Man from Chicago sets sail for a different pasture - Columbia, Missouri

I moved from Southeast Logan Square last week. Actually I will be moving my headquarters to Missouri for the next few years. I am not there yet, but I will be in Missouri by the beginning of August 2011. Hopefully I will have my vines in the ground some time soon after.  It is funny, since I am not intending to harvest, crush, press, or ferment with any of my own grapes yet, I am still finding myself worried about getting the young vines in the ground and nearly established before the autumn weather arrives.  And it is only July 9th!!!!!  I worry too much about this.  It's crazy.

Where the dream of growing grapes grew.  Birthed in St. Louis, Missouri.
Developed the idea while living in Chicago, Illinois.

The bridge to the south.  Southeast Logan Square (Chicago, Illinois)

I spent 8 1/2 years in this apartment.  I lived for one year prior in the western suburb of La Grange Park, Illinois before moving to Southeast Logan Square.  Chicago was a fun place to live during this era.  I was involved in many great endeavors and look forward to furthering some of them and starting others as well.
The neighbor to the east of Illinois, the lovely state of Michigan, is now being referred to as the 'Napa Valley of the Midwest'.  To leave is very difficult, as I am only getting started.  But I depart from this region for good reasons.

Can a city boy make a go at this?  Will he spend 2 million to make a million?  Will he be able to fight off the pesky Japanese Beetle?  Is it possible to stop and change the course of one's career (in the mid-30's) and pull off a miracle? Find out......in 12 years!!!  Stay tuned to this channel (it may change because Google recently indicated they won't be involved with Blogger much longer) and also to the Conejo Loco Vineyards Tumblr website for further exciting and mundane news, media, updates, and otherwise poorly written English expression (most often manifest as a run-on sentence).

Now I better log off and begin learning about how the Germans settled in Missouri and quickly began setting up their vineyards in the 19th Century.

Remember, friends, the first occasion to buy wine will probably be around October 2018 (the 2017 vintage). It will undoubtedly be a small batch, but I expect it will amount to more than just 5 gallons of wine.  It's coming along.  Inertia.  Movement.  Things are rolling along.

Now if anyone wants to donate one acre of sloping land that is southern-facing, please contact me at the e-mail address listed on this blog.  I promise that we could come to agree to a case of wine a year or something on that order/or anything manageable, for the exchange.  Two adults can figure out an arrangement, undoubtedly, I am sure.

Until you can buy wine from me, I recommend the following places to consider:

Sleepy Creek Vineyards (Fairmount, Illinois)
One Acre Wine (Napa Valley, California)  
Domaine Berrien Cellars and Winery (Berrien Springs, MI)
Emeritus Vineyards (Sebastopol, California)