Newsletter
February 2022
The Wine History Project collects and archives over 250 years of wine history in San Luis Obispo County. Visit us at www.winehistoryproject.org
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Each month we post biographies of legendary growers, winemakers, innovators, movers and shakers. We highlight tools and equipment from our historic collections. We write the history of American wine and review books and films for your enjoyment.
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WINE HISTORY / Grape Growing
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February 2022 brought contemplation of the future on grape growing and winemaking in California. We are reminded that it has been 46 years since the Judgement of Paris, a wine competition where California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon were voted best in each category in a blind tasting by French judges. However, American wine producers still have not made much progress in developing wines possessing true American character. California wines are made with European grape varieties (Vitis vinifera), although we have at least 40 native American Heritage grapes that three winemakers are harvesting to craft new wines. Read about the new flavor frontier starring American Grape varieties.
In San Luis Obispo County local winemakers are also exploring and experimenting with new flavor frontiers, using ancient winemaking techniques and reviving grape varieties planted over 100 years ago in clay vessels known as anfore (amphorae). The mission is to create wines that express the “soul of the terroir” as beautifully phrased by winemaker Jordan Fiorentini of Epoch Estate Wines.
Winemaker Daniel Callan’s LEGEND focuses on his winemaking experiences including clay amphora while working harvests in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. He is now the Assistant Winemaker at Thacher, a student of wine history and a researcher of grape varieties grown in the nineteenth century prior to Prohibition. At the end of his Legend you will find a 10 minute audio recording of his presentation to the Rhone Rangers on Sunday, February 20th discussing the ancient grapes.
The LEGEND of Manu Fiorentini, founder of ITEK WINE in Paso Robles, describes his life in Italy and his research on winemaking in clay anfore (amphorae) which he has imported from Tuscany to Paso Robles since 2013.
As a result of both the research and mentoring Manu has done, San Luis Obispo County now has 17 winemakers producing wines in amphorae, the most in any county in the United States. We will be adding four more winemakers, John Alban, Josh Beckett, Janell Dusi and Edgar Torres to the Amphorae Trail Map in March. Lone Madrone Winery, Lone Madrone Estate, owned by Neil Collins and Jackie Meisinger will move their Lone Madrone estate facility recently purchased at 3750 Highway 46 West next to Zin Alley. For the last 30 years they have rented locations. The opening is planned on Friday, March 11.
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WINE HISTORY / Projects 2022
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The Amphorae Project continues to chronicle the producers. We are filming the final scenes for our documentary, 6,000 Years of Winemaking in Clay Vessels, at the Archaeological Museum at the University in Philadelphia in March. We are also filming Patrick McGovern, the Scientific Director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages and Health. He is also known as the “Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales, Wines and Extreme Beverages.” Historian and author of the Wine Bible, Karen MacNeil will be our narrator for the film.
Our collections manager, Cindy Lambert, has written a fascinating article about the formation of the AAA in 1900 which not only established the Automobile Club but led to an organization that lobbied for paved roads, speed limits and signage announcing roads, towns and cities. They produced travel magazines and designed maps which are highly treasured as historic documents. We feature a rare map in our collection.
The Wine History Project has added a new series called the Lost Vineyards. Daniel Callan will be writing most of the articles as he researches the land and grape varieties grown in San Luis Obispo County from 1860 to the present.
The first article focuses on the Lost Vineyards of the first commercial winemaker in the county, Pierre Hypolite Dalliet. His vineyards once covered much of the land in downtown San Luis Obispo.
Daniel has written about the Osgood Ranch located near the old Adelaida School House. The historic vineyard planted in the 1880s was planted with an assortment of grape varieties that were grown at the time - Rose of Peru, Muscat, Black Malvasia and Tokay.
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| WINE HISTORY / Upcoming Events |
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We start March with a celebration of Women’s Week from Sunday, March 6 to the 13th. Michelle Barrera, the founder of the non-profit At Her Table is working with 150 women members who own businesses in the food and beverage industry in our county. There are 50 Events and Food Specials planned during the week. The proceeds from the events will be donated to local charities. You can sign up for specific events at the website, www.AtHerTable.com. I also include a list of the At Her Table members you can visit to enjoy their food specialties prepared and showcased for visitors during all seven days. https://athertable.com/directory
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| WINE HISTORY / Donations and Sharing Your Stories |
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Please consider supporting the Wine History Project by sharing your knowledge and stories of San Luis Obispo County wine through oral interviews, emails and letters, by donations of brochures, newsletters, books, wine labels, tools, lab and winemaking equipment, and photographs.
Contact libbie@winehistoryproject.org or cindy@winehistoryproject.org.
Monetary donations support the research, documentation, and preservation of the viticultural history of the Central Coast. Donate Now.
Office Hours at the Wine History
We are working on the Wine History Project daily but we are often in the field interviewing, writing and filming the Legends in the county, installing exhibits or providing educational tours at the Paso Robles History Museum.
Please call 310-903-6326 to make appointments to visit our office.
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