Ann Marie Long of Longview, WA, picking grapes
How often does a vacation transcend the outside to the inside, from the excluded to the included, to join the harvest and share stories of the road with new friends? It happened in Jacksonville in November for Ann Marie and me as we picked late harvest merlot with local people.
Our adventure began with our purchase of a used wine barrel from Pam and David Palmer, owners of Jacksonville Vineyards. After loading the barrel, which David did alone, he graciously invited us to pick merlot the next day and join them for Pam’s soup and a glass of their claret.
What could be better? So, along with friends, family and local labor, we helped pick the last of the merlot on a beautiful day in the Applegate Valley.
There we met Whit Parker, publisher of the Jacksonville Review, and Robert Roos, our Magnolia B &B innkeeper. Children, dogs, Spanish, buckets of sweet grape clusters, and a tractor all mixed together amidst fall colors to paint the scene. The crusher was working to feed the primary fermenter. The grapes were harvested by noon just as a light rain began. We lunched in the barrel room with cheers and salud! Laughter and a happy family of friends make all the difference. What an experience for out of towners, just some folks from Longview, Washington. We finished the day wine tasting at Quady North, shopping at Jacksonville Barn Co., and dining at Gogi’s. The mining town echoed its early days with a warm welcome from the innkeepers and the many people we met. Would we go back to Jacksonville? In a heart beat…thanks everyone!
Gary Lindstrom and Ann Marie Long
Longview, WA