One hundred years ago, on February 21, 1916, the first shots were fired in the battle for the French fortress town of Verdun. It would last for ten terrible months.
In the 303 days of this so-called ‘meat-grinder’, close to 750,000 men died, were wounded or simply disappeared...
As German soldier Ernst Toller wrote: ‘We were cogs in a great machine which sometimes rolled forward, nobody knew where, sometimes backwards, nobody knew why.’ From the other side of the no-man’s-land that separated the two armies, a French counterpart, Albert Joubaire, summed up his experience at Verdun: ‘What a bloodbath, what horrid images, what a slaughter! Hell cannot be this dreadful.’
It was a hell often overlooked. British histories tend to pass over Verdun in a few pages. That’s because it was an entirely Franco-German affair, re-running an old and bitter rivalry between those two nations, particularly over the border area in the east of France where the fortified city was sited.
It had been a fought-over, front-line fortress for centuries, with huge strategic implications. When war broke out in 1914, it was just 25 miles from France’s frontier with Germany. It also straddled the shortest direct route from Germany to Paris. Take Verdun, and the Kaiser’s army could be in the French capital in days.
Inside this concrete fortification were more than 400 field guns, billeting for 5,000 troops, its own airstrip and a narrow-gauge railway linking its principal parts for the speedy dispatch of men and ammunition to where they were most needed. Bristling and defiant, the tricolours waving in the breeze seemed to say to the Germans: don’t you dare.
Our No Man's Land Pinot Noir is a commemoration to those brave souls who faced the unimaginable perils of trench warfare. Our mission for No Man's Land is to inspire curiosity and open dialog about the events of history that have been long forgotten. We hope to serve as a reminder that those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
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It's been awhile since we've put out an update, things have been busy! We hope everyone is beating the heat right now! Although oppressive, this warm weather is treating the grapes just right. The vines over at Jesse Estate Vineyards recently showed the first signs of veraison - which is when the clusters turn color and the vine pumps them full of sugar. Veraison is the last major step before harvest, based on averages harvest comes 30-45 days after veraison hits. That said, it looks like the 2018 harvest will come in at the end of September! We're looking forward to working with more great fruit from Jesse Estate!
With that, we're happy to share that we are crushing this year at Laurel Ridge winery. We are fortunate that they had space open up at the last second for us to move in to. Interested in participating in a crush? We may need help processing fruit, so if you'd like to get your hands dirty then let us know! Reply back to this email with your contact info and we'll stay in touch!
However - we are not pouring out of their tasting room, instead we are working with Urban Decanter in Forest Grove to pour our wines on Sunday and by appointment. The details have to be finalized with the OLCC, but we should be cleared hot come October.
In keeping with our slogan "wine with a mission" we are donating 15% of our sales from the Memorial Day weekend to the Returning Veterans Project!
The Returning Veterans Project is a non-profit based out of Portland, OR with a mission to provide free, confidential mental and physical health services to post-9/11 war zone veterans, service members, and their families in Oregon and Southwest Washington. RVP also hosts regular events for Veterans as well as clinics and other services. They are a fantastic organization that deserve recognition for their efforts. We are proud to support them and their mission!