Hello to Everyone

[wjdonahue]

Hi all
Wade got me over here from another forum, and glad to be here.
A little about myself.......Have been a winemaker for about 40 years, and first got really interrested while living in Germany in and AF. Made myself a pest a a lot of the wineries in the Rheinpfalz region, where I am happy to say that I'm still considered a friend after all these years, and still go back to taste all my friends wines, and hopefully remember what we talked about.
Make wine from grapes and high end kits, with a lot of my grapes and juices sourced from around the world. Although most of my time is with Vinifera grapes, spend quite a lot of time with hybrid (Vidal, Chardonele, etc.) and americans (mostly with cynthiana - Norton).
Love to work with off the beaten path grapes (Symphony, Edelweis, Mueller Thurgau). Spend a lot of time judging and training judges, and am very active in the Kansas City Cellarmasters, composed of both amateur and professionsl cellarmasters. Excited about and participating in the rejuvenation of the wine industry here in Missouri, and I teach fermentation classes for 2 local community colleges. Also love to enter my wines in competition and have a wall full of medals (my wine calls them gargabe for sacrificing wines to the competitions) from all over.
I am now recently retired, and so the wonderful aroma of fermenting must is even more pronounced around the house.

 

[Runningwolf]

wjdonahue, welcome to this wonderful forum. It's always welcoming to get more talent and different views on the forum. There is another way of doing things besides Wade's way, right? You'll find we have a very diverse group of winemakers and have a lot of fun.

 

[Duster]

Welcome and I cant wait to some 40+ years of stories.

 

[Wade E]

Great having you aboard here. Interesting story.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!

Another fellow Missourian!!

 

[djrockinsteve]

and another one joins the bunch. Great to have you. Hope you enjoy yourself here.

 

[Sirs]

glad to have another person's brain to pick, guess you could say I'm what Wade calls the rocket fuel guy LOL

 

[jtstar]

Welcome aboard looking forward to hearing more from you

 

[Arne]

Welcome, hope you enjoy being here as much as we will enjoy having you here. Arne.

 

[Brian]

Yes welcome! Glad to have another brain to bounce ideas off. Spent some time in Germany myself. 3 years in Berlin actually (78-81). Sorry to say to young and dumm to have enjoyed wine at the time. But now I am having a great time with my new obsession.. ha ha

 

[Mike93YJ]

We're practically neighbors! Across the street from me is Platte Woods. What colleges do you teach at? I could use some classes!

 

[wjdonahue]

Hi Mike
We really are close neighbors. We are in countrywood, off of 45 Hwy near 435.
Used to do a lot of work with Communiversity when it was active. Don't teach in college, though. Was approached by Park to do some classes, but since I retired from my dental practice, I just didn't want to spend the time (grin.) I do a lot of teaching/training to new winery workers in MO, and teach a lot of wine judges, both for the KC Cellarmasters and other groups; and very active in the International Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vine which kept me traveling a lot to CA, OR and WA until I had a heart attack last year.
Since we are so close, maybe we could get together some time. Will send you my e-mail and phone number.

Bill