WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.839 Welcome to Wine Soundtrack USA. Listen to the passion with 2 00:00:04.879 --> 00:00:08.359 which producers narrate their winery and their world. Te thirty 3 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:12.480 answers discover their stories, personalities, and passions. 4 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:15.240 Hello, friends and listeners of Wine Soundtrack. This is Alison 5 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:17.640 Levine and today I am in the Livermore Valley with 6 00:00:17.719 --> 00:00:22.879 Steve Zaganti of Three Steves Winery. Steve of three Steves Winery. 7 00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:26.199 Welcome to Wine Soundtrack and tell us about three Steve's Winery. 8 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:30.800 Hi, Alison, thanks for coming. So Three Steve's Winery kind 9 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:34.240 of got started over a bottle of wine shocking with 10 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:37.799 two friends named Steve. One of them suggested we get 11 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:39.880 into this business, and the other two of us looked 12 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:42.439 at them and center you out of your mind. And 13 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.479 as the evening progressed, somewhere between bottle three and four, 14 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:47.560 we came up with a bottle with the name three 15 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:50.799 Steves Winery and started this little project. Wow. 16 00:00:51.079 --> 00:00:52.880 And I was going to say, like three Steves, is 17 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.960 that like your three personalities? But there's just one Steve 18 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:56.520 here today. 19 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:02.119 Well, and that's a good point because one of the Steves, 20 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:03.920 his wife, wanted to be close to family. 21 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:06.120 And moved to Delaware, not close to wine. 22 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:09.480 Nope, sold his shares to me. The other Steve's wife 23 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:12.560 wanted to be close to family, moved to Texas. He 24 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:15.239 still has a small percentage, but as a silent partner. 25 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:17.599 And my wife, who's an East Coaster, I said, honey, 26 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:19.599 have you ever thought about living out there your family? 27 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:21.640 She says no, I love it here. So I love 28 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:25.319 you so much, thank you. So three Steves is really 29 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:27.879 now me, myself and I so this three personalities. 30 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:30.439 Yeah, there you go, Me myself and I. So tell 31 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:33.920 me a little bit about the principles of three Steves. Like, 32 00:01:33.959 --> 00:01:35.680 you're here in the Livermore Valley? How did you end 33 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:37.040 up here in the Livermore Valley? 34 00:01:37.519 --> 00:01:40.799 So as I was about to retire from a paying 35 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.799 job my wife and I used to travel a lot. 36 00:01:45.200 --> 00:01:47.400 My wife looked at me and says, twice as much husband, 37 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:49.719 half as much money. This is just not going to end. Well, 38 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:52.200 you better go start that winery you've always talked about, 39 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:54.400 because I've been a home winemaker off and on since 40 00:01:54.400 --> 00:01:58.439 the mid seventies. So we decided to start a winery. 41 00:01:58.480 --> 00:01:59.760 We were going to do it out in the Santa 42 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:02.680 Cruz Mountains, where we had a home that during Prohibition 43 00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:06.760 was a winery, and I came into Livermore and met 44 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:08.960 a bunch of the wine makers in Livermore and saw 45 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:12.319 such a collaborative environment and such a great environment to 46 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:14.919 make wine. I said, honey, what do you think about Livermore. 47 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.199 So we started making wine here, commuting back and forth 48 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:20.439 about an hour and a half each way. 49 00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:22.439 And you were living in the Santa Cruz Mountains all 50 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:22.680 the time. 51 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:25.960 Yep, I was living in the Santa Cruz mountains. Wasn't 52 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:28.000 crazy about the commute, but it wasn't babs. It didn't 53 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:30.039 have to be during commute hours. But it started looking 54 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.560 for a place to live and found this property which 55 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:35.039 had a small winery on it, a house, and it 56 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:38.400 was for sale, and decided, yeah, Livermore is where we're 57 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.159 going to do it. And then we wound up moving 58 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:41.400 here and setting up shop here. 59 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:44.039 Well, and you moved here and started here when. 60 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:47.719 So I was in the house in twenty twelve. If 61 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:49.520 you remember what it was like to get a mortgage, 62 00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.879 then it was pretty ridiculous. So it took me until 63 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:59.280 April May fifteenth, twenty thirteen to close escrow on it. 64 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:01.560 But I was actually living on property for the four 65 00:03:01.639 --> 00:03:02.479 or five months. 66 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:04.759 Before that, and that was the start of Three Steves 67 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:07.960 Winery Or was that? Did Three Steves the brand start earlier? 68 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:11.360 The brand started earlier. We got our license to sell 69 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:14.400 wine in twenty ten. I had retired in two thousand 70 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.039 and eight. We're still kind of home wine makers, ramping 71 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:22.560 up at a bonded winery renting space and then opened 72 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.479 our doors downtown Livermore in a little taste room in 73 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:27.919 twenty ten. And it was doing that and again I 74 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:29.840 was doing that commute. Then we found this place and 75 00:03:29.960 --> 00:03:32.360 opened here July twenty six, twenty thirteen. 76 00:03:32.639 --> 00:03:36.240 Wow, so here you are just over a decade. And 77 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:41.919 do you you've got vineyards around We've got vineyards around 78 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.560 us where we're we position. Now do you how many 79 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:48.360 acres do you own? And are you purchasing fruit? And 80 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:50.719 how much of your production is purchased? 81 00:03:51.599 --> 00:03:55.199 So I own Sometimes I exaggerate and say twenty four acres. 82 00:03:55.240 --> 00:03:56.759 It's twenty three point eighty six. 83 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:59.960 You can round it up, okay, So I have twenty. 84 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:03.800 Four acres on that property as the home I live in. 85 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:09.039 There's two wineries, one that's leased out to jmc sellers 86 00:04:09.719 --> 00:04:13.840 as well as mine, and we have planted about six 87 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:15.039 and the quarter acres of. 88 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:18.160 Grapes, and what grapes do you have planted here? 89 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:20.000 I was hoping you'd ask that. 90 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:22.759 There you go, you read my mind. 91 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:25.120 So when I bought the property it was all Cabernet Sevignon. 92 00:04:26.639 --> 00:04:29.120 About a year and a half ago I grafted one 93 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:35.600 acre over to Cabernet franc another acre over to Cabernet Feffer. Again. 94 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:38.680 This year I did that same exercise again. The reason 95 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.079 I didn't do both at once was one I wanted 96 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:44.240 to see other grafts took number two. Cabernet Feffer is 97 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:47.240 extremely rare, and I could only get enough cuttings to 98 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:49.600 do one acre. So this year, when I grafted again, 99 00:04:49.639 --> 00:04:53.160 I used the cutting from my new grafts to start 100 00:04:53.360 --> 00:04:54.319 those other two acres. 101 00:04:54.639 --> 00:04:56.959 So now you have three acres of Cabfef. 102 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.040 I have two acres of cab Peffer, two acres of cab. 103 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:03.519 Wow, two more acres into the world of cab Feth. 104 00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:06.519 I think there's fifteen acres in the Sianaga Valley and 105 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:08.199 not much else in the world. 106 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:11.800 That's about all there is, really, I do know of one. 107 00:05:12.279 --> 00:05:15.279 Then you're down in the Siannaga valley that just grafted 108 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:17.879 a couple of acres a few years ago, and they 109 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:21.800 got their first production last year, So maybe that numbers 110 00:05:21.879 --> 00:05:24.639 up to like seventeen or eighteen now plus my two. 111 00:05:24.759 --> 00:05:29.639 Wow, growing that little cap Cuffer's footprint on the world. Now, 112 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:34.399 I'm curious. We're sitting in your tasting room and there's 113 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:38.480 a map behind you that says are growing regions? Are 114 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:40.519 these the places you're sourcing fruit from? 115 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:40.959 Or what? 116 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:43.160 Are you getting fruit from? Chili? 117 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:47.519 So we're not getting fruit from Chile. We're making wine 118 00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:51.560 and Chile. Wow. So we make wine down there with 119 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:55.879 This all started in twenty fifteen for us. We were 120 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:59.319 buying some fruit from Sianaga Valley that you mentioned that 121 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:03.279 so apparently that beautiful region we're buying fruit down there. 122 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:06.279 And one of the places we bought fruit from we 123 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:10.319 were buying a wonderful ancient vinees Infandel fruit planted nineteen 124 00:06:10.360 --> 00:06:14.480 oh six dry farm. We entered that wine that year 125 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.639 in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which you probably 126 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:20.279 know is the largest in the world for American wines. 127 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:24.199 The judges, in their infinite wisdom, out of sixty five 128 00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:27.160 hundred plus wines, held our bottle up and said best 129 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:30.519 red wine a show. So when that happened, we started 130 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:32.920 running out of wine, which is an interesting problem to have. 131 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:37.120 Our friend Aldrose, who runs the vineyard down in Santaga Valley, 132 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:40.360 was hitting us up every time we saw him about 133 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:42.720 coming to chili and making wine with him. Said, al, 134 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.319 you're single. We're married men. We have kids. We can't 135 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:48.600 take off and go to chili and play. So he 136 00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:50.519 heard we were running out of wine after that award, 137 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:54.399 and college says, hey, what's your excuse now, and started 138 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:56.399 going down there and making wine with him. Wow. 139 00:06:56.720 --> 00:06:59.720 Okay, So you make wine from chili under the three 140 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:02.720 stat label, and then you have your state fruit. And 141 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.759 then are you buying fruit? Where else are you buying 142 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:09.399 fruit for? Is it Livermore Valley or other places? 143 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:13.040 So we buy as much as we can, or as 144 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:16.680 much as we're comfortable with as winemakers from Livermore Valley. 145 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:23.240 We do buy some Zenfandel from Dry Creek Valley. It's 146 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:24.959 one of the wines I want to talk a little 147 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.079 bit about today. From good friends of mine. The sayany 148 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:31.079 family that have been farming there for four generations, And 149 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:36.000 we buy down from Siamaca Valley we buy the we 150 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:38.680 used to buy cab Feffory. We still will until our 151 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:43.399 buys take off good. We buy the ancient vine Zenfandel 152 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:47.720 and one other oh Sanjavesi. 153 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:51.879 Okay, so a good little smattering of things. And what's 154 00:07:51.879 --> 00:07:52.959 your total case production? 155 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:56.560 It's about four thousand cases a year. Ferries a little 156 00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:58.720 year on year, depending on demand and what we have 157 00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:01.639 going on. And frankly, sometimes they get a little weak 158 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:04.560 and somebody says, hey, I've got this. Would you like 159 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:06.519 to try and make that. Of course the answer is yes, 160 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:09.319 but your business brain says, no, that's a dumb idea. 161 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:11.000 You don't need to add another skew. 162 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:12.800 But then you have to sell it, and then we 163 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:13.480 have to sell it. 164 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:14.439 That's the hardest part. 165 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:17.319 And in terms of selling, are you one hundred percent 166 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:22.680 direct to consumer or are you in markets nationally or handpicked? 167 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.959 So we're about ninety five percent right across the taste 168 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:30.199 room in bar in here. We do a little bit 169 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:33.600 locally with some of the big names, but very very 170 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:38.600 local like Total Wine, VEVMO, Safeways, things like that. We're 171 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:41.159 in some restaurants, but it's not our main focus. We 172 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:43.000 really like to sell here. We like to meet the 173 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:45.679 people coming in the door, tell them our story, tell 174 00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:47.919 them about our wines. You know, share the passion. 175 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:52.759 So we were a home wine maker before you became 176 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:55.519 a professional line maker. But I'm curious, what is your 177 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:57.600 first memory relevant to wine? 178 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:02.039 So my first memory relevant? Oh, as a child, So 179 00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:05.679 my father made wine with a friend of his, a 180 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:08.000 guy named Mario de Fava. They both worked at the 181 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.440 same place that did kind of a lumberyard type business. 182 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:14.919 But Mario had this beautiful spot out on Limerick Lane 183 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:17.360 in Hillsburg, and my dad and he made a little 184 00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:20.080 bit of homemade wine together. My first memory was sitting 185 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:22.200 down at dinner and my dad pouring a little bit 186 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:24.039 of wine in the glass as a kid and watering 187 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:25.840 it down. Typical Italian. 188 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:29.039 Typical Italian. And you grew up in Hildsburg. 189 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:33.360 I did, Yeah, I was there until Uncle Sam came 190 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:36.480 knocking on my door in nineteen seventy two and set 191 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:38.000 me off to places I didn't want to go. 192 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:42.919 And so being up in Hilsburg, obviously you were surrounded 193 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:45.039 by vines, not as many as there are today, but 194 00:09:45.759 --> 00:09:49.960 you were raised in an area that had vines. As 195 00:09:50.039 --> 00:09:54.399 you have traveled the world and drank lots of great wines, 196 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:57.200 and obviously something triggered you to become a home wine maker. 197 00:09:57.519 --> 00:09:59.519 But I'm wondering if there is a particular wine that 198 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:01.720 stands out it was one of those aha moments for you. 199 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:06.519 Well, it's absolutely zinfandel. Yeah, And you know, so I 200 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:08.480 said I was a home winemaker. I started when I 201 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.960 got out of the service in nineteen seventy six, and 202 00:10:11.080 --> 00:10:13.720 my first wine I made was a zinfandel from the 203 00:10:13.840 --> 00:10:17.679 very vineyard that I'm still now using the Sayani farms. 204 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:18.519 Wow. 205 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:23.360 Wow, So I'd love Zenfandel's. You know, it's the original 206 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:26.080 grape on the planet. Is I'm sure? You know. I 207 00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:28.440 tell people if my doctor ever told me I could 208 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:30.240 only have one more glass of wine in my life, 209 00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:33.519 I'd have a big glass of Zenfindel and immediately go 210 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:34.480 find another doctor. 211 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:39.240 So you love zinfandel, And I'm curious, do you think 212 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:42.200 there's a such thing as a perfect variety? 213 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:46.080 Perfect? Well, in my mind is Zifidel. Most people wouldn't 214 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:49.720 agree with me, I probably, but I just absolutely love it. 215 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:52.799 Second would probably be the you know cap Beefer was 216 00:10:52.879 --> 00:10:56.399 just talking about, it's so unique and so different from 217 00:10:56.440 --> 00:10:58.799 everything else I've ever had, and we get a lot 218 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:00.759 of that customers coming to the table too. It's like, 219 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:03.240 I've never had anything like this. I said, well, it's 220 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.360 really hard to find. You do not many place that. Yeah, 221 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:09.399 all take something and that makes perfection. Huh. Well yeah, 222 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.399 I mean it also depends on what you're eating it with, right, 223 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:15.480 I mean, you know wine makes food better. Food makes 224 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:16.039 wine better. 225 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:17.879 So I'm going to come to that in a second, 226 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:21.039 but I do want to ask you first, like with 227 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:25.440 zifidel being your love and obviously other grapes that you make, 228 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.200 if we come to your home, what would we find 229 00:11:27.320 --> 00:11:29.879 in there? Is it a lot of zimfandel's from different producers? 230 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:31.639 Is a lot of your own wines? Is it wines 231 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:32.480 from around the world? 232 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:34.080 What? 233 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:37.360 What do you like to collect and having your house 234 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:38.039 ready to drink? 235 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:41.240 Well, I don't know. I don't know about collects. I 236 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:44.679 drink it pretty fast to collect from me as oh, 237 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:48.519 I forgot that was in there. A fair amount of zins. 238 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:51.679 I don't make a up until this year, didn't make 239 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:53.919 a Pean and No war. So I have a few 240 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:56.080 more than a few Pean and No wars. 241 00:11:55.879 --> 00:11:59.240 In there, mostly domestic or French. 242 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:02.600 Also, almost everything I have is domestic visits. What I 243 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:05.679 know most of what I have is California besuits. What 244 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:09.960 I know I mean, I've been to Europe on wine 245 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:13.440 river cruises that we host and take our club members on. 246 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:18.240 But I'm not well versed like my co wine maker 247 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:20.679 alex Is on Wines of the World. 248 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:26.399 Is there a wine that you have at home in 249 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:29.080 your wine fridge ready to drink since your wines are 250 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:32.039 ready to drink that you opened recently that drank really well? 251 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:33.440 You know? 252 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:37.840 One that shocked the heck out of me is I 253 00:12:37.960 --> 00:12:41.639 was cleaning out my wine fridge because the compressor died. Fortunately, 254 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:43.879 I have a three thousand square foot building at fifty 255 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:46.600 eight degrees that I gave barrels and so I could 256 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:48.799 move it quickly. And as I was putting it back 257 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:52.120 together with a new compressor, I found a lot of 258 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:54.440 things that surprised me. Like I said, I don't have 259 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:57.440 a spreadsheet showing what I have. I'm not that organized. 260 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:01.720 And I pulled out a It was a twenty eleven 261 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:07.879 rose from Onguard Winery on Guard Is in Sonoma, Chapa. 262 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:10.320 The owner is an old friend. We used to make 263 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:13.120 wine together here in Livermore when we were renting space 264 00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:16.279 at another winery, and I brought it to a friend's house. 265 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:20.639 It was wife's birthday and we went to her house. 266 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:22.320 I brought a back up bottom, so I knew it 267 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:27.320 couldn't be good. And it was amazing at twenty eleven 268 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:30.120 Rose and it was from I called him and it 269 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:32.679 was cab cap Front mar Low. There was one other 270 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:37.679 varietal in there, but he said, what that's good? It 271 00:13:37.799 --> 00:13:40.639 can't be. It shocked me. I mean, it just blew 272 00:13:40.679 --> 00:13:41.039 me away. 273 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:44.720 Wow, it just proves to you that rose has aging potential. 274 00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:45.600 I guess it does. 275 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:49.519 Yeh, that's amazing. So I'm curious going back to the 276 00:13:49.559 --> 00:13:54.279 perfect variety you Zifidel cab Feffer. We have a few 277 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:57.639 great varieties out there. And you said that you enter 278 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:00.639 your wines that you've won awards at the San francisc Chronicle. 279 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:03.600 So obviously competitions play a role in how you market 280 00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:06.120 your wines and how you sell your wines. But overall, 281 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:08.840 what is your opinion online critics and scores. Do you 282 00:14:08.919 --> 00:14:11.080 find them to be a great use? Do you find 283 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:14.120 them to be how do they benefit or hurt a 284 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:15.440 small brand like yourselves? 285 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:17.960 I mean, the benefit is when you get a good score, 286 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:20.559 a good award, people hear about it. You have some 287 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:24.679 plaques on the wall, you know, so it helps sell 288 00:14:24.759 --> 00:14:26.639 the wine. If you're on a grocery store shelf or 289 00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:28.639 liquor store shelf, and you have a you know, ninety 290 00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:30.679 five point rating, of course that's going to help sell it. 291 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:33.120 But that's not really our business model. We're more in 292 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:38.320 front of people here wine critics. I think you almost 293 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:40.399 have to know the critics and know what to send them. 294 00:14:41.240 --> 00:14:44.639 Competitions the same thing. You know, there's a certain style 295 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:50.080 that the judges like in different competitions. I haven't figured 296 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:53.799 it out, by the way, but for example, the Cabernet 297 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:58.720 feffer that we have prior to twenty twenty two, we 298 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:01.639 called it three caps. You kind of like that number three? 299 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:05.120 I see that, yeah, because it has a little bit 300 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:07.879 of Cabernet savin, a little bit of Cabernet fronc in it, 301 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:11.799 mostly Cabernet cuffer. Though. We set that off to critics, 302 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:16.840 or to not critics, but like a wine enthusiasts, and 303 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.639 didn't get a great rating. I mean it was high eighties, 304 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:24.080 but not what we're used to. When the twenty twenty 305 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:28.600 two came out, with the label Cabernet Feffer. Maybe they 306 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:30.679 even had to look it up. I'm not sure, but 307 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:33.559 we got a much better rating. Pretty much the same wine, 308 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:35.600 a different year apart, but you could taste the two 309 00:15:35.639 --> 00:15:37.440 side by side and they're really close. 310 00:15:38.200 --> 00:15:41.320 Very interesting. It says a lot about what perspective there 311 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:44.519 might be or you know, it's palet a subjective but 312 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:50.279 also perspective. So I'm curious your perspective Redwire Rose as 313 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:52.759 a drinker, it depends. 314 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:52.840 On the weather. 315 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:54.600 Still are sparkling. 316 00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:57.320 Mostly still? 317 00:15:58.399 --> 00:15:59.879 But kind of an equal opportunist. 318 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.240 I do like sparkling. We do with sparkling, we do 319 00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:07.240 a regular brute and a rose broot. They're great sellers 320 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:13.320 from what grapes from chardonay, pina no ter pino, mignet. 321 00:16:14.120 --> 00:16:17.399 Very traditional, yeah, very traditional? Yeah wow, made them out 322 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:18.639 the champ and wine. Wow. 323 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:20.960 So going back to what I kind of cut you 324 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:23.879 off before food pairing, because this is where I ask you, 325 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:26.559 since you're an equal opportunist and all that you drink 326 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:30.200 and like, and that you're making sparkling wine and you're 327 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:34.200 making unique grapes like keb pepper and then also traditional grapes, 328 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.519 how do you approach food and wine pairing. Are there 329 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:39.639 rules that you follow? Is it really about what you're 330 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:42.159 in the mood for and what determines how you're going 331 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:43.720 to choose the wine you're going to open. 332 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:48.759 So there's no rules in my book anyway, Others may 333 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:51.200 differ with that. What I'm going to choose, It depends 334 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:54.080 on my mood, depends on the weather, depends on what 335 00:16:54.200 --> 00:16:58.320 I've done that day. It's you know, you say with fish, 336 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:00.200 it has to be a white wine. It doesn't you know. 337 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:01.879 It can be a rose, it could be a light red, 338 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:04.440 it could be a capfeffer. It could be a cap effort, 339 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:06.920 although that's a steak on the barbecue. 340 00:17:07.319 --> 00:17:09.640 Ah well, I'll have to try your capfeffer to know. 341 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:13.279 Absolutely. We will do that once you put this microphone down. 342 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:20.079 But are there any guidelines that you recommend or suggest? 343 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.319 Like if a customer comes in here and they're tasting 344 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:24.519 your wines and they're saying, well, you know, how do 345 00:17:24.640 --> 00:17:27.279 I how do I pair this pino blanc, or how 346 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:29.400 do I pair this cab feffer? What what do you 347 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:33.200 tell them to sort of look for or to do well? 348 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:34.920 I mean, and it's really up to them. That's like 349 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:37.519 sometimes I'll get people in there trying wines and they say, well, 350 00:17:38.200 --> 00:17:40.559 which is your favorite or which one should I buy? Well, 351 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:43.880 you should buy the one you like the most. And 352 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:46.240 the same thing with the food pairing. It's what works 353 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:50.599 for your palette. You know, the pino blanc. You know 354 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:52.079 people have come in so, well, what should I pair 355 00:17:52.119 --> 00:17:54.519 this with? I said, my ideal pairing for this, or 356 00:17:54.599 --> 00:17:56.880 are pino Grazio for that matter, give me a big 357 00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:00.079 shrimp cocktail with lots of horse radish in it. I 358 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:03.200 want something that'll, you know, kind of bring the brightness 359 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:09.160 and clean it up. If I'm going to have always, always, 360 00:18:09.160 --> 00:18:11.440 always spaghetti with a heavy red sauce, I make a 361 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:14.079 really good deep red sauce. It's got to be z infandel. 362 00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:16.960 I mean, could I drink something else with it? Sure, 363 00:18:17.079 --> 00:18:19.960 but I have my standard go tos. But the rest 364 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:21.839 of it's just kind of wide open and see what works. 365 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.880 I love it. So for somebody who hasn't had the 366 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:30.319 pleasure to taste Three Steves wines yet yet, what do 367 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:31.400 you think they're missing out on? 368 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:36.839 Well, Well that's a tough one. Do I float my ego? 369 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:40.960 Go for it? Are you what they're missing out on? 370 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:45.279 And whether it's Three Steves or another small kind of 371 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:50.039 family run winery, you're missing out on very unique wines 372 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:54.359 that are truly handcrafted. That phrase is overused a lot, 373 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:58.200 but they really are handcrafted. You go to some of 374 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:02.880 the big, huge wineries, it's all equipment, it's formulas, it's 375 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:07.279 computer controlled chilling. I mean, it's it would be nice 376 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:09.279 to have some of that stuff, sure, but you really 377 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:13.440 it's all handcrafted. We try different yeasts all the time, 378 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:15.599 we try different barrels all the time. We do these 379 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:17.839 small runs and taste things. One of the ones we 380 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:19.960 did last year that we're going to release at our 381 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:23.759 wine club release on August third is a ramato. A 382 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:27.039 ramato is a pinot grisio that's fermented on the skins 383 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:30.119 for a little bit. We have the ability to experiment 384 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:33.000 all that on that kind of stuff, whereas someone like 385 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:37.480 a Gallo, for example, nothing against Gallo, but they have 386 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:40.480 their formula and they stick with it because whenever you 387 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:42.799 open that bottle you want to taste exactly the same, 388 00:19:43.240 --> 00:19:45.160 or a cores light, you know it's going to taste 389 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:48.000 the same every single time you open one. You know, 390 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:50.720 we can mix it up, experiment, have fun, well, I'm going. 391 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:53.160 To come back to that in one second. Just what 392 00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:57.240 you said about, you know, consistency versus uniqueness. But I 393 00:19:57.359 --> 00:19:59.359 do have a question of the wines that you have, 394 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:03.480 knowing what you love, but also you mentioned you know 395 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:06.880 you have pin oblanc you have Pino grigio, You're going 396 00:20:06.920 --> 00:20:09.160 to make a romato, you have kep Feffer, on and 397 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:11.400 on and them. If space aliens were to land at 398 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:13.920 your property right now and knock on the door saying, 399 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:16.839 you know, we want one of your wines, which wine 400 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:19.160 would you give to them? To say welcome to three steves. 401 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:26.480