DVQ Q4 2021
Here it is after Thanksgiving and staring down another December. We are in that liminal space between Turkey Day and Christmas Day. We, as in the royal We, haven’t put up the holiday decorations as of yet, but I did manage to polish off the last of the Thanksgiving cheesecake just this morning. Everything in due time, one supposes.
The vineyard is in that space as well. I’ve not stepped foot in the vineyard since harvest. That doesn’t mean the work has stopped; there’s still a couple of weekends for the tasting room to be open. We are hashing out the last details for the final club pick up party of the season and trying to not think of next year. Next year can take care of itself, as far as I’m concerned. Now is the time to take a deep breath, enjoy the company of family and friends, drink a little wine, and not concern ourselves with the chores that await us come the first of January.
Some lessons learned from this past year:
- Once you open the gate, and it doesn’t matter what time it is or what the sign says, you better be ready for someone to come pulling up wanting to drink wine.
- Meeting new people is much more rewarding than I thought it would be. It can even be fun. I didn’t think, being a certified misanthrope, I would enjoy that part as much as I do.
- People appreciate a clean latrine.
- We need to have Jamila Maries out more often to sing. Can I get an amen?
- Always try to be the first stop on the party bus route.
- Forgetting to take the trash to the curb is truly setting one’s self up for failure when running a business. It only takes one missed week for complete anarchy to ensue.
- I did not, much to my surprise, have as many gopher centric conversations as I would have thought. I get the feeling that I care more about this subject than most my clients.
- We are so fortunate to have a great team: Erin Murphy, Brian Day, and our marketer/wine guru/web genius, Jean Yates.
- We are especially fortunate to have such great customers.
I can’t stress Number 8 enough. We’d be done with this if it weren’t for the wonderful people we get to work with. Erin has been such a huge help this year in the tasting room (and her photography skills are phenomenal), Brian Day is literally the nicest man I ever met and seemingly knows every human being in Philomath, and our dear friend Jean Yates is the brains behind the website, marketing, and a host of other things that are completely beyond our ken. But none of this would matter without Number 9. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you. The last two years have been challenging, to say the least. I am so grateful for the willingness on the part of my customers and friends to abide by the rules and doing so in good humor and civility. One reads horror stories about obstreperous customers and we’ve not had a single instance of any of that nonsense. From the bottom of my black, tiny heart thank you.
We get a lot of comments during the course of the season. Some are about the wine, some about the tasting room and bar, and some about Teagen. The comment I hear often enough to make me believe that we’re doing something right is, “you guys make everyone feel so welcome, this place feels just like home.” I’ve heard that a couple of times and it really makes me quite happy when I do because that’s what we’re striving for; to provide you with an experience that is comfortable, easy-going, and fun. That’s what wine is supposed to be about, right? If we’re able to provide that to you, our incredible family of customers, then I consider this entire enterprise to be a success.
We can’t know what the future holds. My most fervent wish for the new year is that this pandemic finally burns itself out and we can all get back to normal. I’m sure I am not alone in that. What I do know is that no matter the circumstances, we have learned much this year and next year will be even better than the last.
Happy Holidays.
See you in April.
Cheers, Pete