We made WINE!! I say that in the same context as when I say, “We made (insert project)!!”, when my husband “makes” (said project). I mean, I am there for moral support, and to take photos of his hard work. Documentation is super important!
So, that being said, “we” as a Hanson family, went to our friend Patrick, at Cavaletti Vineyards, and choose two varietals that we would like to have made. Well, side note, we actually started with ONE barrel of wine, a Tempranillo, and, well…. between a party, an email, lack of communication or assumption (pretty confident wine or alcohol in general, was involved) we choose to make a SECOND barrel of wine… enter our Pinot Noir. No one was obviously upset, because “who cares”!! (Let’s remember “who cares” and move along)
We really just sat back, and Mr. Patrick did his thing. We did have correspondence, met at the winery for barrel tastings, and some decision making. But over all, we didn’t even break a sweat. I would however, next time we do this, be more involved in the process. I have foot stomped Cavaletti’s grapes before, just not ours. I don’t mind the hard work of cleaning the machines after stemming or stomping, or the tedious task of labeling. Which we did do ourselves. So on that note, I am looking forward to the next time we do a family barrel. (hint, hint honey/family)
The fun, but not so easy task of making a family wine, is naming it. Especially when you have 5 couples involved. It wasn’t that we argued, or necessarily had disagreement about it, it’s just a lot of making sure everyone has a voice, opinion, and it matches and resonates with each one of us. It wasn’t until after we all met up to discuss naming the wine, so we could get labels made, that the parents came up with a name based on a story of my mother-in-law’s mom, Mary Jane. Here is our HK Family Wine story behind the name and the label, which is a photo of Mary Jane when she was younger. And a huge shout-out to my brother-in-law who created the label!! Well done Cary <3
Our Story: There’s a story behind HK Family Wines and it’s certainly not what you think. Sure, most who know us will probably conclude that HK stands for the patriarchal family names – Hanson & Kinney. That is true but there is definitely a double meaning behind HK and we tell you this as a tribute to a matriarch of the Kinney family, Mary Jane. Mary Jane carried herself with a classy, yet quizzical approach to life and one of her quips was HK. For instance, when she overheard something that was a bit of a boast or at the very least superfluous, she would politely whisper to one of us nearby – HK. It was her sense of humor that when we asked what HK meant, she would say “who cares”. It is in that spirit we have brought forth our HK Family Wines – you may like them or you may not to which we say HK.
Comment below if you’ve ever ventured down making a family barrel of wine before, I am super curious and looking forward to doing this again. Let me know if you have any questions or tips.
Cheers ~Jeanne
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