Hippie picnics renewed?
Vineyard Journal 2026 - weeks 9 & 10
My first memory of Oregon wine was a hippie picnic at the original Ponzi winery in Washington County. Around five years old is when we first start making memories. I recall a beautiful summer day, filled with bacchanal joy. It was a hippie picnic. My parents were beatniks in their own fashion. We shopped at the food co-op, collecting fresh peanut butter where you had to stir the oil that had risen to the top, while sifting whole wheat flour from large bins, separating it from the weevils, who also derived their nourishment from these organic products. Thankfully, my mom was not a fan of the cubes of white soy that floated in some unknown liquid, conjuring, alien seed pods in the imagination of this five-year-old boy. it was a particularly happy time in my life. That gathering of peace, love and wine must have made an impression on my young soul. I have always gravitated toward community and a sense of belonging. To me, wine has always been much more than a beverage. It is an integral part of gathering with friends and community. The story of the Ponzis and the other OG wine makers in the Willamette Valley is one that continues to capture my imagination. For those of you also interested in the history of Oregon wine, I would highly recommend perusing the book “The Boys Up North”. A great read.
My hope, is that we create a similar community around Shumaker Vineyards. A place where family and friends can gather not just to drink fine wine, but the connect on a very human level. Our Wine Club members are also our friends. We are hoping to host not just regular wine tasting on the weekends, but club member only events around music, art, food, and culture. Think intimate acoustic concerts, art installations and demonstrations, cooking classes and winemaker dinners, a book club, game night, movie night, etc. Please reach out to us with any of your own ideas. This is your club!
What’s happening in the vineyard?
- WINE TASTINGS! It has been so much fun, hosting people for wine tastings in our living room. This intimate, cozy setting where we get to share our wine and our home is helping to build exactly the kind of community that we want. We have been honored to host old friends and make new ones. In fact, we recently hosted Mercedes and Travis, a couple from Tampa, Florida, who had never been to Oregon before. They so enjoyed the wine and the company, that not only did they join the Wine Club, but Leslie had dinner with Mercedes when she was in Tampa recently. Mercedes is starting her own wine related business, called Wine She Wrote. Check her out on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wineshewrote?igsh=amViZnZxc3RmNnIy
If you haven’t had the chance to come join us, make your reservation by clicking here and come see us this weekend. Don’t forget, Wine Club members and their guests taste for free! Our proximity to the westside suburbs and downtown Portland make this your favorite wine tasting location!
- MORE BOTTLING! March will bring additional bottling of new wines. We should be bottling our 2025 Blanc de Blanc, which will knock your socks off!. Also, we are expecting to bottle the 2025 rosé, Pinot Greene, and quite possibly our new Sauvignon Blanc, Taylor Swift’s favorite grape varietal!
- SPRING RELEASE! Mark your calendar! We are tentatively planning our spring pick up party for May 9 at the North Plains Vineyard. More details to come as the date approaches.
- EARLY BUD BREAK? What about the vines? You may all have noticed your daffodils blooming and some flowering trees. Well, the vines are prepping to pop soon as well. With the warm, dry winter we may have an early bud break, especially if temperatures continue to warm. Bud break should occur in late March or early April, signaling the start of a new vintage with all the hope and anxiety that farming brings! However, an early bud break can be a major risk if we get a late frost. Those delicate little leaves just HATE to get too cold! Keep your fingers crossed that Mother Nature cooperates.
- FIELD GRAFTING! Did you know you can change the variety of grape on your established vines? The technique is called field grafting, where a new varietal can be grafted to the trunk of an old vine and Voila! a new varietal is born. We have decided to diversify our vineyard, by converting about half of our Pinot Gris to Chardonnay. I collected about 500 “sticks” of bud wood off the prunings of the Chardonnay vines at our friends Concinnitas Vineyards. They are wrapped in black plastic bags, ala “Dexter” and placed in an empty wine refrigerator until they can be field grafted in May. More to come on this project!
