FEATURELOOK
Oklahoma’s Own Viticulturist
Promoting a Growing Wine Scene By Amy Dee Stephens Madison Franklin
As of February, Madison Franklin is Oklahoma’s first Viticulture “I never dreamed that my chemistry, farming and restaurant & Enology Coordinator. Unfamiliar with the title? Madi basically careers, seemingly unrelated, would come together to perfectly serves as a wine ambassador, working to market vineyards and prepare me for the new position with the Department of develop agritourism for the state. It was water, not wine, that led Agriculture,” Madi said. “Thanks to new liquor laws passed in her to this unusual career. 2016, Oklahoma’s 45 wineries are finally gaining energy and While working on her biology degree at Oklahoma State attention.” University, Madi spent six summers wading through lakes as she In addition to visiting vineyards and exploring tourism worked for various environmental agencies doing biochemistry possibilities, Madi has redesigned the Oklahoma Wine Trail and water quality testing. Following her adventurous spirit, Madi Guide. Much like a passport, people can explore nine winemoved to Asia after she graduated to teach English. When she themed trails in Oklahoma. After completing each trail, ended that job, she took four months participants are eligible for prizes. to explore the world before returning One trail in Oklahoma county features home. six wineries, which includes Clauren “I booked the cheapest ticket I Ridge in Edmond. could find, which led me to Greece,” “There’s a booming wine scene in Madi said. Moving from Hanoi, a city Oklahoma, but we’re still young and with a population of eight million working on our reputation,” Madi said. people, to a small island with just “There’s a stigma that wine has to 300 people was a culture shock. To be expensive or produced in certain support herself, Madi took work places to be good. I’m trying to grow as a farm laborer, the island’s main our potential and tackle that stigma.” industry. Already, wineries are getting “My first job, on my first day in creative with marketing efforts. Greece, was at a vineyard in the Besides traditional tasting rooms, middle of nowhere,” Madi said. “I many are offering enticing There’s a booming wine scene in experiences, from wine bottle crafting was handed a basket and told, ‘Go Oklahoma, but we’re still young pick grapes.’ It was that simple. Just to weddings. Farm-to-table meals and working on our reputation. fill a basket with grapes. I loved the are becoming popular, with locallysimplicity and peacefulness of that sourced foods or dinners themed task.” after movies such as Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. During harvest season, people can even volunteer to help pick grapes or Following the Grapevine try grape stomping, as seen on the old I Love Lucy show. Upon returning to Oklahoma, Madi reflected that her “I love being part of an industry where, at the end of a hard environmental background applied to winemaking, so she put day’s work, people get to slow down and drink the fruits of aside lake work and started focusing on vineyards. During Covid, our labor—pun intended,” Madi said with a laugh. “Going from Madi searched for a master’s degree in viticulture, the cultivation ‘grape to glass’ is a ton of work, but it’s a beautiful worldwide and harvesting of grapes, and enology, the study of wines. She experience.” Visit OklahomaAgritourism.com to learn more. found a program in Italy that was more affordable than the United States had to offer. So, after working in restaurants and an Edmond wine bar to save money, she moved to Italy to learn the global wine industry. 18
l EDMONDOUTLOOK.COM l AUGUST 2023
