Laramie wine enthusiasts wanting to broaden their horizons have a friend in Scott Lair. Scott has been serving unique wines and meads to Laramie residents since September 2015, when he moved back to Laramie and opened his winery The Great Untamed, at 209 S. 3rd Street.

Scott said making wine was always a hobby for him, but he didn’t start pursuing it seriously until about five years ago.

“I’ve been doing it for longer than I should admit as just a hobby,” Scott says. “I did it all through college.”

Scott began considering wine making as more than just a hobby after his previous job left him feeling burnt out.

“It is a lot more work but I enjoy doing it, whereas I did not enjoy my previous job,” Scott says. “So, that’s a plus and it’s really great to be able to work for myself.”

Being creative is another part of the job that Scott says he enjoys immensely.

“That’s the thing I like the most about it- I get to make stuff and mess around and try new things and experiment. It’s pretty awesome,” Scott says.

For the most part, Scott says, he has had enough practice that his wines usually turn out like he intended or at least turn out well. However, he still likes to experiment with recipes that he is not sure of.

“I’ve been messing around with new stuff lately that has not been turning out so well, but those are small test batches, that’s why I do those,” Scott says. “I’ve got a recipe that I’m trying to push up to about 20 percent, that’s very difficult, I’ve been struggling with that lately but have been learning a lot too.”

That creative process is what led to Scott’s diverse selection. Scott’s menu features wines made from various fruits, vegetables and roots. One thing that won’t be found on the menu is grapes. Scott says the lack of grape wines comes from his desire to use local ingredients, such as honey from Colorado and produce from local farmer’s markets for his wines. Scott says grapes are scarce in Wyoming, there being only one operating vineyard that he is aware of.

“There’s all kinds of good stuff to make wine out of around here, so why not do that? My mission is kind of to show people that you can make wine out of pretty much anything,” Scott said.

One of the biggest surprises about running a winery, Scott says, is that crowd that comes in. Scott said that while his winery doesn’t attract many college students, he has a crowd of regulars that continually surprise him.

“Most of my regulars will just come sit down and I will chat with them an hour or two about whatever. I get a really cool crowd, they’re very smart people,” Scott says. “I learn all kinds of stuff here, it’s great.”

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