Stephen Webber

Head Winemaker-Montinore Estate Winery (Willamette Valley, Oregon)

“I love sharing my finished wines with strangers who exhibit such

enjoyment over them”

Wine, to me, can be an amazing, alluring, complex and unique experience, pre-determined by so much history, natural and man-made manipulation, complex chemistry and a ‘certain je ne sais quoi’. It can produce an experience that can be so memorable and exquisite. It is hard to think of many life experiences that can match the enjoyment of a really wonderful wine, most especially when combined with a place, special people, weather or a time in your life.

As a winemaker, when thinking about my own special experiences with wine over a 30year career, I extend these thoughts to include; beautiful vineyards, the visual moment when special batches of fruit are picked, prominent smells and tasting experiences during fermentation, and the decisions I made from them. I love sharing my finished wines with strangers who exhibit such enjoyment over them, and perhaps share a story of their own special times when wine made a memorable impact for them.

In the rich tapestry of life, how lucky we are to have wine as our companion, our memory holder, our bastion of good times, and our soulmate of bad times.To all who are lucky to have these experiences with our special friend;À votre santé!