WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:06.080 Welcome to Wine Soundtrack USA. Listen to the passion with which producers narrate their 2 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:11.279 winery and their worlds. In thirty answers discover their stories, personalities, and 3 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:15.279 passions. Hello, friends and listeners of Wine Soundtrack. This is Alice Levine 4 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:19.239 and today I'm in Sonoma County with Martha Stuman, the founder, the owner, 5 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:24.359 and the wine maker of Martha Steuman Wines. A good eponymous nama Martha. 6 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:28.839 Welcome to Wine Soundtrack. Tell us about Martha Steuman Wines. Hi, 7 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:36.520 thanks for having me here. Martha Stuman Wines was born out of well love 8 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:42.280 and passion for wines, but kind of this international movement that's been that had 9 00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:48.159 been happening as I had been apprenticing in the early two thousands, and this 10 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:54.240 international movement around bringing things a little bit more back to the source, so 11 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:58.880 back to the vineyard, a little more transparent in the wine making process. 12 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.840 And so I saw this going or happening in various European countries that I had 13 00:01:04.280 --> 00:01:10.200 visited and apprenticed in, and I really wanted to bring that style of wine 14 00:01:10.200 --> 00:01:15.599 making back to California. Wow, So tell me about where you do you 15 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:19.879 own any vineyards you're sourcing fruit. And where are you Where are you getting 16 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:23.079 your grapes from? Yeah, so, as Alison mentioned, we're here in 17 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:29.280 Sonoma County. This is where I grew up, and I feel very connected 18 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:37.239 to northern California in general. I love the the landscape, the plants here, 19 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:41.760 the smells, the proximity of the ocean, all of these things. 20 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:48.079 So I was looking in the kind of Greater North Bay as we call it 21 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:52.439 here. So Mendocino County is a big region for us. That's that's the 22 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:59.719 county just north of Sonoma. And then I work in Contra Costa County as 23 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:06.319 well, a little bit in low dye so areas, primarily where there's still 24 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:09.879 a lot of old vines in the ground and a lot of head trained vines. 25 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:15.319 It's really something I am passionate about. Yeah, And of course I 26 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:20.240 know that you work with a lot of Italian varieties but also rhun varieties. 27 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:27.000 What are the grapes that you work with today? Yeah, So, well 28 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:31.520 I didn't mention this and the and the last question the so coming back to 29 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:37.120 California, it's it's a kind of a different system here. There are some 30 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:44.280 estate wineries and a lot of those estate wineries are multigenerational or wineries that were 31 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:50.199 established in the seventies when California was a little bit more affordable. Yeah, 32 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:53.960 just a little bit more affordable to buy land. But we do have this 33 00:02:54.639 --> 00:03:02.479 deep history of grape growing family and wine making families, so we've always had 34 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:07.240 a history of kind of this negotiant model, especially pre prohibition, it was 35 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:13.159 something that was very very very common where you know, uh, one family 36 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:17.919 would would grow grapes and sell it to a larger cooperative or something like that, 37 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:23.039 or you know, in modern in modern day, there's a grape growing 38 00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:29.319 family that will sell their grapes to a winery and usually to supplement their estate 39 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:34.400 fruit. But in the case of younger winemakers coming into California, that can 40 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:38.960 be the sole source of fruit. So I work with I work with a 41 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:46.759 lot of wonderful multigenerational farmers and buy fruit as an negotiant. I also lease 42 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:50.680 vineyards and manage the farming there. So I don't own any land, but 43 00:03:50.719 --> 00:03:54.280 I kind of have this hybrid estate negotia model and a little control with the 44 00:03:54.280 --> 00:04:00.240 ones you lose exactly exactly and the and the ones I work with are our 45 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:03.039 multi year contracts they're long term. I mean I work with the same some 46 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.360 of the same farms since day one, and I've been in business for ten 47 00:04:06.439 --> 00:04:11.199 years now. So yeah, and fruit wise, you want to hear about 48 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:13.400 it. Yeah, cool, Let's see how many grapes you can name? 49 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:18.959 Oh, I know. So that is one of the things I love about 50 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:25.959 California. I think people think, you know, the way we define regions, 51 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:29.560 like if you're talking about, okay, Italian wines, you're not going 52 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:32.720 to say this is an Italian this is what Italy does. They do this 53 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.519 grape and there's you know, there's differences in terms of how many indigenous grapes 54 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:40.959 are in Italy. But now we talk about region, we talk about you 55 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:45.000 know, at the very least, Okay, this is wine's from Sicily, 56 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:49.360 it's not from Italy in general. And yet in California, besides Napa and 57 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:55.399 Sonoma, I think we still often just give broad strokes where it's like this 58 00:04:55.439 --> 00:05:00.439 wine's a Californian wine, and California is so geographically day verse. So I 59 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:05.519 think what I would love to see is people starting to break things down into 60 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:12.720 smaller regions. And part of my contribution to this can be working with many, 61 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:17.720 many different grapes to see what does well such as such as I work 62 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:24.279 with Naradavla. So California has some cool climate areas along the coast which are 63 00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:30.439 very very there's a lot of competition for that land for various reasons. Inland 64 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:34.279 there's a little less competition, and I think in the past people have thought, 65 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:40.079 Okay, if you don't grow California pino along the coast, then you're 66 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:45.319 not growing fine or nappa, or sorry taberne and nappa, then you're not 67 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:53.040 growing fine for fine wine. But we started working with Naradavla and Negromorrow, 68 00:05:53.480 --> 00:05:59.959 Pitsera, gosh, Zimfandela of course because there's some really amazing heritage vineyard. 69 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:08.319 Likewise with Karen Yon Columbard, that's a grape that's been around in California for 70 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:15.920 many many years, soon established here Shannon Blanc. Really anything with a fermentino 71 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:20.839 more recently, anything with that maintains its acidity and a warm climate for the 72 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:24.879 balance, because that's the key. That's the key. So what's your total 73 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:29.560 case production? Gosh, we fluctuated a little bit because we have a lot 74 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:31.680 of even though we're buying grapes, we have a lot of parcel contracts, 75 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:36.120 so it really depends on the vintage. But we're anywhere between. I'd say 76 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:40.319 we're around eight thousand cases right now, and that's where we're going to stay 77 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:43.360 for a bit. And where can people find your wines? Are they available 78 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:47.560 nationally? Locally, direct consumer, all of the above. Yeah, if 79 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:53.560 you're in the US, we ship to every state that allows it. There's 80 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:56.800 a few states that legally don't allow us to ship, but you can order 81 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:00.680 off our website, Martha Stuman dot com. That's the way to get the 82 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:05.360 widest variety of our wines. But we also distribute, so some of our 83 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:14.079 more common blends are available usually only through specialty wine shops or you know, 84 00:07:14.279 --> 00:07:17.800 restaurants, so we don't usually sell in grocery stores. But maybe anyway. 85 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:24.759 So, Martha, what is your first memory relevant to wine? Oh? 86 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:31.480 Gosh, So I was introduced to wine after my I graduated from university. 87 00:07:31.560 --> 00:07:35.319 I went to work on a small farm and learning center that also had an 88 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:46.360 aggretorismo component to it called Spinochia outside of Sienna, and each intern was put 89 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:49.600 in a very like in a different part of the farm, and I on 90 00:07:49.639 --> 00:07:55.040 my application when I saw that there was a vineyard and olive orchard intern I 91 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:57.600 was like, that is the one I want. I got it. I 92 00:07:57.639 --> 00:08:03.279 was so happy, and yeah, just first, I mean, memory is 93 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:07.839 the whole experience of waking up when it was foggy outside, riding my bike 94 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:13.959 from what was converted like a converted stable that was made into intern housing, 95 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:22.399 down the dirt road and into the vineyard or even the olive orchard, and 96 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:28.319 just you know, doing the doing the green pruning, seeing getting to see 97 00:08:28.360 --> 00:08:33.639 the season, the kind of the pace of the season, and then being 98 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:39.080 in the small you know, cantina and seeing that transformation happen where you start 99 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:41.799 to see things ferment and bubble and the smells and the tastes, and that 100 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:46.480 was just made such a big impression on me. Yeah, I felt I 101 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:50.320 felt like a little kid. It's great. So, you know, you've 102 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:56.000 obviously spent time in Italy and worked in wine for a while and loved to 103 00:08:56.080 --> 00:09:01.600 seek out these you know, old vineyards and obscure grapes that more people should 104 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:07.159 know. But I'm curious what was one of those, what was the one 105 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:11.080 of the most memorable wines you drank, and what was the occasion. Yeah, 106 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:16.200 one of the most memorable wines I drank was when I a few years 107 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:20.799 into my apprenticeships, I decided to go back to University of California, Davis 108 00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:28.120 to get a degree in my master's degree in viticulture and analogy. And my 109 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:33.559 group of friends, one of them was interested in these more naturally made wines. 110 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:37.279 I hadn't actually heard this term at the time, although I had been 111 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:41.559 exposed to it a little bit and apprenticeships. But he brought a coasts and 112 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:48.919 uh and another wine from Mountaina. But the Coast wine from Sicily just absolutely 113 00:09:50.120 --> 00:09:52.200 struck me. And it was one of those things. It was allowed party, 114 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.039 people were having fun and drinking, and it wasn't necessarily the type of 115 00:09:56.039 --> 00:10:00.960 thing where you think you'll have a moment to really ref flect on a on 116 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:03.399 a wine, and it just pulled me out of the situation and I loved 117 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:07.360 it. And I later wrote the owner, one of the owners, do 118 00:10:07.480 --> 00:10:11.720 still Indie if I could come work there and Uh. He responded that I 119 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:16.200 could. So it was. Yeah, it was, and that has many 120 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:20.720 touch points in my life later on as well. That's amazing. So your 121 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:24.120 your aha moment wine was the start of well, not the start you were. 122 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:26.519 You were pursuing wine at that time, but really took you on a 123 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:31.399 path to a job at everything else. Totally, Yeah, exactly, and 124 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:35.399 that wine was that was the chair Sola Divitoria kind of they're classic wine that 125 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:41.039 they've made since day one. So if we were to come into your home, 126 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:43.639 I'm in your home and your wine cellar wherever you hide wine away from 127 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:48.639 your three year old, what sort of wines would we find here in your 128 00:10:48.679 --> 00:10:54.720 cellar? What do you and your husband drink? Yeah, we we've we've 129 00:10:54.759 --> 00:11:00.559 shifted a little bit so over the years. We used to drink primarily European 130 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:05.039 wines because I think there was kind of that lighter sensibility, food friendliness, 131 00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:11.000 and Europe was ahead of the US in terms of that idea of going back 132 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:15.960 to the basics and just really trying to showcase what the fruit was giving from 133 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:18.759 the vineyard. But now we have about a fifty fifty split. We have 134 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:22.399 a lot of friends in California who have, you know, started their own 135 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:30.879 wine projects. Actually, there's a lot of wonderful young women who've started wine 136 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:33.720 projects as well, So we definitely do a lot of trading. There's one 137 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:41.320 in particular that I'm really excited about a label called Ambe and she's doing wonderful 138 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:46.840 work and she's been on this podcast over Cool so you can go listen to 139 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:50.440 that one. But anyway, continuing with you, I'm curious, is there 140 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:52.960 a bottle of wine you and your husband opened recently or maybe you were in 141 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:58.960 another situation that drink really well? Was it yours or another wine? Yeah? 142 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:05.120 Okay, what was it recently? So? I haven't had these wines 143 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:11.879 that much recently. I worked for a winery called brock Sellers and in Berkeley, 144 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:18.799 which was for me coming back to California, you know, and when 145 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:24.919 I was in school around twenty ten, these were like benchmark, just delicious, 146 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:28.919 easy drinking wines. And we brought it to a neighbor's house who they're 147 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.879 not really wine, you know, totally into wine, and the bottle was 148 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:35.200 gone in like two seconds. So it was fun to revisit brock Sellers and 149 00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:37.799 be like, oh, yeah, these wines are just as good as I 150 00:12:37.879 --> 00:12:41.600 ever thought they were. It was an older vintage, now it was a 151 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:46.000 younger vintage. It was just it was a co ferment from fox Hill Vineyard, 152 00:12:46.080 --> 00:12:50.440 which is this amazing site up in Mendocino County that has about sixty different 153 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:54.200 grape varieties, primarily Italian, and so what was this one? A blend 154 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:58.440 of This was a blend of gosh, I'd have to check, but I 155 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:03.000 believe it was. There was some fiano in there. I think there was 156 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:09.320 some want calciano, you know, I'd have to look it up. But 157 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:13.720 a nice field blend, I guess exactly. Yeah, a red white field 158 00:13:13.720 --> 00:13:16.879 blend, which I think was very cool. So you work with a lot 159 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:18.399 of different grapes, and I'm wondering, do you think there's a such thing 160 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:24.639 as a perfect variety? Oh? Boy, No, but I do think 161 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:28.919 there are some that are much more well suited than others. And I'm not 162 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:33.279 just talking geographically, although I think you need to start there. Okay, 163 00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:37.240 So, but I also let's take Vermentino, for example, which is a 164 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:41.720 grape that we've started working with here and some of my growers have started planting, 165 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:48.120 and I think it hits. It ticks so many of those like perfect 166 00:13:48.360 --> 00:13:56.000 grape boxes, you know, starting in the vineyard. It for us is 167 00:13:56.360 --> 00:14:03.000 heat tolerant, which is really important maintains beautiful acidity. I think growing in 168 00:14:03.080 --> 00:14:07.679 a warmer climate. You have to also consider, like the financial aspects of 169 00:14:07.679 --> 00:14:11.159 it, and it's a larger buried grape, so it means that even in 170 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:16.840 really intense drought years, the grower still gets a yield, good, good 171 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:20.320 juice. Yeah, so the grower can still make money and the winemaker can 172 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:24.559 still make wine. And then from a you know, complexity standpoint, I 173 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:28.919 think you can make so many different styles from it. You can make it 174 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:35.879 skin contact, you can make it fresher style. And I've noticed just from 175 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:39.559 the two or three vineyards that I've I've tasted and worked with here in California 176 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:45.360 that it really I feel like it shows terwar too. It's funny because I've 177 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:48.360 heard a few other winemakers talk about Fermentino is the grape the next one, 178 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:54.120 So maybe it is the closest thing to perfection. Yeah, there's a lot 179 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:58.000 out there though. If you I make gosh, probably about last year, 180 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:01.919 I think I made twenty differ wine, so you can you can tell that 181 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:05.480 I'm not set on one single grape. So you're a small producer, and 182 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:11.600 obviously your approach is kind of the well, very much embraces the slow wine 183 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:16.519 movement and very much about you know, minimal intervention and patience. I know, 184 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:20.279 patience is a key. So obviously you're not out there, you know, 185 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:24.559 trying to get the big scores and you know, trying to to you 186 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:28.000 know, get those ratings. Yet at the same time you are sort of 187 00:15:28.039 --> 00:15:33.120 a darling among some critics or writers. So I'm curious, what is your 188 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:35.759 opinion on wine critics and scores and how do they play a role in wine 189 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:39.279 or but for you, Yeah, I mean, I don't think there's any 190 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:46.080 perfect system to assessing a wine, and we all have different tastes, you 191 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:50.480 know, but I do think that wine critics and scores. Initially, I 192 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:56.399 didn't seek out that because I knew the climate in California. The wine critics 193 00:15:56.440 --> 00:16:02.320 were really you know, they're human, they get they're jazzed, and they're 194 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:06.600 focused on a certain thing that really speaks to them. And it doesn't mean 195 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:11.039 that what you're doing isn't great. But I think when I started making wine 196 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:15.679 in twenty fourteen, a lot of the you know, domestic wine critics were 197 00:16:15.720 --> 00:16:22.399 really really focused on Napa cabernet, and the wines I was making were absolutely 198 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:26.559 not those not even clothes. Yeah, And I would just hear some things 199 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:32.320 about like some of the just some of the ways that critics would would talk 200 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:37.200 about grapes that weren't you know, quote unquote noble. I think you have 201 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:41.559 to understand that as humans, we all have preconceived notions. We are never 202 00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:48.000 absolutely objective like, and so I think there's a place for it. But 203 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:53.000 I have seen critics, you know, have more interest in recent years with 204 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.080 different types of grapes, and you know, a lot of the grapes I've 205 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:00.840 been working with for the past ten years now, actually there's some interest, 206 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:06.200 and you know, from not just critics, but you know, wineries and 207 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:08.000 NAPA who are like, hey, we want to plant something for the future 208 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:14.279 that's more climate like Vermontitomo. I've had a lot of people ask about nared 209 00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:18.519 Avla because I, you know, I have been saying for years now, 210 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:22.480 this scrape could really be beautiful in California. I think it is really beautiful. 211 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:27.480 It's just not very widely planted at all. Interesting. So quick answer. 212 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:37.279 As a wine drinker, red white or rose oh boy age, drose 213 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:49.079 oo still or sparkling, sparkling, anything in particular or specifically champagne or just 214 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:55.359 if it has bubbles, you're happy. I do love champagne. I will 215 00:17:56.680 --> 00:18:00.279 I do love Champagne and with the grower Champagne's that are out now. Yeah, 216 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:07.319 so you know, making such a broad range of wines. I mean, 217 00:18:07.319 --> 00:18:11.519 obviously you have a style and your wines are very food friendly across the 218 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:15.119 board. But do you think that there are rules to follow when it comes 219 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:18.279 to food and wine pairing? Do you follow any rules? Are there any 220 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:22.279 tips or guidelines you can give or do you just sort of see what your 221 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:29.799 mood is? Yeah? I do like actually if I can. I don't 222 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:32.920 always do this because I'm not I'm not good at planning ahead, but I 223 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:36.319 do like opening a you know, a bottle maybe the day before and having 224 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:38.720 a little sip if I'm going to make something and invite people over. I 225 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:42.160 don't think there's any hard and fast rules, especially if you have wines that 226 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:48.440 are you know, something like a chair of swallow or something that's like bright, 227 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:52.920 kind of easy drinking lower tannin wine than you know, it doesn't matter, 228 00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:56.799 right because you can take that red wine with lower tannins that's bright and 229 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:02.839 fresh and put it with fish, oh totally without Yeah, put it put 230 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:04.119 it with fish or put it with I mean, I know a lot of 231 00:19:06.039 --> 00:19:08.480 my friends and people around me. Are you know they're not just cooking from 232 00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:12.880 the European cannon anymore. They're cooking. You know, my husband's been really 233 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:18.960 into walk cooking, so you know, he'll do these high heat walk dishes 234 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:23.559 that are not necessarily you typically think of having wine with them. So yeah, 235 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:27.559 I always try to have a bunch of options on deck that are you 236 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:34.039 know, the acidity or the tannin or if there's any sort of bitterness component. 237 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:37.039 Aren't like that they're a little more food friendly. But then I do 238 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:41.160 think you can find these amazing pairings with those like wines that have more distinct 239 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:45.079 characteristics and do have tannin, So just make sure you have some fat in 240 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:49.000 your food for those. So you've talked a little bit about your style of 241 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:52.079 wine, But for somebody who's never tried Martha's Steman wines, what do you 242 00:19:52.119 --> 00:20:00.480 think they're missing out on? Oh, it's a fun question. I think 243 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:07.880 I do believe that there is you know, I think they're missing out on 244 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:14.640 this other expression of California, honestly, and I'm not saying I'm the only 245 00:20:14.680 --> 00:20:17.599 one who's doing it, but you know, we offer I think I don't 246 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:19.160 even I can't even count how many wines we've made over the years, but 247 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:23.559 I really only release something that I think is super high quality, so, 248 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:30.079 you know, an expression kind of minimally made wine, the slow wine that's 249 00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:34.200 a you know, a unique expression of this one place. And I don't 250 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:38.279 always offer the same wins every year, too, So I only I approach 251 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:44.880 wine making like I think a chef would approach buying produce from a farmer's market. 252 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:48.039 I've already committed to the grapes, yes, but I haven't committed to 253 00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:52.279 the wine I'm going to make in my mind ever. So I'll see how 254 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:56.119 the season's going, I'll the side when to pick, and honestly, sometimes 255 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:00.000 I don't have a fully formed idea of what I'm going to make until the 256 00:21:00.039 --> 00:21:03.200 grapes are in the winery and then I kind of see how they're doing. 257 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:07.960 I really get a lot of information from the grapes and the flavors as the 258 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:14.200 wines being made. So it's a very kind of improv type of a situation, 259 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:18.039 and I think it really I try to honor the grapes and the flavor 260 00:21:18.240 --> 00:21:22.839 that they give well. So because you make so many different wines and it 261 00:21:22.920 --> 00:21:26.079 varies every year for that matter, in twenty different wines last year, twenty 262 00:21:26.079 --> 00:21:30.960 different bottlings. I'm curious if space aliens were to land on your property right 263 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:34.200 now, which of your wines would you want to say welcome. I think 264 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:41.759 the Negromarro Rosato. I make a non vintaged aged rose rosato. It spends 265 00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:48.279 overnight on the stems and skins out of negromarrow and then I age it and 266 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:52.319 I think it's just I think it's a unique, pretty singular wine. I 267 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:55.759 love it. So, you know, we know that every vintage tells a 268 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:57.640 different story. And you're working in three areas. You said that you source 269 00:21:57.680 --> 00:22:03.079 grapes, contracoastemino, and low dye. You've been doing this for ten years 270 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:07.640 plus in turning and working in wine for a little longer. And we know 271 00:22:07.680 --> 00:22:11.400 every vintage tells a different story. But how much variation do you see year 272 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:15.079 to year? And do you see bigger changes from one vintage to another? 273 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:19.759 Do you see more commonality? Yeah? There used to be this saying that 274 00:22:19.839 --> 00:22:25.519 California doesn't have a bad vintage because we have sunshine, we have warm weather. 275 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:30.519 We're seen in the past, I would say, starting in twenty seventeen, 276 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:33.680 and a lot of this has to do with wildfire, but it also 277 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:37.200 just has to do with drought and other things that I am noticing that. 278 00:22:37.240 --> 00:22:41.920 There are definitely vintages that are great and vintages that are not as great. 279 00:22:41.240 --> 00:22:45.480 It's not the kind of you think Europe You're like, is it a cold 280 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:48.839 vintage or warm vintage? And for us as like, is it a warm 281 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:53.880 vintage or too hot vintage? Kind of is what we're dealing with. So 282 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:57.480 yeah, there's definitely wines in vintages that I don't think are as great. 283 00:22:57.480 --> 00:23:02.200 I usually just make fresher winees that are released early that are are a little 284 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.200 you know, we're not going to age for for a long time. Yeah, 285 00:23:04.240 --> 00:23:10.799 so you adapt to it. Are there any signs or omens or predictors 286 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:11.960 that you look for that are going to tell you what a vintage will be? 287 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:18.039 Oh gosh, I think honestly, maybe by the time I'm ninety, 288 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:21.599 I'll be able to figure this one out. But it is so complex and 289 00:23:22.039 --> 00:23:25.880 when you predict you know, you you think, okay, well it was 290 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:30.000 a rainy year, so I think we're going to have you know, I 291 00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:33.480 think there's little markers along the season where you can confirm or deny what your 292 00:23:33.519 --> 00:23:37.680 previous prediction was and you know, how much rain did we get that winter, 293 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:41.000 what's the weather like during flowering? What was the heat like during the 294 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:44.960 summer? And then like you know, what do we see in fall? 295 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:47.599 And it kind of yeah, it's like one of those pasts like we get 296 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:49.880 to this and now based on this we go left or right. But it's 297 00:23:49.880 --> 00:23:53.400 not a street line totally. It's like when you're doing one of those personality 298 00:23:53.480 --> 00:23:57.319 quizzes and it's like yes no to this question, yeah, and then it 299 00:23:57.400 --> 00:24:02.200 leads you to a different part of the quiz. Yeah. So in the 300 00:24:02.200 --> 00:24:03.759 time that you've done this, have you set up any good luck rituals that 301 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:07.279 you do at the start of harvest to kind of kick it off for you 302 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:11.279 or for your team. Oh, that's a fun thing. Well, I 303 00:24:11.319 --> 00:24:14.400 don't know if this is a good luck ritual, but I think it's an 304 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:21.279 important ritual. We you know, we've kind of adopted the Italian and European 305 00:24:21.319 --> 00:24:25.839 idea that we need more time off from work, which is very counter American. 306 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:30.279 So it's not the whole month of August, but we do take a 307 00:24:30.359 --> 00:24:34.680 quote unquote fer Gusto, which happens in July because our harvest is earlier here. 308 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:38.480 But yeah, we take a two week break where the business completely shuts 309 00:24:38.519 --> 00:24:45.880 down and nobody is allowed to work, which may not sound crazy for you 310 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:48.599 know, Europeans, but anytime I say this to Americans, they're like, 311 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:52.720 whoa, that is unheard of. So we have those two weeks, which 312 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:55.960 I think really recharges everybody, and then people can take you know, their 313 00:24:56.440 --> 00:25:00.400 other time off. I think that's great, But what about the vin It's 314 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:03.039 like you're not checking on them because I know, you literally take off. 315 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:07.920 You just trust it and if you get weather warnings you just ignore them. 316 00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:11.279 Yeah, I mean would try to do it at a period of time where 317 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:15.880 you do have to understand that, like there's only so much you can do, 318 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.160 and you've done all your work in the spring and you've tried to set 319 00:25:18.160 --> 00:25:23.200 the vine up to have a great year. But the kind of idea of 320 00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:26.599 like what will be will be and you have to just let it because I 321 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:30.960 don't know. I mean, even if there was some crazy event in this 322 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:33.440 July break, you know, there's nothing you can really do. No, 323 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:37.920 there's nothing, and so stop worrying about it, go relax. I feel 324 00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:41.599 I love that. I think that's a really that's a really healthy motto. 325 00:25:42.119 --> 00:25:47.039 Well, you know it's aspirational. I can't say I never worry during these 326 00:25:47.079 --> 00:25:49.279 times, and I can't say I'm always patient, But these are things that 327 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:52.319 I think when you make them, you're a north star. You will start 328 00:25:52.359 --> 00:25:56.759 to learn how to be that way. I love it. So, you 329 00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:00.279 know you spend time in the vineyard. You were talking about how you have 330 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:03.839 a communication with your grapes. They kind of tell you what wine you want 331 00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:07.880 to make with them. So I'm curious talk a little bit about that communication. 332 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:10.880 Do you talk to your vines when you're walking through the vineyard. Do 333 00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:15.519 you talk to the grapes when they're in the barrel? You clearly talk to 334 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:18.039 them when they come into the winery and tell you what they want to be. 335 00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:22.640 Yeah, yeah, I guess in my head, I definitely do talk 336 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:25.519 to the grapes. I don't think I always do out loud, although I'll 337 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:30.039 make I've started making little like video notes for myself when I'm in the vineyard, 338 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:33.559 just to you know, you think as a winemaker, because you are, 339 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:38.079 I'm one of those people who like deeply focuses on one thing at a 340 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:41.880 time. Ask me in a multitask and I'm a mess, but like I 341 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:45.119 can very deeply focus on one thing, and I feel like I can observe 342 00:26:45.720 --> 00:26:51.240 nuance because I'm so deeply focused. But knowing that, I was like, 343 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:53.279 oh, I'll remember what happens each vintage, and I don't. It's been 344 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:59.039 you know, this is tenth vintage of Martha Steman wines, and I'm like, 345 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:00.720 good thing. I talk notes, and I wish I'd taken better notes, 346 00:27:00.799 --> 00:27:03.599 but now the video notes kind of are helpful because they give you some 347 00:27:03.680 --> 00:27:07.680 visual context as well. So I'll walk through the vineyard and I'll take some 348 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:11.440 notes and I'll talk about the grape and the flavors and stuff as it's maturing. 349 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:15.880 And then I can look back on those and let's talking to the vines 350 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:21.279 in a way exactly and similar. When I'm in the winery, I'll sometimes 351 00:27:21.279 --> 00:27:25.119 take some video or some notes, and because I have an assistant winemaker now 352 00:27:25.160 --> 00:27:30.759 who I've been training, you know, for many years, and who really 353 00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.039 has very similar sensibilities to me, we'll take those notes so we can, 354 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:37.839 you know, tell one another if we can't both be there. We always 355 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:41.640 try to both be there in the vineyard. But I love that. So 356 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:44.599 when you were a little girl. What did you want to be when you 357 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:48.400 grew up? Oh, well, there's a couple iterations. But the thing 358 00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:55.319 I remember most is I wanted to be an architect. I thought after that 359 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:57.000 dream kind of fade. I mean, I was like when I was a 360 00:27:57.000 --> 00:28:00.759 little girl, I remember going to sleep at night and like designing furniture in 361 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:03.720 my head, which is kind of crazy, and like houses, Like I 362 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:08.640 designed my own little lego houses and stuff. So I really loved like visual 363 00:28:08.839 --> 00:28:14.240 and like the hands on aspects of those. But later I thought maybe I 364 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:18.359 wanted to be a chef because I loved cooking. And then I think I 365 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:22.680 realized how high stress it is and the tempo, and I'm just a little 366 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:26.319 bit of a slower person. It's like, okay, winemaking is like that. 367 00:28:26.839 --> 00:28:30.160 It's like, you know, one night of being a chef is like 368 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:32.799 a year of being a winemaker. Yeah, I think that's my pace. 369 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:37.720 And of course, you know, being outside and more hands in the dirt. 370 00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:41.920 But you were following more plants right before you got into grapes. Yeah, 371 00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:49.319 I was. I had done my bachelor's degree in environmental studies and I 372 00:28:49.319 --> 00:28:55.079 had studied, you know, different tree families, and I really my mom. 373 00:28:55.200 --> 00:28:59.400 My mom's a gardener and garden designer, and so I remember as a 374 00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:03.680 little girl she had these huge topebags with like flash cards on a ring, 375 00:29:04.119 --> 00:29:07.000 you know, the actual leaf of the plant taped on it and what the 376 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:11.279 characteristics were and wh anytime we went camping or something on a road trip, 377 00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:15.519 she would be quizzing herself and she'd be pointing out the window. And so 378 00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:18.839 I think some of that wrapped off. Yeah. Well, and also a 379 00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:22.000 designer the architecture. It all makes sense now, yeah, exactly. Yeah, 380 00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:26.359 my dad's a builder, very hands on. We're all very hands on. 381 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:30.759 So when you're not working, and aside from the fair ghost to you 382 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:33.480 take in July, what do you do in your free time? What do 383 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:36.759 you like to do? Oooh? Since I had a child, I like 384 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:41.480 to hang out with him. See children, you know, they need the 385 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:45.480 nurturing. But before that, I really love I love reading. I love 386 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:51.480 hiking. I mean being in Cinnama County, like most weekends we'll try to 387 00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:52.880 go out to the coast. We'll hike in them, you know, the 388 00:29:52.920 --> 00:29:57.799 coastal mountains. Luckily, my son now that these three seems to elect to 389 00:29:57.839 --> 00:30:00.599 hike two he hiked five miles the other day. I was very proud of 390 00:30:00.680 --> 00:30:04.680 him, not without I mean, my younger brother told me he's like, 391 00:30:04.720 --> 00:30:10.079 the trick is bring a bunch of candy bars and each time they like go 392 00:30:10.359 --> 00:30:14.920 you know, a certain distance. Not only does it give them the sugar 393 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:17.880 and the energy to keep going, but it's like a little carrot along the 394 00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:21.799 way. So the five miles in pressing, Yeah, those little feet, 395 00:30:21.880 --> 00:30:25.119 those little legs, I know, I know he ran the whole way down. 396 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:27.519 Having other kids doing it too is it's helpful. But so we do 397 00:30:27.599 --> 00:30:30.319 a lot of that and then slept really well at night. Yeah exactly, 398 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:36.799 I know, I know, run them out. So so on those nights 399 00:30:36.799 --> 00:30:38.839 that you can get him to bed really early and you and your husband plan 400 00:30:38.920 --> 00:30:42.519 a little romantic evening or maybe you get a babysitter. What sort of wines 401 00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:47.799 get opened to set a romantic evening for you guys? Yeah, Well, 402 00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:52.000 for us, the most romantic evening is one where we don't do any work, 403 00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:55.279 so we're not cooking. We've kind of you know, we used to 404 00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:57.759 love cooking together, but we've tried to go out more, especially because there's 405 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:03.400 some really amazing restaurant that have popped up. But there's this Georgian restaurant called 406 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:07.480 Piala and they have an amazing Georgian wine list. So yeah, we've been 407 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:11.400 going there and just the owners super knowledgeable and he kind of takes us on 408 00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:15.200 whatever journey with the Georgian food and wine. We really loved that. Wow. 409 00:31:15.799 --> 00:31:19.839 So just getting not happy to do any work or thinking is really the 410 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:26.279 key for us at this phase. Yes. So you were just saying a 411 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:30.960 minute ago that obviously you were influenced by your parents, a builder and a 412 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:34.599 garden designer. And I'm curious when you look back, is there a piece 413 00:31:34.599 --> 00:31:37.839 of advice that one of them gave you, or a teacher or a mentor 414 00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:41.279 somewhere else along the way that is something that you carry through life or try 415 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:47.839 to live by. Yeah. I mean my parents definitely told me I could 416 00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:52.480 do whatever I set my mind too, and I think that's a really good 417 00:31:52.480 --> 00:31:57.680 thing to nourish in a child. Although they were realistic too. I mean 418 00:31:57.720 --> 00:32:00.720 my dad said, okay, you want to be an architect, Like your 419 00:32:00.799 --> 00:32:05.279 day to day is probably going to be at a computer or at a drafting 420 00:32:05.319 --> 00:32:08.759 table. So if you you know, if you like think about not just 421 00:32:08.839 --> 00:32:13.640 the big idea of it, or what attracts you to the big idea, 422 00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:15.799 But what will your day to day actually look like, because that's really what's 423 00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:21.480 gonna inform your life. Absolutely. Oh it's interesting. So if you were 424 00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:23.079 to give a piece of advice to our listeners today, what would you say 425 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:30.319 to them? I definitely say follow your heart initially. You know, I've 426 00:32:30.359 --> 00:32:34.759 heard advice too that I guess I could be the advice that I ignored as 427 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:39.640 well. I've heard people tell me that don't make your your like most passionate 428 00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:44.799 hobby, which for me was winemaking into your career because you will change it. 429 00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:46.839 And that is true, you will change it. But I have no 430 00:32:46.920 --> 00:32:51.240 regrets, you know, doing that. You know, I've heard people say, 431 00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:53.119 choose the thing you love the second most and make that your your career 432 00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:58.960 so you can preserve the thing you love the most. But I think know 433 00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:01.920 that you're relationship will change with it, but you still get to spend you 434 00:33:01.960 --> 00:33:06.799 know, most of your time, most of your day thinking about this thing 435 00:33:06.799 --> 00:33:09.160 that you love, and the magic romanticism of your love has not gone away 436 00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:13.559 because you work in it. It's changed, Yeah, it's changed, it 437 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:17.640 hasn't gone away. But it's definitely changed. And honestly, I try to 438 00:33:17.680 --> 00:33:22.720 think about, well, it probably would have changed anyway as I aged. 439 00:33:22.200 --> 00:33:27.640 You know, as you nothing stays static in life, so be comfortable with 440 00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:35.200 that. But but yeah, I definitely maybe I know a lot more so 441 00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:37.440 I know the reality is positive and negative. But that's the thing. It's 442 00:33:37.480 --> 00:33:43.920 like, it's like a marriage versus versus you know, when you're first dating 443 00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:47.480 and both are beautiful in different ways, right, And the great thing is 444 00:33:47.480 --> 00:33:52.400 is that you know, wine is an evolution. I mean, making wine 445 00:33:52.440 --> 00:33:53.480 is one thing, but there's so much to taste and learn. It's like 446 00:33:53.480 --> 00:33:58.000 a never ending process. Oh, absolutely, which is one of the reason 447 00:33:58.079 --> 00:34:00.640 we love going You know, we loved going to this George and restaurant. 448 00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:06.200 Is just because you've studied something like sometimes you can just let go and let 449 00:34:06.200 --> 00:34:09.559 somebody else guide you on it who's also studied it or made it a part 450 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:13.400 of their you know, their life's passion, but in a different way, 451 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:16.480 and you get to still you get to still kind of enjoy the newness of 452 00:34:16.519 --> 00:34:21.119 it. So when you look back at your career, what would you say 453 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:27.480 is one of your proudest achievements to date? I think honestly just even starting 454 00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:30.440 a business in California at the time that I did. You know, again, 455 00:34:30.519 --> 00:34:36.559 it's a it's financially really a very fine needle the thread. And you 456 00:34:36.599 --> 00:34:38.199 know, after ten years, i'd say, we're still figuring that out. 457 00:34:38.320 --> 00:34:45.079 But yeah, I think against all odds, against people telling me that it's 458 00:34:45.159 --> 00:34:49.159 not a smart thing to start a wine business in California, you know, 459 00:34:49.199 --> 00:34:53.039 in twenty fourteen when we did, and still still doing it, but also 460 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:57.000 not in a way that was totally naive. I mean, I'd apprentice for 461 00:34:57.039 --> 00:35:01.239 ten years and I think I understood that you actually don't need, you know, 462 00:35:01.480 --> 00:35:05.440 fancy equipment to make good wine. You need really good grapes. And 463 00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:07.119 I think I had seen that in the ten years leading up to it. 464 00:35:07.199 --> 00:35:14.000 So following my heart and understanding kind of where I could be scrappy and still 465 00:35:14.360 --> 00:35:19.119 achieve things. I feel very proud of that combination of things. I love 466 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:22.119 that. So we're sitting at a table, your wine's on the table, 467 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:25.119 and there's an empty seat next to you. Who would you want to share 468 00:35:25.159 --> 00:35:28.559 your wine with? Who would you want to be drinking your wine with? 469 00:35:28.599 --> 00:35:32.760 From any walk of life, living or deceased. Oh, I honestly think 470 00:35:32.800 --> 00:35:38.000 I have some of the most fun drinking wine with one of my mentors, 471 00:35:38.079 --> 00:35:45.519 Jiusto Ocupinti, who I mentioned. I feel like he's got a great sensibility 472 00:35:45.599 --> 00:35:50.239 in terms of just like when to drink and have fun and when to be 473 00:35:50.280 --> 00:35:53.960 more analytical. And yeah, I love, I love, I love drinking 474 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:58.719 wine with him. Well, you're lucky you've gotten to drink wine with your 475 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:04.719 with him. Yeah, exactly, exactly, so complete. The sentence for 476 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:10.400 me, a table without wine is like oo a room without air. Maybe 477 00:36:10.400 --> 00:36:20.440 that's too extreme, but why not? Why not? So, Martha, 478 00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:22.239 we've almost come to the end. You've done great. This has been really 479 00:36:22.280 --> 00:36:25.639 fun and I love listening to you, and I love her wines. I'm 480 00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:30.320 curious you're very focused on dry farm wines, slow movement, working with older 481 00:36:30.400 --> 00:36:36.079 vineyards and family vineyards. Where do you think we'll be in two hundred, 482 00:36:36.119 --> 00:36:37.880 five hundred years. Do you think we'll still be making wine, still be 483 00:36:37.960 --> 00:36:42.559 drinking wine? What do you think? I hope so, I really hope 484 00:36:42.599 --> 00:36:45.079 so. But I don't think we'll be able to do it the way we 485 00:36:45.119 --> 00:36:51.960 are today. Farming is the great farming and the environmental piece is my biggest 486 00:36:51.960 --> 00:36:54.199 passion. So well, I just said, you know, a table without 487 00:36:54.320 --> 00:36:58.400 wine is a room without air. If it has to come at the cost 488 00:36:58.440 --> 00:37:01.360 of the environment, then I don't think get belongs on the table full stop. 489 00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:06.280 So there are things that we're working on, and that's going to be 490 00:37:06.519 --> 00:37:08.679 in a much longer podcast, I'm sure. But but like, yeah, 491 00:37:08.880 --> 00:37:15.239 changing how we farm, and I don't you know, we have everything we 492 00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:21.039 need to farm in a more environmentally friendly way. We have been doing that 493 00:37:21.119 --> 00:37:25.199 for you know, hundreds of thousands of Yeah, a long time, hundreds 494 00:37:25.239 --> 00:37:30.199 and hundreds of years before before we put all the crap in there, we 495 00:37:30.199 --> 00:37:34.440 were doing it the organic way. Absolutely, it's only been in this past 496 00:37:34.480 --> 00:37:38.280 century that we've changed things. So I think on the timeline of winemaking, 497 00:37:38.400 --> 00:37:42.960 that's a very small blip. I feel like that's kind of a pimple we 498 00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:47.039 can just pop and remove and move on with the pimple on the timeline. 499 00:37:47.159 --> 00:37:53.079 Yeah. So well, if if if we had to, if you were 500 00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:59.159 being sent off to a deserted island today now we're living here, which three 501 00:37:59.159 --> 00:38:05.639 wines would you take with you? Boy? I would take I think some 502 00:38:05.679 --> 00:38:09.280 of the wines that from the places that I worked because they're so they have 503 00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:14.840 such deep meaning to me. So uh, definitely a wine from KOs which 504 00:38:14.840 --> 00:38:19.320 one the chair swollow or something else? Oh, I think the chair Swollow. 505 00:38:19.519 --> 00:38:22.239 Yeah, it's I love that wine. I love a lot of their 506 00:38:22.239 --> 00:38:27.199 wines. But yeah, I would take a wine from Leon Barral, where 507 00:38:27.199 --> 00:38:31.159 I worked in the south of France. Any of their wine, but honestly, 508 00:38:31.239 --> 00:38:37.480 the you know they're they're fajer or their typical based wine. I think 509 00:38:37.480 --> 00:38:42.920 it's really beautiful. Those would be two reds. So I definitely want a 510 00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:52.719 white or rose, maybe m something something fresh and fun. Uh. I 511 00:38:52.760 --> 00:38:55.679 think I also worked in the Mosel in Germany, and maybe I would take 512 00:38:55.679 --> 00:39:00.320 one of those you know writer whites so at at him and Lovin Stein. 513 00:39:00.639 --> 00:39:05.320 Ah, well, there you go. So we've come to the end. 514 00:39:05.320 --> 00:39:08.800 It's time for our fun little game of wine and music. Obviously it's called 515 00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:15.760 wine soundtrack music conjuror's emotions like wine does. So I want you to relate 516 00:39:15.920 --> 00:39:19.840 a song, a musician, a genre to your wines. So I want 517 00:39:19.840 --> 00:39:25.119 to start first with your your Negromorrow non vintage Rosatto that you were talking about. 518 00:39:27.599 --> 00:39:30.320 Oh, I'm gonna go Genres here. I mean, I think that 519 00:39:30.320 --> 00:39:38.360 that would have to be classical music, Eric City, something from eric City, 520 00:39:38.679 --> 00:39:43.760 really beautiful, calm, just kind of I think of those music. 521 00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:52.679 That music is timeless. And what about your Vermentino ooh, that's a little 522 00:39:52.719 --> 00:40:00.480 bit more like Italian a tala disco, something a little more funky and fun. 523 00:40:00.519 --> 00:40:02.280 It's not a funky wine, but it's a fun wine, I think. 524 00:40:04.559 --> 00:40:10.760 And what about your Negromorro Negroma Zato. Yeah, I think we oh 525 00:40:10.800 --> 00:40:14.800 no, no, no, uh sorry, red wine, oh, red 526 00:40:14.800 --> 00:40:19.960 wine the Naratavla near Naradavla, all good. I was thinking Neroda yeah, 527 00:40:19.960 --> 00:40:22.760 and Naradavla. Okay, I'm gonna say, going way to another side of 528 00:40:22.800 --> 00:40:30.440 the music genre, uh the Gambler, Yeah, which is you know, 529 00:40:30.599 --> 00:40:32.199 the classic you got to no one to hold it, no one to fold 530 00:40:32.239 --> 00:40:37.400 it. I feel like that wine. It's all about like knowing when to 531 00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:40.599 stop and not overwork things either. You know. It's like when you're painting 532 00:40:40.719 --> 00:40:45.559 you mix too many colors, you make brown. It's like so kind of 533 00:40:45.559 --> 00:40:49.599 the less it's more philosophy. Okay. And last one a favorite wine of 534 00:40:49.639 --> 00:40:55.400 mine, your long Elevage carrying on. Oh, that's gotta be something kind 535 00:40:55.440 --> 00:41:02.480 of like that evokes this coastal California. Yeah, maybe something a little more 536 00:41:02.559 --> 00:41:07.440 folksy, like from I don't know, Bob Dylan or Crosby Stills, Nash 537 00:41:07.480 --> 00:41:14.280 and Young or Neil Young kind of this more like that spirit and that phase 538 00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:19.360 of California. And yeah, a nice eclectic mix of music for your eclectic 539 00:41:19.880 --> 00:41:23.719 mix of wines. Perfect well, Martha, thank you so much for joining 540 00:41:23.760 --> 00:41:27.599 us on Wine Soundtrack. And before we go, if you can just remind 541 00:41:27.639 --> 00:41:31.360 people if they can visit you where they can find you find your wines. 542 00:41:32.280 --> 00:41:37.599 Yes, so right now we don't We don't have a tasting room, so 543 00:41:37.679 --> 00:41:42.519 check our events page if you want to meet us in person. We have 544 00:41:42.639 --> 00:41:45.679 kind of roaming events a lot in California, but in other places in the 545 00:41:45.760 --> 00:41:50.760 nation as well from time to time. And then the best place is ordering 546 00:41:50.920 --> 00:41:53.880 off our website Martha Stiman dot com. Lew ship to most states. Fantastic. 547 00:41:53.920 --> 00:41:57.400 Well, thank you for joining us, and let's go drink some wine. 548 00:41:57.559 --> 00:42:00.760 Beautiful. Thank you. Thanks for listening to new episode of Wind Soundtrack 549 00:42:00.960 --> 00:42:07.440 USA. For details and updates, visit our website Wind soundtracks dot com.