GSW History Series Part 2 – A Hobby Out of Control: Where Joey’s Winemaking Journey Began

Many of you who’ve visited our tasting rooms have heard it before—what started as a ‘hobby out of control’ has grown into something far beyond what we imagined. Now, we’re taking you back to where it all began, as our founder Joey Chessor shares the full story behind the passion, the vision, and the journey that brought us here.

 

“A Hobby Out of Control” – The Story, Straight from Joey Chessor

“The first time I made wine was from 5 gallons of grapes off my parents’ concord grapevines, sometime around 1975. Mom called me and said she’d used all the grapes she needed for jelly, and that I could have the rest. So I made 5 gallons of juice.

I found a recipe for wine, followed it step by step, and ended up with 5 gallons of homemade wine. The recipe said to put the wine into 5 one-gallon milk jugs and stretch balloons over the spouts to keep the air out—otherwise it would turn into vinegar.

I stored the jugs in a cabinet to age. A month later, I checked on them and noticed one of the balloons had burst. I figured that jug was a lost cause and saved it for vinegar.

Around that time, I acquired a winemaking kit—it had a large plastic bag and instructions to put the wine in a dark place and wait a year before tasting. So I did. At the end of the year I pulled it out and anxiously poured a glass. It looked terrible. It was cloudy, smelled bad, and  tasted worse. I poured it all out.

But a couple months later, I found that ‘ruined’ jug of wine and opened it and began to pour it down the sink. Then I realized it was clear, smelled amazing, and tasted even better. I had made some good wine after all! That was my first real lesson in winemaking.”

 

From that first gallon to what we do today, it’s been a journey of trial, error, and a lot of heart.

Read part 3 for more of the story.