A Halloween Ghost Story Set at a Winemaker's Dinner

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I don’t know what it was about this week, but it flew by faster than Roadrunner smashing Wile E Coyote with a boulder off the side of a cliff. I am sure most of it was my routine getting knocked off-kilter a bit with my daughter having oral surgery for a stubborn tooth.

Do you remember a few weeks back I talked about Cowhorn Vineyard in Southern Oregon? Short back story. It was bought by Katherine “Mini” Banks earlier this year. She has family ties to Screaming Eagle, it’s a great vineyard, and hopefully, I can get the whole story on the website before this goes live Saturday with a link here. Anyway, this week news dropped that Mini bought another Oregon vineyard. This time it is a little closer to home with the 85-acre Biodynamic Johan Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor. Here is a link for more info.

I try to stay on top of everything Oregon wine, but I have never heard of Johan. Have you been? Have you had their wine? What can I learn from you? I took a quick gander at their wines, and they have a 2010 Sparkling that was on lees for nine years. Wow! I will have to find a way to grab myself a bottle! It sounds right up my alley with a blend of Pinot and Chard and an ABV of 12.8.

Last week’s newsletter was about 00 Wines, and I saw on their Instagram stories John Coyle interviewed them on the Drinking on the Job Podcast. Always wanting to have more stories at my fingertips, I instantly subscribed. To my delight, Monday, a new episode dropped featuring Barnaby Tuttle from Teutonic. The 36-minute episode was spectacular. I am always a fan of authenticity, and at one point, Barnaby has to leave the truck or van to tell someone they are doing something wrong. The interview was recorded during harvest, and most interviews would cut something like that out. John did a spectacular job of improvising to fill in the “dead air.” Here are the Spotify and Apple Podcast links for you to enjoy.

I have so much more rambling I could do today, but we should get moving forward on this week's main attraction. So allow me to ramble a teeny bit more to give a little context.

Yet again, I am deviating from the typical feature of an Oregon winery. I promise the schedule for the remainder of the year will be zero deviation. Can you believe we are starting to talk about the end of the year? Tomorrow is Halloween, and I thought it would be fun to have a bit of fiction added into the mix. The inspiration behind this story came to me one morning when I found out about a writing competition from Phantom Winery, located in California.

Last year they had a spooky story competition, and they are continuing the tradition. Below is my entry for you to read. I do have a small favor to ask if you decide to continue reading. I want you to tear it apart. Don’t hold back. It is impossible for you to hurt my feelings. I am pretty sure the feedback I will get is, “This is great, and I wouldn't change a thing.” The feedback I want is, “Overall, it’s meh, but here are some ways where you could shore things up and make it better.” Please don’t be bashful and if you decide to continue reading, Thank you!

Here we go!

Laurie looked over at her phone, seeing a text message from her husband saying, “My vendor came through with tickets for the winemaker’s dinner!” Excitement filled her body as she typed, “Oh my goodness, I honestly didn’t think this would happen! This is the event of a lifetime.” Off to her right was the unpleasant ding of a work group chat needing attention, deflating her excitement.

Later that night, the couple celebrated with dinner at their favorite wine club. By the time dessert landed in front of them, they were a couple of bottles in when Laurie asked Robb, “You know, the last winemaker’s dinner, I went to that little boutique vintage shop and got one heck of a dress. What do you say we keep the tradition going?” Robb, getting lost in his wife’s eyes and the memory of that night, lost all ability to speak. After an extremely long pause, Laurie snapped him out of it and said, “Robb!” Startled, Robb's face wore a larger-than-life smile on his face. Laurie didn’t need a verbal answer. She knew what Robb was thinking.

The following weekend, Laurie and a few friends gathered for Saturday Brunch and bottomless mimosas. It was meant to be a full day of shopping, but when Laurie walked into her favorite boutique dress shop, it was love at first sight. Front and center was a 1950’s coral silk chiffon dress by none other than Frank Starr.

The other ladies in the group tried to get her to try on different dresses, but her heart was dead set. Coming out of the dressing room, Laurie looked radiant. Her heart was on fire. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms were standing on end.

On the day of the event, everything went according to plan. Zero drama, the sun was out in all of its glory. They couldn’t have asked for a better day. Walking into the winery, a flute of 1995 Krug Clos d’Ambonnay Champagne magically appeared. Being greeted with Champagne wasn’t unusual, but the couple had never been spoiled with such an indulgence.

Robb noticed Tom, the vendor who gave him the tickets. Giving Laurie a little peck on the cheek, he said, "I'll be right back." He proceeded across the room, leaving Laurie behind, who quickly downed the remainder of her Krug. Putting the empty glass down on a makeshift table, she noticed a painting on the wall making her face turn the slightest shade of red while her heart was pounding uncomfortably.

As one of the hospitality staff gave Laurie more bubbles, she said, “Wow, your dress almost looks like the same dress Wendy, our winemaker’s wife, wore before she passed away.”

Horrified, Laurie couldn’t move when the winery owner dinged her glass signaling everyone to sit down. It wasn’t almost the same dress. It was the same dress. Frank Starr only made one-of-a-kind masterpieces. There were no duplicates. Robb came over, gently grabbed her by the arm, and as they were walking to their seats, asked, “Are you ok?”

Laurie could barely respond but was able to mutter, “Did you see the dress?” Robb’s response was nothing short of typical, “How could I miss it? You look fabulous!” The words didn’t even reach Laurie’s ears. She was feeling something way beyond the hairs of her neck and arms standing on edge. Sensations were flowing through her body. Her senses were overly heightened. She could smell the perfume from the lady decked all out in a red dress across the room. Multiple thoughts were racing through her head, "How dare you wear that much perfume to a winemaker's dinner. Was the second glass of Krug having this much of an effect? No. Something else was happening."

Another ding silenced the room. The winery owner was next to the winemaker, who signaled to quiet down. His voice sounded familiar to Laurie, but she couldn’t place it. As he continued, his voice drifted further away, Laurie’s world became dark. Putting her hands on the table, afraid of passing out, she lost all control. She could see with her eyes but had no control of her body. Her hand grabbed the wine bottle by the neck, slamming the base of the bottle against the table, spewing wine and glass everywhere.

Everyone turned their attention away from the winemaker. Laurie shouted at the top of her lungs, “You killed me! I was helping you during harvest in the winery when you pushed me into one of the tanks, leaving me to die. Nobody was around to witness your cruelty, but your snarking smile I will never forget as you plunged my body under the grapes to the bottom. Tonight, I avenge my death!”

Laurie ran to the winemaker, plunged the bottle into the side of his neck with splatters of blood resembling the color of a young Cabernet Sauvignon. Laurie and the winemaker fell to the floor eye to eye. Peace, calm, and tranquility descended throughout Laurie’s body before darkness overtook her once again.

To say Laurie's body was a limp body of nothingness is an understatement. Inside her head, she was terrified. Nobody would believe she didn’t kill the winemaker even though she did. She felt a little nudge on her shoulder. She could hear Robb calling out. The nudges were a bit more intense, and the volume of Robb’s voice intensified.

Slowly opening her eyes, the sun was intense, Robb’s face slowly came into focus. Bewildered, Laurie familiarized herself with her surroundings. She was in her bed. Robb quietly said, “Wake up, sleepyhead, we need to get ready for the winemaker’s dinner.” Confused, Laurie came to realize she had taken a nap before dinner and quickly came to the realization it was all a dream.

Pushing her way up off the bed, Robb came out of the closet holding the Frank Starr dress and said, “You are going to look killer tonight!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.

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PS - A little fun from Oregon on YouTube - Between Two Vines​

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