The pathways that lead one to work with wine are many and varied. You may be born a Rothschild, a Mondavi, or the anonymous babe of migrant pickers. Some are raised among the vines, while others trade city life for dirt rows and secateurs. One’s education can be ‘hands-on’ or theoretical, and may involve study and diplomas, but also hazing, scars, and chutzpah. Chilean winemaker Macarena del Río once rode her bicycle right up the path to Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion and requested a job, successfully!

Many of us, especially those trained in the fine arts, are ‘bitten by the wine bug’ while working in restaurants, where unskilled openings are plentiful and wine knowledge and appreciation is shared and cultivated. Engaged in the work of hospitality, we find the history and practice of winemaking both fascinating and closely tied to cultural heritage. Marked by the unmistakable fingerprints of humanity, wine tasting brings sensual pleasure and intellect together in an artful way, each bottle new, unique and changeable, yet part of a timeless tradition.

Winemaker Sabrina Tamayo and I started out in very different places, but our last couple of turns led to our meeting. Sabrina grew up in Miami and studied painting in Pennsylvania, where she learned to love wine through restaurant work. From Pennsylvania, Sabrina went to New York and began studying to become a sommelier. She then worked harvests in California at Ryme Cellars and Bedrock Wine Co. and in 2021 Sabrina joined the flagship Two Eighty Project apprenticeship program in partnership with Steve Matthiason and UC Davis and began working full time in the vineyards and winery with Les Lunes Wines. Superbly skilled and wonderfully good-natured, Sabrina takes pride in being one of only a few queer, Latinx, and female winemakers, and I’m delighted that our paths have crossed here in California, and will again this Saturday afternoon from 2 to 6, when Sabrina will pour tasting flights of her Ruby Blanca Wines new releases. Come join us and meet the winemaker!

But first...TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights - Loire Valley Whites and La Boutanche Liters
Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Melon de Bourgogne or Selection Massale’s stellar cartoon-festooned proprietary bottlings of natty, drinky-drinky, rouge-de-soif liters
2023 Domaine de la Pepiere La Pepie Muscadet
2022 Tardieux Gal Touraine Sageres Sauvignon Blanc
2022 Sebastien Brunet Vouvray Sec Arpent
2022 Martin Texier La Boutanche Cinsault
2023 Olivier Minot La Boutanche Gamay
2022 Broc Cellars La Boutanche Red
Flights $15 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until close!

SATURDAY 8/3: Winemaker Sabrina Tamayo pours Ruby Blanca Wines tasting flights
All new releases from organically farmed vineyards in Lodi, California
2023 Ruby Blanca Borden Ranch Albariño
2023 Ruby Blanca Clements Hills Nero D'Avola Rosato
2023 Ruby Blanca Clements Hills Skin Fermented Ribolla Gialla
Flights $18 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 9pm

Cheers,
Max