As a wine buyer for various restaurants and stores, Noel Diaz learned a lot about the wine industry and how wine was made. Shortly after, Noel followed his wine passion and jumped into winemaking. He started Purity Wines in 2013, specializing in natural and organic winemaking. He recently moved his start up from Treasure Island to Richmond, CA and into a co-op with a few other wineries. On this episode, Noel super educates us on the joys and complexities of running a start-up wine company.
Guest: http://bit.ly/2hFRcSs Instagram: http://bit.ly/2hGLNul
Intro
Getting started
- Moved to the Bay Area in the 80's
- Worked in restaurant business to pay for college
- Took classes, had a mentor who advised to get more involved with wine making
- Became a buyer for restaurants
- Got licensed in 2013
Learning to make wine
- Mentor: Clint Hotel, one of several mentors
- Inspired from "I'll Drink to That" podcast
Harvests
Winery co-op
- Started on Treasure Island
- Joined with other winemakers to find a working space
- Held off on tasting room until demand for one become too high
- Still learning systems
Organic Wines
- Didn't originally have connections
- Sustainability
- Finding fruit growers
- Stay away from chemicals
- Willing to accept issues
Tasting the wine
- Whites and reds made similar
- Grapes from Rough & Ready, CA
- Marzan (white) sparkle in it, sold in Oakland
Production
- Small, limited number of cases
- Number of cases determines tax bracket
- Equipment costs- new vs used barrels
- Winemaking process
Tasting the wine
- Barbera (red)
- Direct press
- Bubbles
Drought
- Red wines made during drought
- Adapting
- Grape quality in California
- Prices/ Location to buy
- Tours start in November
