Larger Than Life

We were on our way up to Portland to see our granddaughter and wanted to stop and taste some wine.  Robin had never been to Ponzi Vineyards, so we turned left at Sherwood and wound our way up to the Ponzi Estate.  Right outside the tasting room are some 40 year old vines.  The base of the vines are huge and are covered in moss.  A stately oak tree frames the photo above.  It is the view you see from a corner window in the Ponzi tasting room.  Dick Ponzi a larger than life figure in the local wine scene, came to the valley in the late 60's and planted his own vineyard with the help of his wife, and their children.  Their are some great photos in the tasting room of the Ponzi children helping out with harvest and crush.  Their daughter is now the winemaker for the estate.  Dick and his wife, Nancy not only have the winery, but also are the bright visionaries behind the Dundee Bistro.  They also own a brewery in Portland.   

 Another larger than life wine personality is Moe Momtazi, the owner of Maysara Winery.  We were up tasting at Maysara this weekend and I am totally blown away by their new building.  The lower section is now paved and it is enormous.  Those are real people in the background of the photo above, and that gives you some idea of the size of this space.  The beautiful arched doors are also impressive.  There are a number of things about this building that I love.  First, it was built almost entirely from materials from the estate.  Much of the oak lining the walls are barrel staves that have been straightened out and attached to the walls.  The pillars are all firs which were harvested on sight as well.  Likewise the beautiful stone work was gathered from around the vineyard.
I can see some great community events taking place in this new space.  I also love that Moe decided to build the new structure to keep his crew at his truss company employed and working during this economic downturn.

 The tasting room is in a cave like area to one side of the huge structure.  You can see the beautiful doors made from oak harvested on the premises in the photo above.  They act as a frame for the beautiful view of the vineyard beyond.  We were treated to a tasting by one of Moe's daughters, Hannah.  She is a very social, talkative and loving young woman.  I always feel like I'm a friend of the family when I visit with her.  She has the gift of making me feel very welcomed and at home.
I can't believe that Moe has built up this vineyard and winery in not much more time than I have lived in Oregon.  My thoughts and prayers with be with Moe and his family this coming week as he is headed for a medical procedure.  I love this family and wish them all the best.