Carl’s Corner Review for 2020
4.0 Cellars – Carl’s Corner
Carl’s Corner Review for 2020
At the end of each year it is rewarding to look back over the topics included in Carl’s Corner posts over the past 12 months. For the crazy and stressful 2020, twenty-five posts covered a range of topics that are summarized below. Hopefully you have enjoyed these stories and the information provided has both enlightened and entertained. Here’s a look back at Carl’s Corner for 2020.
In the Winery - Winemaking Technology
From my experience as a winemaker, it is always fun to address things that happen in the winery as grapes are processed into wine. There were six posts on winemaking topics, including the following:
01-01 Acidity Part 1 01-15 Acidity Part 2
09-16 Maceration in Winemaking 10-14 Pros-Cons Natural Yeasts
11-11 Ester Aromas & Flavors in Wine 12-09 Blending Partners & Techniques.
About Wines
Since the key for most of us is actually drinking and enjoying wines, especially those produced by the 4.0 Cellars owners/partners, posts on wines and wine characteristics are very important. Here’s the list of five wine stories posted for 2020:
03-25 Viognier 2020 04-08 Warm Weather Whites 1
04-30 Warm Weather Whites 2 07-08 Pink Wines for Warm Weather
11-25 Thanksgiving Holiday Wine Pairings.
In the Vineyard
A lot of time and effort are always spent in any vineyard, even the small 4.0 Cellars show vineyard of Black Spanish vines. Starting with pruning in February, each season requires specific activities in order to keep the vines heathy and reach a productive harvest in mid-August. Several friends and associates supported me in these vineyard activities, especially Rob Reynolds, Clay Porter, and Kevin Spivey – Thanks. Four stories about vineyard activities were posted in 2020:
02-12 Pruning 2020 05-13 Spring Activity in 4.0 Cellars Vineyard
08-05 Getting Ready for Harvest 2020 08-19 4.0 Cellars Vyd Harvest 2020.
General “Wineaux” Information
Many sources of information, especially print and internet wine publications, often inspire me to write about various topics that would seem to be of interest to Carl’s Corner readers. Sometimes inspiration for such posts comes from comments or questions asked by 4.0 Cellars customers or staff members. Here is a list of six posts that were a great deal of fun to develop and publish on the www.fourpointwine.com website.
02-26 Wine Myths Debunked 1 03-11 Wine Myths Debunked 2
06-10 Great Cheeseburgers on the Grill 06-24 New Texas Cheeses 2020
07-22 What is Terroir? 09-30 Corks vs Screwcaps
Wine Club Releases for 2020
One of the most important activities each year is that of planning and executing the 4.0
Wine Club Releases that occur in February, April, June, September, and November. Our management, especially general manager Dave Bryant, spends a lot of time working with the owners/partners and winemakers to select the wines to be released to our members. Then, our wine club staff, Cristol, Stacey, and Connie put together plans for packing, shipping, and pickup events. All of this was far more complicated in 2020 than past years, but our entire staff, led by tasting room manager Beth and assistant TRM Amber, pitched in to make all of these activities successful. Although I’m not sure what happened to the post for the April, 2020, Wine Club Release, here is a list of the other four.
01-29 Wine Club Release Feb-2020 05-29 Wine Club Release Jun-2020
09-02 Wine Club Release Sep-2020 10-28 Wine Club Release Nov-2020
And, it is very important for me to add a huge Thank You to all of our Wine Club members who played a very important role in helping 4.0 Cellars weather the Covid-19 Corona virus storm in 2020.
I would be remiss to not mention my partner blogger, Dr. Caroline Eidson, who posted a number of interesting stories on the website in 2020. I trust that you, like me, found these informative and entertaining.
I hope the end of this year finds you and your families healthy and full of hope for better things in 2021. We are committed to doing our part and look forward to seeing you again, preferably without the need for a face mask, in the coming year. To all, Happy New Year!