The Meraviglioso Family
Meraviglioso Blog 8/4/21
The Meraviglioso Family
-As a small winery, Meraviglioso excels in making guests feel like part of the family.
One of the first things I learned when I joined the Meraviglioso team, was that this winery is truly a family. Our founders, Terry and Becky Potter, have worked hard these past few years to give our Newberg winery a welcoming feel that goes beyond fabulous wine.
Just as Meraviglioso is a micro-winery, our team is its very own micro-family. Terry and Becky met in 2017 and started on a wild-wine journey together, traveling around Italy and Oregon with the sole-intent of learning how to make their winery-owning dream become a reality. This power couple is no strangers to hard work. Becky spent her younger years as an RN, before deciding that she was ready to take on the next challenge. As a mechanical engineer, Terry is all about balancing new tasks and finding ways to make things work. Our winery is a testament to these two amazing people and their commitment to their dreams and to each other.
As partners, Terry and Becky understand each other like a couple who has been married fifty years. Becky is sure to laugh at Terry’s dry-humored jokes, while Terry is willing to go out and sway in an adorably clumsy slow dance with Becky on live music nights. Every aspect of the business is managed as a team, each partner knowing the other’s strengths and weaknesses and trusting them to do what needs to be done.
Part of this partnership is founded in a shared joy of the arts. Terry gets to express his musical side on Wednesday night jams, when we welcome musicians to bring their instruments and voices to our outdoor patio to play together and have fun. Any given week, Terry can be spotted in the back of the band rocking out on his drum set and smiling the night away. There is never a dull moment at Meraviglioso, with live music Wednesdays and Sundays and Becky’s 24-hour long playlist singing out during every free moment.
Terry and Becky’s love for art extends beyond music. This summer, our family has joined with Portland’s Bottle and Bodega for paint and sip classes on our sunny outdoor patio. These classes embody the phrase “everyone’s an artist” as guests of all artistic levels are welcome to try their hand at guided acrylic painting.
If Terry and Becky are the winery parents, our wine maker Chris Baker is the overachieving oldest brother. Chris oversees our products from vine to bottle as a background superstar. Only on rare occasions can he be spotted in the tasting room, as he commits every bit of his focus into the creation of our wonderful wines.
This past year as the business has grown, Bethany Schmidt and me (Kalina Buhler) have been adopted into the Meraviglioso family. Going from teammates on the George Fox University track and field team to co-workers, I have never been more amazed by Bethany’s bright smile and brains. She is the go-to organizer of the operation, keeping the rest of us sane by keeping track of everything (which I can assure you, is a full-time job). Leading up to Bethany’s wedding this June, I was adopted into the family as a fill-in-the gap person, with the goal to learn as much as I could about the wine industry along the way.
I could never have hoped for a better introduction to the Oregon wine culture than Meraviglioso Winery. This blog will showcase all there is to learn about our family business, as Becky and I walk you through the journey in a master/apprentice combo. I’m looking forward to sharing with you all I’ve learned this summer, and hearing more from Becky, our wonderful owner!
-Kalina Elizabeth Buhler