Changing the Way You Think About Wine

S2 E3 - Cassandra Beldowicz  -  Winemaker & Owner of Corcilla Cellars

What if you don’t need to know anything about wine… to actually enjoy it?

In this episode of The Realtor Who Wines, Rashelle Newmyer sits down with winemaker and founder of Corcilla Cellars, Cassandra Beldowicz, to talk about breaking into the wine industry, redefining the tasting room experience, and making wine feel approachable for everyone. 

“At the end of the day, all you really need to know is—did I like it or did I not like it?”

Cassandra’s journey didn’t start in a vineyard; it started in healthcare. After working as a labor and delivery nurse, a broken arm led to an unexpected pause… and a new obsession.

“I was studying four hours a day… drawing maps of Bordeaux… I was completely obsessed.”

That obsession turned into harvest work in Napa Valley, years of hands-on experience, and eventually launching her own label in Oregon, where she now creates unique, small-batch wines designed to expand people’s palates beyond the expected.

“It’s been my goal to change people’s minds about Riesling… and I feel like I’m getting there.”

 In This Episode, We Talk About:

•  How Cassandra went from nurse to winemaker (and why she never went back) 
•  Why does she intentionally not make Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley 
•  The reality of working a harvest (70–80 hour weeks and still loving it) 
•  Being a woman in a male-dominated industry 
•  How to walk into a tasting room with confidence, even if you know nothing about wine 

“You don’t need to know the notes of plum or pencil shavings… you just need to know what you like.”

Wine, Community & Breaking the Rules

Cassandra is also redefining what a tasting room can feel like, less intimidating, more like your living room.

“My goal was to make it feel like you’re in your living room… not pretentious, just comfortable.”

From hosting community events like drag bingo to creating a space where kids, friends, and newcomers all feel welcome, she’s building more than a wine brand—she’s building connection.

“We’ve had people come in who didn’t know each other… and now they meet here all the time. That’s what I’m most proud of.”

 The “Badass Women” Wine Series

One of the most unique parts of Cassandra’s brand? Her rotating wine blends are named after influential women like Betty White and Katherine Johnson, with a portion of proceeds supporting women in STEM.

It’s wine with a story, a purpose, and a little bit of edge.

Why You Should Listen

Whether you’re:

•  A wine lover (or someone who feels intimidated by wine) 
•  A business owner building something from scratch 
•  Or someone who loves hearing how people turn passion into purpose 

This episode will leave you inspired and maybe a little more confident ordering your next glass.

So grab a glass of wine, settle in, and join us for a conversation about wine, entrepreneurship, and building something meaningful one bold decision at a time.

Cheers! 

Thank you for listening! Connect and collaborate with Realtor Rashelle on any of her social media platform pages > https://linktr.ee/RealtorRashelle 

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Realtor Who Wines podcast. I'm Rashelle Newmeyer, your hostess with the mostest a student of life, a connector, a passionate wine enthusiast and your local favorite guide. Join me as we explore the vibrant Pacific Northwest. Savor the finest wines and champion the spirit of entrepreneurship. Each episode, I'll sit down with inspiring guests, supporting business ownership and uncovering the stories that make this community unique. So grab a glass of wine, settle in, and let's embark on a journey of discovery and connection together. Cheers. yeah, I lived in Germany for three years. Fell in love with dry Riesling. But in the United States, I feel that most people around here only have experience with, like, a late harvest Riesling. And they've never had experience with a dry Riesling, and it's just so fun. So I specifically decided to do a pet Nat with Riesling, because I figured I could talk most people into trying Riesling if I tell them there's bubbles involved. Yeah, which has been true. So. And I feel like I've, It's been my goal to change people's minds about Riesling, and I feel like I'm getting there. But yeah, I do like, it's still has the sweet notes that, like, somebody that likes a Riesling I think will enjoy, but it's not overpowering. And then the bubbles just make it refreshing, which I love. We dive right into the wine, but I'd love for you to introduce yourself to everybody before we go too far. Yeah. My name is Cassandra Elder, which I am the owner, and the winemaker for, of course, Olive cellars. I started course a la in 22 after my husband and I moved to Portland in 21. I've been making wine for other people since 2016. But when my husband, my husband was in the military for a long time. So we moved a lot. And then he left the military and we moved to Portland and we were like, we're not moving anymore. So it seemed like a good time to start my own brand. So yeah, yeah, you will have to tell your husband, thank you very much for your service. And also thank you for supporting him, because I have been a military spouse and it's not an easy job. It's rough and it's rough. It's rough. So thank you to both of you for your sacrifice. And thank you for your commitment. So, Casella Cellars, how did you come up with that name? So of course it is Latin. It means the heart is the seat of intelligence. And then, I was a nurse before I started making wine. So, you can see on the bottle there's, like, an anatomical heart. So that's kind of where that comes from. I love that, yeah. I wanted my husband is actually the one who found the word Corsica. I wanted something that was kind of based in the heart. And then. Yeah. And all the flowers on my logo, I also picked specifically for the meaning of the flowers I love so, so much for intentional. Yeah. Sometimes people are like, I just like seahorses. So we're the Seahorse Cafe, you know? And then sometimes there's like a ton of thought that goes into it. I mean, yeah, my name realtor Rochelle is like another realtor for wine, so it's not very thoughtful, but it is what it is. But it's catchy. And it also like it's pretty self-explanatory. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So talk a little bit about your journeys that you've been making wine for others since 2016. How did you get into that? That's a story I know. I'm excited that, may be longer than the 30 minutes we have here, so I'm going to be I'll give the CliffsNotes. I, was working as a labor and delivery nurse in Virginia, and, broke my arm and was out of work for, like, six weeks. And, you know, it's hard to deliver babies with one arm. So I can imagine, like, carry, like, a high amount or something, just like, shoot at this, like. Exactly. So and when it was getting time for me to go back to work, I, just, I was like, I this six weeks has been really great as just being a nurse is hard. Well, I was gonna say the mental break was probably. Yeah, the mental break was great. And so I talked to my husband, and, we decided that I wasn't going to go back to work. We were going to be living there for less than a year anyway. So I was just going to have a longer mental break. And I started taking some classes, which are wine classes? Kind of in the Somalia range, just for fun to fill my time. Fell in love with it. Was super obsessed studying four hours a day at the Panera down the road. Oh, my gosh, like drawing maps of Bordeaux and. Yeah, my husband would come home and I'd be like, do you know what a double chord on vine is? You know, it was like, no. Yeah, he was not as interested as me. But, and then we moved to Kansas and it ended up we were going to be in Kansas for less than a year. So it didn't make sense for Riley. We were at Leavenworth. Oh, okay. Yeah, he was doing a, He wasn't there for prison. He was there for. Yeah. There's a there's a base there. Yeah. He, was doing a plot twist. Army soldier plot twist? No, he was doing an Army school there, and, so I actually started there was a community college there that did a winemaking degree program, so I started taking classes doing that. Me and my first, wine and my basement in Kansas. It was, Merlot is a five gallon bucket of Merlot that I got, frozen Merlot grapes from Washington. I was going to say there's not a lot of Marlow grapes on the Kansas region. No, no, there's other grapes, and they're all disgusting, but they're different. They're they are known for the Concord, which is more for grape juice. But actually Concord wine is like, you know, you love their Concord wines, very popular in the Midwest. It's a gateway wine. It's it's something. But yeah. And then, at that time, my husband and I had won an auction to have wine with a winemaker in Napa. So we went out, we had a great time. Went out to dinner with this guy and his wife. He was so kind. He. Because at this point, I was, like, so excited to nerd out with him. Right. I know he was probably thinking like, oh my God, this girl. Let me tell you about my Merlot. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But he was so kind and he actually told me, like, you know, we use harvest interns every year. Just let me know if you're ever in California. Oh, I love that. And then from there, my husband, actually, we got stationed in California for a fellowship, that my husband was doing at UC Davis. And so the day, literally five minutes after we got the email that we were going to California, I was emailing Rob, saying, I'm coming, please be your intern. Yeah. And he was just like, cool, see you in August. That was it. And then so I worked harvest for them and it was just supposed to be harvest, but they ended up, afterwards being, hired on as part of their production team, vineyard or winery was at, Jessup Cellars. Yeah. Which is, in, well, their winery spaces and, Napa, but their tasting rooms in Yountville. Yeah. And I worked for them for just about three years, as part of their production team. So it was great. And that time I also spent going back to school, I did the Enology and Viticulture program certificate programs through Washington state. And it was during that whole time I decided I was, not going to go back to health care. Yeah. I mean, at this point, you're knee deep in grapes. Why would you go back deep? Yeah. Yeah, that is a question. Why would you go back. Yeah, I, I mean, I'm not an agriculture, but the part of the reason I wanted to do this podcast, I was I just fascinated by the wine industry and then even the agriculture part of it. And I just love it so much. And I've, I got to look at vines all day. Yeah. I love the agriculture part is fascinating. I, I did the, viticulture, internship while I was in Napa as well. The last summer I was there and it is such hard work. And grape vines are so fascinating. Well, and a lot more delicate than people realize. And then, like, if want, depending on how you treat the vines and stuff, like if one vine gets sick, they can all get sick unless how you treat them. And yeah, also a lot of people don't realize, unlike a lot of other crops, that you can use machines to crop grapes have to be handpicked or they get squished like so. It's just a lot of a lot of hands on. With the farming and then also yeah production for sure. Yeah. What did you learn your first three years. Like what are some moments like really stood out to you that like really like resonated in your education. Like hands on learning. While you're interning. Yeah. Well, you know, my what really resonated with me, so my first harvest, I remember thinking everyone was running around. It was really hard work. Like really physically hard work. I was working 70, 80 hours a week and cried multiple times. My first harvest because I was so tired, but still waking up at 6 a.m. the next day, just really jazzed to go to work. Yeah, but I do remember thinking one day everyone was running around kind of freaking out about something, and I was just like, nobody's dying, right? Try delivering a baby. It's a vine. Everybody. That's somebody. But yeah, I think I really developed, I think, an appreciation for, the vineyard workers, they're incredibly hard working, very talented, especially in the wine industry. I think they get lost in the story. So I think that was a big part of what I learned. It was great to be going to school while working at a winery. Because some of the people in my class were doing it just for fun, or were thinking about going into the wine industry later. I think working in the industry at the same time was really helpful in terms of putting what I was learning into hands on, and then also, you know, book learning and what you do in practice is not always the same. So a lot of the classes, the book learning was based on a was based on a perfect environment with perfect equipment. And yeah, that's what I was just going to say is book learning can't prepare you for the one off situations. Yeah. You also don't know how much of winemaking actually is. You need to be good at fixing things. So there's so much fixing of equipment that needs to happen. So, that was I, I've always been a little bit of a handy person. I grew up with a single mom, so it. I feel like I'm a pretty handy person, but, this was next level. I've never fixed heavy machinery, so. Yeah. Well, yeah. When would you have had the opportunity? Until you did this internship? Yeah, for sure. And then how did you transition from that era where you were, like learning and going to school to where you are right now? So from California, we moved to Washington and I started working at a winery in the Woodville area. They've since moved their production to Walla Walla. But I was, for Paterson Cellars, and I loved working for them. They were great. I feel like they really valued me. And, they both of the guys I worked for were a little bit older than me, and this was their second or third career. So I feel like they also had a perspective in terms of work life balance and, that sort of thing. That was great to work for them. But it felt so. Only 10% of winemakers in the US are women. And when I worked at Jessup, as much as I don't think this was purposeful on their point, on their part whatsoever, but I, I was the only woman as part of that team. Oh, really? And it definitely I definitely felt like I was also the oldest person on that team. I definitely felt like I needed to work harder and, constantly be proving that I was not the weakest link in their production team. And I did not feel that way at Patterson. Patterson. I felt like I was of, I did not feel like I needed to prove myself as a female in the wine industry, with them I had plenty of outside people come in that, you know, one time this guy walked, this guy delivering something walked right past me on the forklift. I'm literally in the middle of driving the forklift. He walked right past me, looked at me, walked inside to ask, Jim, our cellar master, if someone could unload his truck, and Jim just walks out and he's like, she's on the forklift. Why don't you ask her? Yeah. So. And I got that a lot. You know, I get a lot of the, delivery truck drivers who are who are giving me direction on how to unload a truck, you know, like, sit down. Exactly. Sit down, read a magazine, let me do my work. I think part of it probably at your first, place as well. The just that place is also, you were new to the industry too, so for sure that I had that confidence more in Washington than you did then. But I mean, we see it all the time. Women always feel like we always have to overcompensate to prove our seat at the table. Yes, that's getting better, but it still happens. Oh, that was 100%, I think especially in the last few years especially, I think I've seen more and more women kind of realize in realizing and shedding that idea that women don't support each other or, those types of tropes that are old and really realizing that we are our best allies and totally supportive of each other. Yeah. Well, and I think definitely our generation is changing that narrative. I think, like our mothers and grandmothers were just brought end up in a society where like that wasn't encouraged. And a lot of us are like, I don't care. My girls are everything. I'm showing up for them 100%, and we always want to see each other one, too. Yeah, absolutely. I actually just did a wine walk on Sunday on International Women's Day. It was, planned by this woman. Her name is Kelly. She owns K marae downtown in Milwaukee. And, a lot of times wine walks are used as fundraisers for cities, which is great and totally fine. But the people who are pouring for those wine walks, the only money they're making is from bottle sales. They don't actually make any money from the wine walk itself, but most people don't buy bottles at wine walks because they don't want to carry them around, right? Right. So you're just especially when you're just starting, you're like, I don't I carry this all night. You might grab a bottle like towards the end there. Yeah. Are you a first time homebuyer? You don't need to be perfect. You don't have to have perfect credit or a giant down payment. You just need a plan. And someone that understands the business and how to navigate it. Please reach out. I would love to help you on this home journey. So it's, it's a pretty big cost for wineries, especially because the majority of wineries who are doing those wine walks are small. Right. So, but this one she wanted to do solely to support, women. And so she didn't charge for tickets. So it was nine women winemakers paired up with nine women owned businesses in Milwaukee. Oh, I love it was great. I shoulda known about that. It was. It was honestly the most fun I've ever had at a wine walk. It was so fun. I the people coming in were great and supportive and seemed really excited to be, participating and supporting all these women. And what was great is before the Wine Walk started, I had emailed everyone to ask about, the pricing for the Wine Walk. Like, is everyone planning on charging for their tastings and what is it? And everyone was so collaborative. Yeah. You know, they were like, we should definitely standardize this across so no one feels like we're competing with each other. We're just, you know, and it was great. Or that people have to choose like, oh, this one's ten, but this one's fine. Yeah. Maybe I'll do two fives versus a ten. Yeah. If we just standardize it across. And we were all it was just a very collaborative situation. Whereas I've done other events where I've tried to do that with, other business, like other winemakers who are male and they don't necessarily they're not as interested in being as collaborative. Not always. Obviously, there are I'm sure there are lots of men who are super collaborative. But yeah, I just felt like, yeah, it was a super collaborative environment and it was, great to participate with them. Well, and I'm assuming in the wine industry, like the real estate industry, I always say like there's enough business to go around 100% in like collaboration over a competition every day. Guys like, it makes our jobs so much easier to do when we collaborate. And I that I found as I've gotten to meet more and more wineries, wine owners, vineyard owners, winemakers, everyone's like, oh, if you like my wine, you should go try so-and-so. I think you'd really like so-and-so's variety of x, y, z. And I just love that. Yeah, it's so supportive. Or like, I don't really make a sweet wine, but so-and-so does, so you should definitely go do that. I've had people say, you know, oh, so-and-so was thinking about doing a tasting room in Oregon City, but I'm sure you wouldn't like that. No, I would love that. Right. Because to choose two spots means more people are likely to come down and make an afternoon of it, right? Versus grab lunch next door. Yeah, I think it's. And then if you also look at the Valley, you know, there's tons of tasting rooms. People go out there to do multiple tastings. Yeah, they make a day out of it. And it's super fun. Yeah, I think for sure. I think there's enough business to go around in from Washington. When did you plant roots here in Oregon? Oh, we moved here in 21, 21. Yeah, we moved here in 21. And then I, started course L.A. in 22. Okay. Yeah. So 22 was my first, harvest on my own making all making all the choices myself. And when you were looking for a tasting room spot, like, did you kind of always have Oregon City in mind or did this just kind of happen? It I did for I don't know why. Like there was nothing. I hadn't read anything in particular about Oregon City. I had just I'd come down here with my sister for some event that was happening downtown and thought that the town seemed really cute, and for some reason, I just felt really drawn to this downtown area and felt like it was a going to be a good spot for me. And then my husband and I actually had come down one day to just peek in the windows of a spot I had seen listed online, and I looked in the window and immediately was like, oh, this won't work. This is this place is way too big. And started to walk back to the truck and I walked past this space. There was no sign it hadn't been listed. It was just I just noticed it was empty. And I'm, like, peering in the windows. And as I'm peering in the windows, I'm getting super excited because the space is perfect. It's so cute. I think it would be great. And, this woman walks by and was like, hey, do you want to peek inside? And I turned and look at her. She's like, I'm the I'm the one who manages this space. We haven't even listed it yet. But I saw you peeking in, so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to see inside, do I? Yeah, I do, yeah. So she showed me around and then I put in, an offer for the spot. And at first they, said, Sorry. No, we ended up going with somebody else, but for some reason, I just wasn't worried about it. And then a few weeks later, they contacted me again and they said, hey, that fell through. Are you still interested? So then I signed, I signed release, and here we are I love that. Yeah, we did a ton of work in here. It's used to be a hair salon, so, we painted, we refinish the floor. It's it. This building was built, like, 1890 something. It's really old. So the brick is original. The floors are original. But we redid the floors because they, they were sad and painted and built the bar, and, separated the little kitchen space from the hallway to the bathroom. So people weren't walking through the kitchen to go bathroom. And my bathroom. I redid the bathroom quite a bit. It's so cute in there now. I love it when I notice that your kid friendly. Yeah. And and dog friendly. Which is nice because Not that I like take my ten year old wine drinking all the time, but when I belong to wine clubs and stuff I had, I quit a wine club once because I showed up to pick up with her and it was like noon on a Wednesday. It wasn't like they were busy. I showed up like right when they opened and I brought her in with me. And at the time, Rylan was five and they're like, she can't be in here. She has to wait outside. And I was like, you want my five year old to wait outside by herself? And I was like, well, can you just bring my shipment outside then? And I was like, can she just stand inside? But just like by the door, like I'm not staying. I'm literally picking up something. I've already paid for it and leaving. And they're like, no, absolutely not. You need to stay in here to get your shipment. She has to stay outside. And I was like, well, while you're pulling up my paperwork, go ahead and cancel my membership. And I had, but I was a member all through Covid when they weren't open picking up my shipment. But I was like, I get rules are rules. And I'm not trying to, like, break any of the liquor laws and stuff. I was like, it's literally 30s or I'll wait outside with her. Can you just walk the paperwork over here? I already paid for it. So it's not like you need money from me. And they're like, no, it definitely. I mean, you're it definitely depends on your license. But when I applied for my license, it actually it's not really any more work to allow minors than it is to allow minors. The only difference is I have to display a sign that says no minors after 9 p.m.. Yeah, that's it. Which makes sense. Why or why would they be here anyways after 9 p.m. but I just from a perspective of like just stopping in and being like, I just wanted to pick up my wine and not put my child in danger. Yeah. And I just hop in with me. I'm not going to hire a babysitter to go pick up my wine. Yeah. So we have quite a few people who come in, with their kids, and they just hang out as a family. You know, we've got, guests who guess who over there. And the kids just hang out and, like. Because I feel like this is a this is a nice spot to not be at home. But to just hang out and feel like you're out and feel comfortable. My goal in creating this space was to make it feel like you're in your living room, comfortable catching up with friends or whatever, for it to not feel pretentious. Yeah, I feel like the wine industry was a little late to pivot in terms of making people not feel dumb about wine drinking. And I think they are definitely. That definitely is, changing now, but I think that it took them a little longer than it should have. So yeah, that was my my goal was to make people feel comfortable and cozy in here. And if that includes needing to come in with your kids, then that's fine. Yeah, yeah. Well, no, my daughter has like favorite wineries because of things that they offer her. Like there's one that has like an art corner and she's like, let's go to Art winery today. Like she'll bring it up to me and I'm like, oh, okay, if we have to, I will go drink wine. I guess you can go to the Art corner or like different ones. I have farm animals or. Yeah, there's one winery and, Aurora that has boys rylan's like right in the middle of their boys is age, and they live there because it's their vineyard, too. She calls out the boy from the boy winery. She's like, let's go to the boy winery. Maybe they're around. I can play with them outside. Like, that's right. Thank you. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, we've been going there for a while, but, talk about your different varieties that you offer here. Yeah. So, I do not make piano. That was a purposeful decision. I love piano, I just feel like there's a lot of it around here, and I didn't need to add to the market, so I sauce all our grapes. They come from southern Oregon, eastern Oregon and eastern Washington. So the warmer spots, I also really like, crisp whites. So all of my weights are done in stainless steel. I don't oak them all. So oak, any of them. So again, I don't make Chardonnay. Not that I have. I love both of those varietals. I just, I feel like you can get them a lot of other places. So, my goal was to provide some wine varietals that are harder to find, especially in the Willamette area, just because we are so pino focused. So I do, I have the sparkling Riesling. I actually just released, a new blanc to blanc traditional style that actually is made out of Chardonnay. But it's a traditional sparkling wine, which is really fun. I, I did it, it was all done by hand. So that was a bit of a learning curve, but really fun to do. I do a seven year block of uni, a rosé of Sangiovese, and that's fun because majority of the roses around here are a pino. So, a different kind of, rosé and then, some of the bigger reds. So I do a Grenache, a Sangiovese, a Syrah, a couple of red blends that are Bordeaux style. I have I think that's about it right now about it. That was a good list about it. Yeah. I yeah. So I have, my Bordeaux style blends are actually part of my Badass Women blend. I love that. So every year I do a new blend and I name it. After you have finish this and I can drink some, every year I do a new blend named after new badass lady, and then a dollar of those bottle sales goes to the Oregon Girls Collaborative Project, which helps get girls interested in Stem careers. So my first one was Ruth, and then the second one is Betty. So Betty's named after Betty White, who was a true badass for sure. For sure. Actually, my sister was the one who wanted to name it Betty, and I at first was a little skeptical because I was like, I love Betty. Obviously she's hilarious, but I didn't really know how much of a badass she was. And then I started doing more research and she was a force. She really was. So also really charitable to, yeah, super charitable person, especially towards dog shelters and, and things. Yeah. The month we released it, we did a month long, fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society. Oh, cool. To go along with the fact that we released Betty. So, yeah. And, Betty's fun because it's, has some Patty video in it, which is harder to find around here. And Patty video. Such a fun variety. I love it. Do you have someone in mind for your next one? So I've already made Catherine, so I just haven't released it yet. Catherine is a 23. It also is a Bordeaux style blend, might it not? Purposely all Bordeaux style. That's just what I what I've ended up liking the most when I've been trying to figure out blends. But Catherine is after Catherine Goebel Johnson, who was. If you saw Hidden Figures, she was, she was the one played by Taraji P Henderson. Okay. She's the NASA mathematician in the 60s who helped get all the dudes to the moon. I love that. So super, super smart, very much a badass because she was working as a, person of color, a woman of color in NASA in the 60s. So unheard of. Yeah. Unheard of. So, Yeah, super, super badass. So, yeah. And then, I'm going to be getting ready to bottle my 24 us here soon, so I need to decide who I'm going to be. Naming my 24 after my sister for some reason thinks that, she gets to name the 24. Is that you guys take time for every other. Yeah, that we take turns and every other year. And I'm just like, I'm not sure that's how it works. But I will take her suggestions. Yeah, but, yeah, it's fun because I often when I tell people about these wines, they usually people have suggestions for me and my list of women to name wine after is just getting longer and longer. So yeah. Which is well, I think part of it would have to do too with like the boldness of it or the like, what you're like trying to accomplish with it. Like, does it remind you of that woman or, you know, things like that. So you can, like, speak to it? My brain's all about marketing. So, yeah, for sure. Like bold, very bold. Yeah. All right. So this is bold. I like to tell people, I like to tell people. So Ruth was 50% Merlot and 25 each of Cab Franc and cabs off Cab Bronx, one of my favorites. And, it was, like, smooth. It was like a super. It is a super smooth wine. And so I just feel like both of the wines really fit the lady's personalities, you know, like, it's. I feel like Betty is pretty sassy, and I feel so. I just feel like it fits. Yeah. Yeah, I love that. Cheers. I got to use. Know someone moving to Oregon? Send them my way. I specialize in relocation, and I'll treat them like family. Plus, you know there's a glass of wine in it for him. Cheers. Hello, Betty. I like that a lot. That's delightful. Yeah. The Betty video in there is. Yeah, it gives it an extra little edge, I feel like. Yeah, for sure. It's definitely different layer. I actually just released, 100% Petite Bordeaux in the fall, and it's one of my favorite wines right now. It's so good. What is some, or a question I like to ask is when someone has a tasting room, what is some advice you would give somebody that is a little bit timid? And I was like, I don't want to go in there and look like an idiot because I don't normally go wine tasting. I don't know anything about wine. What would you say to that person? Oh, I so again, that was one of my goals is to educate everyone who works here. Oh tons. So they're super knowledgeable but also if you come in and you don't know anything and you just want the very basic info, we can do that. If you don't want to hear from us at all. If you're like, I'm here to catch up with my friend, just pour me wine. Totally fine as well. But if you want us to get super nerdy, we will definitely do that with you. But I feel. I feel like if you don't know anything about wine, that is fine. It's fine. Really? All you need to know at the end of the day, all you really need to know is. Did I like it or did I not like it? Yeah, well, I think sometimes two people are so worried about being polite that they, like, don't want to be honest with the person pouring the wine, like, oh, that was a little harsh for me. Or yeah, that was too sweet. And then there's other people there like that, you know, or you know, but it's kind of funny, but I was like, just be honest, because then they can help guide you to where that's the right variety for sure. Yeah. Even if they're not grading. So I feel like if you get to the end of your tasting, you don't know a lot about wine. And you say, I really liked this wine. Can you help me? Can you help me find some other wines, like elsewhere, that you think would also go with this? You know, just in terms of, well, yeah. Let's pick out what it is that you liked about this wine. Did you like, because it was super fruity. Did you like it? You know? Yeah. It's giving them terms to, to use like. Well, the next time you walk into a place, just say like a fruit for a little bit of a sparkle. Yeah. And then they'll be able to help guide you with their online. Yeah. For sure. You don't need to be able to pick out, you know. Oh the smells of plum and pencil shavings, legs for days on this one. You don't need to know those things and that's okay. And if you go to a tasting room that treats you like it's not okay, then you just then you don't need to give them your business. Yeah, well, and that's not the room for you. Yeah, yeah for sure. What is on the horizon for you. Do you have some varietals that you're playing with in the back of your mind that you want to try, or some grapes that you want to source? Yeah, I sourced for the 24 vintage. I source some Dolcetto, which I haven't made before, and I'm very excited about how that's turning out. So I love the Italian and the Spanish varietals. I think they're so fun and delicious. And I also think they're harder to find around here. And I love being able to introduce people to varietals that they don't know and kind of expand people's horizons. Outside of, like the the couple varietals people know so. Well, I think that's what's fun about your place, too, is, we are known for organ, piano, and we have the best Pinot in the area. But it is nice if you're making a day out of it to have a variety so you don't get, like, piano blind. Yeah, and so it's also fun because not everybody does like piano. And if you're trying to like, people reach out to me all the time how I got the name, the realtor who wines actually was from clients, they're like, oh, let me call my realtor. She wines like, my mom's coming into town. My the realtor will know where to go, so they'll call me like my mom hates reds. Where should I take her. And for a long time I'd be like because there wasn't that many places and now there's like more places popping up that have more than a red on. Yeah available. But yeah I think it's nice to have a variety and something unique that like you can't get everywhere. Yeah. Super fun. We focused a lot. Especially I mean, the wine industry, as you know, is in a little bit of a funk right now. So we've really tried to pivot a bit and focus on the community. So obviously we have wine here and we want to sell you our wine, but we've been doing a lot of events to just bring people together. And to, you know, really be a place for a welcoming community here. So we do a lot of events, a lot of really fun ones. We do a drag bingo every once in a while. It's so fun. We we get a ton of great turnout for that, which is just nice to see. And some other really fun events that I just feel like pulls a lot of people in. We actually have a group of ladies who have become friends just coming here. They didn't know each other before, and now they meet up here at like all the time. And they and I really just love the sense of community we've created here. So that's really what I think I'm most focused on is just continuing, especially with everything that's going on right now. It can feel really hard and isolating and, exhausting. And I feel like knowing that you have a place where you do feel some community is really, really imperative right now. Yeah, I agree, and it is nice. I always find a lot of tasting rooms are welcoming and a place of community where people just gather. There's a couple of us that like to wine and work and so like, we just take our laptops and go sit in a winery and we'll have a glass of wine while we're doing paperwork or whatever. But it's just nice to be, like, out with the people. Yeah. Sometimes just even sitting at our office gets like, lonely and kind of saying, like, kills my creativity a little bit, but like, coming and sitting in a space like yours that has art and like a lot of vibe going on inside and out, like people walking around. Yeah, just like refills my cup while I'm doing stuff, so. Sure. Nice. For sure. And we also do. We also have a few like nonalcoholic options here as well, because we wanted to make sure again that we were welcoming everybody, everybody. And you know, any of the kiddos that come. Yeah. Also here. Yeah. You gotta give them to the kiddos. Love the sparkling cider. Yeah. I'm sure one thing, when I lived in Kansas City for a while, that's I was asking about Fort Riley or Leavenworth, too. Was the grapes out there a lot of the wine tasting rooms there do grape juice tasting for the kids? Yeah, and it's hilarious. And it's really just like Ocean Spray. Yeah, it's like peach, grape, can grape, you know, like all the different ones. But it's funny to watch the kids like, yeah, it's grape juice. While their parents are tasting wine. It's like, well, you are just building a clientele for the future, right? Yeah, but it's the wine. The wines there do not taste much different than just tasting. You go straight from Ocean Spray to come. Yeah, but also it kind of teaches them how to behave in that kind of setting too. Like how? Like, oh, you're doing something and engaging with someone explaining stuff to you. Yeah, that's for sure. Yeah. I would love to know where you. Well, you talked about where you sourced your grapes. So you talk a little bit about where you make your wine because you don't make it here in the tasting room. Correct. So a little bit about that process. Yeah. Just a sneak peek. I know it's very intricate, but yeah. So I recently moved to a new space in North Portland that's pretty close to the airport. It's in like an industrial park type area, so not really a place people would want to go visit. Necessarily. But I'm making wine. And so Pam Walden owns Willful Wines and, I had there were several of us who are making wine in Milwaukee recently, and we unfortunately had to move to new spaces. And Pam was, kind enough to make room for me in her space. And, again, women supporting women in collaboration over competition. Yes. Yeah. And she's, she's been great so far. I mean, I've only been in there for a couple months with her, but, Yeah. And she's British, so, you know, everything set in in British accents. Butter. Oh, yeah. It makes everything. Makes everything sound delightful. It's true. Yeah. So, even when she's, like, kind of mad. Not at me, but, like, kind of mad. And she's, like, swearing. I'm just like, Yeah, I love it. Say more words, I know. Yeah. So, yeah, it's, I think it'll be a good space for, for me, I think. Also. And from Helio, Tara moved into her space in the summer. So it's just us. Us three chicas making a go of it. And you bottle there too. So, Probably not. I haven't I haven't had the chance to bottle there. It would have to be a mobile bottling truck that came. I was actually looking at that the other day, and I just, I'm not sure where the truck would park, because there's a bunch of other businesses in there, too. And I think a truck would block other people's businesses or, most of my bottling, gets done at Castillo and McMinnville. They have like a bottling company, which I think the majority of people who don't bottle at their wineries. Castiel. Yeah. So, yeah, they're pretty predominant. Yeah. Area. Yeah. For sure. They're great to work with. So do you have a wine club that you want to speak to? Yeah, I do have a wine club and it's a wine club and it's super easy to our wine club is like no fuss. It's like us the best. Like I like that. So it's, just twice a year, spring and fall. It's either three bottle or six bottle. I'm the one who curates it. But if you if something in your shipment, you're like, I despise Sauvignon blanc. We're not going to make you take it. You can trade it out. Yeah. And yeah, you get three bottle members, get 15% off all your wine purchases. Six bottle members get 20% off, and then three bottle members, you can do a free tasting once a month for two people, and six is once a month for up to four. And, first dibs on some of our events. And we've got a few wines that are club only. That I've. Because, you know, like if you're part of a club, you kind of want to you want a little exclusivity 100%. So, it makes it fun to to be like, oh, I belong to the club here. Yeah. Get out the block. Yeah. It just makes it so true. And the club? Only wines I've also made, like, the label is a little bit different. Instead of being white, it's really dark blue. It's like navy blue. So it just looks a little bit snazzy. So also fun. Well, I have enjoyed being in their space today and hearing more about your story. Thank you so much for sharing. Yeah, I appreciate you. And for my different glasses, both delicious by the way, I'm loving buddy. This might be my new favorite red for sure thing. So thank you so much for being on cheers, cheers and thank you for listening or watching on YouTube. See you next week. Cheers cheers.