What will 2020 bring? I’m writing this on December 31st and thinking about the year ahead. 2019 was a good year in the vineyard and in the winery, though not without its challenges. Harvest seemed more typical for Oregon; cool temps and rain. We were forced to recall how we used to do things before the era of warm and dry harvests. And while yields were lower, we’re all very happy with the outcome. It has me thinking about the coming year in the vineyard and in our business generally. Last year we made some changes to reduce our carbon footprint and this year will be the same. The B Corp community has staked a leadership position in committing to carbon reduction and Winderlea will join them. It’s going to take more than a bunch of like minded business and individuals to solve this problem though. We need structural change. In the meantime, we’ll try to do our part. We did successfully obtain Demeter Biodynamic® Certification for our Meredith Mitchell Vineyard in 2019 after 5 focused years of biodynamic farming of the 25+ year old vineyard. Our thanks to all of you for your support in 2019 and to the amazing people we work with. I hope you all have a healthy and happy 2020.- Bill Sweat, Proprietor
