President Doug Person called the meeting to order and requested that Jesús Nava lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. This was followed by Father Michael Mahoney delivering inspiring words to counter the violence and hate that is gripping our nation. He charged us to be builders of bridges and seekers of understanding.
Visitors:
Patricia Thompson, a visiting Rotarian from Imperial Valley Breakfast Club, brought along Jeanette Johnson, a fellow CASA volunteer. Jeffery Lines, from the So San Francisco Club introduced his guests, Marcela Sauceda and Mario Salas.
Announcements:
Jennifer Pence gave an update on the upcoming Top Golf Fundraiser. Sponsorships and raffle prize donations are going well. What we need now are attendees. Go to the website to buy your tickets.
Jerry Winges interviewed long-time Rotarian Mark Johnson . He shared his journey into Rotary through a personal connection with TedKruttschnitt, joining in 1980 and serving as club president from 1985 to 1986. He highlighted the positive impact of women joining Rotary in 1988, which brought fresh enthusiasm to the club.
Program:
Our speaker, Ron Celaya, Independent Wine Barrel Consultant, was introduced by Jennifer. He shared his background in winemaking and his current role consulting with winemakers across California and beyond.
Rich Allen, Vice President of Winemaking for Rombauer Vineyards visited Demos Napa Cooperage to learn about the barrel-making process. Watch the fascinating video of that tour.
Ron explained the process of barrel-making for wine, detailing the sourcing of wood from France and the United States, as well as the aging and toasting of barrels. He described the collaboration with winemakers to achieve desired aromatic and structural profiles in wine. also addressed questions about barrel re-use, forest management, and the role of sulfur in wine preservation. The presentation concluded with a discussion on the labor dynamics in the wine industry, highlighting the predominantly Hispanic workforce in cooperages.
He then described the characteristics of the two wines we were served. The white, a Viognier, was from Texas?? The Merlot was a California wine. Rather a treat to have wine with a Rotary lunch. Thank you, Ron.
