"#Wine and Sacrifice" - A #Winemakers View

I’ve just wrapped up the 2015 harvest, my eighth.  Perhaps more than any previous year, the word that comes to mind is sacrifice.  When I was a young cellar rat working 16 hour days, I was giving up my time, but, really, where else did I have to be?  I was fortunate enough to be working for a winemaker who would share bottles of Dagueneau, old Williams-Selyem, and countless great Burgundies at lunch and dinner (and make late night Chinese runs for the crew), so who was I to complain?  I was learning a new craft that I was obsessed with, and loving every minute of it.

That love has never left me; if anything, my passion for wine has only grown.  This year, however, there is so much at stake, and so many sacrifices to be made.  My wife and I have invested everything in our own label; we have a newborn son; we have day jobs managing other wineries.  Something is always being sacrificed.  I miss time with my son to check on fermentations or do night punchdowns.  My wife and I pass out at 8 pm because we’re completely spent from sorting grapes on our days off, and still wake up at 4 am to feed the baby.  

The last fruit: Carignane & Merlot

Grateful for friends help

Crush time! Husband & wife duo at it again.

One vigerous ferment of Carignane

And we’re not alone.  “Harvest widow” is a phrase for a reason; most winemakers are ghosts to their family for that 25% of the year.  Thus, a great bottle of wine is imbued not only with a sense of place, but with a sense of sacrifice; the willingness to go beyond what most consider sane for their personal lives, to exchange short term frivolity for a future expression of artistic labor, is a common thread among the world’s best winemakers.  

Perhaps the greatest challenge is finding the balance between home life and work.  This is not a dilemma unique to wine, though harvest certainly magnifies the issue more than in many other fields. The artistic impulse doesn’t always congeal with the needs of family, but ultimately, it is our family that we make these sacrifices for.  Wine is a cornerstone of the dinner table; wine is a catalyst for conversation; and as winemakers, everything that goes into that bottle is a part of our legacy as a human being.  Have I made a wine in 2015 that will hang in there for my son’s 21st birthday?  Who knows.  I hope so; I hope the sacrifice was worth it.  

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About the author: Cameron Porter is an Advanced Sommelier and Owner/Winemaker of Amplify Wines, He also plays a role on VAULT29's Advisory Team! Stay connected to Amplify by following them on Facebook, Instagram & in the VAULT29 app.

Winemakers: Share your "Wine & Sacrifice" with our community. Simply download the VAULT29 app and share your winemaking experiences now! Use hashtag #winemaking.

#Giveaway 1: FREE #WINE! Here's How To Win Bottles of Amplify...

Our first of many giveaways has arrived and we invite all winelovers -- consumers, wineries, winemakers, wine bars, restaurateurs, chefs, wine shops -- to participate! Giveaway starts on Wine Wednesday, 8/26/15 at 8am PST and ends on Tuesday, 9/1/15 at 11pm PST. Winner will be announced via social media on Wine Wednesday, 9/3/15, at 5pm PST and must claim within 24 hours. Follow the simple rules (below) for your chance to win two bottles of one of our favorite limited production wines from Amplify Wines --. Good Luck!

A bit about Amplify: Meet Cameron and his wife. Together, they make up Amplify, where their goal is to capture not only a sense of site, but a sense of self. A sip of Santa Maria pinot noir sparked Cameron's curiousity about wine. He started as a cellar rat at Tantara where he learned the art of blending. At Dierberg, he expanded his farming knowledge and the natural approach of winemaking. In his first attempts, Cameron passed the Court of Master Sommeliers first three levels in just NINE months, and holds the title Advanced Sommelier. He is currently studying for his Master exam while he crafts exceptional small production wine. This duo has never been fans of cliques or been interested in being part of the cool kids club (but we think they are awesome!)  They are content to work in their little world, chipping away at a long-held dream. Amplify proves dreams do come true...

Get to know VAULT29. We are a growing community of winelovers capturing wine experiences all around the world. For those who have already been sharing experiences, we 'Thank You' and appreciate your continued support. For new users, we look forward to you joining our community! 

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APPLE USERS:

Complete all three steps:

1- FOLLOW @VAULT29 + @AmplifyWines & TAG 2 friends in the comment section of our Instagram giveaway post.

2- DOWNLOAD the latest version of the VAULT29 app in the App Store - It's FREE!

3- USE the latest version of the app to capture the world of wine as you see it. Use hashtag #iWineVAULT29

For extra chances, SHARE your VAULT29 app post(s) to Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter! Don't forget the hashtag #iWIneVAULT29

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'DROID USERS:

Complete all three steps:

1- FOLLOW @VAULT29 + @AmplifyWines & TAG 2 friends in the comment section of our Instagram giveaway post.

2- SIGN UP (here) to get notified of our Google Play release.

3- Use Instagram to capture the world of wine as you see it. USE hashtag #iWineVAULT29

For extra chances, SHARE your Instagram post(s) to FB and/or Twitter! Don't forget the hashtag #iWIneVAULT29

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Must be 21+ and show proof to claim. Giveaway starts on Wine Wednesday, 8/26/15 at 8am PST and ends on Tuesday, 9/1/15 at 11pm PST. Winner will be announced via social media on Wine Wednesday, 9/3/15, at 5pm PST and must claim within 24 hours. Claim directions will be provided during winner announcement. By participating in giveaway, you validate you are of legal drinking age. Must live in the U.S. to win free wine (Utah, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia excluded). If you are of age in your country (or in an excluded state in the U.S) feel free to add your experiences in our app. We will show you recognition through our social media channels. *PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY* 

Dynamic Duos

In Season 2's Recap #1, we take a look back at husband and wife duos. All four couples followed their passions and let curiosity guide them, which ultimately lead to chasing wine dreams. From fateful trips in Europe, to specific winemaking techniques and beliefs, these four stories highlight wine and it's ability to influence lives, inspire, and create incredible pieces of art with each vintage.

Amplify: what we love about this piece is how Cameron so carefully and perfectly articulates what wine is to him. To Cam, wine is so much more than the traditional rules and the places in which the grapes grow. To take ones undying passion, translate into a profoundly personal expression of art, and inspire conversation is what makes wine the most meaningful. Read more here.

Waits-Mast: We love this story because wine has the power to really capture curiosity. For some, we casually drink with family and friends and create a lifetime of memories with wine as the backdrop. For others, like Jennifer and Brian, it's all about the details. Read more here.

Caliza: The theme in this story is a true, unwavering commitment to winemaking. Carl and Pam see this firsthand with their fateful trip to Italy after 9/11, and dedicate years of education and preparing the land until the timing was right and the wines were exactly aligned with "sense of place." Read more here.

Kukkula: Paula says her husband Kevin doesn't know the meaning of a small hobby - and their wine journey is proof! From Beaucastel, France to the rolling hills in Paso Robles, Kevin shares their winemaking adventure! Read more here.

Amplify

Meet Cameron and his wife. Together, they make up Amplify, where their goal is to capture not only a sense of site, but a sense of self. A sip of Santa Maria pinot noir sparked Cameron's curiousity about wine. He started as a cellar rat at Tantara where he learned the art of blending. At Dierberg, he expanded his farming knowledge and the natural approach of winemaking. In his first attempts, Cameron passed the Court of Master Sommeliers first three levels in just NINE months, and holds the title Advanced Sommelier. He is currently studying for his Master exam while he crafts exceptional small production wine. This duo has never been fans of cliques or been interested in being part of the cool kids club (but we think they are awesome!)  They are content to work in their little world, chipping away at a long-held dream. Amplify proves dreams do come true...

Wine: A Timeliss Beverage by Cameron Porter

Wine can be so much more than a beverage if it's allowed to be.  It can capture that which is timeless- the essence of a place and the traditions of a people.  And it can also evoke those things that are transient- the weather of a given year, the philosophical approach of a farmer, even the mood of the winemaker throughout the aging process.  This intersection of the fleeting and the forever is where the art of wine lies, so when we started Amplify, our goal was to capture not only a sense of site, but a sense of self.     

It's easy to espouse this philosophy, but the work of achieving it is something else altogether.  Every grape variety we work with, and every site we work with, guides our hand in very different ways.  Sometimes this means nurturing some delicate element; other times it means destroying a grape's primary nature so that it may express the core of its origins.  Take our Viognier.  Viognier, by its nature, wants to throw out all of its effusive, peachy, generous, oily goodness to seduce you. While this take on Viognier is pleasant, it doesn't have much to say about where it's from or who made it.  We believe Viognier must be punished, thrown in the gutter before it can really look at the stars.  Every time we bring it into the winery I can hear Dylan's voice on “Like a Rolling Stone” cackling “How does it feel...” to the socialite now on her own, cast out of the comfort of her high society trappings.  Once our Viognier makes it through its plight- foot crushing, no sulfur, skin contact, hot ferments- it comes out the other side better for its hardship, tasting of the soil it was raised in and the hands that crafted it.

This goes against most of the “rules” of how Viognier is supposed to be treated.  But the world of wine has a lot of rules.  Europe has its appellation system, where one is told what one can grow, how it can be grown, and how it must taste.  Viticultural professors have their textbooks on how vines should be trellised and the scientific markers for what ripe fruit is.  Sommeliers tell us the classic rules of pairing, and what foods we should be eating with particular wines.  There is greatness to be found in these rules, certainly; they are the foundation of tradition, and have helped to establish much of what made us fall in love with wine in the first place.  But we are in California.  Our creative freedom is boundless; knowing these rules allows us to break them, and break through, to find our own voice. 

Thus, our approach, while rooted in a strong overarching philosophy, is not dogmatic.  We've never been fans of cliques or been interested in being part of the cool kids club.  Rather, we're content to work in our own little world, chipping away at a long-held dream.  The art of winemaking- and it is an art- is a long, slow journey.  It's not like music or painting, where an abstract idea can be channeled into something concrete immediately, a masterpiece rendered in the moment.  The wonder, and the frustration, in wine comes from the patience it requires.  And in a lifetime, if you are extremely lucky and start early enough, you still might only get 50 or 60 chances to really ace it.  Perhaps because of this, our joy comes not from trying to achieve perfection (and here's a secret- despite 100 point scores being doled out, it ain't attainable).  Instead, we find it in the surprises our wines consistently deliver, the new stories they have to tell each year, the questions they raise more than the answers they provide.

Our ultimate hope is that these bottles inspire conversation around a table among friends, family, and lovers- about the wines themselves, certainly, what winemaker wouldn't dream of their art being treated with such respect- but more importantly about their day, their dreams, their struggle.  There should be laughter, and flirtation, and excitement, maybe even a little tension.  We're born alone, we die alone, and it's those little moments of connection in between that make it all worthwhile; for a bottle of Amplify to be the catalyst for that experience?  That is what makes all the effort meaningful.  

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