Why Use Substack to Document My Wine Encore?
I'm writing a book about my wine encore journey, using Substack as my medium. There are many stories to tell. I relate my experiences as a hobbyist, conveying information in everyday terms with a distinct Colorado bent. There is no greater joy and satisfaction in my mind than being able to share and impart knowledge.
I'm interested in gathering readers' thoughts about my journey. The content is free, so please feel free to join me.
Two chapters will be published monthly, with the hope the book will be completed by the end of 2025. I'm also tracking my adventures at Marshall's Wine Encore, home of 60+ pages and blogs about my Wine Encore, Colorado wine, and Musings.
What is a Life Encore?
A life encore can be considered a second career later in life that people often start after leaving or retiring from their initial career. It can be defined by the question, “What do I want to do with the rest of my life”? This is where Marshall’s Wine Encore begins.
Marc Freedman coined the term in his 2007 book Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life. Encore careers are often motivated by a desire for personal fulfillment and social impact rather than economic factors.
Why a Life Encore?
Early in my adult life, I worked in the wine industry in the retail and commercial sectors before pursuing other careers and raising a family. Inspired by a dear friend with a winery in the California Carneros AVA, I began making wine in 2008.
After ten years of sourcing grapes from California and Colorado, I yearned for a “farm-to-table” operation. In late 2020, with my spouse’s incredible support, we purchased a property on the edge of Sunshine Mesa between Paonia and Hotchkiss in the West Elks AVA (American Viticultural Area) in the North Fork Valley in western Colorado. I planted 125 Pinot Noir and Riesling vines, aspiring to have my own winery, ostensibly named the North Fork Valley Winery.
Having raised two daughters and numerous Airedales, I’ve lived a whole and rewarding life. My career has included work for local government, a software provider, and a small business serving nonprofit and governmental organizations. I’ve volunteered and remained active in local communities.
I’m at a point where “career” has little meaning. It’s time to get to something I’m passionate about, for if I am not passionate, why do it?
Why subscribe?
To recieve a first-hand account written in lay-person’s terms of the journey from city to country, planting and maintaining a vineyard, and winemaking. Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives. As a subscriber, you’ll receive my wine encore book chapters via email when published.
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