Crafting Wines of Distinction
With nearly 25 Years of Viticulture and Winemaking Experience
Diversity of Situational Knowledge
Every vineyard and winery is different. The right solution for one place might not be effective at another. In most situations, the cost of a solution drives the process of determining whether to repair versus replace. It is important to troubleshoot an issue from multiple angles in order to build perspective.
Working through the entire spectrum of the wine industry—from small family farms to ultra-premium luxury wineries—has helped me to accumulate a diversity of situational knowledge.
Vineyard
Prior to tending to the vineyards at Green & Red, I worked as a viticulturist for several years at a premium farming company based in Napa. Although Cabernet is King in Napa, we actually farmed much more Pinot Noir. I was responsible for all of the viticulture data and reporting for 2000 acres, 600 different vineyard blocks, spanning 64 ranches from Santa Barbara, California, up to Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Most recently I have been focusing on improving the health of the 31 acre estate, which includes Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. I have maintained my Qualified Applicators License (QAL), and continue to order and report to regulatory agencies regarding the organic products used in our vineyard.
Winery
What began as a home winemaking hobby, evolved into a career as a biotech fermentation scientist at Abbott Laboratories in Chicago, Illinois. Eventually, the initial curiosity of winemaking took over and I moved to Napa Valley, California, to dive headlong into a new career.
I’ve had the fortune of working in the laboratory and the cellar of many types of places ranging from large factories to small farms, with bottle prices also ranging from $15 to over $300. It is important to understand the target audience and price point before beginning any wine project, so that flavors and expectations can be managed appropriately along the way.
Winemaking is a series of one thousand “Yes or No” questions. It is a decision tree, and every step along the way you must ask, “Should I do this, or not do this?” At the heart of it, each step is very simple. After making all of the right decisions, it is the perfect execution of one thousand simple tasks that makes a wine great.
Easy right? Let’s make wine! :)
Testimonials
“Aaron helped us through a difficult time, while we were transitioning to a new winemaker. He was able to fix and improve many aspects of the cellar and vineyard practices. His steady demeanor of patience and persistence was really key in continuing the success of our winery.”
— Diane H.
“I wanted to say thank you for yet another great and memorable visit. It was great to see the beautiful place again and tour the vineyards with expert guides….
Aaron it tasted like you are dialing things in and it is great to have a 3rd component for the house blend. The tech sheets and the explanations how each barrel was put together, with the different parcels in the vineyards, was very educational. I like the dedication and passion and expertise!
I am looking forward to the 2022 House Zinfandel.”
—Stefan H. (Wine Director, Chez Panisse)
Please reach out if you have even one vineyard or winemaking question you have been thinking about.