A few weeks ago, a group of Cascadians took a field trip for the grape harvest. Our resident winemaker took us out to Courting Hill Vineyard where we picked over 500 pounds of pinot noir, pinot gris, and chardonnay grapes. It was a beautiful fall day, full of picking, de-stemming, juice pressing, and camaraderie.

Next, the fermentation takes place over time. You’ll see casks and barrels in the workshop as our winemaker prepares the batches. Our winemaker also includes the children in the laboratory work. The kids have learned all kinds of cool chemistry lab stuff such as titration and pH testing, as well as practical stuff like how to record measurements in a lab notebook.

Finally, when the wine is ready, in 1.5 to 2 years, we will bottle it. That’s a big job but always fun to work together. That’s when we get to taste the wine, which is the best part!

Our Cascadia Uncommon wine is quite delicious. If you get an opportunity at a gathering, try some! And be sure to tell our winemaker, “Thank you for sharing your hobby, knowledge, and interests with the community!”