Harvest Blog

Steele Announces Henry Bishop Will Be Featured on New Blue Franc Label

Steele Wines is pleased and honored to add Henry Bishop, brother of Bill Bishop – the winery’s National Sales Manager, to the long line of people shown on the watermark of the Shooting Star Blue Franc label.  Each year, for the past 14 years, the winery has shown friends in the wine industry who exhibit a whimsical nature.  Henry Bishop definitely fills the bill to a tee.

Henry’s 30 year career came to an end on March 12, 2009 when he succumbed to cancer.  He was born in Connecticut and spend is youth in homes both in Connecticut and Maine.  He moved to the Midwest in 1976 in order to study film and video at the Art Institute of Chicago.  His wine career started as a cashier at Good Standard Liquor and Wines (located in a Prohibition ear speak-easy).  After tasting a 1961 Maxis-Chambertin, he started reading wine books “as if they were Raymond Chandler novel.”  In the early 1980’s, he became bartender/wine buyer at one of Chicago’s first wine bars – Bentley’s.  Once Bentley’s closed, (due to Federal Tax issues) he went on to create the position of “Wine Sherriff” at Metropolis 1800 where he wore his corkscrew in a toy holster.  In 1984, Henry joined Spiaggia at its opening.  It was Henry’s 20 years at Spiaggia where Henry gained fame as one of the country’s most knowledgeable authorities on Italian wines.  Concerning Henry’s approach to selling wine table side, Spiaggia’s chef, Tony Mantuano, said “He’d weave a story (about the wine) whether true or an analogy that he made up.  He certainly was someone who could strip away the pretense.”  In one of his wine lists he wrote that after drinking a Piculit (Italian dessert wine) “the conundrum of the universe was revealed.”  Other entries were illustrated with renderings of cartoons created by his maternal grandfather, George Carlson, Jingle Jangle Comics’ the Pie-faced Prince of Pretzelberg. 

Henry’s career ended while working at Salpicon Restaurant.  Here he was proud to feature Shooting Star Blue Franc by-the-glass showing its affinity to match well exotically flavored Mexican cuisine.  We are honored to remember Henry on this year’s Blue Franc label.

Posted on 9/13/2009

2009 Spring Crop Update

The 2009 growing season is certainly off to a challenging start. After a very dry winter, we experienced substantial rainfall in early May. Aside from one short hot spell, the weather has been cooler than usual, prolonging bloom, and at this point causing clusters to develop unevenly. We usually adjust crop size at veraison (fruit softening and coloring) by dropping straggling green clusters. We may have to drop more than usual this year, though cluster counts seem to be high so far.

Steve Tylicki
General Manager/Viticulturist
Steele Wines

Posted on 6/19/2009

New Shooting Star Label

Jed approached me last year about redoing the Shooting Star label, harking back to the simplicity of the original 5 pointed star design.  Rather than revisiting that old chestnut I opted for a logo type that might recall the era of the middlebrow American Dream, good tunes, good times.  I think that sort of retro-future optimism leaves a good semi -nostalgic impression, especially in these difficult days.

Hail Americana!

-Jeff Buege

Posted on 6/1/2008 - Read All 2 Comments