Donna Morris and Bill Sweat introduced a trio of inaugural  wines under their Winderlea label this spring.

Did You Know... Formula for an Auspicious Future Tech Savvy Assessment A Very Long Engagement Football Frenzy 2008 Spirituality Programs Boston Narrative Fruit of the Vine In Focus More News...

Fruit of the Vine

Perhaps seeing the glass half full is easy when it holds pinot noir. That’s the impression one gets when chatting with Donna Morris ’81 and Bill Sweat, MBA’91, a husband and wife team who bid farewell to the financial services field for life a bit closer to the vine.

The couple purchased the renowned Goldschmidt Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2006 and founded their own label, Winderlea (pronounced “Win-dur-lee”). This spring the transplanted Bostonians introduced a trio of pinot noirs. “Some of our very first dates were wine tastings,” says Sweat, “and we later started to make travel decisions based upon what vineyards we wanted to visit. Wine is something we became passionate about together and our palates always led us back to pinot noir.”

Owning a vineyard recognized for this complex French grape seemed a logical career move for these oenophiles, who play a lead role—along with their winemaker—in creating each offering.

Drink in their well-balanced thoughts below:

 

Donna Morris

What is the most satisfying moment in your professional life? 
Building something new and watching it take off.

In your personal life? 
Bringing my parents to Italy a couple of years ago—and walking through the Vatican with them. Since we don’t have kids, it’s probably the closest I’ll feel to watching your children’s sheer awe at Disney World for the first time.

What is your best BC memory?
University Chorale concerts. I can’t sing, but I was a dedicated groupie and accompanied the chorale to Paris in 1980 for a series of concerts with friends and fellow fans.

What is your next goal?
Doing the best job I possibly can with what’s in front of me each day.

What was the last book you read?
Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers.

How have you changed since graduation?
I’m physically fit. I swim, bike, and run regularly

What is the most important lesson in life?
Treat people with respect and kindness.

What do you look forward to each day?
Preparing a simple meal and pairing it with the perfect bottle of wine (preferably pinot noir).

Who has influenced your life the most?
My parents. Because of their love and passion for life and family.

Where is your favorite spot on the BC campus?
While in college it was Bapst Library. It felt so grand that I could convince myself that I was in Europe. Since graduation, it’s Alumni Stadium, section DD, with Bill and my parents on any given Saturday in the fall.

Where do you most like to travel on vacation?
New and exotic places, such as Southeast Asia.  However, two years ago Bill and I drove cross-country from Boston to Oregon and the best two days were spent in upstate New York visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame—and then traveling to Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Who would play you in the film version of your life?
Mary Tyler Moore. Because of her generally sunny and optimistic look on life.

Where did you live freshman year?
Hardey House. First floor.

How much can you sing of the BC fight song?
The entire first verse—all completely out of key!

What is something your friends don’t know about you?
See Bill’s answer!

What is the one meal you could eat for the rest of your life?
Just about anything that can be dipped in olive oil, infused with garlic, and generously sprinkled with salt.

What is the latest song on your iPod?
You need to check with Bill, since he is my source for music.

How do you relax?
Curl up in a chair with a newspaper, a glass of wine, and a baseball game on in the background.

What would you tell your children if they wanted to attend Notre Dame?
They once had a very competitive football program.

What is the one thing everyone should do?
Live in a foreign country for at least one year.

Bill Sweat

What is the most satisfying moment in your professional life?
Memorial Day weekend 2008. Three years of work came together with the opening of our tasting room and the release of our inaugural 2006 vintage.

In your personal life?
Watching Donna walk down the aisle at our wedding.

What is your best BC memory?
Graduation was pretty good. Otherwise, watching the BC football team have its way with Notre Dame over the years has been pretty satisfying.

What is your next goal?
Reaching profitability would be high on my list.

What was the last book you read?
A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover’s Dream by Ferenc Mate.

How have you changed since graduation?
I think I’m a little shorter and a bit heavier.

What is the most important lesson in life?
Follow your passion.

What do you look forward to each day?
Just waking up each day is a gift.

Who has influenced your life the most?
My mother. She is a strong, disciplined, and hard-working person with unassailable ethics and a great love of family.

Where is your favorite spot on the BC campus?
O’Neill Plaza on the first warm day of spring.

Where do you most like to travel on vacation?
Anywhere with great wine and food. Tuscany and Paris come to mind.

Who would play you in the film version of your life?
Anthony Edwards.

Where did you live while you were studying at BC?
During my first year of grad school I lived in an antique Greek Revival house in Medfield.

How much can you sing of the BC fight song?
Not a note.

What is something your friends don’t know about you?
Well, if I’ve kept it a secret this long I’m not going to give it up now.

What is the one meal you could eat for the rest of your life?
Short ribs, polenta, and brussels sprouts with a bottomless bottle of pinot noir.

What is the latest song on your iPod?
I’m old school, so I only download entire CDs. The last one was Music Trance by a local soul, jazz, and R&B singer named Lilla D’Mone.

How do you relax?
With music, a good book, and a glass of wine.

What would you tell your children if they wanted to attend Notre Dame?
It’s a great school and I hope you’ll be very happy there. 

What is the one thing everyone should do?
Get a passport and travel outside the country.