April 21, 2023
Guest Blog: Rolling Forks Vineyards provides a perfect taste of home
by Deb Mercier
There’s a certain magic to be experienced when you’re sitting on the patio sipping a glass of wine at Rolling Forks Vineyards. The panoramic view comes complete with sparkling water, rolling hills, forest, endless sky, vineyards, and space. Lots of space. There’s always a good chance you’ll catch a local artist adding music to the day, or signing books, or displaying unique pieces of art. Whatever worries you brought with you melt away, and for a moment, all is peaceful.
Now, full disclosure, I won’t pretend I know anything technical about wine. When a server pours a sample from the bottle into my glass, I swish it around and can instantly ascertain whether it’s red or white. (That’s the extent of my expertise.) But I know what I like, and I really like Rolling Forks wine. To me, it tastes like home.
To understand why, you’ll need a little background. We’ll swing back to Rolling Forks in a bit.
After graduating college, my husband and I were sure we’d move to a big city, because that’s what we planned on doing. I have a vague memory of trying not to throw up as I rode the elevator past a zillion floors of the IDS building downtown Minneapolis. (Not the elevator’s fault; I was heading toward my first job interview for technical writing.) I wore a navy blue suit purchased just for the occasion.
A couple of months later, we found ourselves renting a farmhouse outside of Glenwood, population a little more than my high school. The navy blue suit gave way to mud boots, which were slightly more useful when trudging through the barn to feed the landlord’s enormous collie (Prince) and vocal yet aloof Siamese cat (Christobal) – all part of the lease agreement. I’d gotten a job at Dairyland Computers, and my husband started setting up shop as a piano teacher and tuner. He once got paid in chickens. It was awesome.
We bumbled around in shock for a while (especially after the chickens), and I’m sure we came across as clueless twits. We were highly affronted that we couldn’t order a pizza after 8 pm.
But here’s the thing. We grew to love Glenwood and the surrounding region, and it didn’t take long. What we discovered is that the area where we ended up offered exactly what we didn’t know we needed: Natural beauty, wide open spaces, and solid support for the arts. Who knew? (In our defense, does anyone know what they need at 23?)
At the farmhouse, we’d go on hikes in the fields. To this day, I have an image in my mind of a lone tree at the top of a gentle slope reaching for the summer sunset. We discovered the best places to swim, hidden trails, state and local parks. I started paying attention to the birds. Walking the long driveway that cut through a slough, I’d be escorted by curious muskrats creating tiny triangle wakes on the water’s surface. The urban environment we thought we needed every day instead became the place we’d visit once in a while.
As we raised our two kids and they made their way through the Minnewaska school system, they were able to perform in major stage productions like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Music Man, and Shrek, complete with professional direction and vocal coaching, amazing sets and costumes, and packed audiences every night for the run of the show. It felt like the whole school pitched in. I’ve never seen so many fifth-grade Oompa-Loompas. This is from a high school with graduating classes around the 65-75 mark.
The school turned out to be a reflection of the community. My favorite concert to date was at Central Square in Glenwood, the former high school renovated into a community center and preserving an historic 1,000-seat auditorium. The board brought in Bobby McFerrin and a group of vocalists to perform Circle Songs. This was vocal improv at its finest—a complete immersion into a living, musical collage.
Rather than give out blankets embroidered with their logo, Glenwood State Bank went with the suggestion of my friend, Peter Flom, and decided to celebrate their 100-year anniversary in 2007 in a bold and creative way. The bank commissioned me to write a children’s book set in Glenwood 1907 with the bank featured somewhere in the story; local artist Faythe Mills brought the images to life in stunningly beautiful pastels. Titled The Captain’s Hat, the book was given to each bank customer that year.
Those are just a few examples. In ways big and small, the area’s support for the arts is as much a part of its fabric as the landscape itself.
Walking through the doors at Rolling Forks, it feels like it belongs where it is, and it feels like you belong there, too. (See? I told you we’d get back to Rolling Forks.) The atmosphere and the wine embody what I love so much about this area, what I discovered all those years ago is exactly what I need: beauty, space, and a commitment to creativity and community. I’ll see you on the patio soon!
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Deb Mercier is a children’s author and former editor of the Pope County Tribune. Come join her on June 11 on the Rolling Forks patio to celebrate the release of her latest book, The Captured Eagle, book three in the Detective: You series.
