mission district, the historic Latino neighborhood in San Francisco. The alley is not on your regular tourist route, yet it is well known by aficionados of Latino culture for its murals. Every building on both sides is painted with a poignant mural depicting various struggles and stories in the Latino culture. Our guides explained each mural in detail to us.
It was in this alley that Ray Patlan, a local muralist, introduced us to Balmy’s charm back in the 1980’s. Ray was one of the two artists we hired to paint our mural, here at the winery, depicting the contributions that Mexicans have made to Rhinefarm. We later photographed sections of the mural and made three labels for our Vintage Reserve Cabernets.
The weather was bit nippy, with usual San Francisco fog, but we were warmed by the stories of our guide and also by the feeling that we WOMers were seeing something not many visitors to San Francisco experience.
After the 45 minute tour, we were greeted on the other end of the alley by our bus. We were whisked across the city to the waterfront, more specifically, the San Francisco Maritime Historical Park, the smallest U.S. National Park. We had been given instructions to explore on our own while waiting for the other buses to catch up. A few enterprising WOMers realized that the Buena Vista Café, known for their Irish coffee, was only a block away.
Once together again, we boarded the historic ferry, ‘Eureka,” which is a completely restored 1890 sidewheel paddle steamboat docked at the pier. Seated on the stern in the passenger area, we were given a lecture by the charming Monica Clyde of St. Mary’s College on the contributions German immigrants made to San Francisco culture from the gold rush through the first World War. Gundlach Bundschu was founded in 1858, and in her research, Monica discovered much about Jacob Gundlach and Charles Bundschu, made all the more significant to our WOMers by the fact that they were seated on the very ship that Charles Bundschu and his family boarded to escape the 1906 fire and earthquake. We know from old letters that as the Bundschus departed that infamous day aboard this very boat, from this very vantage point, they witnessed the hills of San Francisco and their own home go up in flames.
As we approached the lunch hour, we were bused back across the city to the warehouse district, south of Market Street to an undistinguished looking corner. Building windows were painted over with no apparent identity of an eating establishment. We had arrived at a restaurant called, Asia SF.
As the door swung open, the coolest hip hop music escaped. Once inside, it was another world, perhaps one of the coolest restaurants this side of the Mississippi, depending on your definition of ‘cool.’ The lighting, the cat-walk bar, the Asian fusion dishes, the music, the wine, all Gundlach Bundschu of course, and our servers.
The service was provided by the most attentive, gorgeous wait staff you could feast your eyes on. (Here the author’s ability to relate the story, because of his cloudy, incredulous hallucinations, may be a bit muddy) The wait staff would alternate between graciously presenting dish after dish of delicious delicacies, to pouring wine, to performing on the cat-walk. No, Asia SF is not a topless place or a strip club; we have far too much pride and dignity at Gundlach Bundschu to ever expose WOMers to such debauchery. All the same, it was a distinctly San Franciscan experience. (Ask Kathy or an attending WOMer for the details, or google if you must.) Did I mention the food was spectacular?
We hurriedly, but sadly departed from lunch and boarded our awaiting buses, which drove us back to the wharf to board a ferry for Angel Island State Park in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Our time was limited on Angel Island because we took so long to enjoy our lunch, but the sun came out and so did more wine! Some of the WOMers enjoyed spirited games of kick-ball, bocce and Frisbee while others watched and conversed with each other over glasses of Gundlach Bundschu wine. We eventually departed Angel Island for Tiburon, to catch our buses. We were back safe and sound in Sonoma by six o’clock.
The next day, Saturday, was spent on vineyard excursions with Shannon aboard the six-wheeled Pinzgauer, wine education seminars with winemaker Linda Trotta, and tasting and visiting with Queen Kathy. Early evening found us all seated on the amphitheatre lawn where we enjoyed the Towle’s Hill play. Dinner followed, with dancing and more wine, more laughing, more of enjoying each other’s company.
This Revel was special to us at Gundlach Bundschu because it was our 150th anniversary. WOMers learned over the weekend that our family has been enjoying various forms of revels with friends of Gundlach Bundschu for 150 years, and it is always the people who have energized these events. To all of you dedicated WOMers, we thank you for your continued support and the generous energy and enthusiasm you bring to our gatherings. For those of you who only know about our revels by word of mouth, next time you are in San Francisco drop by AsiaSF for all the details.
Salud amigos,
Jim
