These Young Wine Entrepreneurs Are Changing The Industry
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The world of winemaking is constantly evolving as new biodynamic farming techniques, varieties, and innovative ideas come to the surface of the industry. While the wine world has predominantly been occupied by an older generation, in recent years, young winemakers have been throwing their hats into the ring and attempting to bring the cost down of high-quality wines so that millennials can join in on the good stuff. Young sommeliers are also supporting their peers by suggesting newer varieties and pairing younger wines with more casual foods like burgers and pizza. Let’s take a look at some of the younger faces in the industry who are paving their own way.
Joe Campanale
At the young age of 23, Joe Campanale dove head first into the restaurant industry as a sommelier at Mario Batali’s Babbo, a high-end Italian eatery in Greenwich Village. Since then, he’s gone on to make a significant mark on the wine industry. Joe co-founded notable downtown New York restaurants like dell’anima, Anfora, and L’Artusi, helped operate a seasonal outdoor restaurant at the High Line Hotel (Alta Linea) and is the host of the Heritage Radio Network weekly podcast “In The Drink,” where he chats with winemakers, sommeliers, brewers, beverage directors, bartenders, distillers, and journalists, about their favorite drinks.
Joe took his passion for Italian wines to a whole new level when he launched his own wine company Annona, in 2013, where he celebrates his infatuation for the lesser-known wine regions of Italy. Joe’s fascination with the regions of Abruzzo and Campania sparked because of their unique microclimates and organic wine making practices. Today, the young Italian wine aficionado has formed relationships with many of the region’s most prominent wine producers and organic farmers. The whole Annona collection, which you can find at restaurants around New York City, is cultivated from fruit that’s organically farmed and harvested by hand without filtration or any added yeast. This minimalist technique shines through in the raw earthy taste of each bottle. This non-interventionist style is what makes Annona so different and Joe believes it’s the best way to showcase the true flavors of these regions.
The Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo (harvested with red grapes) stands out as an earthier, funkier, and more complex rosé that tastes just as good during the winter, as it does in the summer months, and has a cherry red color. This type of wine is usually on the pricier side (since it can only be produced in Abruzzo), but Joe’s goal is to introduce Cerasuolo-style wines to a new generation at an affordable price.
Laura Maniec
There’s a short list of women who have earned the title of “master sommelier” and Laura Maniec is one of the youngest. This is the highest honor given to wine professionals and you know someone with this level of dedication can be trusted with almost any wine question or concern thrown their way. It seems like Laura can translate any wine matter into a language that just about anyone can understand. In an article by The Business Journals, Laura says, “Our whole mission is, discover a passion for wine. Wine can get a bad rap for being snobby. But we’re trying to demystify it.'”
The master sommelier opened Corkbuzz Wine Studio in Union Square with her business partner Frank Vafier in 2011. Laura opened Corkbuzz so people could have a space to hang with friends, learn about wine in a homey atmosphere, and enjoy some impressive small plates. The wine selection has rare varieties from all around the world. You can order a bottle or even go with the wine pairings. Laura opened a wine bar in Chelsea Market and another Corkbuzz Wine Studio in Charlotte, North Carolina. Who knows what this wine maven will do next.
Rory Williams
With two parents in the Napa Valley wine industry — his father, John Williams, owns Frog’s Leap Winery and his mother, Julie Johnson owns Tres Sabores — it was only a matter of time before Rory Williams paved his own way through the vineyards. Rory founded his own label, Calder, with a goal to make wines from old-vine sites. Williams’ parents were among the first winemakers to be advocates of organic viticulture (the science, production, and study of grapes). Riesling is the main player at Calder and Rory aims to save forgotten red grapes that have a long history in Napa. Only in his thirties, the pedigreed winemaker was taught to grow his grapes organically and to dry farm the vines (a process where the grapes receive only winter rainfall as irrigation), and he says “I have been taught that the highest art of winemaking consists of a creative evolution of the aroma, taste, and feel of a place, which can only occur if one has eyes both on the past and the future.” Rory’s wines are mostly under $30 with varieties like Dry Riesling, Charbono, Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah, Carignane, and Carignane Rosé.
Pascal Brooks
At the impressionable age of eight years old, Pascal Brooks inherited a winery. Brooks Winery is the living legacy of Portland-native Jimi Brooks, who landed in the wine industry through his passion for history and philosophy. After traveling the world, Jimi brought his wine knowledge back to Portland and devoted the rest of his short-lived life to holistic farming and winemaking in the Willamette Valley, with a focus on complex Rieslings and Pinot Noir. When Jimi suddenly died in 2004, his eight-year-old son Pascal became the sole owner of the winery. While Pascal was just a child, the winery was revived by his aunt Janine Brooks-Heuck and head winemaker and friend of Jimi, Chris Williams.
Pascal’s childhood was the centerpiece of David Baker’s 2014 documentary American Wine Story. While Pascal is only now nineteen and studying at University of California Santa Cruz, it’s been said that he’s mature beyond his years and he travels back and forth to Oregon to help with his family’s harvest while still in college. Since the winery’s inception, it’s expanded in a lot of ways. The region is characterized by higher altitudes and ocean winds that blow through the area. The winery has received praise from Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits Magazine, and the Wine Advocate along with others. Who knows where Pascal might go from here, but with a childhood like his, something interesting is bound to happen.
Josh Phelps
Taken Wine Company is a collaboration of friends Josh Phelps and business partner Carlo Trinchero, both offspring of Napa Valley wine families. Carlo’s family owns the Trinchero Napa Valley Winery where “In 1972, second-generation vintner Bob Trinchero created the world’s first White Zinfandel under the Sutter Home label and the rest—as they say—is history.” Josh handles the day-to-day winemaking while Carlo is more on the sales and business end. The “Taken Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon” was the first wine they created and was released in 2010.
The wine lineup consists of Taken, Complicated (comprised of a Central Coast Grenache blend), Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Available (a Sangiovese blend and Pinot Grigio from Italy). Josh and Carlo’s goal is to create wines that millennials can relate to and the bottles are all priced between $13-$35. The motto is “Great wine made by great friends,” and innovation and relatable branding are at the forefront of Taken Wine Company. Let’s see how these new-generation winemakers continue to change the industry.
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