Page 94 - Flathead Living // Spring 2015

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California, called Foley Family Wines. Crawford is proud that the staves he used to build the stools originated at the winery, varietals of which are poured at MacKenzie River, which has earned Montana’s Eco Star award for sustainability seven times within
the last decade.
“You can literally sit at the bar on a stool
made from the barrel that aged the wine you’re drinking,” Crawford said. “You’re drinking wine that came out of your seat.”
It’s these connections throughout the Flathead Valley and beyond that have buoyed Crawford and Vinoture through difficult times, and he said by working with local outfits like RBM Lumber, Precision Woodworks, Countryside Welding and Family, Tilaru Metal Smithing, Iron Cross Iron Works, and mentoring under their craftsmen, he’s helped create an association of businesses that benefit from his venture.
He also gives untold credit to his parents,
his son, Nico, and two best friends and busi- ness partners, Derek Larson and Kameron Barge, for their support of and belief in the Vinoture model.
“I look at this valley as this network of crafts-people we are orchestrating this sus- tainable environment,” Crawford said. “It has taken us eight years to figure out the path Vinoture is on. My heart is in this valley, and my heart is in this wood.”
For more information, visit vinoture.com. FL
92 FLATHEAD LIVING | SPRING 2015