A Message From Shelly Cook — 11/18/25

November has wrapped itself around the valley, and there is a holy stillness resting upon our land. The vines at Reitano Vineyards are beginning their season of dormancy now, a sacred pause that God Himself wove into creation. As the leaves fall and the branches rest, we are reminded that our lives hold their own seasons of slowing down, of quiet trust, of believing that even in the stillness, God is working beneath the surface on things we cannot yet see.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The air has turned crisp, the sunsets look as if heaven brushed them across the sky, and the entire vineyard exhales after a year of growing and harvesting. What a gift it is to steward this place, and what a blessing it is to share it with each of you.

We are still overflowing with gratitude from our Fall Festival. Thousands of you came and filled the vineyard with laughter, family, joy, and shared community. Watching children run with pumpkins in their hands, seeing neighbors and visitors gather under autumn skies, reminded us once again that Reitano Vineyards is more than a place to enjoy wine—it’s a place to belong. We felt the goodness of God in every handshake, every smile, every moment where hearts were connected on this land. Truly, we could not be more appreciative.

This coming Saturday, we are thrilled to welcome the band Cazhmiere to the tasting room. We hope you’ll join us for an evening of music, wine, and the kind of comfort that only the mountains and a good song can bring. Come with friends, come with someone you love, or come just as you are and let your soul rest a little while.

We are also looking forward to gathering again for our next Rooted Table dinner on December 5th. If your heart has been longing for connection—a warm meal shared, stories told, and friendships deepened—this may be the perfect night for you to be with us. Rooted Table has always been more than a meal. It is an invitation to slow down, to savor beautiful food, and to remember that we were created by God to share life together.

Looking ahead to the new year, I can finally share something that has been growing in our hearts for a long time. Beginning in January, we will be offering a new Immersion Wine Club. Once a month, our winemaker, our vineyard manager, and I will gather with members for an evening designed to deepen your connection to the land and the wine we craft here. Some months, we may walk out among the vines and learn how we care for them through winter, studying what dormancy teaches us about strength and restoration. Other months, we may explore our wine processing facility, tasting and learning about what happens behind the scenes. We may even invite members to experience custom crush or other hands-on parts of the winemaking journey. It won’t be a club where you simply sit and listen—it will be an opportunity to become part of the Reitano story, to experience the vineyard in a way few people ever do. The Immersion Wine Club will be available as a monthly subscription of $50 per person, and enrollment details will be shared on our website very soon.

As you prepare for the holidays, we want you to know that our event spaces are available for private gatherings—holiday parties, business celebrations, family dinners, and winter weddings. It would be our honor to host you and help create moments that you and your loved ones will carry forward. We also have Reitano gift cards and golf simulator gift certificates this year, wonderful stocking stuffers for the wine lover, the adventurer, or the golfer in your life.

And as the vineyard rests, I pray your heart finds a bit of rest as well. A quiet moment to breathe, to reflect, to remember that you are held and seen by God in every season.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1