What’s It All About?

I've been making wine for twenty-five years now, and have a particular passion for Pinot Noir. The grape is known to be temperamental, finicky and unpredictable, but when coaxed into a fine wine is alluring, delightful and thoroughly enjoyable. This yin-yang aspect of Pinot is probably why it’s so attractive to me, and it seems the entire Flying Goat Cellars brand is a study in contrasts! The brand is relatively new, yet I’ve got a quarter of a century (how is that possible?) of experience. I’ve got a caricature of a leaping goat on the label, which is affixed to a heavy, premium burgundy bottle. Most importantly, I refuse to get into the snobbishness of wine.

So here it is, my mission for Flying Goat Cellars. I’m very serious about making wine, paying strict attention to detail and ensuring that the environment is right for producing a great wine. But, I also think that the whole wine “experience” is a little too formal. The rituals of swirling, sniffing, tasting and solemnly proclaiming “a hint of anise, with undertones of wet stone and quickly toasted cardamom from the east end of Sumatra” can be overwhelming and a bit elitist. This is wine after all!

As a good friend of mine used to say, “Wine is Food to be consumed with Food”. It’s all about enjoyment with food, friends and family. This is what I call my “Mission of Merriment”, which is to produce great wine that is reasonably priced and ready to drink upon release. I want to have fun making and selling the wine. I hope you join my crusade!

Norm Yost
Winemaker and Chief Goatherder