Gearing up for our 5th Anniversary Celebration in
September, we’re asking each member of the Mueller family to remember back to 5
years ago and share their story.
Kathryn
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| Kathryn, 2012 |
Exactly five years ago, I was in New Mexico for the summer,
singing with the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. It was a wonderful summer of music
and I got to share a house in the juniper-dotted hills with my dear friend and
colleague Nathan (we call him Original Nathan – you’ll see why when you read
on), but I was eagerly anticipating my return to Tucson to get ready for the
Grand Opening of Canelo Hills.
Since I arrived in Tucson in 2004 for grad school at the U
of A, I’d become more and more involved in Canelo Hills over the years:
rounding up music student friends for volunteer planting days each spring (we
were rewarded with lunch, beer and tractor rides), helping my mother in the
vineyard, building our website, and doing publicity for our pre-opening Wine
and Farm Festival and the Grand Opening. By August we had our first vintage in
bottles, and we were ready for September 22.
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| Opera Tailgating in 2007 |
Tailgating at the Santa Fe Opera, I shared a bottle of
Canelo Hills wine with my Chorale buddies. They were amazed, first of all that
it was good (of course my parents’
wines are delicious and well-crafted!), and second that my parents were really
going to do this winery thing, to live their dream. In the months leading up to
opening it was fun to talk with friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances
about this big adventure my family was about to have.
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| Opening Day: Sept. 22, 2007 |
And then the adventure arrived. For Grand Opening day I
rounded up Original Nathan to help pour, and we shared my parents' wines from behind the thick mesquite
slab of our brand-new tasting table. The varnish was about 95% dry. We were
busy! Many friends came down to Sonoita to be a part of the excitement, and new
customers wandered in to try our wines, which were a hit. At the end of the day the whole family was exhausted, but happy. It was the first of many exhausting but rewarding
days at Canelo Hills.
I now live in Raleigh, NC with my husband Nathan (New
Nathan, or now, just Nathan) and I still do marketing work for Canelo Hills
remotely. I’m super excited to fly to Arizona for our 5th
Anniversary Celebration in September. Please come visit us that weekend, and
share your story of Canelo Hills!
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| Kathryn and New Nathan at Canelo Hills |
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