After years of enjoying the various appellations of the Golden State’s excellent wines, it’s difficult to imagine grapes being grown commercially a couple latitudinal degrees south of the Canadian border. Let alone producing quite lovely wines, using organic and sustainable methods.
But they do. And it is.
Part of what makes winemaking at Ten Spoon Winery so inviting includes a volunteer grape harvest each fall, which brings locals from Missoula, Montana to pick when the sugars have peaked. This year’s harvest was brought out of the fields in about four days of picking that ended in mid October. On the last day of harvest Frontenac and St. Croix grapes needed to begin their journeys to the fermenters … regardless the weather.
The pic above first appeared that morning on Ten Spoon’s Facebook page with the caption “Montana’s Toughest Pickers” — an apt description given morning temps in the low 40s, under drippy skies.
The vineyard is about ten minutes from downtown Missoula, in the Rattlesnake Valley. To say ‘thanks’ to the volunteers, Ten Spoon puts out a great spread for lunch and dinner — with lots of their wine and a keg of local brew. On the rolling lawn behind the tasting room a huge bonfire warms harvest evenings — along with many chilled, purple fingers.
Ten Spoon took the niche of organic, sustainable production doing a remarkable job, and bottling award winning vintages. Inventory sells out annually. The product is not what you’d expect from Sonoma’s Dry Creek region, but then — nobody in that appellation needs an electric fence for bears.
Plus you have a different appreciation for wine when you’ve helped bring in the harvest … especially before any bears reached the vineyard.
Contributed by Eric Gabster
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
