Shannah Cheney with her first Owera Vineyards vintages.

As a gift back when we worked together back at the Liverpool Public Library, my communications department boss included a bagged bottle of Owera Vineyards Cabernet Franc.

When I pulled it from my little collection and uncorked it, I was smitten.

In fact, I liked it a lot more than my usual wine choice of Cabernet Savignon.

A search for more Owera Cab Franc began.

Oh, the website was down. But an email address on the Facebook page yielded a response pointing to Shannah Cheney, the organization’s winemaker.

And she texted that I was welcome to drive out to the vineyard’s Cazenovia campus to purchase some Cab Franc, even though the East Lake Road facility is not currently open to the public.

Owera Vineyards, peaceful on the hill.

I took in the serene scene, learned about Cheney’s interesting winemaking journey, sipped from glasses of several generously offered samples from her first vintage barrels for Owera and left with a stocked box of wine, a half-dozen bottles for me and a couple selected by my dear wife Karen, too.

Cheney is settling into her winemaking tasks with a smile.

A few years ago, the Syracuse native was conducting autopsies for an area hospital. She says she enjoyed her job. But when she was offered a shift to work with a medical examiner, she decided it was time to chase a different dream.

”I loved doing autopsies. It was very interesting work,” Cheney says. “But I was missing the creative aspect of my life.”

Cheney enrolled in the winemaker’s curriculum at Finger Lakes Community College, taking advantage of this area’s proper climate, growing knowledge and increasing enthusiasm for the industry.

More events to come.

She mentored with longtime Fox Run Vineyards winemaker Peter Bell, who Cheney says remains a best friend. She was the only woman in that class, but now is part of a Finger Lakes industry “with a lot of women winemakers. It’s the perfect work for me, because I get to be creative and hands-on,” Cheney says. “I think I was made for winemaking.”

Owera owners Pete and Nancy are planning to revamp the social plans for their bar and cafe in Cazenovia this spring and summer, with a new site coordinator and revamped website.

Cheney will represent Owera on Saturday, April 6, at the Syracuse Wine Festival. Samples from many area vineyards will be featured.

Tickets can be found through the link above.

I’m looking forward to when those first barrels can be turned into Cheney’s initial bottle collections available from Owera.