For those who are interested in gaining a little more insight as to how Chris, Jake, Suzie, Roman and "the crew" keep Marietta Cellars running, we've devised our Top Ten. This is basically our inspirations, passions, favorite lunches, recommended experiences, and anything else, that get us and have gotten us through the Marietta gauntlet.

Chris and friends enjoy a plastic cup of Syrah on a duck hunting trip.

1. Montana - Chris
Every year after harvest, I go hunting in Montana for 1-2 weeks. The weather is cool, the air is clean and crisp, and the colors are magnificent. Hunting pheasant with my dog Josie along creeks and through fields is a great way to wind down after the pressures of the crush. It is also a chance to catch up with old friends who I only see once or twice a year. We eat good food, drink good wine, and spend much appreciated time together in some of the most beautiful wild country I've seen.

2. Chris's Cooking Part 1 - Suzie
The best time of the year is when Chris returns from Alaska with his catch of the season. Upon his return, Chris cooks fresh salmon and halibut for the entire staff. Personally, my favorite is cold halibut with mango salsa. It's refreshing and light especially during the hot Indian summer (September) here in the wine country.

• Poach or bake halibut, allow it to cool.
  
• Coarsely chop and blend two ripe mangoes, two avocados, one bunch of cilantro, one red onion, one or two Serrano chilies (be careful they can be hot) and squeeze two limes on top.
• Break the cold fish up into bite size pieces and mix into the salsa.
• Do not serve with Marietta wines! Cold Sauvignon Blanc goes wonderfully however.

3. Chris's Cooking Part 2 - Suzie
Another favorite of mine is during the winter when Chris makes his Italian sausages. Naturally, he doesn't make a dozen or two…no he makes 50 to 100 pounds at a time! Then he hangs them all over the winery. He uses his sausages in all sorts of dishes such as his polenta and minestrone soup.

4. Chris's Cooking Part 3 "The Downfall" - Suzie
The worst time of the year is in December when Chris goes mushroom hunting. Since my office is upstairs from the kitchen/lab, the wonderful smells of Chris's cooking end up in my office. Unfortunately, the terrible smell of his drying mushrooms end up in my office as well. Just like his sausage making, Chris doesn't just pick a dozen or so mushrooms…no he picks buckets and buckets of them! I love the mushrooms in his cooking, don't get me wrong, but I recommend that we find another place to dry them.

Chris catches a big one off the Florida coast.

5. Alaska - Chris
Each year before harvest, I sneak up to Alaska for a couple of weeks to fly fish. Alaska is extremely special to me. In this day and age, there aren't too many places you can go and see dolphins swimming, fish jumping, bears along the shore, and bald eagles flying overhead. The red salmon we fish for is as good as both fishing and eating gets. Mornings spent fishing, afternoons hiking or reading a book, and evenings spent eating seafood hours sometimes minutes out of the water…it doesn't get much better! The natural beauty and solitude that Alaskan summers exhibit have become a necessary "pre-harvest ritual" for me.

6. Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Charlie Musselwhite, and Stevie Ray Vaughn - Chris (submitted by Jake)
When describing my dad's vintages, it is almost more appropriate for Chris to say…"The '99 Zin has a little more Stevie in it than usual and the Syrah shows definite undertones of BB King with Clapton's finesse." I don't think my dad could make the wines he does without music. You've not seen Chris until you've seen him with a harmonica at his mouth, a glass of wine on the table, eyes shut tight, playing with Charlie Musselwhite on the CD player. Late at night when he's circulating tanks, taking barrel samples, or putting the finishing touches on his Zinfandel, he always has somebody singing to him.

Sam Bilbro shows off one of his dad's abalone.

7. Abalone diving - Jake
My dad just about had me swimming in the Pacific before I was walking in our living room. Through the years, diving for abalone has remained a tradition that my dad, my brothers and I look forward to with great anticipation. The cold water and the gray, sea washed rocks are the exact opposite of the wide array of colors and sea life that lives just below. Diving early and eating fresh abalone just a couple hours old for a mid morning snack is an experience that spoiled me at an early age and one I still look forward to.

8. Marietta's Minestrone soup - Chris

4 Italian sausages
6-8 cloves garlic
2 yellow onions
1 can tomatoes
5 carrots
5 celery stalks
4 medium potatoes
4 cans chicken broth
2 cans kidney beans
2 bunches swiss chard

Crumble and brown sausages until ½ cooked. Add 6-8 cloves of minced garlic and 2 chopped onions, cook until transparent. Add 1 can of tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, and potatoes all cut in bite size pieces. Cover with chicken broth, Cook until celery is ¾ cooked. Add 1 can of crushed kidney beans (I just use my hands to squish them) and one can of kidney beans whole plus the juice. Cook for five minutes. Add swiss chard, bring to a boil, turn heat off and let soup sit for 20 minutes. Unlike the mango salsa, this recipe does go great with Marietta wines.

9. Afternoon Watermelon Feeds - "The Crew"
During the summer months when the vineyards require constant attention and the temperatures are near if not over 100 degrees, we go through a huge quantity of watermelons (In Spanish: Sandia). There is nothing more refreshing after a long day of work than sitting in the shade under a grapevine with a huge chunk of cold melon.

10. Working For Chris - Roman
I've been very happy working throughout the years at Marietta. I've worked for Chris for fourteen years; since I was nineteen. Some of the things I like best about working here are that we all work together, that Chris works with the employees, and that we all make the wines and drink them together. My favorite food Chris makes is lamb with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil but I love all the wild meat too. I am very happy to work for Chris Bilbro, owner of Marietta.

In Closing, We'd Love To Hear From You
As we've said, we are not a large winery, and we are not equipped to handle the public via tasting rooms, etc. However, the most rewarding feedback we get is not from wine writers or critics, but from the people who actually drink the wine. So let us know via email, what you think, special occasions, funny stories, etc. We absolutely love to hear them, and as we update our Top Ten, we'll include any good stories we hear.

info@mariettacellars.com