Anne & George’s Journey to America.
Anne’s Journey
Anne, as a child, sailing on the English ship the Queen Mary into New York Harbor past the statue of liberty. The Queen Mary was the fastest and biggest ocean liner in the world. Originally built as a luxury liner, it was commissioned as a military troop transport during WWII and renamed “The Grey Ghost” because of its speed and stealth.
Anne’s father sailed on her while serving, as a pilot, in the English Royal Air Force. When the war was over he boarded the Queen Mary once more, fulfilling the dream of bringing his family to America.
George’s Journey
George was born in a refugee camp following WWII. He and his family were later flown by the American Red Cross to Venezuela. He lived on the outskirts of the Caracas jungle in a one room shack with his parents, brother and his baby sister.
The jungle was filled with danger: intense heat, disease, snakes, monkeys, and jaguars. The village was very primitive. Without money, supplies or assistance ready for their arrival, their challenges were increased by not being able to communicate in Spanish, the local dialect. His family had to build their own home, grow crops, make food, bake bread, and forage fruits from the jungle. Electricity and refrigeration had not come to the village and the only water supply was from the public fountain where water was trucked in once a week.
George learned how to help his father build their home. His first job was to find and straighten old nails with a tiny hammer. The home was built with a tin roof, cardboard sides, and a dirt floor. It was later improved with wood boards and eventually mason blocks when the family could afford them. Rain water from the gutters was collected, barreled, and boiled for later use.
Humble appreciation was gained for the beauty of this strange savage land; to build and create, to farm, the importance of self-reliance, and never giving up.
Anne and George met in college and moved to Napa Valley where they raised their two sons, saving what they could working regular jobs. In 1974, they purchased a small old farmhouse with acreage and planted their first vineyard. Years later, they acquired a 15-acre vineyard, farmed it, harvested the fruit and produce wine. Their first vintage producing Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Muscat Cannelli. Their dream continued to grow…. wanting a winery of their own.
Anne and George painstaking designed the winery. George, channeling his ingrained childhood self-reliance and work ethic, built it just the way they envisioned. This was a monumental challenge. Building a winery is not for the faint at heart. It requires risk, ambition, hard work, long hours, years to accomplish, and unforeseen challenges and obstacles to overcome. The building of Mount George Winery has been a journey which relied heavily on the lessons learned in our childhoods and the unwillingness to quit.
Mount George Winery today is a modern new winey with shiny new equipment, fermentation tanks, mountain caves and a tasting room warmed by a cozy fireplace. There is still work to do on this road less traveled…