We've gotten our latest venture off the ground, thanks to the artistic talents of Matt Meier. Matt is good friends with our children and is starting up a career as a graphic artists. He did the logo to the right for Wednesday Wines. Yes, that's right, we are going to offer wine tours. We've done a couple of test runs and they have gone really well. Last weekend we hosted a group of friends from Lakewood, Washington (just southwest of Tacoma). We've knows most of the group from when I was a youth director at Little Church on the Prairie. Isn't that sweet? It's a weird name when you consider the fact that it's a huge church located at the edge of a strip mall. People use to call the church and ask to speak to Laura Ingles. That never got old.Included in the group were two former members of my high school youth group now grown with teenagers of their own! It's a bit disconcerting to encourage these beautiful young women to drink when I spent so much time in their formative years trying to convince them not to do so. Also in the group were our friends, Clint and Tami. We lived in a common house with this couple right before we went to seminary. I called it "The Commune" mostly because it drove Tami crazy when I did so. We got a chance to connect with Tami after decades of being out of touch and it was wonderful. Connecting with old friends is as good as opening an old wine. It's a great pleasure.
We were fortunate to be hosted by Lisa Neal, of Coeur de Terre vineyard. Lisa and Scott are typical of the winemakers I know in this region. They have worked tirelessly to get their vineyard into production, all the while having to work other jobs and at the same time raise a young family. I don't know how they do it. Lisa and her husband, (and winemaker) Scott, started the vineyard by hand grafting thousands of vines. Most people purchase vines already grafted to root stock. This is truly a hands on operation. Lisa is the vineyard manager and gave us an extensive tour of their property. It was especially enjoyable since the grapes were very close to being ready to harvest. We were even able to use a refractometer to measure the sugar content of juice. (It was at about 20 brix and rising.) This is going to be a very good harvest for the Willamette Valley.
It is also a great pleasure to see someone deeply enmeshed in something about which they are extremely passionate. Lisa is an amazing woman. She has a calm, centered presence which instantly puts people at ease. She is connected with the land on which she works. She shared with us her concerns about the way pesticides are used in viticulture and the way that she and Scott have been able to make their vineyard organic and sustainable. She also discussed how they decide on the amount of fruit to leave on each vine, how long it takes the vines to come into production and their long term goals for their property.
Lisa and Scott have also built a new tasting room which is gorgeous. They were able to include used Douglas Fir beams in the construction. The light-filled, warm environment is so beautiful. The views out the large windows are stunning in every direction. There are also some interior windows where you can look down inside the production area of the winery. The winery can be difficult to find and mostly open by appointment. If you'd like to visit, stop by the shop and let us know. We'd be glad to give the winery a call and give you a map to find it. Or, if you want to come down with a group, we'd love to host you here in McMinnville. Just let us know.