From Sink Casualties to Tulip Triumphs: The Winding Road to Our Official Skyhaven Wine Glasses

Bridget
Jun 13
2 min read

If you ever need proof that every part of starting a winery is an adventure, look no further than our cabinet full of mismatched, well-loved wine glasses. What seems like a small detail has taken us on a four-year quest that included shattered dreams (literally), visits to IKEA, and a surprise plot twist starring an elegant tulip. Here’s how it all unfolded:

Version 1: The New Year’s Eve Experiment

On December 31, 2021, I was determined to celebrate new beginnings together and surprise Chris with two custom Skyhaven wine glasses. We were giddy to see our logo on glass for the first time… until we realized the sizing was a bit small and our grape cluster wasn’t right. One glass met an untimely end in the sink a few months later, and the survivor is MIA.

Version 2: The IKEA Era

Determined to do better, we bought a dozen stemware blanks from IKEA and found a local engraver. The grapes finally looked right, but the logo ballooned to what my marketing eye thought were comic-strip proportions. Still, a significant improvement. At least they survived longer than their V1 cousins, until daily use (and a few over-enthusiastic toasts) whittled them down to memories.

Version 3: The “Beefy” Target Test

Next up: Target “goblets” chosen purely for proximity when an IKEA run north was out of reach. Sturdy? Absolutely. But sipping a delicate Grenache from hefty, low-brow glassware wasn’t precisely the vibe. Cue another round of “back to the drawing board.”

Version 4: Tulip Revelation

Fast-forward four years. We were emailing a very patient sales rep about glasses for our tasting room. We were long convinced that a big Bordeaux glass was the dream. To humor us, she sent extra samples. One was a slender tulip-style glass, meant only for comparison. Naturally, that’s the one we fell in love with. It framed the wine’s aromas, felt graceful in hand, and, dare we say, made our reds taste happier.

After a Goldilocks-level sizing marathon, we finally nailed the logo—no microscopic fonts, no carnival-sized text, and, yes, the grape has its elegant empty center. The result? Our first official Skyhaven tasting room glass, ready for clinks, swirls, and countless stories yet to be poured.

Why It Matters

Sure, they’re “just” glasses, but they symbolize every right-turn-wrong-turn lesson we’ve learned since planting our first vines: experiment bravely, adjust quickly, and never underestimate the joy of getting the details just right. When guests lift these tulips for the first time, they’ll be holding more than wine; they’ll be holding a piece of our journey.

So here’s Version 4, and to everyone who joins us (finally!) in the tasting room. May your glass be ever half-full, your logo perfectly proportioned, and your path to discovery as delightfully twisty as ours. Cheers!