In 2004, Rex Pickett wrote Sideways, a novel telling the tale of two friends, Miles and Jack, that go on a road trip together through Santa Barbara’s wine country prior to Jack’s pending marriage. Six years later, the hotly anticipated sequel “Vertical: Passion & the Pinot” was released. Just last year it was re-edited, illustrations were added, and the book re-released by Loose Gravel Press.
The DDO vineyards on a cool March day.
History is, of course, an important subject and shapes much of the present in so many endeavours. But in the wine world, we have learned, history plays an even more important role than in most fields. Perhaps that is because making fine wine is more art than science. The art of making wine has history very much at its foundations: it is passed down from generation to generation, very often within the same family. Such is the case of Burgundy’s Drouhin family, who first began in the wine business 137 years ago in Beaune when Maison Joseph Drouhin was founded. It did not take long for this domaine to prosper and successive generations of Drouhins took it from strength to strength. Today Maison Joseph Drouhin is a Burgundy powerhouse; a domaine that it has grown to become a significant business in the area and one that also holds some of the best vineyard lands and produces some of Burgundy’s top wines.
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Brian, Clare & Levi.
One of our favourite things about wine is that it brings people together. Big Table Farm has built their winery and farm on this concept as winemaker Brian Marcy and partner Clare Carver combine their passion for wine, food and art into a place that is one part winery, one part working farm and all parts impressive.
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It’s rare to see a successful winemaker succeeding in the Napa Valley give up a sure thing to move to Oregon and start a new winery working with a completely different grape and climate. That’s exactly what Steve Girard did and the Willamette Valley is that much better for it.
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The vineyards at Alexana Winery
Having been to numerous wineries around the world, nothing is more satisfying than discovering a real gem for the first time. Alexana Vineyards was that find for us on a recent trip to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Located in the Dundee Hills AVA, it is one of the most unique properties we’ve come across, with no less than eighteen soil types divided into 31 different parcels to extract the very best from each micro-region.
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