12/26/2023 0 Comments Scribe winery march 2![]() ![]() Also, it has a really interesting history in California, so the story and vineyard location really fit our brand profile.” “I was so thrilled to seek out valdiguié for Birdhorse,” Rouse said. Birdhorse sources their fruit from Back Road Vineyard in Suisun Valley, southeast of Napa Valley, where the 40-year-old organic vines produce exceptionally complex fruit. One of her favorite varietals to work with is valdiguié, a red grape grown primarily in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. “It’s become easier now that we have more caché and industry connections.” “In the beginning, it was really a matter of who would answer our emails and whether they were within driving distance,” Rouse said, laughing. But Rouse said it became “an amazing journey to discover unknown places. Initially, sourcing fruit was a challenge, especially given their quest for uncommon varietals. ![]() Staying true to their initial inspiration, Rich and Rouse continue to focus on lesser-known wine regions and uncommon varietals, like valdiguié, verdelho and cinsault. ![]() Launched in 2018, Birdhorse produces about 1,000 cases of wine per year. “That’s when we decided to try and triumph the terroir of these areas and the varieties we think can shine there.” The spirit of exploration “In areas like Amador County, Contra Costa and even part of Mendocino, there is such a rich winemaking history,” Rich said. “That really inspired us to think about the wines we could make at home.”īack in the U.S., Rich said they saw a similar scenario happening in California: Less-common varietals grown in less-popular wine regions were being overlooked. “There is a lot of momentum in South Africa right now for revitalization and re-exploration of grape varieties that can grow successfully there and new regions that can produce beautiful wines - beyond what people traditionally think of,” Rich said. It ultimately became the inspiration for Birdhorse, their Sonoma-based wine brand. The trip turned out to be “the adventure of a lifetime,” Rich said. The two had met a year earlier in the UC Davis Master’s of Wine program and already had started thinking about launching their own wine brand. When Corrine Rich earned a scholarship from University of California, Davis to study wine in South Africa, her girlfriend, Katie Rouse, proposed joining her. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |