CORRECTION: In the original post, the days of the week for the next Cayuse release event (April 8th and 9th 2011) were listed as Thursday and Friday. This has been updated and corrected below to Friday and Saturday.

Cayuse Vineyards announced a change in their release event weekend from November to April. Cayuse wine shipments will still occur in November. However, those who have historically picked up their wine at the winery will either have wait an additional five months for the April release event or pay to have the wine shipped. Cayuse’s next release event will be April 8th and 9th 2011 (a Friday and Saturday). The change from “chilly November to vibrant April” will be permanent the winery said.

Cayuse Vineyards has historically released their new vintages the first weekend of November. This has been the only time throughout the year the winery is open for mailing list members to pick up pre-ordered wine. Cayuse’s annual release event became such an attraction in Walla Walla Valley that the weekend has long been known, unofficially, as “Cayuse Weekend.” Many of the valley’s wineries opened to take advantage of the large number of visitors coming to the area. Last year, this weekend became an official event weekend called “Fall Release.”

Cayuse’s move from November to April will most likely impact any plans to continue maintaining the first weekend in November as Fall Release. In the past, some wineries have expressed a desire to move Holiday Barrel Tasting from December – when highway pass conditions can affect turnout – to November. There may be increased interest in consolidating these two events. However, the proximity of the November date to crush can present some difficulties for wineries. Additionally, a new unofficial/official event weekend could be expected to form around Cayuse’s new April event. Walla Walla’s annual Spring Release is one month later, the first weekend in May.

A complete transcript of the (amusing) letter sent to mailing list members is below.

Save the date: April 8 & 9, 2011
Lusting for warmer days

We caught him staring out the window today. His face was pressed against the glass, and he gazed into the gray with a vaguely wistful look in his bulging eyes. It didn’t take a graduate degree in psychiatric herpetology to know the Frog had a touch of the blues.

And no wonder.

When winter comes to the Cayuse Vineyards farm, he’s forced to suspend his frosty libido in a reluctant state of temporary hibernation. Sipping God Only Knows while idly thumbing through an aging copy of Better Ponds and Gardens, he patiently waits for better, brighter days.

For he knows that as surely as light follows night and caterpillar becomes butterfly, winter will end. The vines will shake the ice from their cordons, the grass will flush a vibrant green and the frozen world will once again transform into his romantic playground.

In the randy renewal of springtime, with the birds talking naughty to the bees and the vines throbbing in the sunshine as their roots tingle expectantly in the stones, the Frog will be reborn.

Recharged.

Rejuvenated.

He’ll feel it from the tip of his tongue to the webs of his feet. And then he’ll want to party. With you.

That’s why he’s moving the annual Cayuse Private Release festivities from chilly November to vibrant April. Out of the cold, and into the sunshine.

Permanently.

So mark it on your calendar. Tap it into your smart phone. Scribble it on your refrigerator in bold, black Sharpie.

The next Cayuse Weekend will be April 8 and 9, 2011.

The Frog will be reveling in the Glory of Spring and the wonder of extraordinary wine. And he hopes you’ll join him.

What Else is Changing: Nothing, really. As in the past, ordering will begin in September each year, and your wines will ship the following November. If you’re blessed with unusual self-control and prefer to personally pick them up four months later at the Private Cayuse Release Weekend, you’re still welcome to do that. Otherwise, we’d be glad to assist you in changing your delivery preference from pick-up to shipping.

As always, we appreciate your incredible support of Cayuse Vineyards. We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause you. Please don’t hesitate to call or email if you have questions.

See you at the weekend in April, 2011. Best wishes and santé!

The Cayuse Gang