Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you safe and healthy. Some of you may be in states where reopening has begun. I hope this is going well.
Happy Mother’s Day
I am very blessed to be a mother of two wonderful children, Emily, 22 and Ryan,18. And I am not being boastful by saying “blessed”. I did not conceive either of them. Shortly after David and I were married in 1990, we started trying to have children. After 7 years of a lot of failed medical procedures, we decided to pursue adoption. Through private attorneys over the next 4 years, we found two women who wanted to give their children up for adoption and “picked us”. One of the women was 16 years old and felt she was too young to raise a child. The other woman had a 7 year old and knew what it took to raise a child. She believed that if she kept this baby, no one would have a chance at a successful life. The common theme here, which is integral to motherhood, is selflessness. Their decisions provided us a family. We are grateful everyday….well, OK, almost everyday. Do you have an adoption story? I would love to hear it!
Motherhood is hard work and has a lasting impact. There is no roadmap. There are days it fills our hearts and there are days it drains us. The worry never goes away. Our mothers shaped us, their mothers shaped them. So much is carried down from generations before, hopefully with lessons learned shaping the next generation to be even better. I asked my team to share some thoughts of their mother or of being a mother. Here is what they had to say:
About his mom Ellen:
“My mom taught me to be creative and to be myself, something I have tried to instill in my next generation.”
About her kids, Colton Thomas Kirk, 19 and Carson Donald Kirk, 17:
“Favorite part of being a mom is watching them grow and blossom over the years and become wonderful young men, always willing to help me when needed & actually don’t mind hanging out with their mom. 😉 I miss all the younger stages, but it’s kind of fun to have adult conversations with them and not have to “hover mother” them as much.”
About her daughter, Ara Lynn Barnhart, 19 months:
“My favorite part of being a mom is knowing that my mom (who passed away 10 years ago) lives on through her. Ara’s middle name is Lynn which was my mom’s name. Sometimes when I look at Ara, she looks like my mom and it makes me happy and reminds me that my mom will always be with her, even though she’s no longer here.”
About her mom Lucy:
“She gave me my love for cooking and my first easy bake oven, I’m very lucky to have a mom like mine.”
️ Thank you to all of the Mother’s out there for your love and support! Celebrate the accomplishments of motherhood not only today but everyday!
| The Sum is Greater Than It’s Parts |
| Last week, I mentioned we would be getting back to the plans we had set long before the virus. The month of May features our aromatic whites. The year after Jimi made the bold statement that he would set out to restore the reputation of riesling in the Willamette Valley, he surprised the industry with another uncommon wine. While in Europe, he fell in love with the wines of Alsace and in 1999 decided make an Edelzwicker wine from variatals considered noble in Alsace. Edelzwicker means “noble blend”. Back then and even today, it is not easy to find Gewurztraminer and Muscat in the Willamette Valley, but he did. While each varietal can stand on it’s own, the idea in Alsace was combining these with other noble whites including Riesling provided for a more interesting, complex wine. Thus, in 1999, the Amycas was born! Amycas is similar to a word in Greek meaning “friends” and it is my belief that his goal with this wine was to make a fun white wine easy to share with friends and family. It is a true crowd pleaser. Amycas has continued, to this day, to be one of the wines with the strongest followings in our portfolio. It is super aromatic on the nose, tricking you that what is in the glass may be sweet….but it is a completely dry wine. Crisp and refreshing, it is commonly referred to as “the Porch Pounder”. Here are the varietals included and what each bring to the blend: |
Clearly this is a great example where the sum is greater than the parts.
Jimi loved signs and symbols. The symbol on this label is the alchemic symbol for vinegar upside down with a line through it stating “not vinegar”. Pretty creative don’t you think??
2019 Amycas
It Is Heating Up
We, like so many other wineries, have offered free ground shipping on orders of 6 bottles or more since the beginning of shelter in place. We will be continuing that until restrictions are lifted however, we never recommend ground shipping during the heat of summer. So if you live out of state and plan on drinking wine throughout the summer, we advise you stock up sooner rather than later with us or anyone you purchase wine from. There are some cold chain shipping options but they tend to be much more expensive.
Opening of the Tasting Room
The Governor is accepting proposals by County to begin reopening. We are in Yamhill County and they are submitting their proposal within the next week. At the winery, we will be preparing for the “new normal” experience. Regardless of what the Governor allows, Brooks will reopen when it feels it is ready to offer our guests the safest and best possible experience. As soon as we know something, you will be the first to receive information. Standby.
With love and gratitude, I wish you all a lovely Mother’s Day. Thank you all for being a part of our family. You make us better than our parts!
Please reach out with questions or thoughts: [email protected] Cell is 831-238-4828.
Cheers-
Janie
Jack Mulligan
Beautifully written