A Fond Farewell to an Old Friend

As they say, “All good things must come to an end.”  That’s how we feel about our old vineyard truck, which we have finally retired.

The reliable old black Ford

This fine piece of machinery is a 1989 Ford F150 which we purchased in 1996. I tried to get a Blue Book value for it, but since the KBB web site only lets you check vehicles that date back to 1993, I was unable to get an accurate price. Based on the parameters I did put in, it looks like it would sell for about $600. The most impressive thing about our old vineyard truck? It has almost 400,000 miles on it!  And we’re not talking highway miles; this thing has been trekking around our vineyards, carrying equipment, workers and grapes for 17 years with minimal repairs and upkeep (enough to keep it safe and smogged, of course).

Unfortunately, though, this reliable piece of equipment has reached the end of its useable life. We’ve recently replaced it with a 2004 F150. Of course, we feel good about our choice of make and model. With a little luck, the red truck will last us as long as the black one did and we’ll be writing a tribute to it in the year 2030.

Our Vineyard Manager, Michele Buccilletti, in the new Ponte truck

It may seem odd to write a blog about a beat up old truck. But when you consider that it has seen vines planted, pulled out, grafted over to new varietals, the building of our winery, the growth of our restaurant, one thousand weddings, the building of the hotel and probably about one million associates, guests, snakes and rabbits AND has helped us work the vineyards that result in your favorite wines, we think you’ll agree that this truck deserves a tip of the hat from all of us here at Ponte.

Thanks, black Ford, we’ll miss you!

–Amy Landolt

–Do you remember your first car?  What kind was it?