Sara Morgenstern is one of those people that if you try to introduce her to someone, she’s already good friends with them and if you ask her to join in on a project, she’ll dive in head first even though her calendar is already fully booked.
She’s some what of a local celebrity here in Sonoma County, particularly in Healdsburg for those in the wine industry, most notably for her work at the imported wine shop/bar and grilled cheese joint, Bergamot Alley, but also for her work with 7% Solution, which you’ll learn about in this episode, Banshee Wines, Raft Wines, and now the soon to be 501c3 Winemakers & Sommeliers for California Wildfire Relief and the annual Burgundy festival, Le Paulée de San Francisco coming up from February 27 to March 3, 2018.
I really enjoyed chatting with Sara as we not only cover everything that I already mentioned, but we dig into her story, how the recent wildfires have personally affected her, and we try wines from winemakers who she considers her brothers.
Learn more about Sara and get the list of every wine we try in this episode here.
I also want to say thank you to Heather Hawkins & Woody Hambrick of Alysian Wines & Vermouth for letting Sara and I occupy their space in Healdsburg for a couple hours to record.
Blair Guthrie is a kiwi transplant to the Napa Valley and winemaker for Stewart Cellars, Hollis Wines, Slingshot Wines, and his personal passion project, Guthrie Family Wines all based in Napa Valley.
I met up with Blair at the Stewart Cellars tasting room in Yountville, which I highly recommend you visit, especially if you are able to do a library tasting in what they call their Nomad Room. It is a gorgeously designed space with art on the walls, dark leather furniture, books galore that range from coffee table books about the designer Tom Ford to old copies of Hemingway. It is a room that has so much life, so many stories. A place where you can go to relax and enjoy some beautiful Napa wines. If you can’t stop by, take a look at the space at StewartCellars.com
In this episode, Blair and I chat about his story and how he got into wine as a kiwi in New Zealand to coming to Napa, working with the amazing winemaker, Paul Hobbs, and how he approaches making wines at price points ranging from $16 to $175 per bottle. We also dig into the artistry of winemaking, some of the science behind it all, and most importantly, throughout the episode Blair and I taste through eleven plus wines, which he gives insight as to how he made them, the tasting notes on them, and all of the little details that go into making fantastic Napa wines.
It was a really great conversation in which I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Blair, who was introduced to me by another podcast guest from a few episodes back, Shannon Westfall of Vinfluence Wines. Which if you haven’t heard that episode, listen to it after my conversation with Blair.
With that, there are two organizations I want to introduce you to, that are working to support, rebuild, and make thrive wine country in the wake of the devastating fires that destroyed the lives of many recently in Northern California.
The first is Rebuild Wine Country, founded by the team behind Senses Wines, Rebuild Wine Country is a group of volunteer wine industry professionals working with Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County to raise $5 million to rebuild owned and rented homes lost in the Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Mendocino, and Lake County wildfires. 100% of your donations go to rebuilding homes and rentals damaged or destroyed by the North Bay wildfires. You can donate by going to RebuildWineCountry.com
The second organization is Winemakers and Sommeliers for California Wildfire Relief set up by Patrick Capiello, Pax Mahle, and Sara Morgenstern to rally wine professionals and wine lovers everywhere to support those affected by these terrible fires. They are raising funds through events at amazing venues such as Corkbuzz NYC and Bluxome St. Winery with food and wine from incredible local producers while rare and cellar-worthy bottles donated by sommeliers and collectors from across the country will be available for purchase. 100% of all proceeds will benefit wildfire victims in partnership with CA Wine Strong, Redwood Credit Union North Bay Fire Relief, and Napa Valley Community Foundation. You can donate and learn more about events at WSCWR.com