Your Wedding Day - Your Wedding Day Resources

Your Wedding Day Resources

YWD Resources best viewed with

PREFERRED

While waiting for a “real” job to come along, Lee Miyamura, with a BA in Biology with an emphasis in Molecular Biology and a minor in Chemistry, applied for a temporary Quality Assurance Lab position at Meridian’s sister winery, Beringer Vineyards in St. Helena. Lee’s intent was to work in the biotech industry, but she immediately became intrigued by the winemaking industry. Beringer and Meridian were intrigued by Lee’s talents too, and she was offered a permanent job as a QA Technician immediately following the 1985 harvest.

Beringer Vineyards began operations of Meridian in Paso Robles, on California’s Central Coast, in 1988, and when a Wine Chemist position became available in 1990, Lee grabbed the opportunity to move to an area of California she had come to love on previous visits. “Not only did I love the unhurried pace and

Vins and Fromages

culture of the Central Coast,” Lee told Your Wedding Day, “I hoped to be involved in more aspects of making wine, to expand my breadth of expertise. I was looking forward to the experience a small winery could provide.”

Lee thinks you will also love the experience this small Paso Robles winery can provide. To begin with, you find your way to Meridian via a long, long driveway, a gradual climb up the vineyard-covered hill. At the top, you are greeted by a natural stone winery which is surrounded by giant 200-years-old oaks, landscaped herb and flower gardens, and beautiful picnic grounds.

There are several wedding venues from which to choose, including the Barrel Chai Room, featuring wine barrels along the walls, high ceilings, and an antique glass chandelier. If you prefer an outdoor wedding, you’ll want to find out about the herb garden, which is surrounded by overhanging oaks, or the Main Lawn. This lawn area is actually more like a lush green carpet overlooking Meridian’s home vineyard, and it’s bordered by Cypress and Oak trees and a rose garden. For a sunset wedding, there is nowhere else you will want to be. Both the gardens, lawn, and barrel room will provide you with a dramatic wedding backdrop, and Meridian can accommodate your group of up to 500 guests.

Your guests will love the features Meridian has to offer, too, such as a visit to the tasting to sample Meridian’s nationally distributed Classic wines, and an exclusive sampling of Limited Release wines. You can also create a wedding weekend gourmet picnic in the vineyards through the services of Meridian’s deli and gift shop.

Whether you choose the Barrel Room or the gardens for your wedding festivities, you’ll want to choose plenty of the Meridian wines, known for their fruit-driven, vibrant qualities. This is especially true (and a special treat now that you know more about Lee!), after numerous promotions over the years, Lee was once again promoted in 2005, and now she is Winemaker for Meridian’s white wines. She is involved in every step of the winemaking process from the harvest, to the barreling, to the blending, to the bottling.

In her new capacity, Lee says she enjoys the fresh opportunity for creativity in winemaking each harvest brings. But that is not all. She told us, “I love the camaraderie that has grown over the years between the members of the Meridian team. Sure, this is where I work, but it is really my home.”

When you have your wedding at Meridian Vineyards, you and your guests will feel that they are right at home too.

By Susan Hart Hellman, Executive Editor

Meridian Vineyards
7000 Highway 46, Unit E
Paso Robles CA 93446
Phone: (805) 226-7133
Local Website This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Directions


[ Back ]