How did you get into the wine industry?
My roots are in the Midwest, specifically Wisconsin and Minnesota. I moved to California in 2001 after graduating with a BS in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota. Two of my siblings had settled in California and worked in wine production, I visited them often and had become a pretty avid surfer, and I decided to check out the central coast. I was incredibly lucky to have an amazing first harvest working as a lab tech at Byron Winery in the Santa Maria Valley. That experience largely increased my interest in all things wine and was a great way to utilize my science background. I began working in the cellar at Rusack Vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley and again was so fortunate to work with amazing people willing to teach me so much. After a couple of years I went back to Byron as enologist and then assistant winemaker. In 2006 I took a position as winemaker and vineyard manager at Saucelito Canyon Vineyard and became acquainted with CCVT and all of the amazing things you do to foster land stewardship and sustainable practices, as well as keep our community educated and in touch with current events in agriculture. It was really exciting to be involved as a pilot grower for SIP and I continue to enjoy working with the SIP program. I am currently the winemaker for EOS Estate Winery in Los Olivos and it is really fun to be working in Santa Barbara County again. Over the years wine has become a major part of my family, as two of my three siblings are also winemakers and our parents now farm a small vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills.
We hear you are starting your own wine label…tell us more!
I am! My label is called Brave New Wine and is dedicated to producing great wine with minimal impact on the environment and using old world tradition in new world style. My goal is to source fruit from Central Coast vineyards committed to growing quality grapes while maintaining land stewardship; making high-end, handcrafted wine and packaging it in 100% reusable stainless steel casks. This type of packaging upholds wine integrity while eliminating the waste associated with glass bottle packaging. Brave New Wine will be sold by the glass and carafe at local restaurants. It is really exciting to see more and more restaurants eager to carry wine in something other than glass bottles as well as more wineries packaging high-quality wine in reusable kegs. 2010 was the inaugural harvest for Brave New Wine; I made Santa Ynez Valley gruner veltliner, Santa Maria Valley pinot noir and Paso Robles grenache.
How does “sustainability” fit into what you’re doing now and what you’ve done in the past?
Sustainability is a major part of my life and thinking. It represents balance, responsibility, commitment and thoughtful diversification. It is about leaving things better than they were when you found them. Minimizing synthetic inputs, conscientious use of water, and utilizing beneficial plants, animals, insects and microorganisms in order to create a resilient method of crop production is at the core of sustainability, as is balancing budgets and fostering the overall health of the environment and each other. Farm diversification is important to balance nutrient loads as well as providing a cushion for market fluctuations within specific crops. I find it exciting to look into the past for creative solutions for current problems and to integrate different systems into one whole effort. I have used sheep for winter grazing and loved it; I look forward to continuing that in the future. During college I worked at a packaging factory and witnessing the waste produced by packaging directly influenced my desire to create Brave New Wine and utilize larger format re-fillable containers.
What are some challenges you have encountered?
It can be difficult to succinctly explain sustainability when talking to wine buyers and consumers. It is a broad term that means many things to different people, and finding synonymous buzzwords is challenging. Furthermore, it is difficult to financially quantify some of the benefits of sustainability. People generally want an easy answer, and sometimes it is challenging to come up with one that is easily digestible yet resonant.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Finding new avenues of learning and growing all the time, as well as being so fortunate to know so many amazing, talented, and generous people who are willing to share what they know and who work hard at what they do.
When you aren’t knee deep in wine, what are you doing?
I love learning new things and new skills. Being outdoors and active is important to me. I love hiking, swimming, running, soccer, dancing, reading, cooking and eating good food with friends and family. Many of my non-wine moments are filled with other kinds of fun work; at an organic farm, with sheep, at a sheep milk dairy, as well as with my own garden, honeybees and chickens. One of my dreams is to live and work on a farm-to-table operation providing wine and nourishment as well as offering people the opportunity to learn how to grow and nurture their own sustenance, self-reliance, and tangible sense of accomplishment. My interests continually gravitate towards farming and food production, and I feel grateful to be part of the vibrant wine industry on the central coast.