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Jackalope Wine Cellars 2017 Lago Red
AVP Winery Director & Flaggerdoot Leader
There’s a way you’re supposed to become a winemaker. You’re expected to apprentice in France or Italy, get a graduate degree in oenology, and find a millionaire investor.
Or, if you’re Corey Schuster, you answer an ad on Craigslist for a winery assistant to work on the harvest crew and pour wine in the tasting room.
Fast-forward ten years and Corey now has his own successful label, Jackalope Wine Cellars, and has worked in wineries all over the Willamette Valley.
Corey brings his winemaking — and people-wrangling — expertise to AVP to oversee all winemaking activities as our winery director. And we couldn't be more thrilled!
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Jackalope Wine Cellars, Portland, Oregon
2017 Lago Red
I began my journey in the wine industry pouring for a small, family-owned winery near Salem, OR. My first career was all office work, so when I found myself working in a bucolic setting, the grin didn’t fade for days.
When Fall hit I joined a harvest crew. Harvest work is hard, wet, with long-hours, but ultimately satisfying work. Camaraderie is formed through the suffering, and there is always something new to learn. The first team lunch I had began my love affair with the industry, and wine: a tired, wet, exhausted crew sharing a large meal and a glass, taking a break from the work to regroup and prepare for the afternoon’s tasks. This showed me: the wine industry is about community, and a love of the work, something I’d not experienced before.
Jackalope (n): A mythical creature of North American folklore, a cross between a jackrabbit and antelope.
Chimera (n): A fabulous beast made up of parts taken from different animals or a Dream, fantasy, delusion.
Cousin Ray
For me, the chance to create something, to have an end product I could hold in my hand and share led me to wanting to make my own wine. Further, wine is a social beverage. A wine bottle contains memories, experiences, and love. I want to create this.
Why Jackalope Wine Cellars? The jackalope has been a sort of totem for me for a long time. As a kid, my older cousin would write and send postcards from Nebraska, telling me all about the animal, swearing they were real. These memories formed a bond early, which gave me fond memories to treasure, as he passed away when I was in 8th grade.
Fast forward to 2004: unsatisfied with my life as a civil engineer, I decided to make a drastic change and quit my job, sell my valuables, and travel. My gift to myself to start this journey was a jackalope tattoo on my right shoulder to join me on my adventures.
And now, another turning point in my life: winemaker. The jackalope has become a special form of support for me and I want him featured prominently in this adventure. Thus, Jackalope Wine Cellars.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
Earthy, savory, black and red berries. A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
660 Bottles Produced
Why are our wine club members called the “Flaggerdoot”? Well, a Flaggerdoot is a group of jackalopes, so it seemed appropriate. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of a Flaggerdoot? In sharing this very special limited edition wine with us, we feel like we are all honorary Flaggerdoots this month!
A Cellar 503 selection in July 2024, AVP Wine Collective Columbia Valley | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
