Good wine tastes even better when made by great people: An interview with Paul Romero of Stefania Wine
One of life’s simplest pleasures is a well made glass of wine. A single glass of wine exemplifies the hard work put into the vineyard and winery, as well as the personality and passion of its winemaker. When it comes to making good wines that express love and appreciation of both the vineyard and the wine, not many folks do it as good as Paul (and Stefani) Romero of Stefania Wine.
I met Paul (and his wife Stefania after whom the winery is named) a few months back at one of our MD-Cru Offlines. They were in the Baltimore area on business and their trip coincided with the groups monthly tasting. Paul was nice enough to bring a bottle of his ‘05 Syrah, as well as barrel samples of his ‘06 Syrah (release this spring) and his ‘06 Cabernet (coming this fall)- more on these later. What struck me about Paul is that he is just a normal guy who happens to be great at winemaking. He’s very active on many of the major wine forums and is the first to offer advice to young wino’s new in the game, contribute his stories and experiences, or to chime in with a witty remark or well placed joke. Paul is also an avid hockey fan (and hockey card collector) which I appreciate (myself a die-hard Red Wings fan), likes to hang out and drink a beer from time to time, and most interestingly hasn’t quite his day job. That’s right, Stefania wines is a part time gig, for now anyways.
What began as a small project in caring for a 50 vines (25 Grenache, 25 Syrah- pictured above) has turned into a 1200 case (this year) production. With a winery in Silicon Valley and grapes sourced from vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains (SCM), Stefania Wines isn’t your ordinary wine producer. They chose the SCM because they “would much rather make (their) dream happen at ‘home’ than try and fit in somewhere else.” Home of course being the edge of the SCM’s in San Jose, California. In addition to making wine, Paul and Stefani work as consultants and manage many vineyards throughout the SCM’s. It is from these vineyards, which they have carefully chosen due to the quality of the fruit and passion and care of their owners, that the couple sources grapes to create Stefani’s Wines. It is also in these vineyards that the couple can be found pruning vines, clearing weeds, and chasing away the occasional gopher.
As with any of the vineyards, winemakers or wineries I review, it all comes down to the wine. Well, Stefani Wines are very good and show great potential. I have tasted 3 bottles of their wine as well as two barrel samples. The 2006 Syrah (tasted 2 times) is a solid 90 point wine that has the personality and class of its maker. I tasted big league chew gum, ripe but not overly extracted fruits, and just a touch of earth and spice. Really a unique experience in a bottle of Syrah and a great pairing with foods, especially seared tuna. I am looking forward to the new release of their new Cabernet (in Fall 2008) which I had in barrel sample this past winter and suggest that you get on the mailing list, beg for an allocation, and open a bottle a few weeks after they arrive. Though I’m not sure it’s structured for long term again, it will be a killer wine to drink over the next 5 years. I also have a bottle or two of their ‘06 Haut Taubee, named for the hot tub in their backyard (pictured below). This blend of grapes from their vines at home ends up in only 25 or so cases of wine and more than anything shows that they are having a great time making wine! I’ll report back on this wine when I open one in the next few months.
As mentioned, I highly recommend getting on the mailing list for Stefani Wine ASAP! I wouldn’t be surprised that if in a year or two the list will be filled up with only room on the waiting list. You won’t see their wines on the shelves of most of the shops in the US and their only on a few restaurant wine lists. With a new Cabernet this fall, and a Pinot Noir coming next year, it’s likely that you’ll find a few wines that dance on your palate. Also be sure to follow Paul and Stefani on their blog, which is a journey through their daily lives as winemakers, vineyard managers and a fun couple who are always entertaining friends and family in the SCM and at their home in San Jose.
I mentioned to Paul I wanted to write a review on his wines and he graciously offered to answer some “questions for the winemaker” Without further ado, a look into the life of Paul Romero, owner and winemaker of Stefani Wines.
Paul Romero: I was laid off during the dot.com bust. My mom actually gave me advice to treat it like a sabbatical and do something I always wanted to try but hadn’t had the time for.
PR: I think drinking wine should be fun and something you share. Wine is one of the few things we consume that is really made and packaged to be enjoyed by more than one person at a time.
I’m not trying to force any style into that, I’m really looking for balance and flexibility. I wine you can open for any occasion, enjoy it without food, or with a wide range of foods. Really I make wine that I’d like to drink myself, and Stefania and I usually start my opening a bottle when we get home from work. We pour a glass as we cook, and then finish the bottle as we have dinner. To do that the wine has to stand on its own, but also have the balance to pair with food.
MM: How do you feel about the use of wine ratings?
PR: I know there are people who love ratings, and even people who get most of their enjoyment based on how many points a critic gave the wine they are drinking, but that’s just not for me. Our wines have gotten pretty good scores on places like Cellartracker, but the feedback I really value is when someone sends me a note like “My wife loved your wine and she doesn’t usually drink reds.” This Winter after spending all day in 40 degree weather pruning vines we got home to an email from a customer with a picture of him and his wife smiling and drinking our wine at a party. We printed it out and hung it on our office. That was worth more to me personally than 95 points from any critic.
MM: When was the last time you visited Baltimore, MD? Any memorable meals or wines?
PR: I was just outside of Baltimore in February and had dinner with the MD Cru. That was a great time. A great group of people and a lot of fun. The last time I was in the city was 2006. We went pub hoping with a friend who lives in Annapolis. I don’t remember the name of the little bar we finished at, but it had cask conditioned ale and the hottest Buffalo Wings I’ve had in my life.
MM: Other than Stefania Wines, what’s in your private cellar?
PR: My side of the cellar is about 60% French; Red Bordeaux, Burgundies, Loire whites, and Rhones. Beaucastel, Perrot Minot, Vincent Girardin, La Mission Haut Brion, Smith Haut Lafite, Baumard, Cos d’Estournel those are probably the top producers. From California I have a lot of Copain, Ridge, Match, Sea Smoke and Windy Oaks.
Stef has more Italian wine on her side than I do, she loves Tuscan reds and also has a lot of Hermitage from Yann Chave. Belle Ponte, Karl Lawrence and Leal probably make up most of her domestic wines. She’s always picking up bottles to try though, she has stuff from all over.
MM: Your wines are great, selling well, and in high demand. At what point will your operations be “big enough”, or are you shooting for a large scale winery in the future?
PR: We’re doing 1200 cases this year. Still we’ll not make more than 250 cases of any one wine. We’d like to get to 3000-4000 cases total in the next 5 years. No bigger than that and it would still consist of small lots of under 500 cases for each wine we do. At that scale it lets me stay very hands on an evaluate each lot and each barrel to make the best wine possible.
MM: Is being a winemaker really the dream job that it appears to be?
PR: It’s a lot of hard work, and a lot of the time it’s very lonely. It’s the best job I’ve ever done though. I think most people would be surprised by the physical demands especially around harvest. You have to get yourself in good shape for harvest season.
MM: Any advice to someone thinking about getting into winemaking, or the wine industry?
PR: I have a friend who is a venture capitalist and he asked me to explain my business plan once. When I finished he said; “Paul, why in the world would you do this? The reward must be because you love it?” I think there is fair advice in that, don’t do it unless you hope the reward is in doing something you love. You won’t make a lot of money. If you still decide to give it a try, the most important things are to be willing to do any task, and always be learning. Keep learning, asking questions, reading and always be open to new ideas.
Tasting notes:
2006 Uvas Creek Vineyard Cabernet Cabernet Sauvignon (Barrel Sample): Light in style, lots of red fruit, pink starburst on the nose, sweet oak notes and showing very good balance now. 2006? Why wait! No rating.
2006 Eaglepoint Ranch Syrah (based on three tastings): Bright red color with floral notes. Flavors of bubble gum, red berries, vanilla, black pepper and other spice notes. Delicious. My rating: 90 pts
Finally, if anyone wants to try a few of Stefani’s wines, drop me an e-mail (michael@foodandwineblog.com) and I’ll arrange for it!
great interview! i think the brewery that paul visited in annapolis might be ram’s head, where they make fordham beers. its downtown on west street and has an amazing outdoor garden seating area (think beer garden) that is open all year round. does this sound familiar, paul?
fordham makes a variety of really great beers and they generally come out with a seasonal every 4-6 weeks, which makes rams head tavern (the original location) a really fun place to go on the regular!
I’m looking forward to the 2006. I had the 2005 Uvas Creek Vineyard Cabernet Cabernet Sauvignon when Paul brought it to an off-line in August of last year. It was excellent. While it hadn’t been released yet when we had it, it was very drinkable. I’m wondering how well it will age as I’d love to be able to hold a couple for 5 years or so but I don’t know if I will be able to keep from pulling them from the cellar.
Did Paul happen to say whether he is still going to be making the Chaine D’Or Chardonnay? I seem to remember him saying that he might be taking over that vineyard. I certainly hope he does as it (we had the 2005) was excellent too.
Donna: I’m going to have to open one of these wines for you- I have more on their way so there will be plenty to go around!
Hey dinwiddie!: They have 200 cases planned for the Chaine D’Or Chard for 2008 which I very much look forward to! If you ever want to get together and open a bottle of wine, let me know.
Cheers!
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