Wine To Be

One of the hardest concepts for English-speaking students of Spanish is the use of the two words that translate as “to be.”  Estar and ser.  The former is used to indicate temporary qualities and location: “I am in the vineyard.”  Ser is for identity or origin: “I am an American winemaker.”  A lifelong student of Spanish who has lived and studied at a sustainable agricultural site in Costa Rica, winemaker Nicole Walsh knows the language well.  So she chose the word “Ser” when it came time to brand her artisanal winery near Santa Cruz.  “I am dedicated to preserving the ‘isness’ of wine,” she says,  “to allow its true varietal expression and the place and time of its origins.”

Nicole Walsh [photo credit: www.wildu.co]

A native of Michigan, Nicole studied horticulture at Michigan State where she was able to tailor her own curriculum to winemaking at the University’s test vineyards (who knew!)  In 2001 she joined Randall Graham’s team at Bonny Doon in California’s Central Coast.  The necessity of sourcing fruit for Bonny Doon as that winery grew gave Nicole the opportunity to meet grape farmers up and down the state. 

After a one-year stint in New Zealand, where she converted a vineyard to biodynamic farming practices, Nicole returned to California and to the staff at Bonny Doon.  In 2012, she began Ser, a one-woman winery offering Pinot Noir and dry Riesling alongside little-known varietals sourced from the corners of some of the vineyards she discovered during her sourcing work for Bonny Doon.  Producing small lots of vineyard-designate Vermentino, Graciano or Sagratino may not make sense for a large winery, but they are exactly what Nicole is looking to do.

Among these interesting varieties is Cabernet Pfeffer.  The name itself is confusing – according to UC Davis this is not a relative of Cabernet Sauvignon.  And the word ‘Pfeffer’ is both the German word for “pepper” and the surname of a 19th-century California winemaker who is thought to have bred the variety.  But its California heritage is not certain – UC Davis traces it to Bordeaux, where the French call it Mourtau (among a dozen other names).  There is no confusion that it is rare - there are only 12 acres planted in California.  Nicole sources it from vines that are nearly 100 years old, intermixed with Zinfandel in the Wirz vineyard in San Benito County. The Ser Cabernet Pfeffer is a balanced, medium-bodied red wine with solid tannins and bright acidity that is delicious on its own but also very food-friendly.

Nicole lives near the ocean and is a surfer.  Her love of the water, along with the ocean’s influence on the cool-climate vineyards where she finds her fruit, resulted in a beautiful wave-shaped logo for Ser.  The design, made by a friend from her Michigan days, also references Nicole’s care for nature, for the fruit and vineyards she works with, and for what wine “is.”   

www.serwinery.com