Euphoria’s Wellness Retreat at Sonocaia’s Hydeout and lots of other fun stuff

June 25, 2024

Written by Ken Wornick

Backed by 20+ vintages and many dozens of wines produced, Ken is a Sonoma-based wine consultant and founder of Sonocaia Estate Vineyeards, Dysfunctional Family Winery and Hydeout Sonoma.
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Today’s topics: 1) A wellness retreat with Euphoria Retreats hosted by Sonocaia’s Hydeout Farm, 2) a new secret wine project, 3) our ‘Double Buffalo’ Red Blend, 4) plus gardening, bees, chickens, and cowboys…

 

Euphoria’s “A Taste of Wellness” event at The Hydeout Farm. Yoga. Sound Healing. Wine tasting. July 14th. 4:00PM. A few spots remain. Join us for the fun. No experience needed. See below…

 

Click here to go directly to the event page and access a ticket.

 

Euphoria Wellness - Euphoria's Wellness Retreat at Sonocaia's Hydeout and lots of other fun stuff

Euphoria Monika - Euphoria's Wellness Retreat at Sonocaia's Hydeout and lots of other fun stuff

Your instructor Monika Kaufman – With 20+ years of yoga instruction under her belt Monika has even more passion for sharing yoga with others than ever before. She believes that enthusiasm, curiosity and a sense of wonder fuels a yoga practice that feeds your soul. Her classes will meet you wherever you are at on your yoga journey by keeping it fun, and accessible with just the right amount of challenge to keep you fully engaged and growing.

A new very special wine project is in the works!

Three good friends, with over sixty years in grape growing and winemaking, are joining forces for a new wine project to be released in late 2025. John Boich of Napa’s Boich Family Cellars, John Painter of Sonoma’s Las Madres vineyard, and me, Ken Wornick from Sonocaia Winery, are joining forces to create a one-of-a-kind wine. Blending trials are complete. That’s all we can say for now. Watch here and on @sonocaia on Instagram for more news.

SBP - Euphoria's Wellness Retreat at Sonocaia's Hydeout and lots of other fun stuff

Sonocaia’s Ken Wornick, Las Madres Vineyard’s John Painter, and Jon Boich from Boich Family Cellars

You haven’t tried this wine yet? Whhaaa? Killer ‘red blend’. Come by the winery or buy online

The inaugural “Double Buffalo” Dysfunctional Family Red Blend, sourced as always from several friend’s special boutique vineyards throughout Sonoma Valley. Just two barrels produced! And a very fun label too. Half way to sold out. This vintage is very soft and fruity but carries nicely into a long finish. A terrific food-friendly wine, especially great with pizza, burgers, and BBQ. It’s a red wine that can handle a bit of ice in the glass at sunset and still hang around for dinner too. Pinot Noir lovers can slide on over to this wine and still be happy! Blend is 100% Sonoma Valley – 60% Syrah, 24% Zin, 8% Merlot, 6% Cab, and low-ish alcohol. Get it here; pick up at the winery, or we’ll ship to you.

DYS double bufalo bottle image 2021 - Euphoria's Wellness Retreat at Sonocaia's Hydeout and lots of other fun stuff

So much incredible produce pouring out of the Hydeout gardens this week

Featured here, the just harvested and delicious red cabbage, packed with tons of Vitamins C and K, and mega-fiber too. Go to @sonocaia and @kenwornick on Instagram and follow us to see the most recent produce including onions, arugula, and lettuce. Basil and tomatoes just around the corner!

Bees and Honey

Wow, what a spring it has been in the bee hives. Three hives roared back to life after a long cold wet winter, then a few things turned south. Despite rigorous care and good science, two hives swarmed, and what was left behind was robbed. Forty pounds of honey lost to another hive somewhere in the neighborhood. Who has our honey? But meanwhile, the remaining hive is huge and healthy and growing daily being ‘queen-right’ with lots of brood developing every day. With thanks to my generous mentors Chere Pafford and Nic Freedman.

Honey harvest - Euphoria's Wellness Retreat at Sonocaia's Hydeout and lots of other fun stuff

Going through what’s left of the swarmed and robbed hive boxes. Such is life. Even with careful planning and attention to detail, nature will do as it pleases.

 

Chickens

These chicks in the photos below are now four weeks old. We’re slowly bringing the brooding temperature down 5 degrees every week, from a start of 95F, now down to 75F, and lower in the next few weeks until they no longer need the heat lamp. Just like almost all small creatures, they sing and dance and chase each other around, and eat and drink a lot. Soon they’ll get their full fluffy feathers, handle the cool night air, and start developing a ‘pecking order’ (yes, who is the alpha chick and who gets pecked out of line for food and water).

 

Cowboys

The winery and vineyard are in good shape, as are the gardens and chickens and bees, so a brief pause for the summer solstice. Time for a short trip to New Mexico, a couple hours northeast of Santa Fe, at about 7800 feet elevation. This was the highly-regarded Chuckwagon Trail Riders event. I might have been tossed off my horse on the first day of riding and had to slink around camp in bruised-ego shame for a few days. Ugh. Pilot error. Won’t happen again!

Cowboys - Euphoria's Wellness Retreat at Sonocaia's Hydeout and lots of other fun stuff

Stache, Disso, Kork, Oakie, Midnight, and Flaco (Actual assigned trail names, real names have been omitted to protect the barely innocent).

Links:

Attend the Euphoria Yoga Retreat at The Hydeout

Buy Sonocaia wine

Buy Dysfunctional Family Wine

Follow us on Instagram: @sonocaia and @kenwornick

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