Kiepersol Texas Podcast

Entrepreneur and author Lisa Carol Pulliam with KE Kelly Doherty - Kiepersol Texas Podcast ep 8

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Lisa Carol Pulliam’s new book signing event for Souls in the Sand, will be on Dec 12, 2018 at the Distillery of Kiepersol.

https://www.facebook.com/events/575934399512054/

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AA Production by Alma Allen is going to join us at Kiepersol for this event and sing for us!

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Lisa wrote her book Toes in the Sand, to inspire people to change the direction of their lives and circumstances for the better. Lisa was able to start mentoring and having conversations with other women who went through similar struggles and had stories of their own. Uimpact publishing encouraged Lisa to write a second book, with a collection of stories from people she has had conversations with or mentored. Each chapter is written by a different woman, with a theme of one-word inspirations that would become the book, Souls in the Sand. At first, Lisa didn't think the idea was tangible, do to the circumstances in her life at that time. After taking some time to marinate on the idea of the book, she realized that all of the pieces were in places, she just had to start the process of documenting and collaborating with the other women. The overarching theme of the book is women overcoming adversity or difficult situations.

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Lisa chased success and business because society teaches that we can do anything. However, it was at the expense of her marriage, family and her health. She finally had some wake-up calls, where she needed to change her perspective and change directions. She needed to stop and put her toes in the sand and relax.

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Lisa asks "What is the next most courageous step you can take in your life?"

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Alma Allen is friends with Lisa and talks about her life journey to end up in Texas as well as her love of music. She will have her first album available for purchase at this special book signing event.

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Embark Women will benefit from the proceeds of book purchase and ZYMBOL jewelry. www.zymbol.net

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Lisa and Alma talk about their favorite Tyler Local Eats restaurants:

Athena Greek & American Family Restaurant

The Potpourri House

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visit us at www.kiepersol.com

Business Development and Customer Service with Marnelle and Tony Johnson - Kiepersol Texas Podcast ep. 7

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We at Kiepersol like to highlight the blessings within our community and bring to light the good things to be thankful for.

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Tony Johnson worked with Brookshire's for 37 years and developed a lot of management skills while discovering his talents. He now is now running a company STI (Speak To Inspire) Consulting. Marnelle and Tony have been very active in the East Texas community, which inevitably caused them to cross paths.

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Kiepersol is grateful for Brookshire's as they have partnered with us and carried our products in their stores for over a decade!

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Marnelle: "Tony is one of my favorite people! If you're looking to learn, he is ready to teach."

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During Tony's time in leadership positions, he picked up on the essentials that allow any organization or business to keep moving forward successfully. Tony talks about how you can see customers or individuals within an organization, have great experiences and great service. Sometimes, however, you can experience great service, but end up with a bad experience. The reason Tony started STI Consulting is that we (businesses) need to get better at providing great customer experience and help businesses to deploy empathy. People don't make their decisions to do repeat business based on their service but based on personal previous experiences.

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Tony talks about how Brookshire's is family oriented, family run, locally minded and provides much more than "just a grocery store and pharmacy."

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Tyler, Texas has a culture that is hungry for great service and experiences. The ones that succeed end up providing the best experiences.

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Marnelle talks about how she remembers first meeting Tony when he was managing the Bullard, Texas Brookshire's Grocery store. Tony's store had run out of Kiepersol wine, so he was kind enough to call Marnelle and sternly request that we restock his shelves or he would find a new vendor to replace our shelf space. Marnelle apologized and responded by immediately sending someone with a new order of wine. Marnelle didn't feel belittled or shame but understood that Tony was holding her accountable with clear expectations. Which shows that Tony cared so much for his customers, that when he ran into an empty shelf, he took the initiative to communicate clearly what his needs were. Marnelle's response showed that she cared for Tony and his needs as well. Sometimes, great service and experience require a fire under your hiney.

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Tony provides 3 tips that people can take away and apply to their careers or jobs to be succesful:

1) Set, develop and communicate clear expectations that you want to see.

2) Accountability. Everyone wants to be liked, sometimes accountability feels like we're punishing or pushing people away. If you're friends with everyone or hold no one accountable, you will not be very effective, as a team member, owner, manager or even customer. People actually desire to be held accountable. Accountability protects your customer's experience as well as your entire organization.

3) Learn how to motivate people, through positive appreciation for work accomplished by those individuals or teams. It is completely meaningless to set expectations, hold accountability and NOT motivate through appreciation. This is an important step in developing long-term confidence and success in your customer's experience.

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If you're interested in reaching Tony or STI Consulting call 903.530.6440 or email [email protected]

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shop.kiepersol.com to purchase gift boxes

Michael McClendon - winemaker, talks Rosé, varietals, vintage, and Kiepersol - Kiepersol Texas Podcast ep 6

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Michael McClendon is originally from Van, TX where Michael attended high school. He managed to get a scholarship to UT Tyler where you got a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. He got a call from Dr. Don Killebrew about an internship at Kiepersol. Michael didn't drink wine at that time and was surprised to find out there was even a Winery in East Texas. Michael met Pierre and Marnelle, working his way into the craft as a winemaker.

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Michael believes that Bourdeaux varietals grown here at Kiepersol are what sets us apart, along with the fact at we are 100% Estate Grown. This does present challenges in the short-term but creates long-term success. No two vintages of grapes harvest or wines are the same at Kiepersol, which forces us to have to make choices that highlight special characteristics of the fruit that will change the experience of the wine. Things such as how much hang time the fruit has, how to prune and when to prune go a long way in determining the quality of the wine. Once the grapes make its way into the wine production facility, there are a lot of techniques and factors that go into creating special characteristics of the vintage.

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Michael loves scientific discovery, considering himself between an "impresario and a farmer."

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"Farmers are some of the first scientists." Michael points out how farmers were always thinking on their feet, figuring out contingency plans for different consequences during each growing season.

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Michael dispels the idea that Texas winemakers and specifically East Texas winemakers are hillbillies or without class. With sophistication, Kiepersol actively seeks to make the best wine available on the global market.

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With a heavy influence on the Rosé production at Kiepersol, Michael talks about the idea behind it. It's a red wine made in a white wine production. White wines sometimes get a quick and light pressing with the skins, leaving a different tint. Rosé can be processed the same, giving it a light red/pink or more of a rich color and palate. Rosé is blended with multiple styles of wines and can range in the hue of color based on its blend.

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Kiepersol was talking to some Sommeliers about wanting more dry Rosé available in Texas. Which created the conditions and inspiration for us to formulate our current 2017 Rosé.

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Here in Texas, we seasons of extreme heat, which we sometimes don't feel like drinking a full-bodied red wine, so we prefer something lighter, like rosé. Michael loves a nice Sauvignon Blanc, but sometimes a good Rosé hits the spot.

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There is a belief about how Texas makes dry rosé just as good as anyone else in the world. Which speaks testament to the various AVAs and terroir throughout Texas.

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Michael as an impresario wanted to experiment and break the rules in winemaking with the Kiepersol Rosé Reserve by oaking it and using the best grapes grown to accomplish some complex results. Here in USA, it's like being in the wild west for winemakers, as they have a lot of freedom to try new things out. Compared to the old wine world, where each region has a lot of laws and regulations in what style of grapes they can grow or make into wine.

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Not only did Michael and his team create a Rosé and Rosé Reserve, but he also created a canned Rosé called Flight. Flight is something completely outside of the box, it cannot be seen. Since our wine is great, we are able to have the freedom to experiment in this new format. This delicately sparkling rosé was created to be enjoyed in the format that people want to enjoy their wine. Flight allows us to educate and bring new people to understand and appreciate wine. You can take Flight to a picknick or bbq or to an event where glass is typically prohibited.

Visit us at www.kiepersol.com

Owen Stanfill, the bar manager in the Restaurant at Kiepersol, joins us to discuss wines and spirits - Kiepersol Texas Podcast ep 5 Hosted by Michael Roth

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Topics:

One of the benefits of visiting the Restaurant at Kiepersol is the ability to drink Kiepersol wine AND some of the best wines from all around the world. You can compare wines and try different styles of wine to compare or experience side by side with Kiepersol.

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Malbec wines:

Kiepersol Texas Malbec 2014

Doña Paula Malbec - Soleccion de Bodega 2015

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Cabernet Sauvignon wines:

Kiepersol Texas Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2013

Alyris Vineyards Audition Take 1 Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

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Pinot Noir style wines:

Kiepersol Texas Artize 2012

Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir 2015

Lighter styles Pinot Noirs:

Kiepersol Texas Mourvedre 2014

Argyle Winery Pinot Noir 2017

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Red Blends:

Kiepersol Texas Barrel No. 33 2013

DAOU Vineyards Pessimist 2017

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Whiskey and Bourbons:

Kiepersol Texas Jimmy's Bourbon

WhistlePig Whiskey 10 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

Texas Balcones Distillery Single Malt Whiskey

Kentucky @Eagle Rare Bourbon

Beam Suntory Booker's Bourbon

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Rum:

Kiepersol Texas Pierre's Rum - Barrel Aged

Ron flor de caña Rum - 12-year Slow Aged Rum

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We have a new appetizer, blanched brussel sprouts that are deep-fried, topped with Texas goat cheese and Kiepersol balsamic vinegar reduction.

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We are growing in popularity as we head into our 20th year of business! We recommend a reservation for a table, to get the best possible experience from the Restaurant at Kiepersol. Our bar is open during business hours and it its first come, first serve only.

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The restaurant is closed Sundays and Mondays. We are open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 9pm for lunch and dinner. We are also open Saturday 7am - 9pm for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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Call us at 903.894.3300

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visit us at https://kiepersol.com/restaurant/

Create with Christie joins us today to talk about art, hand-lettering and mental health through art - Kiepersol Texas Podcast ep 4 Hosted by Michael Roth

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Topics:

Christie is a good friend of ours who hosts her Hand-Lettering Class at our Salt Kitchen which is attached to the Winery Tasting Room at Kiepersol.

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"I am a Creative Coach, I like to pull out of you, your creative side!" Christie

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Hand-Lettering is an art where you draw shapes and form beautiful letters that don't require you to be good at handwriting or be an artist, I just help you with the basics to do art.

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Christie started off as a teacher and there was a time where the school programs stopped offering art class to students. Which broke her heart and motivated her to engage a lot of classroom activities that incorporated art.

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Art eventually became self-therapy or a hobby. She then started to teach a scrapbooking class, since at that time it was a huge part of her community. Eventually, she opened a studio and her desire for art was motivated by money or incentives, which bogged her down. So she shut her studio down and started an Etsy shop. Now five years later, she still runs her shop, but it was time for her to go back to one of her passions, inspiring others through teaching art. Since technology advanced in the last five years, she was able to start teaching in a completely new platform. She was able to start a website where she can teach people all over the world online and here at the Winery Tasting Room at Kiepersol. This freed her to teach and do art out of the PASSION for it, not money or incentives.

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Christie became self-aware of her mental health and needs, by changing her environment or surroundings which allowed for a healthy state of being.

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Christie did some research to share on mental health and shared some tips.

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Christie answers the questions "What is art?" Since there are so many ways to express yourself or perform art. If you look at many different musicians/songwriters and how they derive most of there music from life experiences of pain. By using the art of music or songwriting, they are able to work through the pain and result in the ability for joy or good things to come in to play.

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Tip # 1) Making Art Reduces Stress - Art isn't about perfectionism, but more expressing your feelings or thoughts on to a canvas, paper or into music.

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Tip # 2) Marking Art can reduce or distract your cyclical depression or negativity by helping you focus on what is important. "29% of doodlers recall more information." This is why listening to the radio or to podcasts while doing other tasks makes time go by faster or more enjoyable. You can listen to podcast and drive, or do the dishes or clean the house. So you can distract your lack of desire or the complaints in your head by taking the time to distract or stimulate your mind in other ways.

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Tip # 3) Doing an art form that you love, releases endorphins and decreases cortisol (stress hormone) which reduces anxiety, creates a healthy state of mind, it can ground you mentally bringing you into the very moment.

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If you wish to read more on the scientifically discovered benefits of doing art, read here: https://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-make-art-even-if-youre-bad-2016-6/#1-making-art-may-reduce-stress-and-anxiety-1

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If you've never Hand-Lettered, you're probably going to hate it at first, but it's not about being perfect or executing the perfect hand strokes. No professional basketball player just picked up a ball and made the perfect basket, once, then suggest that they were "successful." So too hand-lettering is an acquired skill, but the goal isn't perfection, it's to stretch the mind in new ways.

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If you're interested in taking one of Christie's courses online, you can visit: https://craftwithchristie.com to sign up for one of those courses. These courses are self-paced and you can do it at any time that is convenient for you.

Marnelle talks about origins of Kiepersol through her father. Kiepersol Texas Podcast- ep 3 Hosted by Michael Roth

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Topics:

The holidays are here, we have great opportunities for gifts or reasons to come visit the vineyard while we have the Lights of Kiepersol

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Marnelle talks about the significance of the #3 and why it's so important to her family. Marnelle - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Birthdays falling on the 3rd day of the month and a little superstion.

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Michael wants to get to know more about Pierre, since he was such a foundational part of creating Kiepersol and the fact everyone talks about Pierre. Marnelle talks about the difficulty in being able to talk about Pierre, since it is close to 3 years of his passing because it still hurts. "Just talking about it, it's almost like a watermelon grows in my throat."

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Marnelle talks about how we don't have a #6 tank in our wine production facility because of superstition and loathe for the # 6.

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Pierre taught lessons from the Bible to his daughters. Marnelle recalls one lesson of honoring your mother and father. "I know there is one point where you stop hurting and start being proud to honor your loved ones (parents) who have passed.... And, we're getting there."

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"We've done Vintner's Dinners where we've had guests, stand up and toast to him. I just have to get out of the room in those moments. It is still raw."

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"My Dad, as a founder, laid an amazing foundation for my sister, myself and this team!"

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In 1984, we left South Africa and migrated to the United States. "Pierre use to say, "I am running away from a broken heart." Because my mother passed away in South Africa. "

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Our upbringing was allowing us to observe that a man act in both parental roles as he raised us and help us know who our mom was and how to honor her. "It most certainly is time for us to start honoring him (Pierre)."

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Pierre and his family moved from Groblesdal, South Africa

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You can read about his history in the book "Story of We" https://shop.kiepersol.com/collections/merchandise/products/the-story-of-we-book

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He told us "I wrote our story, girls."

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We lived it, but at the time, we didn't know that we were poor. We didn't know why we ate peanut butter or canned soup every day. We were too young to have perspective on our situation. All we knew is that were protected and warm and love and we were recipients of "Toys of Tots", we didn't know how poor we were.

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Marnelle, "If you're going to leave your country for good, there is one country you're going to come to. If you're going to come to the USA, you're going to come to one place, Texas." When we came to the U.S., Dallas the TV show was popular and helped encourage us to move. "When we moved my dad was the most patriotic man I ever knew. When we were flying in, I remember so vividly, my dad woke us up and pointed out the Statue of Liberty to us from the plane. " I was 5 years old at the time.

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Pierre and the family first went to Texas, then got a job in California, the journey back to Texas. The journey is all documented in the Story of We.

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When we landed, my dad told us that we were not going to speak in our native language, Afrikaans, but it was English from then on. "I learned English from Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse cartoons. We assimilated and didn't look back."

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Pierre didn't just come to the USA and start Kiepersol. So Marnelle discusses the journey and companies that Pierre worked for and started along the journey to Kiepersol.

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Once Marnelle graduated high school, she told her dad, "I want to be a farmer just like you."

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Marnelle talks about Dirk, her grandfather, Pierre's father, who is the inspiration behind us creating Dirk's Vodka with the excess grapes. We were the only winery or seller of alcohol in Smith County Texas. Since an election put a ballot of "Wet/Dry" to the vote, we decided to encourage people to vote Wet. We decided anything can put in a bottle and compete on a global market for wine, we w

Episode Topics:

We talk about Barrel No. 33 - Red Wine Blend

- Michael is taking in Texas, becoming a resident of Texas from California

- Pierre's influence on challenging status quo in Marnelle's life built opportunity for her to make a great wine that could compete on the world market.

- Leonetti Cellars Vineyard, the Figgins Family, hired Pierre's help in growing grapes. They provided Pierre with a bottle of wine from their bounty and he tasted it. This provided the motivation and benchmark for Marnelle to make a great wine that Pierre could approve of.

- The first vintage of Barrel No 33 was bottled and given away as gifts, however, it set the standard for the style of wine to replicate.

- Marnelle just recently drank a bottle of Duchman Family Winery Montepulciano, which can compete with any of the Italian wines.

- If you are drinking Texas Wines, we would love to hear about it at [email protected] or on our Facebook Page.

- On behalf of every Texas Winery, we thank you for drinking Texas Wines! It is important to support our state and understand that our wines hold up with the rest of the world.

- Michael presents an idea of a "Texas Wine Experience" where you get to come to stay at Kiepersol Bed & Breakfast, you then get to try a variety of the Best Texas Wines. Learn history about Texas wines and have a full-on experience in Tyler, Texas. Follow us on social media to find out more as we release details for this Texas Wine Experience.

- We could do a Vintner's Dinner where we invited a few of the other winemakers to come to visit us and enjoy the experience and tell us more.

- Small Business Saturday - Boutique & Bait will be giving away swag bags for the first 25 purchases! Make sure while shopping on Saturday to visit at Tyler Local Eats, a Tyler locally owned and ran restaurant. Please support them, help our community grow!

- Dreamer Gift Box - Mengsel, Pinot Grigio & Cab Sauv is a $70 gift box that has a much deeper meaning than just a bottle of wine.

- Give the gift of a Kiepersol Club Membership to someone you love or care about this holiday season!

shop.kiepersol.com

Episode Topics: What is Kiepersol? Where is Kiepersol? When was Kiepersol established? Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo - Rodeo Uncorked, the 3rd largest international wine competition. We submitted 7 wines to the wine competition and won 7 medals Congrats to Haak Winery and Vineyard from Santa Fe, Tx for winning Winery of the Year! Texas Wines are worthy of competing in the world of wine! Tyler, Texas and East Texas are a hidden gem with awesome food, business and opportunity. Tyler Local Eats FB Group FRESH by Brookshire's Grocery Company The Adventurer Gift Box - Highlights our 3 flagship wines Cab, Merlot and Syrah. They can be shipped anywhere in Texas or visit our Winery Tasting Room. Marnelle talks about Vintner's Dinner events that give you an opportunity to experience the best Kiepersol has to offer! Lights of Kiepersol - We are lighting up our vineyard during the evenings starting Black Friday all the way to New Years. Come take family photos, hang out and have fun! Expect to come and just chill. Exhale. Enjoy the best view in East Texas. Good Juju Cookie Decorating Class We talk about Wine Club and buying Vaulted Wines. Follow us on FB and IG as we go live to ask questions or have input when we're live.