Cheers! Tulsa Senior Living Community Has New Winemaking Class For Residents

A Tulsa senior living community has started a winemaking class. People now spend their afternoons bottling wine, made right there at the center, then boxing it up for fellow residents.

"This one has been fermenting about eight weeks total," said Chef Kevin Sloan. 

Cedarhurst Independent Living has a new class for residents. 

"The chef does most of it because he has experience with culinary skills, but he is quite a wine maker and this is not just a little bottle of wine - these are great big vats," said resident Billy Baldwin. 

It started during the pandemic and has been going strong ever since.

"I have done the wine tours in the Sonoma Valley and all of that, but I had no idea how you make wine at home, and it has been quite a learning experience," said resident Mary Brooks. 

"Some of this is pretty decent!" said Baldwin. 

This class was Sloan's idea.

"I have been making wine at my house for the past five years and I just kind of put them together and that is what we came up with - a wine making class for the residents," said Sloan. 

"He mixes everything up and lets it mature and we bottle it," said Baldwin. 

And there are a lot of options here - Sangria, watermelon, peach, pear, strawberry, blackberry even Pinot Grigio.

"It is not a fluffy wine; it is a good hearty wine," said resident Phil Law. 

Next week, this group is hoping they have boxed up enough wine for every resident to try some.

"It is a retirement community so why can't we have good food, good wine!" said Sloan. 

You can visit the community’s Facebook page here.