Calendar of Quirk: Crush, keepsakes and ‘Pinot Square’ mean this place ain’t just ‘any-noir’

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Historic McDaniel Seed Co. imprint remains visible on R. Stuart & Co. building on Northeast Fifth Street.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##The short alley off Fifth Street leading to “Pinot Square” is pedestrian-only during crush each fall.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##Window at Terra Vina on Third Street reminds wine drinkers that, even in McMinnville, reds do vary.

Kirby Neumann-Rea/News-Register##On display at Pinot Vista on Third, boxing gloves, phonograph and, yes, a four-foot wine glass.

Call this the “crush edition. Sadly, no event called “Carlton Crush” happens this year, but throughout the county the season of harvesting grapes and turning them into juice is fully underway. This week’s Calendar of Quirk celebrates some fun dynamics of the vineyard and winemaking industries that help define this region.

Oct. 2 “No Parking: Wine Delivery” — signs you start seeing on sidewalks in front of tasting rooms welcoming their wine club customers.

Oct. 3 Crush time, Granary Square, is closed to traffic — except for vehicles delivering bins of grapes, and the forklifts taking them in for pressing. The square, north of Fifth and west of Lafayette, is home to multiple wine makers. The district is seasonally renamed “Pinot Square” and it is one busy place. (A vinyl sign on Fifth announcing the alley entrance is “For Safety Pedestrian traffic only” points out pedestrian “Business Access” yet mentions wineries that have not been on Pinot Square for years, and several wineries and other businesses that have been recently established.)

Oct. 4 “Employees must wash their feet before returning to work” — sign in The Eyrie Vineyards tasting room on Alpine Avenue.

Oct. 5 Just outside Granary Square: imbedded in the side of the R. Stuart & Co. building is its historic McDaniel Seed Company name. The six-inch letters are painted-over but still visible about four feet off the ground, just under the lip of the siding on the south side of the building, along Fifth Street.

Oct. 6 In this town renowned for one particular varietal, the Terra Vista tasting room at Third and Ford assures potential customers “Not just Pinots.” Because you can get that type “any-noir” you go!

Oct. 7 In Pinot Vista tasting room, Third and Evans, a large shelf next to the bar is filled with owner Rich Washburn’s treasures: a changeable rotation of keepsakes — most recently guitars, boxing gloves, tennis rackets, baseball bats, a phonograph, commemorative wines, a saddle, a drum, and more. “It gives people something to talk about while they enjoy their wine. It’s like comfort food, just not edible,” Washburn said.

Oct. 8 “Tiger Vines” is the name of the Yamhill Carlton High School — yes, high school — wine studies program. Teenagers learn about vineyard care and wine-making basics, in the heart of Wine Country.

Correction: The image last week on Galloway Street, formerly “C Street,” misidentified the intersection; the photo was taken at Fifth and Galloway streets.

Have you seen something that’s an example of Quirk — an oddity that adds to the joy of life in Yamhill County? Email Kirby Neumann-Rea at kirby@newsregister.com.