“Life is a rollercoaster.” The expression never really resonated with me. Sure, life goes up and down, but the saying implies you are stuck on a ride and can’t get off. A rollercoaster also goes only one way: downhill, and at high speeds. Life is a wave. For me that seems to capture it all. As a…
I have a confession to make: my favorite wine was once White Zinfandel. As a young twenty-something, I was not what one would consider a serious wine drinker: my favorite was a sweet, pink wine that once had a whole section on grocery store shelves. My father, who was in the wine industry, must have…
Low-intervention winemaking has become a buzzword with the smaller producers who do not make formula-based wines. What it means is that these wines contain little to no additives – and likely are far less likely to give you a headache.
The pendulum always swings when it comes to what foods and beverages are good for your health. I remember in the 70’s we were told that fat was bad, and along with that came cheese, avocados, butter, and bacon. Oh, the horror.
In ancient Greece, snails represented fertility and the fruition of hard work. The Aztecs refer to snails as representing cycles of the universe and reincarnation. Japanese culture considers snails the most fertile of beings and the gods of water, while across the African continent, snails take on a variety of meanings from symbols of the creation of man to eternal life.
In this episode of The Reluctant Somm, Will Henry of Lumen Wines shares his full-circle journey through the wine world. He discusses his innovative approach to natural wines with sulfite alternatives, his and his wife’s restaurant, Pico, in Los Alamos, and his collaboration with the esteemed Lane Tanner. Tune in to hear about the unique…
Popelouchum, 2021
Randall arrived on a cool August day and I toured him around our young plantings, then took him down the hill to see the wild vines. We walked the rows together while he looked curiously at the small bunches and plucked berries off the vine and popped them into his mouth, spitting seeds at pace with his steps. “Remarkable,” he said, more than once. After many long minutes, I explained my conundrum. He smiled.
I was always a believer that being wild was a good thing – to a point. Be it a confrontation with a bear on a remote surf trip in British Columbia in January, or a night spent adrift on the open ocean in a boat that had lost its engine, wild is exciting, invigorating, and…
Some of the greatest discoveries of mankind were made by accident. Perhaps the best known (and beneficial) was made by scientist Dr. Alexander Fleming, who went on vacation for a few weeks and returned to see that his petri dishes had overgrown with mold. His discovery: penicillin. Other examples of benign errors include potato chips,…
There’s a lot of geeky stuff on the back of a Lumen bottle – wine-geeky stuff. So why is it there? Not only are the basic facts listed – vineyard source, AVA, variety, clone – but also we share the pH, TA (titratable acidity), and Brix at harvest. What, you may ask, is the significance…
In this episode of Wine For Normal People, Will Henry of Lumen Wines shares his insights on organic and regenerative vineyard management. He discusses how these sustainable practices are integral to the health of the vineyard and the quality of Lumen’s wines. Tune in to explore the connection between the land and the wine in…
In this Wine For Normal People episode, Lane Tanner, the “Pinot Czarina of Santa Barbara County,” shares her journey and the art of crafting exceptional wines at Lumen Wines. She discusses the unique terroir of Santa Barbara, sustainable winemaking, and what sets Lumen Wines apart in California’s wine scene.