April 7 - June 14, 2025 
Sunday April 6, 2025
Some of you may have read my diary last week when I mentioned I thought I had been investing longer than anyone. I was informed by a bright customer that Warren Buffett has been investing since 1941, 21 years more than I. I must say he does it full time, the Market is one of my many passions so I do it part time. Warren has been more successful than I and I am only a chartist and I only invest in Tech stocks. After thinking what I said on Friday, Tuesday may not be the best time to put all your money into the Market. If you have a lot to invest, I would start with a small amount. Unless Trump backs off from tariffs, the Market may keep falling for awhile. Market drops like this one are rare and drop fast and then recover slowly. Go back and look at the drop from Covid in 2020. It lasted only 5 weeks, a drop of over 37% and it took 8 months to go to a new high. This 6 week drop has only been 15%. We could go much lower in the next week or so.........
Thursday April 10, 2025
What a week for the stock market! Trump has modified his tariff threats somewhat but still high compared to the past 100 years so be careful if investing. I would nibble a little today or tomorrow, but who knows what Trump will say or do. The bottom low on Monday may hold so keep a look at that level as the Market fluctuates in the next few days. Today is important and Friday could be interesting, especially if down at the end which would mean an important day again on April 14, like last Monday.
Sunday April 20, 2025............Happy Easter
I am depressed, the Market was closed Friday for Good Friday. Sure I have enjoyed the up and down action for stocks. I have not done anything in the market except keep my cash of 150K in a Schwab money market fund. I and I am sure all of you can not predict what Trump will do so I am staying on the sidelines! If he backs off on tariffs permanently and thus we had a sane president, I would be a heavy investor! There is so much potential with AI in the future the market would be moving higher if we had a sane president!! I am sorry to repeat that wording again, but that are my beliefs and hopes. The question is that can we survive the next 4 years? What is going to happen with all the other countries in the world? Will our interest rates rise and dollar move lower?
Wednesday April 30, 2025
I think the stock market has bottomed out. Like I have said before with so many possibilities with Artificial Intelligence, I can't see the market going down any more, even with an erratic President in office. Sure there could be a test of the lows back on April 7 but I don't see most Tech stocks going lower than that date. I still have not invested any of my cash and I probably won't. With the bottling coming up, I have to save money for all those expenses and also we are doing a new project over in our Guest House where Susie stays some times and also other relatives on Pat's side besides Kate, Bryan, Maia and Jude.
The next project we are working on is the Futures Club. We think we have it figured out in our new system through OrderPort. There is a lot to relate eventually including offering no separate 10 Month Aged wines and also no 16 Month aged wines. Those wines will be bottled when I think they are ready. I will have more to relate in a later diary entry.
Wednesday May 14, 2025
We have been busy trying to finish what we want to do about the Futures. We are the only winery who sells wine before it is made. So the program we are using now can not do the futures like before. That also includes are Futures Club which usually offer wines in May that we think we will make in the Fall of that year. We are still working on the new offer of the Futures Club but are now pretty set. We will bottle only one time a year which will be in January. The few white wines we make will be bottled in January about 4 months after harvest. There will be a Chardonnay which will be bottled about 16 months after harvest. The Chardonnay will receive some new oak but after what I think is the right amount, will then be aged in Neutral oak or even stainless for the rest of the wine until bottling in January, 16 months after harvest.
What we do with the reds is still evolving! All the reds will be bottled 16 months after harvest but some will see neutral oak for some of the time. This July before we bottle, we will save one barrel of Terre Melange and Block 6 Zin and age it in Neutral oak and bottle them in January 2026. I will then compare the wine to the wine we bottle in July. Also we will have our Old Vine Zinfandel, Estate Cuvee and Block 4 in some neutral barrels aged longer to bottle in January as our 16 month aged wines. This will be the last time we call them 16 month aged wines. So in January 2026 we will bottle separately one neutral barrel each of those wines. We usually put all the barrels (Usually about one third new oak) in a tank and mix all of the barrels together. In the future we are thinking about aging some wines in all neutral oak after 10 months of aging and then bottle in January after 16 months in barrel. The Cabernet Sauvignon and other reds will continue to see one third or more new oak until bottling. This may be a little confusing and we hope to make it clearer in the future, but for sure we will be offering our new Futures Club in a few days. The offering letter, we hope, will explain a little more.
Saturday May 24, 2025
Nothing much has changed here except by mistake I deleted all my computer files. I have recovered some but it will take me a long time to even try to duplicate the many excel files. Some of the Draw files were automatically backed up. My source of backup for all the other files failed to work. I think most of the problem was because the back up disk was full.
In the mean time, I have purchased an automatic crown capper for our Sparkling wine production and also I have purchased a neck freezer for sparkling also. And I am considering purchasing a disgorging machine. I will have more information later.
Monday June 2, 2025
I have been having trouble swallowing so I will ask on Tuesday if it could be a complication from the IV they are feeding me every 3 weeks for Immunotherapy. Look back in my diary where I mention I lost kidney. BTW, I am doing great heath wise with no side effects from losing the kidney. Even the IV injection every 3 weeks has been easy and no pain.
Now last night another problem, I lost a crown! I don't think it had anything to do with my difficulty swallowing. I think the crown was lose for months. So this morning before noon, I have to go in for a blood test for the IV tomorrow and then back home and then at 2:30 I will go in and the great dentist will look at my options with this crown. Just more riding in my Model S!
Other interesting things regarding the Sparkling wine production: yes, I just purchased a disgorging machine which will give us the possibility to add something to correct the high acid we expect. We are making a Sauvignon Blanc sparkling wine which will be high on acid so we have the possibility now to add a touch of sugar to balance the wine. As most of you know all French sparkling wine and I think all USA sparkling wine does include a little sugar.
Thursday June 12, 2025
Brad here. If you read this diary a lot you'll know Dave was diagnosed with a kidney likely to have cancer. It was removed and Dave reported that no cancer remained. Just to be careful he was prescribed a drug to help prevent recurrence. Best he can tell, that drug is causing him side-effects like rashes and he has had trouble swallowing and has lost weight. He's been prescribed a new drug which is supposed to help. He asked me to put that update here on the diary. He'll write when he's feeling better.
Dave
For any comments or questions I encourage any of you to e-mail.....david@coffaro.com
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