On The Road at Alabama Pinot Camp

Donna and I were at Alabama Pinot Camp this week.  We’ve attended for the last few years and our annual trip to Huntsville and Birmingham have become one of our most anticipated market visits.  Thanks to some amazing local retailers, Alabama is a very strong market for Oregon Pinot noir.  With all the time spent pouring wine at trade and consumer tastings, I didn’t expect to be spending much time thinking about our vineyards, other than to check the Biodynamic calendar to see what kind of day it was.  At the last event, however, I had a very civilized conversation with a gentleman who does not share my views on climate change.  It was a great opportunity to think about the issue from a new perspective  and it re-energized me to find additional methods to reduce Winderlea’s carbon footprint, perhaps in ways that I had not yet considered.  I’m grateful for that.  I also need to admit that I don’t have enough conversations with people who don’t share my views and I need to seek more of those.  It is time well spent.- Bill Sweat, Proprietor