What I Hope Others Learn about Sparkling - #3

Winemaker Ashley Herzberg shares her advice for aspiring sparkling winemakers and what she hopes her kids will learn from her work.

Ashley Herzberg Sorting Chardonnay Grapes for Sparkling Wine

Why Ashley?

Because she's a trailblazer! Yes, she makes our Amista sparkling wine, but it’s much more than that. She was the first woman to make a “grower sparkling wine” in Dry Creek Valley.

At the time, most sparkling wines in California were made by large producers with grapes purchased from multiple vineyards in the tradition of Champagne. In France, Grower Champagne has become the rage in the last two decades with small, family-owned houses making Champagne from their own grapes.

Grower Champagnes are treasured because they are limited and hard to find. People love to discover hidden gems! And that’s what Ashley is making right here in Sonoma County.

Here is Part 3 of my conversation with Ashley.

My Advice For Someone Starting in Sparkling Wine

Vicky

What advice would you have for someone who's just starting to make sparkling wine?

Ashley

Make wine as you as you would for still wines. Make the best wine possible from that vineyard and from that vintage. The second thing is: ask a lot of questions. There are no dumb questions.

Sparkling wine does have some unique processes. Get to know those processes. It's a learning process over time. It involves a little trial and error. You're going to learn what you like and what the vineyard site gives you.

I think working with the same vineyards year in and year out, makes a huge difference, especially with sparkling wine. It takes a long time to evolve into what it is, so you must be patient. If you're switching vineyards all the time, it can be very hard to get to know what you're going to get.

“Not drinking a lot of wines from many places is a missed opportunity. There are people all over the world doing really cool things.”

And when you're starting out or even if you're not starting out, I think not drinking a lot of wines from a diversity of places is a missed opportunity. There are people all over the world doing really cool things. It might trigger another idea or another thought.

The [Amista] Sparkling Mataró is a perfect example of that. When I did the research and tried some Cavas [Spanish sparkling wines], I learned that Mourvèdre is often used as a base. I thought, “we grow Mourvèdre; let’s make a sparkling from it”.

The Sparkling Wines in my Fridge

Vicky

Well that brings up the obvious question. What sparkling wines are you drinking?

Ashley

It would be a lie if I said anything other than the first one is our (Amista Vineyards) Sparkling Grenache. I love all our sparkling wines, and I know everyone has their favorite. A lot of people like the new Sparkling Mataró and the Blanc de Blanc is obviously a staple, but the Sparkling Grenache - I just love that wine! Aside from our sparkling wines, I also drink a lot of Champagnes.

Vicky

I want to hear about those! What Champagnes are in your wine fridge right now?

“In my wine fridge right now? Oh, I have some good ones!”

Ashley

In my wine fridge right now? Oh, I have some good ones! I have a Champagne Georges Laval Cumieres Premier Cru Brut Nature. I love this wine. It’s a brut nature, so no dosage (no added sugar).

Then I have a Louis Roederer (the French house not the California house). It’s a 2012 rosé (Louis Roederer Brut Rose 2012), although it’s more the color of a Blanc de Noir. It's so good, so surprisingly good. It was kind of was unexpected.

Vicky

Why was it surprising?

Ashley

Because they're kind of a bigger house. It’s not what I would normally seek out.

Vicky

That’s what I’ve come to realize, that there’s much more to Champagne than the big, well-known houses. The smaller, houses that grow their own grapes rather than buying from hundreds of small growers are a lot more like us and I know you are intrigued by the wines from those smaller grower Champagne houses.

Ashley

That’s true. And this next bottle is from a smaller house. This is Champagne Clandestin Les Semblables. I was telling you about Vouette & Sorbée, in the southern part of Champagne. Champagne Clandestin is a joint project between Bertrand Gautherot of Vouette & Sorbée and Benoit Doussot (who works with Gautherot and was trained in Burgundy).

All the grapes for each wine come from plots with the same soil type, like Kimmeridgian limestone. (Semblables means similar in English). It's a really cool project, and the wines are super interesting.

Ashley Herzberg Leading a Dosage Trial

What I Hope My Work Teaches My Kids

Vicky

You seem to love every part of your work. You're a busy winemaker, harvesting from multiple vineyards, working in many different production facilities, making still and sparkling wines and attending numerous wine events, and you have two young children. What do you hope your work teaches your kids?

Ashley

Yes, I’m obviously busy and some of that takes me away from my kids and out of the house. I can show up for a lot of their activities, but not every single thing. What I hope is that they see how hard I work and how much joy and value that brings to my life. I hope they find that inspiring. Maybe it's not in wine, but whatever it is, I really hope that they find that drive and passion for something that fulfills you is more important than anything else. It’s like work isn’t work because your work is fun and it's part of your life. I hope they see that.

“Work isn’t work because your work is fun and it's part of your life. I hope they see that.”

All images courtesy of Amista Vineyards

Check out all my conversations with Ashley