Dear Friends,
I hope you had a joyous and restful holiday season and that you, your friends, and your family are healthy. A shout out to the front-line workers who have spent their holidays caring for others battling the virus. And to all of those affected by the fires in Colorado, my thoughts are with you. We flew through the smoke and in those winds. The resulting devastation is very sad.
Our holidays were exciting and stressful with moving the kids to Denver. Driving in two small cars was long and in parts scary and dangerous due to snow but we made it safe and sound. We spent a few days getting the kids settled, said our goodbyes, and have returned home to our empty next. It is an exciting way for all four of us to start a new year.
On the new year front, it is always a great opportunity to reflect on the year past and look forward to the year ahead. I have summarized my thoughts at Brooks below. The bottom line is we could not do any of this without you, our VERY loyal supporters. I am also fortunate to have an excellent team. So raise a glass this Sunday and know what a difference you make to us!
Happy Sunday!
COLLECTIVELY WE MADE A BIG IMPACT
In 2021, we increased our impact on climate change by joining Ecologi, a fellow Certified B Corporation. As you may recall, our collective goal was to plant 16,000 trees by the end of 2021! Thanks to you, we did it! We will keep the same program for 2022 that includes:
- For every $50 you spend at Brooks through the website and in the tasting room, Brooks will plant 1 tree. This includes the purchase of wine, logo items food and all items at Brooks.
- Join the wine club and Brooks will plant 15 trees.
- Stay a wine club member and Brooks will plant 25 trees as an anniversary gift. Plus the dollars for your shipment will plant trees too!
- Refer a wine club member and Brooks will plant 15 trees. That will be in addition to the current gift of 2 stemless glasses, a wine opener, and the $50 gift card.
- Do a Virtual Tasting Experience and Brooks will plant 50 trees.
- Sign up for Ecologi for yourself, your business or as a gift for someone special, Ecologi will plant you AND Brooks each 30 trees. You must use this link.
A complete Brooks impact report will be shared early this year! Thank you for making a difference with us!
WE MADE WINE AND TOOK CARE OF OUR GROWERS
As though 2020 wasn’t strange enough with COVID, many of you will recall we had fires in Oregon and socked in smoke in the Willamette Valley. The impact of the smoke led me to make the decision not to make any commercial wine in 2020. Through your purchases of our single-vineyard wines in 2021, we took care of our growers using the Grower Relief Fund to help pay for their farming costs in 2020.
It is not a great surprise to share with you how AMAZING it felt to be smoke-free in 2021. It was a lovely harvest with pristine, concentrated, delicious fruit! We made it through with your incredible support and cannot wait to share with you the 2021 wines. Many of your favorites including Amycas, Rose, and Pinot Blanc will be released in March of 2022!
WE ADDED BENEFITS AND NOW HAVE ONE OF THE BEST WINE CLUBS IN THE COUNTRY AND IT IS ONLY GOING TO GET BETTER IN 2022!
From anywhere in the US, you can enjoy the perks of being a Brooks Wine Club Member. In addition to all the discounts and onsite benefits, we have expanded the benefits that can be enjoyed near and far. A few things that we added in 2021:
- A wine and cheese pairing virtual experience with every shipment. We enjoyed partnering with BeeHive Cheese, Cypress Grove, and Rogue Creamery.
- Quarterly Virtual Happy Hours
- Enhanced Referral Program that now includes a $50 gift card AND a special gift.
- A discount program at nearby overnight accommodations.
- Designated wines ONLY for Wine Club Members.
- Waiving of the event fee for Virtual Experiences.
Guess what? The benefits are only going to get better in 2022! The secret is out that we will be turning our sweet farmhouse on the winery property into an Airbnb early in 2022. We have some other new benefits that are sure to bring delight and surprise to you in 2022 and beyond!
And for all of you that sent me ideas and haven’t received your gift, I promise it is still coming! I am writing personal notes for all and it is taking longer than I thought!
We love our Wine Club Members and will continue to make this the best club ever! Thank you so much for all of your support!
BUBBLES AND BREAD AT BEYOND BROOKS
I love our Beyond Brooks program and am excited to start working on the 2022-2023 season! But unitl then, we have 5 more excellent events already on the books and I would be remiss not to share the next one with you even thought it is a bit off topic for this email!
Tomorrow, January 3rd, is the final day to purchase Beyond Brooks with Camas Country Mill.
Utilizing only stone mills, the Hunton family, founders of Camas Country Mill, are committed to building a strong, sustainable and vibrant regional grain economy, and are proud to supply home and commercial kitchens with grains and mill products from the heart of the Willamette Valley since 2011.
This bundle includes:
- 1 bottle of 2016 Brooks Sparkling Riesling
- 1 bottle of 2019 Sparkling Muscat
- 1 Camas Country Mill 1.5 lbs bag of Three Sisters Porridge
- 1 Camas Country Mill 4 lbs bag of Hard Red Wheat Artisan Bread Flour
- Recipes to prepare with Camas Country Mill ingredients to pair with the wine
- A Proofing kit with a bread proofing basket with cloth liner, dough scraper and a bread lame
- Webinar with Tom and Sue Hunton, Founders of Camas Country Mill, Janie Heuck, Managing Director of Brooks, and Master of Wine, Bree Stock on Saturday, January 15th at 1pm PST/4pm EST
JOIN US FOR BEYOND BROOKS IN JANUARY
In many ways, 2021 felt as strange if not stranger than 2020. It makes me wonder what will be on this ever-moving horizon in 2022. Thank you for partnering with us on this wild ride! Anything we can control at Brooks, we promise to work our hardest to bring joy and wonderful experiences to you, your family and friends. We look forward to sharing a glass or two in 2022!
I am always here– [email protected] or cell: 831-238-4828.
Happy New Year!
Janie