Our Legacy

A husband, father and grandfather, Floyd passed away in August 2014, leaving behind him a rich and generative legacy in winemaking. His passion for wine is the sole reason Plain Cellars was born.

Floyd never wanted to live past 80 years old, saying that if he ever hit 83, someone should just push him off the end of a dock. But 83 years came and went and he just kept on living the good life.

Food was a huge joy for him. And wine. He loved wine.

Every year we helped him bottle up his new barrels, and every year he would proudly boast: “I think this is my best wine yet!”

Those who knew Floyd later in his life thought of him fondly.  Those who knew him as a younger man likely thought of him as a bit of an ass.  

Only Floyd could be proud of this.  

He got wiser in his old age, learning to let life happen and to truly cherish the small things. He loved telling his stories (sometimes over and over) and you just couldn't bear to interrupt him. To be honest, he was such a good storyteller that it didn't matter how many times he regaled you with one. Occasionally, if you were a good enough listener, he would tell a story he hadn’t told before…or a new detail would unfold from an old one. Regardless, all of his tales were told over a glass of his red wine.

It didn’t matter what time of day it was or what obligations you were tied to: you had to have a glass of wine when you visited Floyd’s home. He would always ask for a small pour, but he always asked for his glass to be refilled quite often. We’re not medical professionals, but the fact that he lived to such a ripe old age (and survived both a triple bypass and diabetes) could have had something to do with his joy of life and love of red wine.

This is exactly how we want Floyd to be remembered.

So pour yourself a glass of red – just a small pour, but refill it often – enjoy a good meal and tell a fond story that gives you the best kind of wrinkles from so many smiles and laughs. Repeat as needed.

Cheers to you, Floyd. You are greatly missed, but your stories will be told often.

As family, we somehow always found ourselves doing work (in this case bottling wine) after having been offered a few glasses of wine.