Fall at Folly of Man vineyard.
When Tracy and Aaron Kendall purchased their vineyard in 2023, they did so with characteristic humility and a healthy dose of disbelief. They hadn’t set out to start their own winery. As accomplished winemakers already deeply embedded in Oregon’s Willamette Valley community —Tracy formerly as associate winemaker at Nicolas-Jay, and Aaron as assistant winemaker at Beaux Frères and now winemaker at Compris—their work spoke for itself. But when the right piece of land came along, it was impossible to resist.
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Working my first harvest in Oregon 2024.
Last fall, I did something I never thought I’d do, I worked a wine harvest. Not from the sidelines, not as an observer, but right there in the thick of it cleaning tanks, sampling, sorting fruit and even helping with blending trials. I didn’t pick grapes (turns out, that’s its own brutal art form), but I did just about everything else, thanks to the incredible generosity of Tracy Kendall at Folly of Man in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
It was messy, physical, humbling, and absolutely thrilling. I came away with sore muscles, purple-stained hands, and a deeper respect for the craft than any wine tasting could ever offer.
Winemaker Alison Moyes with the just bottled 2024 Chardonnay.
But even as the last tank was pressed off and the cellar began to quiet down, I knew I was only just beginning to understand the life of a wine. So when winemaker Alison Moyes of Solvero Wines in Summerland, BC invited me to join her team for bottling, I jumped at the chance. Their 2022 Chardonnay was recently crowned Best White Wine in Canada at the All Canadian Wine Championships, and this time, they were sealing up the 2024 vintage.
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The Dream Team: Tracy, Brandon, Ally, Al, Chase & Andy.
As the final grapes are pressed and the last barrels tucked away, my harvest internship has officially come to a close. It’s hard to believe how much has been packed into these past 4 weeks — the early mornings, hot days, late nights, and everything in between. Physically, it was one of the toughest experiences I’ve ever gone through.
The long hours during harvest are legendary for a reason. There’s no stopping the process once it starts, and the grapes certainly don’t wait. But as I’ve come to realize, the physical side is only one part of the equation. What truly made this experience special was the people I shared it with.
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Guillaume Large sampling Pinot grapes at Résonance vineyard.
I had the privilege to spend a day with Guillaume Large, the winemaker at Résonance Wines, a project from Louis Jadot based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Having admired his wines since he transitioned from being Cellar Master at Jadot in Beaune to lead the winemaking at Résonance, I was thrilled when he invited me to experience a day of harvest at his winery.
Knowing I was working at a smaller production facility for my own harvest internship, it was fascinating to witness a winery producing nearly ten times the amount of wine. The scale difference was eye-opening and offered a different perspective on managing a larger operation.
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Celebrating 10 years of AdVINEtures.
I’m not entirely sure when I decided that experiencing my first Harvest over the age of 50 was a good idea, but here I am committed to being a full-time intern for the next several weeks.
They say timing is everything, and it turns out that this new adventure happens to coincide perfectly with the 10-year anniversary of our wine blog AdVINEtures. While most people in the industry might celebrate with a special bottle of wine, it seems I’ve opted for a more unique way to mark this milestone!
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