“For me, wine is a gift. It doesn’t have to exist, but it does. We might as well enjoy it.” – Josh Kimball
If you haven’t been to Kimball’s Artisan Wines in historic downtown Jacksonville, you’re missing out on Old World charm, New and Old World wines, and Josh’s passion for getting you exactly what you want. And chances are it’s a wine you’ve never heard of.
The store at 120 S. Third St. it’s minimal, but attractive: a Candy Land of wine. The fun labels on the bottles seem to move and the rose table glows bright pink. It’s very simple, even magical. It’s the feeling of being in the right place at the right time.
Originally from Coos Bay, Josh was in his last semester at Southern Oregon University when he and a friend decided to take a wine appreciation class — “two credits to drink,” he jokes. He learned about Oregon’s growing wine industry and decided that learning about wine would be his summer job.
After showing up at the Weisinger Family Winery, “5 Tuesdays in a row at 2 in the afternoon,” Eric Weisinger told him to come back the next morning at 10. Josh had applied for a tasting room position, so he put on new khakis and a freshly pressed, button-down shirt, he arrived and was informed of the work, as the cellar rat was open, and was handed a bucket, a mop, and a broom. The persimmons were gone until about six months later when it happened in the tasting room.
“They are great people,” he says. “They treated me with respect and inspired me to want to work in the wine industry.”
After stints with King Estate and Cowhorn, he was ready to strike out on his own. Walking down the street in Jacksonville one day in January 2019, he saw the “for rent” sign and thought, “I guess we’re going to have a store now.”
In April 2019, Josh and his wife, Kaylyn, opened their doors and filled a desirable niche for “nature-centric” wines in Southern Oregon. He called Eric Weisinger to let him know, saying, “If you hadn’t given me a chance, I might not have done it.”
The store does not carry local wines because Kimball wants his “shelves to be filled with what I like and am very passionate about. It makes sense to showcase wines that people can’t get elsewhere. I also prefer to send people directly to the local winery to experience what they’re doing and buy directly from them.”
What it does have is a delicious French syrah St. Joseph from the 16th generation, numerous indigenous varietals made in the traditional Old World way and found only in certain regions, Oregon wines, Croatian, Slovak, bubbly and some “medieval wines”, as he likes. to call them He loves being able to bring these uncommon wines, which he had only been able to taste in big cities, to a rural area. The right place; the right time
Tastings are offered on many Saturdays. Check the store’s Instagram and Facebook pages for upcoming wineries and dates.
Josh smiles and says, “I haven’t traveled the world much, but I do it every night from my dining room table.”
Contact Paula Bandy at pbthegrapevine@gmail.com and connect with her on Instagram at @pbthroughthegrapevine
