Hand-Crafted in Every Way
Natural winemaking is a reflection of our ethos: To strive to tread lightly on the earth and to achieve beauty through simplicity. Making wine is an intriguing blend of alchemy and artistry, of history and culture. From carefully selecting unique vineyards and tending the vines during the growing season, to fermenting, and blending, every step of our winemaking is hands-on and hand-made. We hand bottle and apply each label, lovingly secure each fabric top, and ensure that the wine we share with you is a celebration of the earth’s great bounty. After fifteen years in a conventional career, this approach feels real, grounded, and worthy of dedication. It is deeply rooted in agriculture and artisanal trades, and connected with nature by the cycles of the seasons. We are humbled by the hard work and labor required to deliver a wine worthy of our ideals.
Great Wine Begins with Sourcing
Virtually 100 percent of wineries claim how special, unique, and extraordinary their vineyards are.
However, it has become common practice among wineries to add any combination of store-bought acid, tannin, enzymes, copper sulphate, coloring agents, and are also using machines (from vendors named “Winesecrets,” no less) to fine tune their wine according to a high-ratings formula, or compensate for deficiencies from those same “special” grapes.
We chose a different path.
The Beauty of Simplicity
Truly “special” vineyards, such as our selected sources for Shoe Shine Wine®, need no additions to compensate for deficiencies in the foundations of a great wine: Color, flavor, tannin, and acid. The vines are planted in a relatively unique sliver of the earth that provides for the right soil, climate, and conditions for optimal ripening. Naturally. Our growers do the rest.
In 2010, to highlight our natural winemaking approach, we proudly made a Rosé we call “Nada Thing,” which, true to its name, has only one ingredient—Petite Sirah grapes. Not a drop of anything else was added and the wine is fantastic. Please try to catch us at a public event so you can taste it for yourself.