Two of the biggest images of blessing for me are the Oregon Beach, and beautiful wines. This sunset was over the weekend at our favorite getaway, The Esther Lee Motel. The place is kind of old school, no frills type of Motel. That especially applies to the cottages. We love to pack a snack supper, head to the coast, turn off our cell phones, grab a book and relax. We were able to do that for a couple of nights over Labor Day Weekend. What an amazing blessing to sit, drink a glass of wine and watch the sun fall below the horizon.I've been working with Jeff Peterson and a crew of students on the Linfield College Oregon Wine History Project. I served as a backup videographer (OK, I helped set up the camera and
watched the talented group of Linfield Students do the rest!) I never dreamed that I'd get to meet the pioneer winemakers of the Willamette Valley. What an inspiration to hear their stories of investing pursuing their passion for wine and in the process creating a billion dollar industry
here around Yamhill County. Our most recent interview was with Dick and Nancy Ponzi. They have recently celebrated their 40th year as a winery! Dick is an inventive guy who likes to work with his hands. He created a lot of their original machines from scratch.
watched the talented group of Linfield Students do the rest!) I never dreamed that I'd get to meet the pioneer winemakers of the Willamette Valley. What an inspiration to hear their stories of investing pursuing their passion for wine and in the process creating a billion dollar industry
here around Yamhill County. Our most recent interview was with Dick and Nancy Ponzi. They have recently celebrated their 40th year as a winery! Dick is an inventive guy who likes to work with his hands. He created a lot of their original machines from scratch.
One of the most surprising revelations to come from the interviews is that these winemakers didn't want to just make great wine. From the beginning they knew that if they could make wine, they could change the culture of the Willamette Valley for the better. Nancy, who is a chef and cookbook author, said that they knew that having good wine and vineyards could help to improve the food, the restaurants, the and the arts. I would say that they succeeded. Downtown McMinnville owes at least part of its health and vitality to the wine industry.
Just about every fundraiser I've ever been to in McMinnville serves wine, has wine donated to auction off, or takes place at a winery. I do not know why when you have vineyards you have more artists, but it certainly seems to be the case. Perhaps it's just the beauty of the vineyards themselves. They are inspirational. It could be that wine just draws people to the area who have the means to purchase art. There just seems to be a connection. I photographed this grape cluster just outside the Ponzi tasting room. The vines are the first that they planted on their property. The base of the vines are about five inches in circumference. They are covered in moss and showing their age beautifully. These vines are self rooted, meaning that when they were planted by just placing cuttings from other vines right into the 
ground.
ground. Almost all of the current plantings in the valley are grafted with American root stocks to protect against a little bug called phylloxera. I asked the Ponzi's if they were nervous about that. (Once this bug appears in the vineyard it will proceed to kill every vine.) He said they've been lucky. Because of Dick's manufacturing skills they never had to borrow equipment from other vineyards. Having a tractor move from a vineyard that is infected is one of the primary means of transport for the little bug. It is really fun to see such old vines, a sign that Oregon wines are coming of age. Estimates vary, but these wines could go on producing another 40 years into the future. Wouldn't that be fun to see?