Words to Live by Speaker Series
SUMMER WINE SERIES
In person and via Zoom.
Save the Date. Reserve your seat.
Events begin at 5:30.
Mavericks. Pioneers. Awesome humans.
Our goal is to highlight the incredible individuals who have built the foundation for Santa Barbara Wine Country. Each of them (and so many more!) have played a vital and enduring role in our understanding of our viticultural bounty, its history and the incredible legacy we continue to build upon. And they are still in it, full of grit and determination.
I am beyond thrilled to announce this incredible line-up of individuals who have forged a path forward.
FRIDAY JULY 16th, 5:30 pm:
BOB LINDQUIST - LINDQUIST FAMILY WINES
Bob Lindquist
Lindquist Family Wines * Verdad Wine Cellars * Sawyer Lindquist Wines
About Bob:
"I was born in the Midwest (Columbia, Missouri), and moved to Southern California in 1964 at age 11. This was a heady time in America, and it seemed like California was the place to be.
In 1974, and already a young father, I dropped out of college at UC Irvine to support my family. My first job was with a small advertising agency based in Orange County and one of our clients was a fine wine shop, called The Wine Shoppe. I did some work for them, and afterward, the proprietor offered to pay me in wine…I took him up on his offer. I liked wine, wines like Lancers, Mateus and Blue Nun, but this afforded me a chance to try wines out of my price range. That night, a bottle of Simi 1970 Cabernet Sauvignon became my “light bulb moment”, I couldn’t believe that wine could be that good! The following night, a bottle of Heitz 1968 Cabernet was just as revealing…and from that moment on, wine was what I wanted to do.
One of the best wine shops in America happens to be in Orange County, Hi Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, and I became a regular. Hi Time had a very knowledgeable staff and I started picking their brains, buying wines and books on wine, and attending some of their tastings. And in 1975, at the age of 22, I decided to take the leap and find a job in the wine business.
Santa Barbara County in 1976 was just getting started as a new wine growing area that already showed tremendous promise. I spent many of my days off, exploring this new region, and getting to know some of the owners and winemakers of Santa Barbara.
As manager and buyer for Los Olivos Wine and Gifts, I got to know and become friends with the people who were making wine in Santa Barbara County and putting it on the map…Ken Brown, Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach at Zaca Mesa…Tony Austin and Alison Green at Firestone…Michael Benedict and Richard Sanford at Sanford & Benedict…Fred Brander and Bill Davidge at Santa Ynez Valley Winery and Fred’s own Brander Vineyard to name a few.
My friendship with Jim Clendenen, the assistant winemaker at Zaca Mesa, became my most important alliance. Jim and I are the same age, and in fact we’re born 13 days apart from each other in January 1953.
In 1979, I moved to Zaca Mesa as a winery tour guide and became immersed in the harvest that was already under way. The winery didn’t get many tourist back then and this was my first real hands on harvest and introduction to real winemaking.
I was hooked. In 1982, while still working for Zaca Mesa, and with a little financial help from friends and family, I bought some barrels and grapes and launched my own winery brand Qupé. My first wines were a Chardonnay, Syrah and a dry rosé from Pinot Noir. I made my first two vintages of Qupé at Zaca Mesa before going out on my own to grow the brand.
In 1989, Jim Clendenen, who had started Au Bon Climat, and I, entered into an agreement with the Miller family that owns Bien Nacido Vineyard to build a winery facility at the vineyard. We still share this facility to make the wines today, sharing a highly trained winemaking team at the Clendenen Lindquist Vintners’ (CLV) winery.
From 1982 to 2018 I grew the Qupé Winery brand from 900 cases to 35,000 cases annual production, adding single vineyard Syrah’s, Grenache, Marsanne, Roussanne, a red GSM blend and a white blend based on Viognier and Chardonnay.
In 2018, Qupé was sold and I walked away from the winery brand that I had created 36 years earlier. I used this opportunity to launch a new brand called Lindquist Family, which released our first wines in 2019. My wife Louisa Sawyer Lindquist also who makes her own wine at the CLV winery under the Verdad Winery brand. Louisa and I are also making wine for a new exciting winery/distillery project in Albuquerque, New Mexico called VARA."
SO EXCITED TO HAVE BOB WITH US THIS FRIDAY!!!!!
LIVE-IN PERSON!
PLEASE RSVP by replying to this email!
5:30 - 6:30 pm
ZOOM LINK:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8053441900?pwd=WWlmRm01TDkwTDdmQTVxdjFCaUN5Zz09
Meeting ID: 805 344 1900
Passcode: CASA
Summer Wine Series Upcoming Speakers:
July 30 - BRYAN BABCOCK, BABCOCK WINERY
August 6 - FRED BRANDER, BRANDER WINES
August 27 - RICHARD SANFORD, ALMA ROSA
Save the Date and RSVP.
