In this episode of Wine For Normal People, Will Henry of Lumen Wines shares how his love for surfing and winemaking intertwines in Santa Barbara. He reveals how the local surf culture and coastal environment shape his approach to crafting exceptional wines. Join us to explore the unique connection between the waves and the vineyards that defines Lumen Wines.
Thoughts on the Most Exalted of Drinks In the wide world of alcoholic beverages, wine gets a lot of attention. While craft beers, ciders, and spirits take more of the spotlight, wine nonetheless seems to hold onto an infallible center position. To many consumers it is the holy grail of what can be swirled, sniffed…
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.
Why Smaller Can Sometimes Be Better The quality of a wine is not always dictated by the sweetness of the juice. Many winemakers make decisions on when to pick by simply measuring the degrees brix (percentage of sugar) in their grapes, and generally pick when the sugars are at their highest possible level. Lane and…
Are Winemakers Magicians? Years ago I wrote an article for The Surfer’s Path Magazine about my good friend, Oded Shakked, who was then winemaker at J Vineyards. During the interview he commented about how people make such a big deal about winemaking. “Winemakers don’t really deserve all that attention,” he said. “After all, we are…
Thoughts on the Wettest of Vintages The vineyards are flooding. Southern California is currently experiencing what the forecasters are calling “the largest weather event in the last six years.” (Let’s just forget about “Stormageddon” two years ago – too bad they used that one up already). Some of the vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley…
tran-scend-ent/ adjective 1. beyond and outside the ordinary range of human experience or understanding 2. exceeding or surpassing usual limits especially in excellence In 1990 I flew to Portugal with my father, Warner, to visit port producers on the Douro River. As was customary for him, he had brought a number of books about Portuguese…