New beginnings, old friends and a wine you should just swallow!

Wow! It’s been a whirlwind around here, in a good way! Finding time to write has been nearly impossible, but prepare yourselves for an exquisite missive that will blow your socks off (or at the least waste your time)!

Now, back to my story. These entries are not intended as a chronological description of my life, but as an attempt to share what makes me tick and how my life experiences may (or may not) have influenced why and how Shumaker Vineyards exists. These are letters to whoever wants to read them. At times, it will resemble stream of consciousness, without any AI bullshit. In the past three weeks, I have had to lean on my grit. Put my head down and just get things done. Grit. Resolve. Character. I often wonder where this grit came from. Certainly, growing up on a farm, where shoveling sheep shit every Saturday was an obligation, made an impact. My parents, Bonnie and Bob, and my grandmother, Helen, were shining examples of grit and character. But, let me tell you one particular story that I often reflect on. I was a scrawny, pre-pubescent 14-year old as the latter days of summer approached in the small hamlet of Banks, Oregon. It was August 1982 and I was slated to start high school in a few weeks with a determination to fit in. As a small town youth, this meant playing sports. Now, don’t get me wrong, I was already an avid sports fan (that World Championship TrailBlazers team in 1977 captured the heart of this 9-year old boy). However, God did not gift me with fast-twitch muscle fibers or the swagger to go with it. To top it off, I was a 14-year old boy who looked 12 on a good day. It didn’t matter, I was going to play football, dammit! Putting on the pads and the Banks Braves practice jersey made me feel invincible, until daily doubles actually started and I had to throw my twig-like appendages at an upper class varsity teammate who resembled a full-grown man, beard and all! After a couple weeks of getting my ass handed to me, I made the very difficult decision to tell Coach Gober that I was going to quit. I had never quit anything in my life. That decision has haunted me. Quitting just didn’t feel good, no matter how hard it was. Three years later, as a Senior, I would rejoin the football team and redeem myself. Yes, I finally had facial hair, but the fast-twitch muscle fibers never appeared and I rode the bench. Still, I was part of a team and I did something very hard (for me) and didn’t quit. I have used this story as motivation throughout my life to take on challenges with a true commitment and the grit to get through difficult times. My journey to becoming a vintner and sharing these beautiful wines with you has required the same passion and grit! I hope you can feel the big heart of that young man pumping through every glass.

What’s happening in the Vineyard?

A hell of a lot! Let’s take a look.

PRUNING: The vines got pruned! Valentin, my ever loyal and skilled vineyard manager returned from his annual winter trip to his hometown of Santa Maria Tindu, Mexico on February 8 and got right to work. We discussed my goal to transition to “sap-flow” pruning, the technique I learned in class. This won’t change the actual pruning practices this winter, but when it comes time for shoot thinning, I explained we will need to select new canes for next year. This is a 2-3 year process, but should help preserve the health of the vines for years to come. Regardless, almost all of last year’s canes were pruned back and only two canes were preserved to provide the buds for this year. The old canes were pulled off the wires and laid in the rows for me to mulch with the flail mower when the mud recedes. The two new canes were tied to the lowest wire, the fruiting wire, and the wait for bud break begins! See the photos below for what things look like now.

BOTTLING: The 2024 Pinot Noir is now in bottle and I am truly speechless. Chad and Bree Stock, our beloved winemakers, have outdone themselves. Each of these wines is unique and absolutely stunning! We have three separate bottles to share with you. First, an incredibly quaffable red for the summer, labeled as the 2024 “Pommard Block” Pinot Noir will delight your tongue and has been affectionately labeled the “swallow” bottle, as a nod to Bree’s comment when Leslie asked her what she thought during our blending trial where this was born. “I just swallowed”, Bree said. And, you will, too. Over and over again! The second bottling is dubbed the “777 Block” Pinot Noir, because it is a single clone blend from our 777 clone block. This wine was created from two barrels, one of which was a “hot and spicy” new French oak barrel that just SINGS! Damn, this will blow your mind! Finally, the Black Label Reserve this year is downright sick! If you love classic, premium Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley you will be rewarded with every glass of this classy, elegant, sexy little number. It’s the “little black dress” reimagined. With 40% new French oak, from a perfectly toasted barrel harvested from a Burgundian oak forest, this vinous bev will be popped open if you want to impress your friends (or pair it with a classic ragù alla Bolognese on a random Wednesday). I simply can’t wait for you all to try these wines!

WINE TASTING: The house has been opened for wine tasting the past two weekends and it’s been such a blast! To the usual crew of Leslie, Joe and Adrienne, we have added Lisa and Loni to help us pour. Lisa is one of Leslie’s long time friends and Loni is a passionate club member. Both have been looking for a challenge and a way to connect with a community they can love. Enter the opportunity to pour Shumaker Vineyards wines for the lot of you. We hosted 8 groups on Valentine’s Day and welcomed 4 new wine club members to the ShuVin family. I cannot tell you how humbled and grateful I am for this amazing community and can’t wait for it to grow. We continue to explore ideas for events and ways to connect. Can you say book club, intimate acoustic concerts, chef’s tasting dinners and cooking classes! Let’s do this thing right! Feel free to send me a text, email or DM with your own ideas. We want this to be YOUR club! If you haven’t made a reservation, yet, be sure to click HERE (or the VISIT US tab on the website) to make your reservation TODAY! We look forward to seeing you.

Most of all, I want to express my gratitude. I am one lucky dude. Seriously, to be surrounded with people like you is a GIFT. Thank you for being you and sharing your time with me.