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WELCOME TO
CORVO PUBLICATIONS |
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go to wines |
VOLO DEL CORVO
WINERY |
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The Next Chapter Watch for new offerings |
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In August of
2008, the book came off the presses and we started bottling the first
wine. In relating how not to start a
winery, I would now add: DON’T PICK THE WORST ECONOMIC CLIMATE IN 80 YEARS
TO DO IT Having relied on
industry and hard work in place of capital (90 percent of the house, vineyard
and 100% of the wine), it also didn’t help to experience complete
exhaustion. Where I would happily put in 16-hour days, I was melting into a
puddle after 8. I went to the
doctor. He ran a lot of expensive
tests, poked and prodded and other than high blood pressure (very high, running
inversely proportional to I.Q.), he came back with the diagnoses: I was
exhausted (Gee, what 16 years of medical training and twenty more of practice
can do.). Well the BP is coming under
control. I am back and not recessed or
depressed and hope that you aren’t either. The theme of the book is HOPE. The support for the book and the wine has
been humbling. Thanks to all. If you find yourself running a quart low on
HOPE, stop in here frequently. We have
plenty to share: we bind and bottle it.. So buy lottsa wine and books.
BEST
TO ALL… kfj
(March 2009) (The “f” is for Frederick: AKA “Frederick the Grape”) |
Comments? Questions? Want to be on our mailing list? Contact us at corvo@redshift.com |
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THE BOOKS
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THE WRATH . . .
Where adversity thru humor spawns H-O-P-E
This is more than a book about starting a winery. It
is “reality” personified. Included herein is an account of
lessons learned about life...and death…and following dreams. If
starting a winery is a dream of yours and you are considering such a venture,
or if you are determined absolutely not to ever do such an idiotic
thing--wouldn't ever dream of
it--there is support for your conviction within these pages either way. There
are other dreams addressed here, both the day and night kind. But building a
winery, albeit a very small one, is the central one
and serves at least as a paradigm for following dreams. If you are interested in making home wine,
you will find assistance, support, and encouragement. If you just love wine,
you will find fellowship and you might be interested in what goes on before
you pull the cork out of the bottle. And your appreciation for what your
favorite winemaker has accomplished could be multiplied tenfold. There are so
many out there making some great wines. If you have just been introduced to
the beverage, you are most welcome aboard. |
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The philosophy expressed in
one sentence: Wine is
learning what you like, not being taught what to like. |
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What They Are Saying: “Winemaking is indeed
a dream adventure, and Ken Jones has made an educational, entertaining tale
of it. We loved the book!" --Margrit (Mrs. Robert) Mondavi "With the WRATH OF GRAPES you are definitely onto something.
After 22 years in the wine business I quite often become over challenged. But
strangely I get a huge kick out of the possibilities for the next
vintage." --Fess Parker, Davy Crockett to
the world, owner of Fess Parker Winery "It’s a good thing he can write, he couldn't hit a
curve ball if he knew it was coming." --Tom Seaver, Baseball Hall of
Fame Pitcher, Owner of GTS Vineyards " In addition to dedicated oenophiles, the book appeals to dog lovers, especially
for Jones’ affectionate recounting of his
About the author: Ken Jones has been writing
for over forty years. His magazine travel and adventure articles, and his
photography, have taken him to all continents but Antarctica and In Now divorced, he describes
his marriage as having been a good one for fifteen years, but that it lasted
twenty. He states that he was a
prisoner of war during In 1995, he planted his
first wine grapes and has been making wine since 1998. Currently his winery is seeking a tasting
room manager, preferably of Scandinavian descent with prior experience as a
lingerie model.
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HERE'S . . .Through a series of fortunate and unfortunate
coincidences, a dedicated but relatively unknown writer/humorist finds
himself exiled to a piece of rural real estate near the But the coincidences that got this reluctant Ulysses here are nothing -- NOTHING! -- compared to the ones that follow. They lead to the acquisition of a chocolate Labrador retriever, "Roof" WALDO Emerson. |
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Together
they set out on one weird and wonderful, intellectual and spiritual adventure, that makes the Wizard of Oz and Alice
in Wonderland seem like quick trips to the corner speedimart.
The lessons learned -- those of
self-reliance and the conduct of life -- are age-old and would gladden the
ghost of WALDO's
namesake. You've heard the saying about teaching old dogs new tricks; well,
this young dog has a few things to teach us all. WALDO is about meeting
challenges, whether adversities or goals. It is a celebration of the
human (and canine) spirit. This is The X-Files meets The Funny
Farm. Except it isn't fiction. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about the
mysteries of nature and delved into transcendentalism. A century and a half
later, the protagonists of this book live it. WALDO is a
detective story, as the author and his dog investigate what has to be a
writer's worst nightmare -- plagiarism. How would you feel to discover that a
novel, "remarkably similar" to one of yours, has just hit the
best-seller list and that its author will be advanced $1 million for the
movie rights? What these sleuths discover is that a writer's work is about as
safe from larceny as a parked Mercedes with the motor running and the
driver's-side door wide open. Is this just another weird coincidence
or literary theft? WALDO is
an odyssey into ethics and the law that transcend the boundaries of reality.
Grab your magnifying glass and calabash, Sherlock,
you're in for a wild read.
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Reviews: "Written from the heart, with a literary voice that is clear, insightful and intriguing." Michel J. Bryant, syndicated television consumer advocate, author of The Legal Edge (Renaissance Books)
"WALDO offers inspiring examples of how synchronicities come to life and guide us with precise elegance." Dr. Dianne Skafte, author of When Oracles Speak (Quest Books)
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To Order: Cover Price for case bound (hard cover) is $19.95 US Add
$3.00 for Priority Mail shipping and handling (within the personal checks accepted, no credit cards currently, do not send cash Send Orders to: Corvo Publications E-mail: corvo@redshift.com Future titles: Butterflies, Bells and Mirrors, a novel that chronicles a Japanese-American family, before, during and after World War II. Canary Road, an illustrated children's story about a canary who aspires to sing Opera. |
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Book signing/speaking engagements: We do our best to accommodate and enjoy reader interaction. Please feel free to inquire. back to top |
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WINES
Sign
Up for announcements We
like variety, tailored to the meal And
Hope you will, too We currently
offer a Sangiovese, Zin, Vin Santo dessert wine (from Malvasia Bianca) and
Sauvignon Blanc. We also grow and make Chardonnay, Barbera, Syrah, Cab, Cab/Sangio blend (a SuperTusKen
{what vanity}), Vernacia, Pinot Gris, Nebbiolo, Primitivo, and heaven
knows what next. These
are now in tanks and barrels, and will be bottled in the next few
months. If You would like to be
notified when they are ready, give us your contact information. Email is
preferred. |
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REDS: Zinfandel Sangiovese Nebbiolo Montepulciano Shiraz/Syrah Primitivo Carbernet Sauvignon |
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WHITES: Sauvignon Blanc Trebbiano Toscano Malvasia Bianca Pinot
Gris Vernacia Chardonnay |
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Following
is a special offer to a now-forming wine club. We
are offering a book (The WRATH of Grapes)and wine incentive
discount that amounts to a savings of between 28%
to 33% when you buy six bottles note an additional 10% savings
when you buy a full case (12 bottles). Offer
to sell wine is good only in states where legal and to those
over legal alcohol consumption age. Email
us for specific details with your order. Prices do not
include sales tax that will be added to the order. Variety
Retail Price Book Total Wine
Club (wine
alone) (WRATH)
(wine & book) ’05
Sangiovese $40.00 $11.95 $51.95 $36.95 May be as close to ’05
Zinfandel $35.00 $11.95 $46.95 $31.95 Steak, Steak, Steak and Prime Rib if you run out
of steak....or ribs, or anything you can remove from the Barbeque before it
becomes ashes. Should age and mature well. ’07
Vin Santo $35.00 (375 ml) $11.95 $46.95 $31.95 Amber Dessert wine terrific with cheese cake,
puddings, or cream desserts. Keeps for
weeks in the frig once opened. ’05
Sauv. Blanc $25.00 $11.95 $36.95 $24.75 An unusually floral nose, tart, citrus up front,
with a peach finish. A rare pairing
with Chinese food or ahi with wasabi.
Refer to about wines below, a little “Kate” crept into this one. Wine without book deduct $6.oo from combination club price Full case price save another 10% discount from the club price (mixed cases ok).
About the wines:The Hepburn paradigm:
The REDS: Our aim is to make a bold, sassy, up front red wine
-- think Katherine -- the fruit, acidity and tannins enhance that steak,
tomato sauce, or chocolate dessert.
Usually these are aged in oak barrels. The WHITES: We strive for a delicate, refreshing, seductively
subtle white wine -- think Audrey -- that sparkles with that seafood,
poultry, and light sauces. Normally
these are aged without oak to keep the fruit up front. We
do try to keep our maxims to a minimum, and believe that wine is meant to
enhance and be enhanced by food, and if you like a red when others prefer a
white with a dish, then go for it. One
maxim that holds throughout the growing, making and consumption of wine is
that for every opinion there is an equally qualified opposite opinion. And for every rule, there is an exception. Wine
is learning what you like, not being taught what to like. SULFITES: In the book, our aversion to adding sulfur is
explained. In home winemaking, where
the wine was kept in the cellar, we did not use sulfites at all. But every winemaker we know and respect has
told us we are crazy not to sulfite wine for commercial sales where it might
not get the greatest care on a store shelf or a warm kitchen cupboard. That
we have started a winery supports the psychiatric diagnosis, discretion has
mandated that we add a minimal amount of sulfite at bottling. Not
using sulfur during fermentation and aging requires an added care for
cleanliness and sanitization, keeping the wine free from contamination. Forcing the wine to survive whatever
organisms might be on the skins and stems seems to give it resilience, like a
child after the first year in school.
Once opened, you will probably notice that it maintains its freshness
longer. We would consider bottling
special orders of two cases or more without sulfites and provide a certified
lab report of the contents. UNFINED, UNFILTERED: We like to
offer the whole wine. Consider gourmet
coffee, a few grounds in the espresso cup are acceptable, but at times a
little tweaking improves the result.
Most of our wines are unfined/unfiltered. About the vines:Free range grapes?
It
is illegal to use the “O” word in any wine advertising (shhh, the root word of inOrganic) unless you are
certified “O”. An
explanation for not applying for certification is given in the book. Basically it is due to the abuse the term
receives, the bureaucratic cost of certification, and the undesirable
intrusion of having inspectors tromping through the vineyard with disease
contaminated tools, shoes and tires. So we are not “O.” The
policy is NO PESTICIDES, NO
FERTILIZER, NO HERBICIDES. This means that it takes longer (typically
five years [if we are lucky] from planting to first crop instead of the three
years enjoyed by most vineyards).
There are some eight-year old vines that we hope to get a first crop
in 2009. There is an old Italian saying
that the poorer the soil, the richer
the vine will make you. We just hope our dirt helps pay the mortgage. The
yield is smaller, and we believe the grapes produce a unique fruit. We
do wish that Noah hadn’t included yellowjackets, leafhoppers and
gophers when he set sail. {Editors
note: since Al Gore won his Academy Award and Nobel prizes for his work with
Global Warming, we have been beset by two frosts that cut production by
another 25%. We think he should give
the Nobel back but he can keep the Academy Award.} |
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VOLO DEL CORVOOLIVE OIL |
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We really aren't in business yet to sell olive oil. The eighty trees are still young and production is very light. We came out with about one gallon, which considering the cost of the trees, harvest and the press, each eight-ounce bottle should retail for $1000.00. It is still green and needs lottsa aging, but if you would like to try a bottle, we might be able to arrange it. The $1000.00 price would include shipping and handling. It should be excellent for lubricationg door hinges. |