By Edie Moro Reprinted with permission by the Tribune News Publisher Pam Petersdorf Published May 28, 2020 When Dragon’s Vineyard and Wine Company owner and winemaker Trudy Salerno finally received the tasting room’s OLCC license on Friday, May 15, she announced to her husband, Pete, that she wanted to open for the Memorial Day week-end, only a week away. With the help of friends Tommy Houston and Bill Woodki, both of whom served in the military with Pete, they have been busy stocking the tasting room and putting into place protocols for following the “COVID Covenant.” Pete, who was an English major in college, announced the opening in an email newsletter that went out to fans of Dragon’s wines, showing his sense of humor, “Well, it’s here. The awaited, anointed hour; the grand opening of the tasting room. To say [...]

My fellow Colleagues, Correspondents, and Countrymen; In literary circles irony is often called The English Disease and your author is quite fond of it. He is fond of many things British: Monty Python, hella-quick little two-seater cars, and Stilton cheese being among them. And P.G. Wodehouse. It simply would not do to describe my love of the English and not include Mr. Wodehouse. And so the irony of this past Wednesday did not escape me. On that day the omnipotent building inspector for Benton County came to the farm and gave the tasting room its final blessing. So a morning that should have been noted for its David Niven-esque convivial jocularity at achieving such a goal turned into a rueful Claude Rains-esque half-smile and arched eyebrow at the realization that we don’t know when we’re going to be able to open. “As flies [...]